Private Equity Experience

• Partner to middle market and large cap private equity and growth equity firms across US & Canada, providing guidance around talent strategy across the full investment lifecycle—from pre-close diligence to post-close transformation and exit.
• Extensive experience building internal operating teams and placing C-suite and direct-report leadership in portfolio companies undergoing scale, carve-out, transformation or operational improvement.
• Trusted advisor to investment professionals and operating partners on leadership strategy, organizational design, and succession planning.
• Representative clients include Apollo, GTCR, BayPine, Hg, H.I.G. Capital, Francisco Partners, Recognize, and Accel-KKR.

Search & Advisory Focus

• Heads of Value Creation / Portfolio Operations
• Technology, Data, and Digital: CIO, CTO, CPO, CISO, Chief Data & Analytics Officer
• Finance & Accounting: CFO, Chief Accounting Officer, Controller, FP&A
• Go-To-Market: CRO, CMO, Revenue Operations
• Human Capital & Talent: CHRO, Chief People Officer, Talent Partner
• Generalist Operating Executives across transformation, integration, and performance improvement

Portfolio Company Leadership

• Roles: CIO, CTO, CPO, CISO, CDAO
• Levels: C-suite, direct reports (C-suite -1), and functional heads across Finance, Technology, Operations, and GTM
• Focused expertise in supporting leadership transitions during inflection points such as founder succession, carve-outs, or platform M&A

Career Highlights

• Helped Heads of Value Creation devise and implement strategies on how to best structure and operate their portfolio ops team
• Partners with multiple private equity firms to identify, engage, hire and retain their first Head of Value Creation
• Collaborated with Human Capital & Talent Operating Partners to address hiring challenges and opportunities across their portfolio
• Over a ~10-year span, Paul has established a trusted network of ~30,000 professionals who operate in the private equity ecosystem, focused on value creation
• Advisor to Retrained Search - a leading exec search learning and development platform with a mission of educating search professionals to be best in class.

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Managing Performance, University of Leeds</div>

Private Equity Experience

• Partnered with 40+ PE and growth equity sponsors across the full deal lifecycle - from pre-close diligence to post-close value creation and exit.
• Deep expertise in building operating partner teams, value creation functions, and portfolio company leadership.
• Trusted advisor to investment teams and portfolio executives on organizational design, succession, and leadership strategy.

Search & Advisory Focus

• CxO: CTO, CIO, CFO, CPO, CRO, COO, CISO, Operating Partner, Head of Portfolio Operations
• Sectors: Software, SaaS, Tech-Enabled Services, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrials
• Stages: Growth equity, buyout, carve-out, transformation

Career Highlights

• Leads client delivery and internal operations at Press & Associates, supporting PE and growth investors across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
• Former Director at Eastward Partners where he led senior-level searches in finance, technology, and operations.
• Deep expertise in building executive and operating teams scaling companies from ~$50M to $1B+ in enterprise value.
• Combines delivery execution with strategic advisory to help firms align leadership, succession, and value creation goals.

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">Master of Industrial Relations (MIR), Queen’s University</div>
<div class="credentials">Bachelor’s Degree, Criminal Justice and Public Policy, University of Guelph</div>
<div class="credentials">Graduate Certificate, Human Resources Management, Seneca Polytechnic</div>
<div class="credentials">Talent Optimizer Certification, The Predictive Index</div>

Private Equity Experience

• Executes executive search mandates for PE investors, operating partners, and portfolio leadership teams across North America, Europe, and Asia, supporting leadership hiring in global talent markets.
• Experience supporting both emerging middle-market sponsors and large global private equity firms across the investment lifecycle, helping portfolio companies identify executives capable of scaling organizations, improving operations, and building leadership teams suited to each stage of growth.
• Partners with investors and portfolio leadership teams to define nuanced executive profiles, analyze leadership markets, and evaluate candidates against both functional capabilities and the organizational dynamics of portfolio companies.

