Our Expertise
We work with private equity funds, investment firms and their portfolio companies on leadership decisions that affect investment performance. We recruit investment professionals for funds and senior leaders for the businesses they back.The strongest candidate on paper is not necessarily the right person for a particular investment strategy, ownership structure or stage of development.
We bring specialist market knowledge, independent judgement and disciplined execution to each appointment.
Our Expertise
Our focus on private equity has taught us that each investment strategy brings different leadership requirements. A fund entering a new market, a founder-led business adapting to institutional ownership and a platform preparing to scale need different people.
Working across funds and portfolio companies gives us a practical view of how investment priorities translate into leadership requirements, including where talent constraints may affect the plan.
Overview
Practices
We work with investors and management teams to establish what the business needs from its leaders and where the market can deliver it.
Building investment teams that match the strategy.
We work with private equity, venture capital and other private market investors to build teams that fit their investment approach, sector focus and stage of development. Investment professionals shape origination, investment decisions and portfolio performance as well as transaction execution. A strong track record in one fund does not guarantee success in another. Investment culture, decision-making authority and expectations of portfolio involvement all affect whether a candidate is the right fit.
Our Work Includes:
Investment professionals from Associate to Partner, across private equity, venture capital and related investment strategies.
Origination and investment leadership with relevant sector knowledge and established market relationships.
Portfolio management and value creation professionals who can work effectively across investment and operating environments.
Investor relations, fundraising and fund management leadership.
Leadership that can deliver the investment plan.
We advise private equity investors and their portfolio companies on CFO and senior leadership appointments throughout the ownership cycle, aligning executive capabilities with the investment strategy, business priorities and stage of development. Investors need executives who can turn an investment thesis into operating performance while managing growth, financial discipline, organisational change and stakeholder expectations.
For C-level appointments, the stakes are especially high: these leaders influence cash discipline, operating performance and delivery of the value creation plan.
We assess candidates against the circumstances in which they will operate, including the maturity of the business, ownership dynamics, pace of change and strengths of the existing team.
Our Work Includes:
C-level professionals for private equity and investor-backed businesses.
CFOs and senior finance leaders supporting financial transformation, performance improvement, buy-and-build strategies and exit readiness.
Leadership transitions following an acquisition, change in ownership or a new phase of the investment.
General Counsel appointments.
Commercial, operational and technology executives supporting growth, transformation and specific value creation priorities.
Financial leadership under investor ownership.
A private equity CFO must give investors and management a reliable view of performance while helping the business make better decisions. The role goes beyond control and reporting, as cash discipline, commercial judgement, operational understanding and credibility with stakeholders are equally important.
The requirements change materially across the investment cycle: a newly acquired founder-led business may need to establish financial visibility and governance, a scaling platform may require stronger planning, integration and capital allocation capabilities, and a company approaching exit will face a different set of expectations.
We identify finance leaders with the experience and judgement suited to the company’s priorities and stage of ownership.
Our Work Includes:
CFOs and senior finance executives for private equity and venture-backed companies.
Finance leadership for growth, transformation, buy-and-build and exit preparation.
Executives experienced in cash management, investor reporting, financing and performance improvement.
Finance leaders capable of working effectively with investors, founders, management teams and lenders.
Building the capability behind buy-and-build
A buy-and-build plan needs more than a pipeline of attractive targets. Execution requires people who can identify opportunities, assess them commercially, manage transactions and translate acquisitions into a stronger operating group. Without the right corporate development and integration leadership, acquisitions can outpace the organisation’s ability to absorb them.
We work with private equity-backed platforms and acquisitive businesses to appoint leaders who understand both the transaction and the operating implications of growth through M&A.
Our Work Includes:
Heads of Corporate Development and M&A Directors for acquisitive platforms.
Executives with relevant transaction origination and execution experience.
Post-merger integration and transformation leadership.
Strategy and business development professionals moving between investment, advisory and operating environments.
People behind trusted advisory relationships
In transaction advisory, technical capabilities are expected. What differentiates strong professionals is judgement, sector credibility, client trust and the ability to execute under pressure.
We work with investment banks, independent M&A advisers and specialist corporate finance firms to identify professionals who can strengthen existing teams, develop sector coverage and build long-term client relationships. Our work with private capital investors helps us understand what they expect from their advisers, both in origination and execution.
Our Work Includes:
Investment professionals across infrastructure, energy transition, transport and digital infrastructure.
M&A execution professionals across seniority levels.
Specialists in debt advisory, restructuring and capital markets.
