Eric Noeth joined Advent in 2019 and is a Managing Director in Palo Alto. He focuses on investments in the technology sector. Eric has advised on 17 investments during his career, 11 while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Eric was a Principal on TPG’s technology investment team in San Francisco, having originally joined in 2009. Before that, he worked in the Media & Communications group at Morgan Stanley. Eric was also Co-Founder and CEO of Drop Inc, a mobile technology provider, before selling its intellectual property to Snapchat.

Eric received a BS, with honors, from Indiana University.

How do you identify interesting companies in your sector/sub-sector of focus?

At Advent, we focus on a core set of sub-sectors where we have deep pattern recognition and a unique perspective on the market. Across regions, we also foster sourcing cells to follow pockets of the market and track companies that we think are doing interesting things – and we follow them over time. From there, we leverage our world class roster of Operating Partners to help evaluate where companies are innovating in an ecosystem.

How do you partner with management teams?

We start by seeking alignment with management teams, entrepreneurs, and founders during the due diligence process. From there, we work in partnership with leadership to provide the resources and expertise necessary to help achieve our collective goals.

What about your job inspires and drives you?

The feeling of enabling growth and disruption, and building something unique, cuts through everything we do at Advent. Every single day, we have the opportunity to go out and talk to interesting, engaging people driving innovation around the world: we’re in a very fortunate place. When I look back on an average work week, it is always full of engaging conversations and new connections. That’s the part of the job I enjoy the most.

 

 

Eric Wei joined Advent in 2011 and is a Managing Partner in Palo Alto. He advises on growth equity and majority investments in the technology sector. Eric has advised on 22 investments during his career, 11 while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Eric gained investing experience at Sageview Capital, Bain Capital, and Evercore Ventures. He began his career as a Strategy Consultant with Bain & Company.

He earned his BA, with distinction, from Stanford University and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

How do you identify interesting companies in your sector of focus?

In the Tech team, Advent is very interested in companies with platform visions that have the potential to transform an industry. These platforms end up becoming indispensable, as they digitally connect an entire ecosystem, ensuring that everyone can benefit from greater productivity. These are the companies we want to build for the long term – ones supporting our theme that tech is a true horizontal, cutting across all geographies and industry verticals.

How have you seen Advent’s culture of collaboration drive impact?

People across the organization are always willing to help each other out. It’s never ‘What’s in it for me?’ but rather ‘OK – let’s figure this out.’ On a recent Advent investment, which had both a tech and industrial angle, industrials colleagues across the world made dozens of portfolio company and executive introductions during diligence and post close. The culture of collaboration isn’t just lip service.

What’s a mistake you made early in your career, and what did you learn from it?

Hiring the right people is one of the most important things we are responsible for. What I’ve learned is that irrespective of someone’s experience or education, the most important variable among high-functioning executives is their approach to problem solving. The most effective executives are hands on in driving solutions to issues at their company.

“I sometimes describe my job as riding shotgun next to the CEO, across seven or eight businesses.”

Eric Wei
Managing Partner, Advent
What about your job inspires and drives you?

I really enjoy helping a company become better across different dimensions. I sometimes describe my job as riding shotgun next to the CEO – and I have the privilege of partnering with CEO’s across multiple businesses concurrently. When you put it in that context, there are very few jobs in the world that offer a similar experience. You get an incredible depth and breadth of learning, and you are part of a team having an impact.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

I spend a lot of time with my family and kids and try to stay very active. I play tennis, work out, and do yoga. I’ve also been trying to learn how to surf, which is one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever experienced because of the constant change in surfing: no wave is ever the same.

Fabio Cali joined Advent in 2012 and is a Managing Director in London. He advises on investments in the business & financial services sector. Fabio has advised on nine investments during his career at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Fabio worked at Bain & Company in Paris as a member of their private equity practice. He specialized in due diligence projects across France, Italy, and the Nordics. Previously, Fabio worked in mergers & acquisitions sourcing and execution for Calyon Investment Banking’s industrial team.