Search & Advisory Focus

• CxO: CEO, CFO, CTO, CRO, CHRO, CCO, C-Minus-1, Board Members & Executive Chairmen
• Sectors: Software, Vertical SaaS, Tech-Enabled Services, E-Commerce, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Software
• Stages: Growth Equity, Buyout, Post-Acquisition Scaling, Founder-led

Career Highlights

• Previous Senior Associate at The Lancer Group, a PE-focused boutique executive search firm specializing in C-suite, Board and C-Minus-1 placements for software and tech-enabled services portfolio companies.
• Supported and led executive searches for PE-backed technology companies ranging from ~$35M to $1B+ in revenue, partnering with investors and leadership teams to build executive teams during periods of growth, operational scaling, and post-acquisition expansion.
• Worked with a diverse range of investment sponsors, from emerging middle-market PE firms to large global funds with over $200B AUM, supporting leadership hiring across portfolio companies and select late-stage VC-backed and public organizations.
• Executed complex and highly specialized search mandates, collaborating with clients across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia to define nuanced leadership profiles and assess executives against both functional expertise and the organizational dynamics.
• Conducts ongoing market research on emerging AI technologies, including discussions with senior technology and operating leaders, and applies insights to develop AI-assisted workflows that enhance candidate sourcing, market mapping, and executive search intelligence.

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">Graduate Studies in Analytics (in progress), Georgia Institute of Technology</div>
<div class="credentials">Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of San Diego</div>

Operational Focus

• Oversees end-to-end search coordination across concurrent executive mandates, managing complex multi-stakeholder scheduling across U.S. and Canadian time zones to ensure efficient use of partner and client time.
• Serves as a key point of contact for clients and candidates on logistics, scheduling, and process-related communications, maintaining the professional standard that PE clients expect.
• Ensures seamless document preparation, quality control, and data integrity across internal systems to keep searches running on track from intake through placement.

Core Competencies

• Search Coordination & Scheduling: Multi-stakeholder calendar management, interview coordination, client status meetings
• Document Management: Client-facing deliverables, candidate summaries, position specifications, quality control
• Systems & Data: ATS/CRM management, search milestone tracking, operational reporting
• Client Experience: Professional communications, reference check coordination, post-placement scheduling

Career Highlights

• 10+ years of experience providing high-level administrative and coordination support to senior executives and leadership teams across executive search, legal, and professional services.
• Most recently served as Client Coordinator at DHR Global, one of the world's largest executive search firms, managing complex calendars for up to 8 partners concurrently and overseeing end-to-end recruitment searches with a strong emphasis on client experience.
• Proven track record in data management and process improvement, including independently planning and executing the reclassification and migration of 50,000+ digitized records.
• Cross-industry experience spanning executive search, tax law, financial advisory, and corporate environments including KPMG.

Education & Credentials

Private Equity Experience

• Powers candidate research, market mapping, and competitor intelligence for P&A's value creation searches — with a focus on surfacing proven, under-the-radar operators for portfolio company and operating partner mandates.
• Applies the search rigor developed in governance-heavy, board-level C-suite mandates — where stakeholder alignment, long-horizon strategy, and institutional fit drive outcomes — to PE's portfolio leadership hires, where the same judgment calls compound into returns.
• Translates investor theses and portfolio objectives into research-driven candidate strategies, producing the diligence-grade intelligence senior partners take into investor and CEO conversations.

Search & Advisory Focus

• Search coverage: Value creation team buildouts, operating partner placements, and portfolio ops functional leadership
• Functional areas: GTM, finance, technology, operations, and human capital — the execution levers PE investors pull for EBITDA growth
• Lifecycle focus: Diligence, post-close, hold period, and exit prep

Career Highlights

• 5+ years in executive search, most recently as Principal Research Associate at Perrett Laver, leading candidate strategy and competitive intelligence on complex global C-suite and board-level mandates — built on a 10+ year career spanning academic research and teaching.
• Built deep experience mapping leadership markets for organisations where outcomes depend on navigating multiple stakeholders, institutional complexity, and long-term strategic execution — the same judgment PE investors apply when assessing operators against an investment thesis.
• Applies doctoral-level qualitative and policy research methodology to commercial executive search: primary-source validation, disciplined market intelligence, and thesis-driven candidate mapping.
• Produces client-ready insights, market maps, and candidate assessments — the standard of rigor PE investors expect when benchmarking talent against deal-stage needs, delivered at deal speed.
• Mentors junior researchers on research standards and delivery quality, raising the floor on what the P&A team takes to clients.

