How Big Tech Leaders Crack VP by Moving to PE

Hosted by Andrew Smith and Annie Murray

Wed, Aug 12, 2026

10:00 PM UTC (30 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

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Product Executive Job Search Bootcamp. Land Hidden Roles & Find Your Fit.
Colin Lernell
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What you'll learn

Why PE-Backed Companies Evaluate You Differently

The signals that get you shortlisted in a PE search: ownership, speed, accountability, not just scale and scope.

Translating Big Tech Experience Into Business Impact

Turn "led 40 engineers" into "owned the outcome": reframe platform work as revenue, efficiency, and EBITDA.

Filtering the Right VP Roles and Reading the Comp

Separate clear-mandate roles from cosmetic VP titles, and weigh a lower base against bigger equity as a real bet.

Why this topic matters

Many high performers in Big Tech stall below VP: strong pedigree, no clear path. PE-backed companies offer more scope, equity, and a faster route to executive roles, but they hire on different signals, and Big Tech profiles get filtered out as "not scrappy enough." Without repositioning for the search partner who gates the shortlist, you get screened out or land a title with no mandate.

You'll learn from

Andrew Smith

Executive Recruiter, ex-Riviera Partners (PE) & Valued Compensation Coach.

I've spent over a decade in retained executive search placing technology leaders, including two years in the Private Equity practice at Riviera Partners, where I placed CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and CPOs into PE-backed portfolio companies, and a year as Managing Director at Heller Search running technology leadership searches across Fortune 500, mid-market, and PE portfolio clients. I've built the shortlists, advised sponsors and hiring executives on how offers get structured, and delivered the compensation analysis behind those decisions. I know why strong Big Tech résumés get passed over in a portfolio company search, because I've been the person making that call.

Annie Murray

Head of Negotiation Coaching, Valued (previously at Microsoft, Amazon)

Drawing on my recruiting experience at Microsoft and Amazon, I've coached over 350 clients at tech companies, including FAANG, TikTok, Airbnb, Jane Street, and many startups. I've seen exactly where Big Tech profiles lose leverage in a PE-backed process, and how to reposition them so the offer reflects what the role is actually worth.

Previously at

Microsoft
Amazon
Riviera Partners
Heller
Dayforce
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