Scott Engler Strategic Executive Search | Building Leadership Teams for the AI Era December 2, 2025 The High Level Capital is consolidating and valuations are finally settling around real fundamentals. Continuation vehicles are now a standard tool, and carve-outs keep accelerating as companies strip away distractions. Sponsors are no longer interested in AI “experiments” — they want structured roadmaps tied to real business value. CEOs and CFOs are winning or losing on their

Some reflections from our Sync Executive Parters session at the Insight Partners CFO Summit in NYC — and why enterprise leadership has become the defining competency of today’s CFO. Enterprise leadership isn’t about functional excellence. It’s about aligning an entire organization around the investment thesis, the business model, and the execution path that creates value. In private equity, that alignment is the difference between acceleration and drag. And no executive carri

Most organizations look at culture as a set of values -- values are behavioral priorities. Partially necessary -- not even close to sufficient. It can be a useful part the puzzle. Clayton Christensen articulated a culture formula that is far more useful. Notice how this looks far different than a set of values: Priorities (vs behavioral priorities) > resources > processes (formal and informal/values) Here's a different way to think about culture: Priorities, resources, formal

Most plans don’t fail because the thesis is wrong—every thesis has flaws. They fail because the organization never fully aligns to execute against it and to offset those flaws with deliberate choices, resourcing, and cadence. Alignment is what turns imperfect strategy into compounding results. We don’t lose value in private equity because people lack effort. We lose it because smart teams do sensible things that don’t add up to the outcome investors actually bought. That’s no

In private equity, the CFO is no longer just the steward of capital — they are the architect of momentum. Today’s CFOs must scale through volatility, build infrastructure that keeps pace with ambition, and turn financial clarity into a competitive advantage. But the CFO who got the company here may not be the one who gets it to the next stage. Below are six imperatives that define high-impact CFOs in today’s investment landscape. 1. Adaptability & Scalability “The CFO you nee

#Remotework ,  #automation ,  #retirement  and  #AI  are conspiring in a way that will leave finance (and many other functions) with very green and shallow pipelines of talent.  Remote work has deprived many younger workers of the experiences they need, lower level task will be going away (more quickly in finance IMO because it's rules based) and much of the knowledge and experience will be traveling world or working on their approach shots.  The good news is that business al

PE CFOs Must Be Go-to-Market Champions The most effective PE CFOs are on the front lines of growth. They don’t simply monitor sales...

For CEOs and CFOs, the shift is clear. Value creation depends on internal velocity—accurate financials, consistent decision-making...

Scott Engler CEO & Co-founder, Sync Executive Partners | Fmr CEB/Gartner September 4, 2025 A massive reset is underway across private...

See our Linkedin Live Replay CFOs aren’t just stewards of capital — they’re performance architects. This session explores how leading...

Stepping into a PE-backed CFO role? You're not just signing up for financial reporting; you're stepping onto a burning platform. Scott...

“The Misfire” — A Cautionary Tale of Executive Search Gone Wrong in 3 Acts (A summary of my recent conversations ) 🚩Act I: Search Starts...

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8307146/CFO-Model-Diagnostic-Tool The Sync CFO Model Diagnostic is designed to evaluate your...

This consolidated framework brings together the most common reasons executives fail in private equity-backed companies, drawing from over...

The Driver Tool: https://www.syncexecutivepartners.com/driver-alignment-tool Step 1: Set up a 60–90 minute meeting with your team. Bring...

Run the Numbers Podcast Play In many companies, the CFO is more important than the CEO. And the majority of private equity-backed CFOs...

Scott Engler CEO & Co-founder, Sync Executive Partners | Fmr CEB/Gartner July 2, 2025 The exit reversal is underway.  In 2022, a collapse...

McKinsey’s Global Private Markets Review 2025  paints a clear picture of a maturing private equity landscape. As traditional levers lose edge, investors are shifting priorities—and GPs must adapt quickly. Below are five key takeaways that should be on every private equity leader’s radar. 1. Operational Improvements Now Drive Returns Gone are the days when financial engineering alone could generate outperformance. Today, value creation is rooted in real, measurable operational

Over 40 CFOs and finance leaders gathered in Baltimore last week for JMI’s annual CFO Roundtable. The two-day event focused on the key...