​Strategic Leadership: Securing a Chief of Staff for a Leading Private Equity Firm

The Client

Our client is a leading Los Angeles-based private equity firm with over $1.6 billion of committed capital that recently closed its sophomore fund. They are a control-oriented investor primarily focused on middle-market, service-based businesses. The firm invests across the capital structure and in all market environments to help accelerate the growth of high-quality companies.

The Challenge

The firm was seeking a new Chief of Staff to drive strategic initiatives and operational improvements internally across the organization, with the ultimate goal of improving deal flow, optimizing management of their portfolio companies, and driving returns for investors.

This was a highly visible, multi-faceted position reporting directly to the firm's Co-Founders. The ideal Chief of Staff would serve as:

• Strategic decision-framer
• Project manager
• Analyst
• Change agent
• Coach

The role demanded someone who could work cross-functionally with internal deal teams, back office, limited partners, portfolio company executives, third-party service providers, and other outside relationships. Beyond technical skills, the position required exceptional interpersonal abilities to influence without authority across all levels of the organization.

As highlighted in our article on why every private equity portfolio company CEO needs a Chief of Staff, this type of role requires someone who can operate autonomously, making decisions and executing plans with minimal oversight – qualities especially valuable in the fast-paced private equity environment.

Our Approach

We conducted a targeted search focusing on candidates with 2-4 years of post-MBA experience in management consulting, investment banking, or private equity. Key qualifications included:

• Significant experience within an internal PE ringfence or externally within PE or investment banking
• A proven record of leading successful strategic consulting engagements
• Strong analytical and communication skills
• The ability to translate complex data into actionable insights
• Executive presence necessary for influencing decision-making at the highest levels

We prioritized candidates who demonstrated:

• A highly motivated, continuous improvement mindset
• Self-starter capabilities with cross-functional collaboration skills
• Strong organizational abilities with effective prioritization experience
• Adaptability in an entrepreneurial environment

Our evidence-based approach to executive search ensured we identified candidates with not only the right skills but also the cultural fit required for success in a fast-paced private equity environment.

The Placement

After a rigorous selection process, we identified a candidate who brought an exceptional combination of strategic vision and execution capabilities:

• Experience as a management consultant at a leading global consulting firm (Bain & Company)
• Diverse industry exposure, including with a major entertainment company (NBCUniversal), and over 5 years in engineering roles at an energy company in Texas
• Experience in venture capital as an investment partner
• Impressive educational credentials including:
  • MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • MS in Cleantech and Sustainability from Stanford University
  • BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University

The candidate's unique blend of consulting expertise, investment experience, and leadership capabilities made them well-suited to partner with the private equity firm's executives in executing strategic initiatives.

The Outcome

We completed the search in just over two months — a notably efficient timeline for a senior strategic role.

The selected Chief of Staff quickly integrated into the firm and began driving impact across multiple fronts:

• Implemented a streamlined strategic planning process that enhanced alignment across the organization
• Developed new KPI frameworks that improved portfolio company performance monitoring
• Created more efficient systems for deal flow evaluation and management
• Enhanced communication between the firm's leadership and limited partners
• Established more effective cross-functional collaboration between deal teams

Beyond these tactical wins, the Chief of Staff has become a trusted advisor to the founding partners, helping shape the firm's long-term strategic vision while ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly.

The successful placement exemplifies our ability to identify candidates who bring both the technical expertise and leadership qualities needed to thrive in complex, high-stakes financial environments.

Interested in learning more about how ECA Partners can help with your executive search needs? Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.