How Big Tech Leaders Crack VP by Moving to PE

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.

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.