How InX leads with discretion in Private Equity
At InX, our clients rely on us to provide executive search and interim management solutions that are as private as they are effective. Every detail and every interaction is handled with the utmost confidentiality, allowing firms to focus on their strategic objectives without the risk of exposure.
Giles McIntyre, Senior Partner for InX Private Equity, explains it best: “Given the outcomes Executive Search organisations are trying to achieve, the lion’s share of mandates remain private & confidential from launch until the successful candidate commences in post, regardless of whether you’re a Fortune 500 organisation or an owner-managed SME. These mandates become even more confidential in the world of private equity. When supporting funds pre-deal, we have various interim resources working alongside the fund on due diligence whilst concurrently running a permanent search. Confidentiality is critical to ensure utmost discretion and to mitigate any deal risk ahead of it closing.”
InX’s commitment to privacy means we mirror our clients’ approach, working quietly behind the scenes. As Giles highlights, “In Private Equity, we fly everything under the radar to protect each specific fund’s interests, their portfolio company’s rhetoric, and to keep potential candidates’ details for a specific C-Suite search completely confidential.”
Matt Harvey, Senior Partner for InX Private Equity adds further context:
“When it comes to Operating Partner hiring inside the Private Equity funds, it’s incredibly important to maintain privacy and confidentiality when engaging the market, for a few different reasons.
First, each PE fund’s internal approach to value creation (including composition and skillsets of their operating partner team, approach, compensation, how they finance the existence of these resources) is considered a competitive advantage. It used to be all about proprietary deal-flow, but in an increasingly saturated and data-rich world with PE funds fighting over attractive assets, they are emphasising their operating capabilities and expertise as a real competitive advantage - both during courtship / new deal processes as well as fundraising. Naturally information will leak out over time, but being discreet helps our clients stay ahead of the curve.
Secondly, each PE fund has their nuances and therefore they have very specific requirements, so being discreet about open opportunities prevents unmanageable volumes of inbounds - both from interested candidates and other search firms vying to supply them. Operating Partner teams are lean and attrition is low, so there is a huge miss-match between supply and demand of opportunity.
Thirdly, due to PE funds’ high candidate expectations and notoriously difficult and elongated interviewing processes, it can often take a long time to find, attract and land an exceptional candidate. It is therefore extremely important to be quiet and laser focused when engaging the market, because if a position remains open for a long time the target talent pool can become ‘turned off’ and presume there is something ‘wrong’ with the opportunity. Restricting information helps protect a fund’s image and ensure a successful result.”
At InX, our Private Equity team works in complete alignment with our clients’ needs - offering tailored executive search solutions that remain confidential from start to finish. From building Operating Partner teams to hiring portfolio company boards and management teams, we empower private equity firms to move forward with confidence, knowing their strategies and objectives are securely protected.
If you'd like to learn more about how our Private Equity team can support your firm's needs, or to have a confidential discussion about how we can help, please get in touch.