Second Annual Private Equity (PE) Leadership Survey

Market conditions are forcing PE firms to hold their investments longer than ever. Seeking new ways to create value, they are eyeing the clear links between a portfolio company’s overall performance and its talent, culture, organizational design, and—in particular—its leadership team.

Our second annual private equity survey, performed jointly with executive search firm Vardis, focuses on the critical relationships between PE owners and portfolio company CEOs. The 104 survey respondents across the US and EMEA included PE investors (38%) and PE-owned-portfolio company executives (62%). In this full report, we explore why PE–CEO relationships unravel so frequently and why it’s important to shore up these relationships—long before the deal closes.