Following a number of years of increasing growth, last year saw a little more restraint in both the PE and VC markets. Despite PE contributing to a record-breaking tech acquisition and VC deals topping a total value of $100bn for the second year running, the overall volume of deals fell year-on-year. As a result, it will be interesting to see how 2017 plays out, with the longer-term impact of Brexit and the recent political leadership wobbles still largely unknown.
One thing, however, is certain. With fewer deals taking place, it’s more important than ever that value in new investments is built up quickly – and that’s largely down to the quality of the team sent in to manage them.
The people best placed to deliver this value will be partly dependent on the stage you’re at in the investment cycle. For example, if you’re pre-IPO then you’re likely to need experienced board members who know how to prepare a company and get it into the best shape for presenting to the markets. If you’re post-IPO then it’ll be a different story and you’ll need a solid operational team who can be parachuted in to run it smoothly and efficiently.
Either way, if you’re in the process of putting together a team, here are some things you’ll need to consider:
– mapping out your talent gaps will give you a clear idea of the roles you need to fill.
– think about what balance of permanent vs interim senior talent will be right for you.
– identify the heavy-weight functional heads you’ll need to lead teams in the right direction.
Having worked with a number of international PE and VC firms, we understand the specific pressures, priorities and sensitivities at every stage in the investment cycle – and can supply a mix of permanent and interim senior talent to match. Visit our PE & VC page to find out more.
We’ve put together a report featuring advice from the UK’s most successful interims and interim users on how to ensure you are getting the most out of an interim manager, which you can download here. You might also find our blog, setting out the eight key steps to interim success, an interesting read.