Despite being truly exceptional candidates - Chief Financial Officers and Finance Directors are being told they can’t join a Private Equity (PE) backed business without prior experience of a successful sale. However, with a lack of organisations willing to take a risk on an 'unproven' finance leader, how does one gain this experience?

PE is a closed world and while some fall upon the opportunity, many do not due to the high-risk supposedly involved for PE businesses. While experience is clearly an important factor, I’m keen to find out if a solution does exist for the finance professionals without experience who are frantic to make the move.

I have met some professionals who break down the barriers in their quest for career diversity and looking at their specific profiles, the only advice I can offer is to gain a breadth of experience across M&A, corporates, start-ups and SME’s. Evidence the fact that you are adaptable and able to thrive in new environments and let your portfolio of work do the talking.

If you have made the move into Private Equity I would love to hear from you to find out more about the hurdles you have faced along the way, and how you got over them.