PE (investments) vs. FP&A

Hi all,

I've been an occasional lurker in these forums, and have reached a point where I'd value some advice. I'm faced with a choice of PE versus FP&A, and I am not sure which one to pick. For those of you who value PE above all else, spare a moment to consider my situation.

I work in corp dev at a mid sized and fast growing TMT company (we're backed by a very well recognised sponsor). I joined c.4 years ago, and have quickly risen through the ranks - more by accident than by design I ended up leading a major acquisition for the company, and in the process have built strong relationships with management (CEO, CFO etc.) and the PE. I still report to the head of M&A, and once the big deal was done, I reverted back to being "lower down the food chain", which was a little anti climatic. Now I have recently been offered to become the head of group FP&A, where I'd report directly to the CFO and potentially succeed her in a few years (her own words). At the same time, I've secured an offer for a mid-level investment role at a well regarded lower MM shop which operates in the sector I know well. I'm genuinely at loss as to what to do next. On one hand, I enjoy being on the "buyside" and I feel like PE offers broader opportunities, even if progression to a role equivalent to the CFO at my current place might be much slower. On the other, the prospect of getting a fast track to the CFO position feels quite unique and pretty appealing (if somewhat risky - I fear going down the FP&A route will close the doors to M&A forever). Anyone ever faced a similar dilemma?

In case useful for context, before going into corp dev I spent a few years in IBD at solid MM bank in London, and graduated from a "redbrick" university in the UK.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.