Private Equity

I add value to private equity firms, and their assets, by focusing on: rapid discovery and diagnosis of challenges; forming an executable product vision; focusing on commercial productisation; and delivering hands-on change-centric transformation projects.

I’ve worked on more than 40 private equity deals now, with a lot of different partners in the space. I’m used to joining a company at the point of, or just after, a deal.

I often work with companies new to private equity ownership, helping navigate the different operating expectations and ways of working.

I’m experienced in building out the first Product team following PE investment - creating high performing teams, consolidating products, rationalising product market fit, and defining roadmaps.

PE in Product

Product in PE

Increasingly, as the Chief Product Officer role has become more familiar on Boards in all sectors, I’ve been working with private equity firms to define what this looks like, how to drive value, and how to build a right-shape / right-size structure underneath the CPO role.

Strategic planning, tactics, tools, goal-setting, leadership, product education, and cross-team skillset development are all part of this. As is the implementation of world class processes, systems, services, and methodologies.

My experience

  • Buyout / LBO

  • Growth equity

  • Bolt-on acquisitions

  • £30m to €1.4bn valuations

  • £10m to $400m revenue

  • 50-1,500 FTE

  • UK, Europe, North America

  • Pre-deal strategy

  • Due diligence

  • Point of transaction

  • Post-transaction planning

  • Buy and build / bolt-on acquisitions

  • Productisation and POM (Product Operating Model)

  • Optimising PMF (Product Market Fit) and GTM (Go To Market)

  • Refining product and proposition talent, processes, and ways of working

  • Consolidation / rationalisation of product portfolios, including post-merger

  • 100 day planning / delivery

  • Turnaround

I regularly work with private equity firms and houses in the capacity of:

  • A project-based Subject Matter Expert

  • On due diligence and at pre-deal stage

  • An Operating Partner

  • An external Advisor

I partner with investors and operating teams, and work directly in-asset too.

I can engage on short term projects (from as little as a few days) to longer engagements (sometimes more than a year) to suit the brief. I work both directly and via intermediaries - including via, and with, a group of trusted legal, accounting, and regulatory partners.

Most of my exposure has been in mid-market PE firms; covering the full LMM, CMM, and UMM gamut. I like the focus and pace of mid-market but I’ve also worked with larger firms; as well as with VC, VC-PE crossover, and hybrid funds.

A selection of previous client and partner firms include…