Fabio received an MA in Humanities with Honors from Ecole Normale Supérieure and a master’s degree in Management (Grande Ecole Programme) from ESCP (Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris).

What industries and subsectors do you find most compelling to follow?

As part of our business and financial services practice, Advent looks at what we call the commerce-enablement space – this includes payments, data, management software, logistics, and other value-added financial services. I find it very exciting to see how we’re using innovation to help and support the real economy. These are technologies that benefit merchants across the board – whether they are very small, such as local coffee shops, or well-known luxury brands.

What are the benefits of being part of a privately owned partnership?

Historically, this firm has been able to grow through being a consensus-driven private partnership. This has provided a lot of stability and consistency in the way we operate, and especially in maintaining the culture of the firm. Advent is about consensus, meritocracy, and continuous self-improvement. We’re approachable, low-ego, entrepreneurial investors who are passionate about the real economy and our sub-sectors. That’s what has differentiated us over the past 40 years.

“This business is about exposure to issues and situations, so I give my team a lot of space and try to empower them as much as possible.”

Fabio Cali
Managing Director, Advent
How do you help junior members of your team grow their skills and learn?

We want a culture where people can be themselves – and if they make a mistake, they can communicate honestly about it and find a solution. This business is about exposure to issues and situations, so I give my team a lot of space and try to empower them as much as possible. I know that if I send them into a meeting or ask them to run a specific piece of analysis, they may not be as effective as I would be, because of course I’ve done it many times. We share feedback and sometimes I tell them, look, this is how we could have done this differently. That’s how they learn, feel empowered, and grow into better investors.

What have been the highlights of your career?

It has been a fascinating journey, and I’ve worked on many, many investments. Each one is a totally different situation, and what makes it unique is the context of the deal: who Advent is buying from, the management team, and the personas around Advent’s investment. I’ve traveled widely, working with everyone from Italian or French banks to Bulgarian tech founders, and so many situations have been highlights. In the early days I was able to learn from the more senior people around me, taking from each of them what resonated most with myself. That’s how I developed my own style.

If you weren’t in private equity, what would you be doing?

I would definitely be an entrepreneur in technology. What I do now has entrepreneurial aspects. I feel that strongly when I’m working with a management team on a project that will bring new products to the real economy. We’re creating things that help to enable commerce, and innovation is always high in my mind.

Francesco Casiraghi joined Advent in 2007 and is a Managing Director in Milan. He advises on investments in the industrial sector. Francesco has advised on more than 10 investments during his career, five while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Francesco worked at Merrill Lynch, where he was a member of the investment banking team for five years in their Hong Kong, London, Milan, and Rome offices. While at Merrill Lynch, he worked on a number of high-profile transactions across several industries and products. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Francesco worked at Procter & Gamble as a process engineer.

Francesco holds an MA in Industrial Engineering from Parma University.

How has living in your region impacted your perspective on investing?

Many of the companies that interest Advent are well known to us, and we have developed strong relationships with them over the years by being on the ground here. It’s really down to seeing hidden potential: a path to transforming the company into something better and more valuable. To do that, you need to know the target very well, and you need to bring a vision and some special ingredients. I think that Advent has plenty of these.

How have you seen Advent’s culture of collaboration drive impact both internally and at portfolio companies?

Advent combines our local presence with the leverage, resources, and expertise of our sector colleagues, and we do it systematically and at scale. I’m deeply Italian, so I can make a connection when we sit down with a local entrepreneur; but I’ll also bring along a colleague from Boston or London who have advised on five investments in that sector. This is basic stuff, but we do it very well and at scale.

“It’s really down to seeing hidden potential: a path to transforming the company into something better and more valuable.”

Francesco Casiraghi
Managing Director, Advent
What advice would you give to a new hire at Advent to set them up for long-term success?

