Insight

Why Operating Partners Are Now the Real Engines of PE Value Creation And What It Means for Talent

There has been a clear shift in private equity over the last few years: Value is no longer created in the spreadsheets but in the operations. Financial engineering alone isn’t moving the needle anymore. Returns now come from execution, capability, and leadership.

Here’s what’s changing and why it matters if you’re building teams in PE-backed companies:

  1. Operational expertise now is the strategy

Funds aren’t relying on leverage or timing. They’re putting operators at the centre driving EBITDA, unlocking margins, and building resilience.

The talent implication: companies need leaders who can execute, not just strategise. Depth beats breadth.

  1. Operators aren’t “brought in” anymore they’re embedded from day zero

The best firms involve OPs before the deal is signed, because the first 100 days shape the entire value-creation arc.

The talent implication: leadership alignment, KPIs, and capability gaps must be addressed immediately, not 6 months later.

  1. The new OP is a specialist, not a generalist

Digital transformation, commercial excellence, pricing, supply chain, culture, talent building — OPs now go deep. They coach, challenge, and elevate management teams.

The talent implication: PE-backed CEOs need lieutenants who can absorb, action, and accelerate operational playbooks.

  1. Operational excellence is becoming a repeatable system

The top firms, such as Brookfield, EIP, KKR Capstone are institutionalising playbooks across portfolios, so execution becomes scalable, not luck.

The talent implication: the leaders who thrive are those who can work inside a framework and improve it.

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The future of PE belongs to firms who can deploy capability, not just capital and that starts with the quality of the leadership team you build.

If you’re in an operating role, a management team, or a PE fund this shift affects you.

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