2019 Survey Report: The State of the PE Sponsor-CFO Relationship
Relationship status? It’s complicated.
They say that strong communication is the key to a healthy relationship. It’s true for couples—and it’s true when considering another delicate dynamic: the relationship between PE sponsors and portfolio company CFOs.
Until recently, PE sponsors followed a more hands-off (investor) approach when interacting with company management. Yet, the newfound emphasis on operational improvement has given way to an evolved model for firm-finance engagement—a model that makes strong communication (and increased collaboration) more critical than ever.
Through our survey, The State of the PE Sponsor-CFO Relationship, we set out to explore how these shifting industry headwinds have affected the firm-finance dynamic. The findings (available below) revealed the good, the bad, and the confusing aspects of the relationship.
Our hope is that both sponsors and CFOs will leverage these findings as actionable insights to foster a more productive partnership, and a mutually beneficial exit.