This is an apprenticeship job and there is a lot to learn. It’s like learning to paint – the renaissance masters started by observing their older colleagues and gradually practiced painting parts of the background. Only when they learned the trade by their masters did they paint the central subjects on the canvas. It’s the same for us, your opinion matters your voice will be heard, but you also have to be patient: observe, learn and practice and be a team player.

What about your job inspires and drives you?

Every day you do something different: you look at a new business, you encounter a challenge in an existing company, or you need to exit another one. It can be stressful, and it comes with a lot of responsibility that people from outside the industry don’t necessarily see. But the absence of routine and repetition, the joy of learning, and getting to raise the bar with incredibly talented people from many different backgrounds – that makes it an amazing job.

What is the best career advice you have received?

As well as being a professor of chemistry, my father was a mountaineering guide. He taught me that when you’re in the mountains and the weather turns, you need to keep calm, keep going, and get to the hut. That has been an invaluable lesson: keep a steady pace, give 105% and get out of the storm.

Giles Reaney joined Advent in 2014 and is a Managing Director in London. He helps lead the firm’s capital markets activities, including new acquisition financings, for Advent’s portfolio companies. Giles is also responsible for managing and helping to grow the firm’s relationships with investment banks, direct lenders, and investors.

Prior to joining Advent, Giles spent 10 years working in leverage finance, most recently at Goldman Sachs, and before that, at RBS. During this time, he worked on a large number of loan and high yield bond transactions for both sponsor and corporate clients.

Giles holds a BSc, with honors, in Economics and Econometrics from Nottingham University.

Gonzalo Santos joined Advent in 2015 and is a Managing Director in Madrid. He advises on investments mainly in the business & financial services, consumer, and healthcare sectors. Gonzalo has advised on eight investments during his career, two while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Gonzalo spent nine years at TPG and what is now Sixth Street in London, where he oversaw Spanish coverage for both the Private Equity and the Special Situations business. Prior to that, he worked for four years in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs in London. He is a member of the Madrid Bar and practiced law briefly at Uria Menendez in their Mercantile Law team prior to starting his career in finance.

Gonzalo holds a dual degree in Business Administration and Law from ICADE in Madrid.

How does Advent identify interesting companies in your sector/sub-sector of focus?

Advent takes a very disciplined sourcing approach in our five core sectors, where we have 40 years of experience. This allows us to intimately understand a market’s challenges and opportunities.

How has working with Operating Partners and Operations Advisors helped to improve your work at Advent?

They’re very much ingrained in the Advent culture and the way we do business. Advent has three core elements to an investment: the team, the Portfolio Support Group, and the Operating Partners and Operations Advisors. These are people who have led successful companies and investments in the past. They not only help Advent source interesting opportunities, but also ensure that there is alignment of interest with management teams. They play a vital role in delivering value creation plans. I personally find that in order to develop an investment thesis and build a credible value creation plan, it is important to collaborate with Operating Partners who have intimate knowledge of a sector or the company you want to invest in.

“Advent takes a very disciplined sourcing approach in our five core sectors, where we have 40 years of experience. This allows us to intimately understand a market’s challenges and opportunities.”

Gonzalo Santos
Managing Director, Advent
What does learning and growing look like at Advent?

One of the things we have in our office is a regular feedback system. The more experienced team members meet regularly with more junior professionals. The discussion is not centered around ‘what are we doing on this project?’ but ‘how can we help you keep achieving your goals – and can we address any learning or development gaps?’ I also do regular one-on-one sessions with every single member of the team. These are not to go over the last deal, or even the next deal, but to talk about career progression, any issues in their life, work-life balance… that sort of thing. I think that’s important.

When did you decide you wanted to be in this business? Why?

