Hi guys,
I searched the forum for the question I have, and even though there was a lot of information, I couldn't find a situation as near as mine as possible.
So, I was born in Brazil, lived there pretty much my whole life, but I moved to the US last summer. My experience is basically 6-7 years in BIG4, working for Valuation and M&A (1-2 years here), and some business development for the TAS area (1-2 years as well). I have performed valuation for a multitude of companies and situations, I am very confident in my financial modeling skills.
My last 3-4 years were spent being the Head of FP&A in two major manufacturing companies, more specifically the automotive industry.
As I mentioned, I moved into the US and just now received my work permit. I would like to take this opportunity to move into a PE or HF role. I am 36 years old and I understand that I may/should need to take a step back to move into the industry.
What do you guys think, feasible? If so, what would you do to try this?
I have emailed, sent resume to a lot of the companies in the PE/HF industry, but I think I may be missing the point here.
Thank you for your help!
Sure and I should of clarified. I meant valuation in the context of the group responsible for valuation and portfolio company reporting to investors.
You have a background that matches up quite well with this function inside a PE firm, but note this is different from the investment function handled by a different set of people.
Head of FP&A for an automotive industry manufacturer sounds interesting. Given the way you described it, I’m guessing this is not an automotive company itself, like Ford or GM, but rather a supplier of parts to the car company. If you’re not at a F50 type company, I would say your chances of doing operations type work for PE portfolio companies are lower However still doable, if you sell yourself the right way.
Being on the investing side is a whole other ball game though. It’s not for everyone, and it may not be for you. At your level, it will be a lot about sourcing, and if you don’t have the contacts in the market the PE firm scouts for deals, I don’t see the entry point for you coming in as green as would be coming in.
Ask yourself why you want to be in PE, or why PE instead of HF. Honestly, they’re two very different animals, that I didn’t fully appreciate until I joined on the PE side. If it’s an industry you really just want to be a part of in one way, shape, or form; look at the first two options more closely, because these would be your best shoot at success. At the end the of day, it sounds like you’re already successful in your current career trajectory, so why make the move at all?