Specialist leadership for long-term capital
Infrastructure and real assets investment calls for professionals who understand capital allocation, sector dynamics and how assets perform over time. Regulatory frameworks, capital intensity, asset performance and extended investment horizons create leadership requirements that differ from those of traditional corporate environments.
We work with infrastructure investors, real assets managers and their portfolio businesses across investment, asset management and operating leadership roles. We look for people who can work across the investment requirements and the operational realities of the assets.
Our Work Includes:
Investment professionals from Associate to Partner, across private equity, venture capital and related investment strategies.
Origination and investment leadership with relevant sector knowledge and established market relationships.
Portfolio management and value creation professionals who can work effectively across investment and operating environments.
Investor relations, fundraising and fund management leadership.
Overview
Services
We advise clients on leadership decisions and take responsibility for execution.
Critical appointments need more than a shortlist
Leadership appointments under private equity ownership carry consequences for the investment plan, management team and future performance of the business. We begin with the results the business needs and the ownership context in which the executive will operate. That can mean questioning the brief, revisiting the experience required or separating an impressive career from a track record that is relevant to this situation. Clients receive a clear view of the market, an assessed shortlist and our recommendation.
Our Work Includes:
A search mandate grounded in the investment strategy and commercial priorities.
Access to relevant talent beyond the most visible candidates.
Rigorous assessment of leadership capability, track record and contextual fit.
Direct senior involvement, transparent communication and ownership of the process through completion.
Leadership when the business cannot wait
A sudden leadership gap, a critical transaction or an operational transition can create immediate execution risk. Speed matters, but so does having led through a comparable situation before. We support investors and portfolio companies with interim leaders capable of taking responsibility quickly, establishing priorities and navigating complex stakeholder expectations. The immediate priority is to maintain continuity and make progress on the investment plan.
Our Work Includes:
Interim CFOs and finance leadership.
Interim CEOs and Managing Directors.
Leadership for restructuring, integration, carve-outs and transformation.
Transitional appointments supporting continuity ahead of a permanent hire.
Understand the leadership market before making the decision
The availability of the right leaders can affect an investment’s feasibility, timing and execution risk. Investors may need to understand the depth of a management talent pool before entering a market, the availability of leaders with specific sector experience, or whether an existing team can support the next stage of growth. We provide targeted talent market intelligence to inform decisions before, during and after an investment. Clients receive a practical view of the available talent, relevant experience and any limitations that may affect their plans.
Our Work Includes:
Leadership market assessments supporting investment and expansion decisions.
Sector-specific and cross-border talent mapping.
Management capability and succession risk reviews.
Talent intelligence to inform leadership structure, recruitment priorities and future appointments.
Building teams for buy-and-build strategies
As buy-and-build platforms grow, their leadership requirements change. The capabilities needed to establish an initial platform may differ significantly from those required to integrate multiple acquisitions, develop shared operating standards and manage a larger, more complex group. The team that establishes a platform is not always the team that can run a larger group. We work with investors, independent sponsors and platform management teams to identify the executive capabilities required at different stages of a consolidation strategy, from the initial leadership structure through integration, scaling and exit preparation.
Our Work Includes:
CEO, CFO and corporate development appointments for newly established platforms.
Leadership supporting acquisition execution and integration.
Management team development as the organisation grows in complexity.
Coordinated executive hiring across portfolio platforms and acquired businesses.
Compensation aligned with investment economics
Compensation must attract the right executives, align incentives and remain commercially sensible for the investment. For senior appointments, the question is not simply what the market pays. It is what structure is appropriate for the role, the level of responsibility, the investment strategy and the performance expected. Misalignment can undermine a critical hire before the appointment is made or create unnecessary cost and complexity. We help investors and management teams understand market expectations and the trade-offs involved.
Our Work Includes:
Executive compensation benchmarking for investor-backed businesses.
Investment professional compensation across private market strategies.
Market perspectives on management incentive arrangements.
Cross-border compensation comparisons for senior leadership roles.
Planning for leadership succession
Succession planning reduces the risk of losing critical leadership capacity at the wrong point in an investment. The leadership and board capabilities a business needs may change as it grows or approaches exit. We support investors and portfolio company boards in assessing leadership requirements, identifying succession options and appointing individuals who can add relevant experience and independent perspective.
Our Work Includes:
Executive and leadership team assessment.
Internal and external succession planning.
Independent director and chair appointments.
Confidential market intelligence supporting future leadership decisions.
Client Success
Real Results
Exponential Impact
First Point Partners has completed placements in 11 countries, finding the leaders behind private capital performance.