Personally, coming into finance wasn’t a vocation, but a way to make the best use of my education and to satisfy my curiosity. I spent a bit of time as a lawyer, which wasn’t for me. I then went into finance, because if you have intellectual curiosity, you’ll always be learning something new; and I went into private equity because it was more interesting than banking and I had started to develop an investor mindset vs. a deal-making mindset. I discovered I liked it and it’s now close to 20 years!

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?

It’s the same advice I pass on to my team. This business works on an apprenticeship model and demands intellect, common sense, hard work, and some people skills. If you have curiosity and honesty, and you’re willing to put effort, the rest is up to you.

Heather Kennedy Miner is a Managing Director and serves as Chief Operating Officer, based in New York. She is responsible for driving Advent’s operations globally, overseeing the firm’s strategic growth initiatives, marketing and communications, and delivering on talent development priorities. Heather is a member of Advent’s Operating Committee (BOLT) and Global Culture and Inclusion Committee.

Prior to joining Advent in 2022, Heather worked at Goldman Sachs, where she held a number of leadership positions during her nearly two-decade tenure at the firm. Most recently, she served as Partner and Chief Operating Officer as well as Global Co-Head of Client Solutions and Capital Markets for Goldman Sachs’ $2+ trillion Asset Management business. Heather previously served as Goldman Sachs’ Global Head of Investor Relations. She began her career as an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group at UBS.

Heather earned a BS in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

How does Advent’s culture of collaboration drive impact?

Collaboration at Advent is more than a buzzword – it’s a core principle that drives our success. With 16 offices across the globe, we operate within a diverse and geographically dispersed organization. This setup necessitates a high level of collaboration, allowing us to leverage our deep sector expertise wherever it’s needed. For instance, a specialist in Germany might identify an opportunity to contribute to a payments deal in the US, given their knowledge of the underlying sector. Our collaborative culture ensures that we bring together the best minds to address the most complex challenges, regardless of location or sector.

What makes being part of a privately owned partnership special?

Being part of a privately owned partnership offers a unique experience rooted in collaboration and shared values. We don’t have a CEO or star culture. Our partnership fosters a collegial environment both within our organization and in how we manage our external relationships. This model shapes how we interact – with humility, respect – while still being performance-driven, sector experts, and importantly – both global and local. Our approach is one reason why banks and other partners say they enjoy working with us; we combine a commitment to excellence with a people-first approach.

“Collaboration at Advent is more than a buzzword – it’s a core principle that drives our success. Our culture ensures that we bring together the best minds to address the most complex challenges, regardless of location or sector.”

Heather Kennedy Miner
Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Advent
How do you help people learn and grow within the Advent culture?

At Advent, we prioritize bringing people together and cultivating strong relationships, as these are the foundations of trust and effective communication. We facilitate growth and learning in various ways, such as formal leadership and development training, offsites, and many culture-building activities. A prime example is our annual Associate training. All new associates spend a week focused on training and relationship building. This event allows them to connect with peers across different geographies and sector teams, and build a network they can confidently use to reach out to colleagues as questions arise in their day-to-day.

What continues to inspire you about working in your role?

What inspires me most about my role is the continuous opportunity for growth and learning. I’m constantly exploring new areas – whether it’s new technology, infrastructure, processes – that can enhance how we work, elevate the experience of our employees and stakeholders, and continue to enable our performance culture. This drive to innovate and keep learning keeps me engaged and excited about the impact we can have every day.

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?

I once approached the former CFO of Goldman Sachs to ask for an expanded role. And he told me this: the best way to get a new responsibility, a new opportunity, a new growth trajectory, or a new project is to really excel in your current job. That’s the advice I give now – focus on delivering exceptional results in your current role, and you’ll find that’s what will open the most doors for you.

Jason Karl joined Advent in 2010 and is a Managing Director in New York. He advises on investments in the industrials sector. Jason originally joined Advent as an Associate in Boston, where he focused on industrial buyout investments, and rejoined the firm in New York after business school.

Prior to joining Advent, Jason was an Associate Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, where he worked on strategic projects with Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries.

