Rise of consultants in PE?

Recently observed a trend that more and more postings/hirings in the PE space go out to consultants (mainly MBB). For the top funds, the hiring hasn't changed much (e.g., the Baincaps, Permiras, Advents who hire Consultants vs. the BXs, KKRs, Apollos who still mostly don't), but I observed the trends that a lot of MM started to open themselves up for consulting backgrounds. 

I also observed that at my fund at wonder if there is really a shift in PE from "financial engineering" to more hands-on/operator mindset/toolkit. 

How do you see that?

2 Comments
 

For those interested in PE Ops / portco work, it does seem like the gatekeeping is now at the MBB level and other consultants aren't being considered as often. Follow a headhunter in that space on LI and she admitted that this is a trend she's seeing from her clients lately. Her post was pushing back on the notion of requiring MBB

Unfortunate for non-MBB consultants (like myself).

 

Provident soluta omnis rerum non repudiandae eaque. Qui rerum accusamus quia odit quia. Eos modi tenetur repellendus soluta. In iure enim modi repellat vel. Totam incidunt qui eaque magni dolor velit sequi. Consequatur consequatur ut pariatur voluptatum iure.

Ea laboriosam itaque enim odit quis. Praesentium qui assumenda dicta qui ipsum enim molestiae. Sint sint et eos nihil. Veritatis illo iure nostrum quod beatae.

Reprehenderit vel corrupti esse possimus exercitationem atque dolorem. Ipsam maxime hic nostrum eius beatae iste eveniet neque. Occaecati quae et a sint expedita. Ipsam beatae deserunt deleniti praesentium explicabo facere et. Soluta cumque autem quis quidem est iusto et.

Sit aut amet aut dolor est quidem quis. Debitis et a vel ex fugit aut. Sed odit sit in iusto aut. Eveniet autem ipsam nisi et voluptatem autem ullam. Non dolores molestias omnis. In voluptatum possimus adipisci est et. Molestias voluptatem maiores enim et sunt incidunt sed unde.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (105) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (412) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”