What Do Private Equity Firms Look For in a CEO or CFO? | Kip Knippel, KIP Search
When a PE firm buys a company and the founder steps out, the next CEO and CFO need to be built for speed, growth and an exit.
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Castro What do private equity firms look for in a CEO or CFO? Kip Knippel, President & CEO at KIP Search, explains why PE-backed companies need C-suite leaders who come in, make an immediate impact, grow the business, exit, and do it again — whether that's a new CEO replacing an exiting founder or a CFO with deep M&A experience to roll up other companies in the industry.
About Kip Knippel: Kip is President and CEO of KIP Search, a Minneapolis-based retained executive search firm that places C-level leaders, with a practice focused on private equity, venture capital, family offices, EOS companies and emerging technology. He began his career as an M&A and commercial real estate lawyer and hosts the Capitalist Culture podcast.
Connect with Kip Knippel:
Website: https://www.kipsearch.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kipknippel/
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Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker (BK3038350) and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The PE Podcast is produced by One Iron Network LLC for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of One Iron Network LLC, Smooth Stone Capital, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Any performance figures, valuations, or transaction terms discussed are historical, specific to the circumstances described, and are not indicative of future results. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision.
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Joshua Wilson:
so Kip, tell me a little bit about your firm and what kind of deals do you guys like to focus on?
Kip Knippel:
Yeah, so our firm KIP Search, C-level executive recruiting or headhunting firm focus heavily in the private equity space. So a lot of working with private equity firms in their portfolio companies to find C-suite leaders to take those companies to the next level. I mean, once they've acquired a new business and, you know, we need a new CEO. We need to replace the founder now because the founder's exiting. New CFO that has, you know, tons of M&A experience so that we can, you know, we PE firm just captured the best in class in whatever industry it is. And now we're gonna go out and capture up and and you know group up all the other companies in that space around the country. You need a CFO that's experienced, that's been there and done that. so and you know, so the types of executives or people we're recruiting for our private equity clients are very different than say a traditional CFO that, you know, is in place for 20 years, you know, and is slowly taking this, you know. public company or private company, you know, moving forward. We need PE executives, PE C-suite people that, you know, come in, make immediate impact, grow the business, have their exit, and then do it again. And they're just wired that way. And they like that doing that. They have experience, proven track record there. so do a lot of work with all this, all the C-level, you know, disciplines within that space. But For private equity firms and again for their portcos.
President & CEO, KIP Search
Kip Knippel is President and CEO of KIP Search, a retained executive search firm based in Minneapolis that places C-level leaders. His practice focuses on private equity, venture capital, family offices, EOS companies and emerging technology, including AI, blockchain and Web3.
He started his career as a lawyer, working on mergers and acquisitions and commercial real estate, before moving into executive recruiting. He also coaches leaders and hosts the Capitalist Culture podcast, where he talks with founders and investors about entrepreneurship, free markets and investing.
Kip holds a B.A., cum laude, in English and Communication from St. John's University and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law. Outside of work, he is a triathlete and marathoner.