Jason has an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School and received a BA from Yale University.

What sub-sectors do you currently find interesting, and why?

I spend a lot of time focusing on people-based businesses, particularly distribution and services. In these distributed businesses, it’s quite difficult to coordinate across thousands of team members, and that is what sets apart the best companies in the space. It is hard work to attract and retain top talent. At Advent, we are piloting broad-based ownership in a few of our portfolio companies via Ownership Works, where every employee now owns a part of the business. We hope that this is a powerful tool for our management teams and will have a positive effect in terms of safety, retention, engagement, and productivity.

How has Advent supported your professional growth?

At Advent we have this tremendous brand and culture, with an entrepreneurial spirit that I think is rare within our industry. Since I joined in 2010, I’ve been a huge beneficiary of that. I’ve had this tremendous opportunity to expand my focus across sub-sectors within industrials. While I started with chemicals and materials, I’ve had a chance to add packaging, building products, and distribution and services – which has been fantastic for my development.

“The most gratifying part of my job is interacting with and learning from a really talented group of people.”

Jason Karl
Managing Director, Advent
How do you continue to challenge yourself and others to improve at work?

Continuous improvement is part of Advent’s DNA. It has been instilled in me over the 15 years I’ve been at Advent. In that time the industry has gotten more competitive, and we need to keep getting better across all aspects of what we do every day – from identifying potential opportunities and evaluating businesses to developing relationships with executives. But that’s part of what makes it so rewarding. If this job were just ‘rinse and repeat,’ doing the same thing over and over again, I don’t think it would be much fun.

What are the highlights of your work at Advent?

By far the most gratifying part of my job is interacting with and learning from a really talented group of people. The CEOs of our portfolio companies lead thousands of people every day to build something special. It’s such a privilege to work together to support businesses in their next phase of growth.

Can you think of anyone you’d like to swap places with for a day?

I would go with [baseball player and executive] Derek Jeter. I read his book a few years ago. There are some people who simply make their teams better. You don’t necessarily have to be the most naturally gifted player. Derek Jeter was never the best home-run hitter, but he had that leadership quality. That’s something I really admire: to be the best teammate that I can, to make the people and companies I work with as successful as possible. Our business is a team sport.

David Mussafer joined Advent in 1990 and serves as Chairman Emeritus and Managing Partner in Boston. He advises on investments in the business & financial services, consumer, and healthcare sectors. David has advised on 37 investments during his career.

Prior to joining Advent, David worked at Chemical Bank and Adler & Shaykin in New York.

David holds a BSM, cum laude, from Tulane University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

How does Advent maintain its culture of collaboration?

It’s like seaweed on a beach: you have to rake it every day. We have to keep working at it. We try to put the right incentives in place to promote a sharing culture – operating without barriers and ensuring that your best chance of being promoted is if you’re a great team member.

How do you identify companies with the potential to excel?

Sometimes Advent identifies a strong, compelling company that has incredible momentum, and that’s great – we can gain the opportunity to help that company become the best in the world. Those businesses are incredibly rare. On the other hand, Advent can also help build sustainable growth when we uncover a business that’s not reaching its full potential. In those cases, it’s about having the vision to see what that potential could become, with better management and more effective focus. It’s then down to us to breathe fresh life into these companies.

What mistakes have you made in your career, and how did you learn from them?

One thing I learned early in my career is that industries are always changing. And when you’re thinking about how to build businesses with the resilience to cope with disruption, or identifying ones that are robust enough to maintain themselves, you need to have a great CEO and team to execute on your behalf. Finding, attracting, and inspiring truly great leaders is paramount to run and transform a business.

“This business is complex, challenging, competitive and difficult; but it’s also incredibly rewarding – and having that success as a team makes it all worthwhile!”

David Mussafer
Managing Partner & Chairman, Advent International
What continues to drive and inspire you about working at Advent?

