Private equity executive search
Private equity executive search, from fund to portfolio
Rainmakrr runs executive search for private equity firms and the companies they back.
We search for the leaders a value creation plan depends on: chief executives, CFOs, chief operating officers, chairs, non-executive directors and operating partners.
We also search for partners and senior hires inside the fund itself.
- Portfolio company leadership
- Fund partners and senior hires
- Chairs and NEDs
- Run by Fractional Quest Ltd
Who are you hiring?
Deal team and partner hires for buyout, growth and credit funds.
See how we search →Permanent CFOs for PE-backed businesses, with fractional and interim options.
See how we search →Operating partners and value creation leads for a fund or a portfolio.
See how we search →COO, CFO, risk, compliance and investor relations for hedge funds.
See how we search →Retained search for finance directors, COOs and NEDs.
See how we search →01/ moments
The moments a sponsor runs a search
Leadership changes cluster around points in the hold period.
Open each to see what the search usually covers.
Which sounds like you?
A new owner often wants a CFO who has worked to a sponsor’s reporting rhythm, or a chair with sector experience.
- → CFO with sponsor experience
- → Independent chair
- → Portfolio company CFO recruitment
Growth plans often need a chief operating officer, a chief commercial officer or a transformation lead.
- → COO or CCO
- → Operating partner support
- → Operating partner recruitment
Underperformance can lead to a change of chief executive or finance leadership, often at speed.
- → Interim cover through Fractional Quest
- → A permanent search in parallel
Buyers and their advisers look closely at the management team, the numbers and the governance.
- → A CFO with exit or IPO experience
- → NEDs who strengthen the board for the next owner
02/ seats
Who we search for
Executive search in private equity covers the fund and the portfolio.
PORTFOLIO COMPANY
Chief executives
The chief executive owns the plan agreed with the sponsor.
The search weighs sector, scale, the stage of the hold and experience of working with an investor board.
PORTFOLIO COMPANY
Chief financial officers
The CFO runs reporting to the sponsor and lenders, cash and covenants, and the exit process.
BOARD
Chairs and non-executive directors
Directors of a UK company owe the duties set out in the Companies Act 2006, whoever appoints them.
Sponsors often add an independent chair and a non-executive director with sector or audit experience.
FUND
Operating partners
Operating partners support a portfolio on commercial, operational, people or digital priorities.
FUND
Partners and senior investment hires
Partner searches are confidential and usually start from a list agreed with the existing partners.
03/ process
How a private equity search runs
What we undertake on every brief.
- 01
Brief
We agree the seat with the sponsor and the management team, including what the hire must deliver in the plan.
START - 02
Map
We map the companies, sectors and funds where the experience sits, and agree the target list.
RESEARCH - 03
Approach
We approach people confidentially and assess them against the brief.
OUTREACH - 04
Shortlist
You meet assessed candidates with our written notes and references we take ourselves.
SHORTLIST - 05
Close
We manage interviews with the sponsor and the board, the offer, the notice period and the start date.
START DATE
04/ options
Search, interim, or both?
When a seat is empty, a sponsor can fill it permanently, temporarily, or both at once.
→ Many sponsors run both: an interim in the seat while the permanent search runs.
→ A fractional executive can cover a seat that is not yet full time.
05/ guide
What private equity executive search involves
Executive search is a method: map the market, approach the right people directly and assess them against a brief.
In private equity the brief is shaped by the investment case, so the search starts from the plan, not just the job title.
Governance
Boards of listed companies follow the UK Corporate Governance Code, and many private boards use it as a reference for board composition.
Provision 11 of the 2024 Code says at least half the board, excluding the chair, should be independent non-executive directors (FRC, UK Corporate Governance Code 2024), which matters for a portfolio company preparing for an IPO.
Large private companies in the UK also report on their governance arrangements, and many use the Wates Principles published by the Financial Reporting Council.
Scale
UK Private Capital, formerly the BVCA, says companies backed by private equity and venture capital employ 2.5m people in the UK (UK Private Capital).
Regulated roles
At FCA-authorised fund managers, senior roles may need approval under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
06/ questions
Questions, answered
It is search for senior leaders at private equity firms and the companies they own.
The search maps the market, approaches people directly and assesses them against a brief shaped by the investment case.
Either.
Sponsors often lead portfolio company searches, and the company’s board and chair take part in the process.
Yes, including independent chairs and non-executive directors for portfolio company boards.
Yes.
Fractional Quest places interim and fractional executives, so a seat can be covered while the permanent search runs.
Book a 15-minute call on this page, or email hello@fractional.quest.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to talk through the hire
Tell us the seat, the fund or company, and the timing. We set out how we would run the search.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the search
- 03A written search plan after the call
- 04Permanent, interim and fractional briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
07/ sources
Sources and further reading
Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page.