Teams that Travel the Most

Permira

Firms that have a lot of international exposure doesn't mean that associates travel, it just means they have local offices.

Obvious comment but stating it nonetheless....look for firms with (i) international portfolio companies (per website), (ii) strictly US-based teams and funds (i.e., no London office, etc.).

Some firms do cover specific sectors out of North America or geographies where they don’t have an office. An example would be a deal in Australia or Japan where the firm doesn’t have an Asian office.

Having worked on some of these situations, they are generally not considered to be plum assignments because the travel and odd time zones just make for long days. Occasionally, you might have time to do something like try a cool restaurant, but you are honestly spending most of your time in conference rooms and hotels before jumping on a long plane ride.

There is a reason why all else being equal a business in a hard to reach locale trades at a lower multiple than a business in New York. Partners often consciously or unconsciously place a premium on a business they can manage with no or relatively easy travel.

Bump

Firms like Permira and Apax tend to staff people from both their London and Menlo/NYC offices on deals (calls with both and the deals were all based in North America) 

 its interesting how much travel can vary depending on the firms focus and deal structure. I have noticed that teams more involved in operational work or with portfolio companies across different regions tend to be on the road constantly. Having something like a reliable car service really helps manage the constant movement between airports client meetings and site visits. Do you think all that travel actually improves relationship building and deal outcomes, or does it sometimes feel more like a drain on efficiency?

We will cross-staff between NY/europe office so would recommend targeting firms with a presence in each.

We will cross-staff between NY/europe office so would recommend targeting firms with a presence in each.

international exposure is very bad for the sleep schedule