Global exit value jumped 65% last quarter, but exit count rose only 9.3%, so a handful of large sales did most of the lifting. Fund CFO and COO teams are continuing to evolve their operations and analytics, leveraging AI in more and different ways, which has positively impacted reporting, portfolio analytics, fund operations, data and analytics, and FP&A.

Firmwide AI implementation efforts continue to be driven out of the CFO and/or COO’s office, and we are starting to see finance and ops talent with this skill set automate, implement, and then get pulled into other areas of the firm supporting deal teams and portfolio ops.

Below: two trends worth considering, our recent searches, and the 14 CFO and COO moves we tracked last quarter.

1. Exits Are Back: Global Exit Value Rose 65% in Q3, Led by a Few Large Sales

Global exit value was up 65% from Q2, per PitchBook’s early Q3 data. Exit count rose only 9.3%, so a handful of large deals did most of the lifting.

2. Interim and Freelance Demand Is Rising in PE

Movemeon found that demand for strategy and transformation talent reached its highest level in over two and a half years in the second quarter of this year, driven mainly by freelance demand in PE while permanent postings stayed flat. A quarter of new roles on its platform now mention AI, up from roughly one in six a year earlier.

  • Key Takeaway: Interim and contract leaders can cover a specific, under-12-month need; covering a vacancy while a permanent search is executed or a transformational project; plan for flexible capacity alongside permanent hires.

Recent and Current Searches We’re Working On

  • VP of Portfolio Analytics & Fund Operations, $8b AUM PE. The CFO of a major fund is elevating a function that had been split across the broader team, putting several smaller functions under one person across portfolio analytics, performance reporting, treasury and fund operations.
  • Director of Finance, Management Co., $3.5b AUM Private Equity/Private Credit Fund. The COO and Partner need a senior finance professional to produce better financial insights across the organization’s multiple funds and strategies, lead system implementations and develop scalable processes.
  • VP, Head of Data & Analytics (Finance & Ops), $9b AUM PE. The CFO of a $9b AUM PE fund is bringing in a key strategic hire to bring elevated systems and analytics/AI into the finance and operations function, improving operational process and providing scalable, repeatable, data-driven insights to the executive leadership team.
  • Head of FP&A, $10b AUM Alternatives (Real Estate). The CEO and CFO are bringing in a highly strategic FP&A head to better leverage data and give leadership better insights to support executive decisions.

Notable Market Moves: CFO and COO (PE/VC)

CFO PE/VC

  • Isaac Strulowitz joins Franchise Equity Partners (FEP) (AUM $1.5b) as Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer & Partner at Treville Capital Group (formerly CoVenture).
  • John Munz is promoted to Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer at Silver Oak Services Partners (AUM $1.8b+). He previously served as Vice President of Finance.
  • Masumi Waida joins Ara Partners (AUM ~$10.6b) as Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at ACON Investments.
  • Axel André joins TPG (AUM ~$327b) as Partner & Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at Reinsurance Group of America (RGA).
  • Lindsey Norris Zolet is promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Martis Capital (AUM $2.4b). She previously served as Controller at Martis Capital.
  • Holly Scott Atallah joins NaviMed Capital (AUM $900m+) as Chief Financial Officer & Vice President of Compliance. She previously served as Director of Finance & Operations at BroadOak Capital Partners.
  • Scot Pasquale joins Mudrick Capital Management (AUM ~$3.2–3.3b) as Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at Marathon Asset Management.
  • Greg Lyon was promoted to Partner, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Eclipse Ventures (AUM ~$10b). He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at Eclipse Ventures.
  • Anthony Tsai is promoted at Martis Capital (AUM $2.4b) to Chief Compliance Officer and Director of Finance. He previously served as Director of Accounting, following his earlier role as Controller.

COO PE/VC

  • William Sonneborn joins Hunter Point Capital (AUM $10b+) as President & Chief Operating Officer. He previously served as President & Member of the Board of Directors at Generate Capital.
  • Amy Rice joins Pacific Avenue Capital Partners (AUM $4.9b+) as Chief Operating Officer. She previously served as Managing Director, Capital Solutions at Oaktree Capital Management.
  • Brian Taranto joins HarbourVest Partners (AUM $147b+) as Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of Global Private Wealth. He previously served as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, overseeing the distribution management team across U.S. Intermediary Distribution.
  • Jessi Marshall joins Weatherford Capital (AUM $1b) as Partner & Chief Operating Officer, following a brief period as a Consultant with the firm. She previously served as Managing Director, Head of Strategy & Operations at Vista Equity Partners.
  • Jason Parry joins MountainStar Partners as Chief Operating Officer. He previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at Suddath, while also serving as a Founding Member & Manager at WayBright.co.