Connecting Investors, Investee Companies and Executive Talent

Business Origination

Our consultants and researchers are constantly looking for businesses that will be attractive to our private equity or private investors
These can be “carve-outs” from larger corporate entities or privately-owned businesses in need of growth capital or where the owners are desirous of an exit
Such companies are found though our own research or through the many conversations we have with Pathfinder Executives in our network
We are able to help clients wanting to sell on a company through a “secondary” or subsequent disposals particularly when these are though an introduction to another or a larger private equity firm or private investor within our network
We are keen to advise the owners of private or public companies who wish to attract capital or effect an exit

Pathfinders are the senior executives our clients ask us to find who each have an outstanding command of their sector or sub-sector.
As such they know how capital can be deployed and we support them to identify potential acquisitions that will be attractive to our clients, usually “carve-outs” where they have some understanding of the situation
We work with them to produce a “teaser” or overview in order to give the potential acquirer or investor enough information to adequately explore the opportunity before deciding whether to engage in due diligence
We compile a list of the most likely private equity houses to be interested in the deal and approach them usually singly with what is effectively an off-market opportunity
Should a private equity firm wish to progress the opportunity, their own processes or their professional team conduct due dilligence and the transaction
The Pathfinder and Hill Coates will often bring together a management team to offer to the investor with the teaser
Alternatively the Pathfinder may offer himself/herself as the chairman or chief executive and we place the remainder of the management team as required
We constantly look for and are pleased to hear from executives who truly have “Pathfinder” capabilities

We can be formally retained to undertake an executive search assignment to place the required management team whether or not we have been involved in the origination,
Requests for Information are sent to the client prior to our attending a briefing meeting
The consultants and researchers to be involved attend and often use an Orientation Brief to show our understanding of the sector and investee company
We then gather sufficient information to enable us to produce a full proposal covering the background to the role, the candidate specification, our search strategy, remuneration, timescale and level of confidentiality
Once this is accepted it usually takes 6-8 weeks to arrive at a shortlist of between 3-5 candidates for the client to interview
We support the interview, negotiation and appointment process which often takes another four weeks to complete

Our private equity clients are very keen to meet executives or management teams who wish to lead a Management Buy Out
We work with MBO teams to compile a list of the private equity firms most likely to be interested in the opportunity
We help develop an overview of the opportunity which we use to introduce the MBO team and the opportunity to our private equity clients
We usually do this singly to present an off-market opportunity, the convention being that private equity firms will tell us quickly whether they wish to progress the opportunity, enabling us to move it swiftly on if necessary
If wishing to progress matters, the private equity company conducts financial and commercial due diligence and, if this is successful, they then place the transaction in the hands of their professional advisers
We often benefit from executive search work to place additional management team members and usually receive an introductory fee from the acquirer