It’s simple – I get to work with the most talented group of colleagues around the world and try to help them be more successful. I also love the process of finding and making great investments! This business is complex, challenging, competitive and difficult; but it’s also incredibly rewarding – and having that success as a team makes it all worthwhile.

Do you have a favorite quote?

My father is a man of impeccable integrity, who never cut corners. He used to say: “If I tell you a rooster can pull a train, you better hitch it up.” By that, he meant that if he told you something, you didn’t have to wonder whether he meant it or if he was going to do it. His word was good enough. I’ve tried to emulate that – building relationships of substance that don’t rely on legal contracts to arbitrate them, but on trust and goodwill.

Tricia Glynn joined Advent in 2016 and is a Managing Partner in Boston. She advises on buyouts and growth equity investments in the consumer sector. Tricia is a member of Advent’s Global Culture and Inclusion Committee. She has advised on over 20 investments across the retail, healthcare, business services, real estate, and media sectors during her career, eight while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Tricia worked at Bain Capital Private Equity, where she was a principal in the consumer, retail, and dining sector team. Before Bain Capital, she was an investment professional in the Private Equity Group of Goldman Sachs.

Tricia earned an AB in Biochemical Sciences, cum laude, from Harvard College and an MBA, with high distinction, as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School.

How do you identify compelling companies?

Ultimately, it’s the founders and leadership teams we invest alongside who create the magic in a business. Within Advent, we need to be clear about which opportunities truly have the opportunity to achieve scale over the long term. We need to build a reputation that makes these amazing leaders and companies want to work with us, and then we need to help them lean into long-term investment and protect against risk. We live and invest in the real world, so a little luck helps too!

What would you like management teams to say about the experience of working with Advent?

I’d hope they would say that we helped keep the bar high for what the company could accomplish when times were great, and that we were the first people they wanted to call when they hit something tough. I would certainly want them to feel that we did everything we did in a values-based way – that we do the right thing when nobody’s looking – and that we were teammates.

What advice would you give to someone joining Advent, to set them up for success?

Be accountable. You should always be accountable for your results. Over the course of your career, you will have the opportunity to grow, learn, and enhance your scope. But all the while, we owe a level of excellence and rigor to our investors, and to the executives and colleagues whose lives we impact.

“We get to work alongside some incredible companies, at a scale where we can really impact the markets in which we play.”

Tricia Glynn
Managing Partner, Advent International
What aspects of your job continue to drive and inspire you?

The world is always changing. We get to work alongside some incredible companies, at a scale where we can really impact the markets in which we play. We’re always looking at a new industry, a new company, or a new part of the world, and we are able to dig in and learn. I love that part of the job. I’m someone who loves learning by observing and engaging with other people who are excellent at what they do, and in this job, we have a front-row view of the executives we work with and the great things they are able to accomplish. And I’m inspired by my colleagues. A huge piece of why I’ve chosen to be at Advent and build a career here is that I love working with these folks and watching them do what they do.

What would a stranger be surprised to learn about you?

I keep a daily gratitude journal, and have done so for a very long time. Some days I simply write that I’m grateful for my family, my health, and my work. On other days, I may be grateful for coffee, Olaplex No 3, and lululemon Align leggings. But the practice of keeping the journal is itself a feel-good moment, no matter what else the day brings.

Shweta Jalan joined Advent in 2009 and is a Managing Partner in Mumbai. She advises on investments in the business & financial services and healthcare sectors. Shweta has advised on 20 investments during her career, 14 while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Shweta worked for ICICI Venture, which at the time was the largest private equity firm in India. Before ICICI Venture, she worked at Ernst & Young in their corporate finance division.

Shweta has an MBA from the National Institute of Management, Calcutta (NIMC) and a BSc in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta.

How does Advent differentiate itself in India?

Advent has created quite a niche for itself. When Advent invests in a company, we help to ensure that the right management team is in place so the business can be operated like a public company, with appropriate governance, risk, and compliance oversight. That was a differentiated offering we introduced to the private equity sector in India.

