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.

4 Comments
 

I’d go for the PE role if in your shoes mate - rapid progression will lose its novelty very soon (when peers catch up) but it is very hard to transition into an investment role later and it sounds like there’s where your interest lies.

Separately, mid 6 figures!? How long have you been working mate - is this common in your region? Sounds like a lot of comp

 
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