When it comes to achieving key goals and benchmarks, transformative leadership makes a big difference in any company. However, when the company is part of a private equity portfolio, the significance of transformative leadership is magnified. Savvy, experienced, and innovative leadership is crucial for supporting your investment thesis and achieving your desired value creation.
At Blue Rock Search, our search process is custom-built to find you the top talent you need to implement your strategy and align with your investment thesis. Here’s what makes our approach so successful.
Developing an Investment Thesis
When acquiring a new portfolio company, an investment thesis provides a ‘road map’ of sorts for a PE firm to determine the best route to profitability and value creation. The idea of value creation may seem rather straightforward, at least in theory. Still, a thesis is often necessary to better focus the firm’s efforts and approach the process from all angles. Developing an investment thesis might include evaluating the following factors, among others:
- Specific paths or actions to value creation (e.g., scaling, operational improvements, cost cuts, etc.)
- Risk assessment and mitigation strategy
- Market conditions (e.g., competition, timing, external or regulatory factors, etc.)
- Exit strategy
For many companies, the most impactful, successful investment theses tend to focus not on cost reduction but on growth. Creating a path to strong growth is what produces the big returns on investment. Whether a firm’s planned exit is a sale or an IPO, netting top dollar demands a compelling growth story.
Firms also need strong, thoughtful, and focused leaders to execute these strategies and achieve their desired goals. Locating the right talent to align with your investment thesis can be challenging, but an experienced recruiting partner can destress the process and deliver the transformative, forward-thinking leaders you need.
How Blue Rock Can Help
Blue Rock is an expert in executive search, serving the unique needs of private equity firms. Blue Rock understands how critical it is to identify leaders who are exemplary in their specific fields and perfectly aligned with your investment thesis.
Our engagement starts by gaining a deep understanding of your investment thesis for each portfolio company or sector. We work as an extension of your team with our partner approach, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of your objectives throughout the process.
With a solid understanding of your investment thesis, we develop a tailored search strategy. This goes beyond traditional elements like industry experience, skills, and qualifications to include the ability to execute on the very specific value-creation levers identified in your thesis. Our sourcing strategies are then customized to target diverse, experienced candidates with track records of executing similar value-creation initiatives. Whether it’s operational efficiency, go-to-market strategies, or scaling businesses, we focus on proven capabilities that align with your thesis, all while leveraging the power of a robust and diverse talent pipeline.
Our team will pre-qualify candidates to ensure that only the top matches are presented to your team, saving you time and energy. We employ advanced behavioral and situational interviewing techniques to ensure candidates aren’t just suitable on paper but also align philosophically with your investment thesis. Our reference checks are equally robust and tailored to verify the candidates’ competency and their successful execution of strategies like your investment thesis. We’ll even continue to provide advice and assistance through the offer and onboarding stage – and beyond – to ensure a continued good fit and the successful pursuit of your thesis.
We understand that private equity operates with tight timelines. Our rigorous yet efficient processes aim to present you in a timely manner with a shortlist of exceptional, diverse candidates who align with your investment thesis.
What does this all mean for your firm? Not only will you get the benefit of our experience to successfully place transformative leaders at your portfolio companies, but you’ll also reap benefits including the following:
- Risk mitigation: Hiring a leader who understands and can execute your investment thesis reduces the risk of poor performance, high costs, and failed initiatives.
- Value maximization: Aligned leadership accelerates the value-creation process, bringing potentially higher returns on your investment.
- Strategic consistency: Ensuring strategic alignment and strong leadership from the get-go enables consistent execution and prevents subsequent costly shifts in strategy.
- Investor confidence: Demonstrating a consistent track record in hiring executives who successfully execute your investment thesis can boost investor confidence and pave the way for successfully raising more capital in the future.
Blue Rock Search is here to help your private equity firm find the right leaders for your portfolio companies. Talk to our team today to learn more.
By Joshua Jones
About the Author
Joining the organization in early 2018, Joshua leads the executive search efforts for the Private Equity team. He is a recognized thought leader in the recruiting industry, quoted in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. Joshua’s 15+ years of business experience in both public and private companies, along with deep relationships within various Private Equity communities, provides clients the broad range of knowledge they need to find transformative leaders. Clients consider Joshua a trusted partner who takes the time to understand their organization and adds value beyond executive search engagements.