The PE Playbook: What It’s Really Like Being a CMO in a PE-Backed Business
Working for a PE backed business - a world some marketing leaders thrive in and others avoid at all costs. New owners, a new board, a value creation plan with your name on it, and a clock that’s already ticking towards exit.
In this candid CMO Circle panel, we’ll hear from leaders who’ve sat in the CMO seat through PE ownership and exits. We’ll cover what PE investors actually care about, and what they don’t.
We’ll get into:
Working with the board. What PE investors prioritise, what good board reporting looks like, and the rhythm of monthly and quarterly reporting.
The value creation plan. How marketing earns its place in the VCP, which metrics move the needle on valuation, and how to deliver against a 3–5 year hold.
The road to exit. How priorities shift as exit approaches, and what diligence teams look for in the marketing function.
Meet the panel
Kate Cox, CMO. She has spent several years leading marketing in PE-backed tech businesses, including a group that sold to GoDaddy for $1.8bn.
Carol Howley, CMO and Founder of Growth Partnership. She works as a strategic partner to C-suite and PE teams in B2B SaaS scale-ups.
Dan Spicer, value creation and transaction advisor to PE firms and their portfolio companies. He brings the view from the other side of the table.
Moderated by Nicola Anderson, co-founder of CMO Circle.
Who it’s for: CMOs and marketing leaders in PE-backed businesses, those considering a PE-backed role, and fractional CMOs working with portfolio companies.