If you weren’t in the room at Bocca, London on Tuesday 28th January 2025, you missed out. Big time. This exclusive, invite-only roundtable brought together sixteen top finance leaders from PE-backed businesses for a relaxed but high-impact discussion over lunch. A good cross-section of industries were represented. From healthcare and education to financial services, all shared one thing in common: navigating the complexities and opportunities of being PE backed.
The conversation was lively, candid, and packed with real-world insights from those who have successfully steered their businesses through PE investment cycles including the challenges of successful transactions The takeaways? Invaluable. The full insight only available to those in the room, but here’s a taste of what was discussed.
The Four Big Themes
1. Data is Everything (And You Need to Be a Bit of a Control Freak)
CFOs at the table were unanimous — high-quality, timely data is the lifeblood of decision-making. The need for deeper, more granular insights is only growing. Investors are demanding it. Business leaders need it. And if you don’t have the numbers at your fingertips you will struggle to navigate the ever more challenging business environment
But there’s a balance to be struck. Over-analysing can lead to paralysis. Trusting your gut still matters. The smartest CFOs are blending instinct with insight, keeping a close eye on key performance indicators (KPIs), and ensuring their businesses have robust financial information ready at all times. Because when the pressure’s on, the last thing you want is to be scrambling for answers. Not having the answers at your fingertips is critical in instilling confidence with your investors.
However, the group felt it was important not to become too risk averse. There’s a converse danger of over analysing opportunities. Business leaders still need also to trust their “gut feelings”.
2. PE Needs to Add Value Beyond the Boardroom
The experience of PE investors adding real, strategic value outside board meetings was mixed. Some investors bring powerful insights and connections that can accelerate growth. Others? Not so much. There are hard questions to be asked as you embark on a relationship with a PE investor. What’s your proposition to add value beyond the boardroom and as a business what are you looking for from your PE investor?
The expectation is clear: CFOs want their investors to be active partners in developing and executing the strategy, not just financial overseers. Whether that’s providing unique market insights, making game-changing introductions, or helping to shape long-term value creation, the role of PE needs to extend beyond holding management to account.
3. Growth: A Balancing Act Between Organic and M&A
Growth remains front and centre, but many in the room were cautious about the short-term outlook. While organic growth is still key, it’s clear that M&A is playing an increasingly critical role for many businesses. A blend of M&A and organic is key. But with due diligence taking longer and more pressure to provide deeper data the importance of successful integrations is never more important. Delivering the investment case backed up with high quality metrics is critical and CFOs of PE Backed businesses have a central role to play
4. Transaction Readiness – Are You Ever Really Ready?
Getting exit-ready isn’t just about due diligence. It starts way before that. A proper assessment of critical issues, along with positioning the business correctly, can make or break an eventual deal. Due diligence processes have become more rigorous with M&A advisers seeing last-minute renegotiations increasingly common and in some cases deal-threatening. Add to that the impact of market timing which is critical. Sometimes to maximise value a process needs to be launched quickly. Reinforcing the need to prepare early.
One thing was clear: no one ever feels 100% ready. But the best-positioned businesses have a clear growth story, strong performance metrics, and well-prepared leaders who understands the power of storytelling — it’s not just all about the numbers.
For CFOs, agility is crucial. They need to provide deep financial insights quickly while maintaining a strategic lens on where and how growth happens.
The Takeaway? The Modern CFO is Evolving
Today’s CFO isn’t just a number cruncher. They’re strategic leaders, storytellers, and agile decision-makers. CFOs have a critical role in supporting the CEO and wider leadership of the business. They’re high performing professionals who could easily pivot into other C-suite roles. They need to provide instant, detailed insights while shaping the narrative that underpins financial performance. And they need to ensure PE investment delivers more than just financial oversight — it should actively drive growth.
Want in on the Next One?
This roundtable proved just how valuable it is to be in the room with like-minded finance leaders. If any of these themes struck a chord with you, let’s talk. We host roundtables like this regularly — always in great company and over great food. They’re invite-only, but if you’d like to be considered for the next one, get in touch.
Because for some conversations, you just have to be there.
