Rethinking Talent For Every Phase Of The PE Lifecycle
June 2, 2025 – Private equity is entering a phase where ‘one-size-fits-all’ leadership is no longer viable. As deal timelines stretch and growth becomes harder to manufacture, firms are looking to build executive teams that can evolve alongside the business. “Talent strategies must be adaptable to a changing economic climate and the ever-evolving business needs,” said Ellie O’Brien Coleman, principal and West Coast office leader at executive search firm Oxeon.
Scalable talent strategy isn’t just about having a bench. It is about knowing when – and who – to hire depending on the stage of the company, the market conditions, and the investment thesis.
“If I’m recruiting a CEO to a $5 million company, I prioritize a different skill set than that of a $250 million business on the heels of a recent transaction,” Ms. O’Brien Coleman explained. “I often advise my clients to consider whether we are hiring for the business today or the company two years from now.”
Talent as a Lifecycle Advantage
Today’s most effective investors are embedding talent into every stage of the investment lifecycle. That includes shaping leadership strategy during diligence, aligning hiring with value creation plans, and preparing for team transitions well ahead of an exit.
Related: Opportunities and Challenges in Private Equity Recruiting
According to Ms. O’Brien Coleman, “Funds build and prioritize a strategy that supports their investments in phases: in diligence, at the beginning of the investment hold, and as they prepare for the next transaction.”
Ellie O’Brien Coleman is a principal at Oxeon, an executive search and investment firm specializing in the healthcare industry. With deep expertise in talent strategy, she collaborates with entrepreneurs, executives, and investors to build high-performing leadership teams that drive innovation in healthcare. Her work spans C-suite placements, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and commercial leadership, positioning organizations for long-term success in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2019, Ms. O’Brien Coleman founded Oxeon’s West Coast practice in Seattle, where she has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s presence. She is a key driver behind Oxeon’s board diversity initiatives, championing efforts to bring more diverse perspectives to healthcare leadership. Ms. O’Brien Coleman also leads a female-focused networking group for healthcare leaders in Seattle, fostering a strong community of women executives dedicated to advancing the sector.
In recent cycles, that strategy has had to shift fast. As macroeconomic pressures intensified, many companies realized their executive teams were built for growth – not resilience.
“2023 became the year of the CFO and COO shifts,” she said. “Companies had leaders focused on growth at all costs and perhaps had not yet navigated an economic downturn in their careers.”
Hiring with Precision, Not Just Speed
Against this backdrop, the role of executive search has evolved. Firms aren’t just filling roles – they’re working proactively to build flexible networks of financial, operational, and strategic talent.
Related: How Talent is Driving Private Equity Success
That often includes board members, advisors, and operating partners brought in to help steer companies through tougher cycles. “We saw an opportunity for value creation within existing portfolios,” Ms. O’Brien Coleman noted. “We helped identify leaders who could either help de-risk current investments or explore new strategies and investment theses.”
“Talent isn’t just reactive anymore – it’s proactive and multi-phase,” said Leo Cummings, an associate at Hunt Scanlon Ventures. “The best firms are planning leadership moves as part of the investment thesis, not just as a response to underperformance.”
Retention Is the Next Frontier
As private equity firms take a longer view of value creation, retention is becoming just as critical as recruitment.
Talent Pattern Recognition: Navigating Workforce Challenges in Private Equity and Beyond
Scalable talent strategy is a workforce planning approach tailored to meet the evolving needs of organizations by integrating talent acquisition, development, and retention seamlessly. For executive search, this strategy is particularly critical as it prioritizes identifying and securing top leadership talent to drive organizational success. By leveraging data-driven insights, advanced technology, and adaptable workforce models, search consultants enable businesses to expand or adjust their executive teams without compromising leadership quality or operational excellence. This approach emphasizes building a dynamic talent ecosystem—balancing full-time executives, interim leaders, and external networks—while fostering ongoing upskilling and reskilling initiatives to ensure long-term organizational agility and resilience.
Within the private equity sector a scalable talent strategy is especially critical. “As a long-time leader in the talent space, I know that people have the most significant impact on a company’s success, even more so in the high-stakes environment of sponsor-backed businesses,” Ellie O’Brien Coleman, principal with executive search firm Oxeon, said in a recent interview with Hunt Scanlon Media. “The word scalable is key; talent strategies must be adaptable to a changing economic climate and the ever-evolving business needs.”
“Our clients look for leaders who will play a role in their portfolio for many years,” said Ms. O’Brien Coleman. “We see executives partner with the same PE firm over multiple companies and roles – especially when they have a successful exit and smooth transition plan.”
“A scalable strategy doesn’t just build a great team – it keeps them aligned through every inflection point,” said Mr. Cummings.
A scalable approach also doesn’t stop at day one, he noted. It ensures the right person is positioned to deliver across the full arc of the hold period – and beyond.
Reprinted from with permission from ExitUp!
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Co-CEO, Leo Cummings, Editor-in-Chief, ExitUp
