Corporate Development - Exit Ops

Hi WSO - I'm hoping to gain some insight into possible exit opportunities from corporate development at a portfolio company.

I worked my way into CD through FP&A/Corporate Finance. I went to a target school, but I did not use that to its full potential and go the IB/PE route which I regret in hindsight. (I started out in accounting).

I am currently a CD Manager in the Industrials sector with a solid path to Director within the next 2-3 years. I am at a middle market company executing a roll-up strategy. I will probably have 20 deals under my belt by the time I would be promoted to the Director level. I handle everything from overall M&A strategy, financial modeling, due diligence, and post-merger integration. I also get involved in some other related tasks - e.g. capital raising for our M&A.

I have a ton of high-level exposure to C-Suite and I genuinely enjoy my job, but I do wonder what else is possible. Is there any path to a role in PE from CD or am I basically locked out by not having gone through IB?

Are there any interesting paths anyone can reference for those who did a stint in corporate development, but ultimately moved on?

6 Comments
 

I’m not sure if I’m the one to talk but it sounds like you have much more unique even relevant experience than most people who have gone IB->PE. I don’t see why you couldn’t be a hire for many firms looking for operators, or perhaps start your own firm down the line (or search fund). However, from what I know about PE hiring you would be an atypical older hire so you may actually be brought in at a lower title until you learned the ropes. An alternative would be to go to b-school which from what it sounds like would be M7 then go on as a VP or something.

Can someone else chime in?

 

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