CYRIL DEMARIA is a Partner and Head of private markets at Wellershoff & Partners, an independent CIO service provider for family offices and financial institutions. A private equity expert combining academic expertise and practical experience, his extensive knowledge of the asset class spans more than 20 years during which he has notably held positions at the Chief Investment Office of UBS, where he was in charge of private markets research (buy-side). He is the founder and managing partner of two venture capital funds. He is also an Affiliate Professor at EDHEC and lectures at top academic institutions such as HEC Paris, EADA, and ESCP-Europe. He is an expert and a trainer for leading private equity associations such as Invest Europe, France Invest and SECA, and has authored best-selling books, such as Introduction to Private Equity which has been translated in multiple languages, and Private Equity Fund Investments.