> Kevin Kaiser, PhD Adjunct Professor of Finance; Senior Director, Harris Family Alternative Investments Program, The Wharton SchoolResearch Interests:Corporate finance, managing for value, private equity, financial distress About Kevin Kevin Kaiser is senior director of the Harris Family Alternative Investments Program and adjunct professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He was professor of Management Practice and on the finance faculty at INSEAD since 1992. Kevin holds a BA (Honors) in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a PhD in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Kevin’s research has focused on private equity, corporate restructuring, and financial distress, more recently oriented around corporate governance and management for value creation. In addition to his research in academic and practitioner journals and newspapers, he has co-authored two books: The Blue Line Imperative with David Young, and Becoming a Top Manager with Michael Pich and I.J. Schecter. Kevin teaches extensively in executive and degree programs. He joined Wharton in 2017 from INSEAD where he was an eight-time recipient of the MBA award for Best Teacher for Electives and a three-time recipient of the EMBA award for Best Teacher for Electives. In 2016, he received INSEAD’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Executive Education. In 2013, Kevin was a finalist for the Economist Intelligence Unit’s world-wide Business Professor of the Year competition. He brings to the classroom his deep knowledge of academic theory together with his real-world experience working in the corporate finance and strategy practice of McKinsey & Co. and as a principal with bfinance, a venture capital-financed marketplace for business finance. Read full faculty bio on Wharton websiteExecutive Education Programs TaughtDistressed Asset Investing and Corporate RestructuringCo-Academic DirectorLearn how to assess the long-term value of and investment opportunities in companies that are financially distressed. Become knowledgeable about the integral roles that business managers, professional investors, and banking advisors can play in restructuring corporate debt. Private Equity: Investing and Creating ValueDiscover how to secure returns that outperform other asset classes by honing your expertise on private equity investments. Delve into the effects of the pandemic; explore current strategies; and leave with the ability to confidently evaluate, structure, and build profitable investments within the private equity space. Shareholder Activism: Activating Change for Value CreationAcademic DirectorLearn how corporate boards and C-suite leadership prepare for activist campaigns directed at their company, and discover effective solutions for managing the process when it occurs. Develop the fundamentals for both value investing and value-based management. Venture CapitalThis program will provide participants with a rigorous framework both to evaluate investment opportunities and to manage a multi-stage investment process in an innovative firm. Learn how to evaluate venture capital investment opportunities and do due diligence that will uncover pitfalls and mitigate risk.
