Stepping into a PE-backed environment is very different from a corporate or startup role. The expectations are high, the timelines are short, and the impact is highly scrutinised at board level.
At our latest event, Marketing as a Multiplier, Jaemien Serrano, Manager of our Financial Services marketing recruitment practice, was joined by a panel of senior leaders to discuss how marketers can position themselves as value creators within private equity-backed businesses.
The panel included:
- Charlie Cannell, Chair, NED and Advisor
- Andrew Breach, Head of Talent
- Jolanta Pilecka, Portfolio Chief Marketing Officer
Together, they unpacked:
- What investors really look for from marketing
- How to communicate in a language that resonates with the board
- Why marketers can be the ultimate growth multiplier in a PE-backed environment
Keep reading for the key takeaways from their conversation.
What investors look for in Marketing Leaders
From marketing strategies, skills and networks, our panel broke down what is necessary to lead marketing efforts in a PE firm.
How to break into private equity
For marketers looking to make the jump into the PE ecosystem, relationships are everything. Andrew explained how his team often identified potential leaders for portfolio companies through informal networking.
If you’re interested in moving into the sector, you should be open to working in an advisory capacity first. This will build the network and skills required to find your first role in PE.
When making the move into PE, it’s important to remember that careers in this sector are rarely static. As Charlie said, “These are gigs – episodes in your career. Plan your exit at the top of your arc.”
The skills required to be a PE marketer
- Commercial fluency and confidence: Great marketers articulate business impact clearly and hold their own in boardrooms.
- Strategic and hands-on: PE firms value leaders who understand both the “why” and the “how.” You should be able to zoom out on strategy and zoom in on performance data.
- Know when to move on: Success in a PE portfolio business has a lifecycle. It's important to recognise when your job is done and begin to plan your next step before the business plateaus.
Leading teams that deliver
Inheriting underperforming or under-skilled teams is common in PE-backed businesses. Rather than defaulting to external hiring, the panel encouraged leaders to prioritise development first.
Knowing which type of business stage you’re best suited to (start-up, growth, or maturity) can help you play to your strengths and make the right career move for you.
How to communicate with the board
Private equity-backed companies are fast-moving, commercially focused, and built on results. One of the key questions our speakers explored was ‘how can marketers prove that what they do really moves the needle?’
Understanding the investor mindset
Every private equity firm is different, with its own structure, pace, and personalities. But one thing always remains the same: commercial fluency trumps everything.
As Charlie said, “If you can sound like a businessperson who understands marketing, they’ll warm to you a lot more.”
The panel agreed that to gain credibility with investors, marketers must focus first on ROI. While creative matters, it only lands once the numbers make sense. Andrew explained, “In terms of approach, ROI must be in your first sentence. Once they think this can make us money, they’ll listen to the creative side.”
Turning marketing into a measurable growth engine
To shift perceptions from “cost centre” to “value creator,” marketers must report in a meaningful manner, linking every activity to commercial impact. This means forgetting the marketing jargon and communicating in the board’s language.
Jolanta said, “Anything related to impressions, click-throughs, forget it. Don’t even touch that.” These are vanity metrics.
Benchmarking against previous quarters and industry averages gives investors context, while clear performance storytelling builds credibility. Jolanta even recommends developing a Reputation Index - a single score that quantifies brand performance over time.
How marketing drives growth in PE-backed firms
Working within private equity brings both excitement and pressure. Results are expected fast, and marketers often find themselves building systems from scratch.
Our panellists discussed just some of the ways that marketers can be “multipliers” in PE-backed businesses.
Building scalable marketing systems
Scalability is a defining feature of private equity, and marketing needs to mirror that mindset. The panel discussed how technology, automation, and process can unlock faster, more predictable results, but only if implemented with focus.
Instead of chasing a long list of MarTech platforms, Jolanta advised building one flawless system before layering in others. True value, she said, comes when marketers understand their tools well enough to challenge agencies and stay in control.
Using AI without losing the human edge
There is a growing risk of overreliance on artificial intelligence. While AI can improve productivity and personalisation, the panel stressed that it should enhance – not replace – original thinking. Otherwise, you risk every piece of content looking the same. Fresh, high-quality, human content remains the differentiator.
Balancing brand and performance
In the marketing sector, short-term performance can overshadow long-term brand building. But as Charlie shared, sustainable growth depends on both, “You can’t just burn money on clicks. We have to build the brand, otherwise we’d be completely reliant on Google.”
When combined with clear metrics, such as brand reputation scores or conversion rates, brand investment becomes much easier to justify to financial stakeholders.
Final thoughts
Marketing can be a transformative growth lever, but only when it’s tightly aligned with the commercial ambitions of the business. For private equity investors, a strong marketing function doesn't only focus on brand awareness. You must be able to build predictable, scalable, and measurable growth.
As the panel made clear, the marketers who thrive in this world are those who think like investors, speak the language of value creation, and use data to tell a compelling story about impact.
When it’s done right, marketing isn’t a cost, it’s a multiplier.
Thank you for joining us
We want to extend a huge thank you to our panellists and event attendees for making this event so insightful. If you’re interested in finding out more about our schedule, head to our dedicated event calendar.
If you’re building a marketing team within a private equity-backed business, or exploring your next leadership opportunity, our specialist team can help. Get in touch!
