The Hidden Talent Investment That Drives Returns
May 13, 2025 – As a talent professional in private equity, you carry one of the broadest—and most demanding—mandates in the firm. In a single week, you might run multiple portfolio and internal searches, build compensation benchmarks, assess talent for a prospective deal, and provide career coaching for a deal team member, according to Notch Partners. “And that’s before the ad-hoc oh-by-the-way requests start piling up,” the firm said. “Does this request sound familiar?” Clients may say: “Find us a CEO-level executive advisor who can differentiate us in a critical deal process.”
“Someone available now, but still deeply current on the industry. Needs to be someone willing to lend their name to boost our credibility, tap their network to unlock access, and provide their hard-earned insight to pressure-test our investment thesis. We need them by next week.” And the kicker: “But don’t burn a lot of calories on this one!”
“This isn’t a CEO search, it’s a quest for insight, access, and judgment, delivered by someone with lived experience who doesn’t need a job,” Notch Partners said. “And unlike full-time hiring mandates, there’s no formal kickoff, no compensation budget, no detailed specs, and often no engagement roadmap. Just urgency.”
Related: Executive Transitions in Private Equity: Managing Leadership Change for Maximum Impact
So where do you find that person? “That’s the quiet challenge—and quiet brilliance—of the best talent professionals in private equity,” said Notch Partners. “They’re constantly cultivating C-level talent in their colleagues’ areas of focus.
Case in Point: Tricia Rothschild
In late 2022, Notch Partners helped a client cultivate a relationship with seasoned wealth-tech executive Tricia Rothschild during early exploration of the sector, according to Notch Partners. “Impressed by her perspective, the firm signed her to a light-touch advisory agreement in early 2023—not with a specific deal in mind, but to explore opportunities together,” the firm said. “Over the following months, Tricia helped refine the firm’s thesis, map the industry, and evaluate targets. By November, she was brought on formally as an operating partner. Eight months later, she played a key role in shaping the firm’s $3 billion investment in a leading wealth management platform.”
Leading and Scaling with Talent
Talent has become the cornerstone of value creation in private equity, shaping the success of portfolio companies and driving superior returns. As traditional levers like financial engineering and cost optimization face diminishing returns, private equity firms are increasingly focused on leadership and operational excellence to unlock growth. The role of talent leaders has never been more critical—they are the architects of transformative strategies, aligning people and processes to maximize organizational potential and achieve sustainable scalability.
Hunt Scanlon Media is convening hundreds of operating partners, chief talent officers, and executive recruiters at the Harvard Club in New York on May 15, 2025. We will examine the vital role talent professionals play in driving value creation—from shaping investment strategies and operational initiatives to fostering leadership excellence and organizational growth.
“The client’s relationship with Tricia didn’t just support diligence,” said Notch Partners. “It helped solidify their conviction to do the deal. This success wasn’t the result of a sprint. It came from a relationship built over 16 months that paid off with sharper insight, stronger alignment, and a differentiated position in a competitive process.”
“Early engagement with the right executive can quietly shape a winning outcome,” Notch Partners said. “And the Talent pros who make that happen deserve more credit than they get.”
Notch Partners is a provider of CEO-level talent to private equity firms seeking competitive advantage through proprietary deal flow, investment insight, and senior management teams. There are four core values to Notch: Deliver excellence, embrace innovation, create long-term value, and foster trust.
Related: Private Equity’s Leadership Imperative: Driving Impact with Agility and Vision
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
