June 25, 2025

The search for the extra leaders this will require has already begun. Over the coming years, Europe will see a profound industrial shift towards defence. It’s driven not only by political pressure but, increasingly, by the market: traditional customer industries such as automotive are falling away, while the defence sector urgently needs capacity, partnerships and

In times of economic worry and uncertainty, one thing is clear: good managers are still in demand, but with a different outlook from the fair-weather captains and the old guard. So what do “crisis-proof” and “new generation” actually mean? Most people under 40 have barely experienced a real economic crisis in their working lives; many

Interim managers can be a valuable opportunity, and an extra financial burden. They’re available fast and bring flexibility, especially in a crisis, when there are gaps in the team or when the current management isn’t delivering. Where they bring specialist expertise (plant closures, refinancing through private debt, sales incentive schemes), they can tackle complex challenges

When times are hard, investors and owners have to choose the right measures to stabilise or reposition their company. The CFO, the CTO and the CRO all play a decisive part, and the choice of approach deserves careful thought. A CFO with restructuring experience: a good foundation A CFO who has been through restructurings, or

Die Rolle des Managements bei der Exit-Readiness: Welche Qualifikationen sind entscheidend?

Exit readiness: how to prepare your portfolio company for the best possible exit Two contradictory claims: 1. If everything is done right during the holding period, the exit takes care of itself. 2. Private equity firms that rehearse the exit thoroughly achieve significantly better results. Our experience: from the middle of the holding period at

Few questions are debated as intensely in private equity and direct investment as how to increase the value of portfolio companies operationally. One question comes up again and again: are leaders in private equity so special that they differ fundamentally from “normal” leaders? The answer is yes and no. No, because nobody, not even in

Value creation in private equity: large transformations Few topics are debated as persistently in private equity as the right way for a fund to increase the value of its direct investments. Today we look at the combined model. Here the operations team works alongside the owner’s transformation team, usually supported by external consultants. It’s a

Few topics are debated as hotly in private equity as the right way for a fund to increase the value of its direct investments. TALENTspy specialises in private equity. Leaving aside the legal perspective, the right model, and the right candidates, depend on the fund’s culture, the investment phase and the roles of the partners

Few things are debated as much in private equity and direct investment as how to shape the value of portfolio companies during the holding period. New challenges such as digitalisation and ESG requirements have been added in recent years. And the choice of model influences who the “right” candidates are. In our last post, we