Senior hands on the P&L. Without adding to the cap table.
Our operating partners embed directly with portfolio company management to convert the value creation plan into execution — 2–4 days per week, for as long as the business needs them. Former CEOs, COOs and CFOs, not consultants.
Most PE-backed businesses between €10m and €150m revenue don't need a full-time operating partner sitting on the board. They need someone with that calibre of experience available 2–4 days a week — aligned to the value creation plan, accountable to the sponsor, and working alongside management rather than above it.
Our operating partners have all run P&Ls. That means they understand both the investor's return requirements and the day-to-day reality of running a management team under performance pressure. The combination — institutional discipline with operational empathy — is what makes the difference in the hold period.
How the arrangement is structured.
- Typical cadence
- 2–4 days per week for 6–18 months, scoped at engagement kick-off and adjusted as the program evolves.
- Seniority
- Every operating partner is a former CEO, COO, CFO, or CRO — never a junior consultant stepping into a senior role title.
- Who pays
- The sponsor, the portfolio company, or a shared arrangement — whichever structure fits the investment thesis and governance model.
- Deliverables
- Weekly operating cadence, monthly sponsor update, and measurable KPI movement against the value creation plan.
- Reporting line
- Works alongside the CEO, directly accountable to the board and sponsor. Not an additional layer above management.
- Exit condition
- The engagement ends when the plan is embedded and management can sustain it independently — not because a fixed term expired.
Governance continuity after the operating partner exits.
Once the initial engagement closes and management is running the plan independently, some sponsors prefer to maintain a lighter-touch connection — quarterly governance calls, an annual performance bridge review, and on-demand access to a senior partner ahead of committee or LP meetings. This retainer productises the cadence that was established during the hold period, without the full operating-partner commitment. Structured as a fixed monthly or quarterly arrangement, scoped at the close of the primary engagement.
Where operating partners typically add most value.
Commercial & GTM
Re-engineering the sales motion — territory design, pipeline discipline, pricing governance, and CRM utilisation. Particularly valuable for businesses where revenue has plateaued below the market potential.
Operations & delivery
Production efficiency, capacity planning, supplier management, and quality systems. Translating top-line growth into margin — rather than watching margin compress as the business scales.
Finance & reporting
Management accounts that tell the sponsor what they need to know, cash-flow visibility, working-capital discipline, and the financial governance infrastructure for the hold period.
Post-acquisition integration
Running the integration office after a bolt-on — people, systems, customers, and the combined commercial model — so the synergies modelled at deal close are actually extracted.
Often used alongside an operating partner engagement.
The structured plan the operating partner is implementing — 100 days, hold period, and pre-exit.
Learn more →The post-close tool that structures the first 90 days across six functional areas — board-ready output from Day 1.
Access the tool →When the operating partner mandate requires a structured transformation program — cost, margin, and operating model.
Learn more →The 90-Day Roadmap. Before day one.
The operating partner mandate is most effective when the post-close plan is already structured before the first day in the seat. The 90-Day Value Creation Roadmap generates a sequenced initiative plan across six value-creation areas — revenue, margin, working capital, capex, management depth, and AI — so there is an execution playbook waiting at close, not a blank page.
Build the 90-Day Roadmap — free →Need senior hands on the P&L — without adding to the cap table?
We'll scope the engagement in one call — cadence, focus areas, reporting line, and timing.