How does working with Operating Partners improve your investing?

In every business Advent would like to own, we try to develop a real right to win. That means establishing a strong relationship with the founder or seller in advance of the deal process, and the Operating Partners and Operations Advisors that we bring are vital to this. Suppose Advent is buying a consumer business in India, and you have the former Asia head of a large multinational with you. The conversation immediately moves up a few notches. The seller can see you’re serious about discussing what you can strategically do with the business. Having that expertise alongside you adds credibility to your own story.

How do you maintain a culture of continuous improvement at Advent?

Our philosophy is that we know what we know, but we also know that we don’t know everything. If you’re willing to admit that you don’t know it all, then you’re open to listening to people and learning from them. This holds true no matter who we’re interacting with – whether it’s portfolio companies, Operations Advisors, or Operating Partners. Culturally, we’re about as distinctive as you can get, and it comes down to being humble in our dealings. It’s something that percolates from the top.

“If you’re willing to admit you don’t know it all, you’re open to listening to people and learning from them.”

Shweta Jalan
Managing Partner, Advent International
What is it about your role that inspires and drives you?

Every situation is different, and every challenge is different. For me, it’s about the joy of solving complex problems. You spend your time tackling business, regulatory, and management challenges, and there’s no cookie-cutter approach you can take. You’re quite often doing three different jobs over three days. You have to be an HR manager one day, a business transformation expert the next, and then you go back to being an investment professional, as you try to sell your company. You’re always learning.

Which person has had the greatest influence on your professional life?

I’m asked this question a lot, and I have to say I wouldn’t choose just one person. There was a woman I worked for early in my career, who taught me to raise my level of aspiration and become more ambitious. And there was someone I worked with at Ernst & Young, from whom I learned a lot about relationship building. If there was an associate in the room, he’d treat them with the same respect as the CEO. I think it’s about taking different things from different people: trying to absorb what they do well, and seeing whether you can include these things in your own personal and professional journey.

Shonnel Malani joined Advent in 2011 and is a Managing Partner in London, serving as Co-Head of Europe. He advises on buyouts in the industrial sector and is responsible for Advent’s global aerospace and defense practice. Shonnel has advised on 13 investments during his career, nine while at Advent.

Prior to joining Advent, Shonnel worked as a private equity investor at Bain Capital and Centerbridge Partners, where he specialized in large and mid-cap buyouts. He began his career as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley.

Shonnel earned his BCom from McGill University, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPA from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.

How does Advent work with Operating Partners to improve the investment process?

From the beginning, Advent always had this approach of not doing an investment unless we have an Operating Partner on board – a senior executive from the sector involved who is a respected and integral part of the team. It’s why humility is important. Advent is a low-ego environment where the best idea wins. It doesn’t matter whether it comes from one of us or another member of the team we put together to support our companies.

What advice should new recruits take on board, if they’re to do well at Advent?

You don’t need to hang around the water cooler, waiting for the senior guy to pass by so that you can say something clever. That’s not what gets you promoted here. Stick to what you’re doing, do a great job, and you will be noticed: it’ll be highlighted in our review process and the most senior person in the office will hear about it. My other piece of advice is to ask lots of questions. It’s far better to ask questions all the time, rather than staying quiet, disappearing, and thinking you’ll come back with a fantastic solution. The chances you’ll find one on your own are very low. This is a team sport.

“Advent is a low-ego environment where the best idea wins. It doesn’t matter whether it comes from one of us or another member of the team we put together to support our companies.”

Shonnel Malani
Managing Partner, Advent International
What would you consider the highlights of your work?

Seeing the transformation of a company is the core of it for me. I love situations where we take a business that has something special but isn’t reaching its potential. There’s an opportunity to create a big transformation, whatever that entails. And then we see that come to fruition. That’s super-rewarding and fulfilling.