Brookfield's Anuj Ranjan - "own the boring that makes exciting possible": AGM Live at SuperReturn

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

We sat down with Brookfield Private Equity CEO Anuj Ranjan.

We were live from Berlin, which becomes the “capital of private capital” in June as private equity industry leaders make the annual pilgrimage to the city for one of the marquee private equity conferences, SuperReturn Berlin.

With Prosek Partners and former Bloomberg TV journalist Deirdre Bolton as my producer, along with her team, we took over a Tiny Space cabin to hold big conversations with some of the industry’s leading alternative asset managers.

Brookfield has a rich legacy as an asset owner and operator of some of the “businesses that drive the global economy.” Brookfield is a firm where skin in the game (~25% of every fund includes an investment from Brookfield’s balance sheet) meets scale and synergies across its investment platform, which spans private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and energy.

Now, they are looking to own what’s next.

What will the next era of private equity require? A different approach, according to Brookfield Private Equity CEO Anuj Ranjan.

The conversation that Anuj and I had in the Tiny Space cabin covered big themes.

Brookfield is investing in the megatrends that are driving the world’s economy across its platform, from digitalization to decarbonization to deglobalization. The firm’s focus on industrials in its private equity business makes it well equipped to invest in essential companies, as Brookfield aptly describes their investment focus as “own[ing] the boring that makes exciting possible.”

Anuj and I had a fascinating conversation about the current state of private equity and what it will take to drive value in a new era for the industry where “12 is the new 5.” We covered:

Brookfield’s history as an owner-operator.How the firm’s long-term perspective informs its investments in and ownership of private equity-backed companies.Anuj’s experience investing in India was an exercise in patience.Why is today the era of “roll up your sleeves private equity?”How Brookfield is approaching value creation in industrial companies.Where Brookfield believes it can leverage AI to create post-deal operational value.Why Brookfield partnered with OpenAI to create DeployCo in order to scale enterprise AI deployment.Where are we in the adoption curve of physical AI and robotics?Bio

Anuj Ranjan is Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield’s Private Equity Group and Brookfield Business Corporation. In this role, Mr. Ra