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">PhD (ABD) Political Science, McMaster University</div>
<div class="credentials">MA Political Science, McMaster University</div>
<div class="credentials">BA Politics and Governance, Toronto Metropolitan University</div>

Private Equity Experience

• Leads portfolio company leadership buildouts across core value creation functions—aligning talent to growth, transformation, and performance objectives
• Partners with operating teams to shape search strategies tied to investment theses, ensuring hires are calibrated to stage, scale, and execution priorities
• Supports leadership hiring across post-close buildouts, transformation mandates, and restructuring scenarios where speed and precision are critical
• Delivers market insight and candidate intelligence that strengthens decision-making across high-stakes portfolio hires

Search & Advisory Focus

Roles: C-suite leaders (CEO, CTO, CIO, CFO, CPO, CRO, COO) and direct reports at the VP and senior leadership level

Functional Areas: GTM, technology, finance, operations, and human capital

Sectors: Industrials / Manufacturing, Energy, Technology, Financial Services, Retail

Stages: Growth equity, buyout, restructuring, and transformation

Career Highlights

• Former Consultant at Odgers and Senior Analyst at Korn Ferry, delivering VP through C-suite search across financial services, industrials, energy, and professional services
• Leads executive search delivery for companies ranging from $20M to $1B+ in revenue, building targeted pipelines aligned to each organization’s stage and value creation priorities
• Delivered interim and permanent C-suite placements across build, transformation, and restructuring mandates—ensuring leadership continuity in critical moments
• Executed global search mandates across North America, Europe, and Asia; leads cross-border market mapping and talent identification
• Brings a structured, data-informed approach to search execution—balancing speed with precision in high-stakes hiring environments

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">Bachelor of Arts, Media, Information, Technoculture — University of Western Ontario</div>
<div class="credentials">Minor Study, Art History — Radboud University</div>

Private Equity Experience

• Partners with global private equity sponsors across funds ranging from ~$1B to $100B+ AUM, supporting leadership hiring at both the fund and portfolio level
• Executes executive search mandates spanning investment professionals, operating partners, and portfolio company C-suite and functional leadership
• Works closely with investment teams and portfolio leadership to define executive profiles aligned to value creation plans and organizational needs
• Supports leadership buildouts across buyout, growth equity, and post-acquisition scaling scenarios where alignment to thesis and speed of execution are critical

Search & Advisory Focus

Roles: CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, CSCO, CPO, Investment Professionals, Managing Directors, Operating Partners

Functional Areas: Operations, supply chain, finance, technology, and investment

Sectors: Industrials, Energy & Infrastructure, Financial Services, Consumer, Tech-Enabled & Supply Chain

Stages: Buyout, growth equity, carve-out, transformation, and post-acquisition scaling

Career Highlights

• Previously Associate at Heidrick & Struggles, supporting executive search mandates for organizations ranging from ~$100M to $20B+ in revenue
• Began career at Korn Ferry within the Global Industrial and Financial Services practices, advising clients across energy, infrastructure, and asset management
• Executed C-suite and senior leadership searches across industrial, financial services, and consumer sectors, with deep functional focus in operations and supply chain
• Experience partnering with private equity sponsors and portfolio companies to build leadership teams in high-growth and transformation environments
• Delivered mandates across North America and globally, leading cross-border search execution for both large enterprises and mid-market organizations

Education & Credentials

<div class="credentials">Honours Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Kinesiology and Psychology — Western University</div>