Brett Dubin — PE Recruiting (Operating Partners)

Status: active — searches in flight Stage: post-demo, candidate sourcing on TPG / Baypine / SF generalist Decision maker: Brett Dubin (retained executive recruiter, PE operating partners) Started: 2026-04-07 (discovery), 2026-04-09 (demo) Last touched: 2026-04-22 (TPG sourcing push) Memory file: brett-recruiting-deal.md

Client: Brett Dubin (retained executive recruiter, PE operating partners) Date: 2026-04-09 Call: 64-min demo call, scored 8/10 Next Steps: Deliver candidate lists → Robbie tech call → Monday boss presentation

The 3 Active Searches

Search 1: TPG — Operating Partner

• Client: TPG
• Role: Operating Partner (NOT CTO — earlier spec was incorrect)
• Target: Operators (CEO, COO, GM, SVP) who've owned $100M+ P&L at large companies, ideally with PE exposure (e.g., worked at a PE-backed company)
• Location: San Francisco — MANDATORY
• Gold Standard: Scott Spencer (Google → Equifax SVP/GM → Ingenico/Apollo-backed)
• Alt Archetype: Carl Theobald (3x SaaS CEO → Gryphon Investors Operating Partner)
• Key distinction: We are NOT looking for lateral PE operating partners or CTOs. We want proven operators from large companies who could step into an operating partner role.
• File: search1-tpg-operating-partner-candidates.md
• NOTE: search1-tpg-cto-candidates.md is DEPRECATED — it was based on the wrong spec. The correct file is search1-tpg-operating-partner-candidates.md.

Search 2: Baypine Capital — Tech Operating Partner

• Duration: 2+ years, 300 names exhausted
• Client Profile: "Pickiest in the world"
• Critical Filter: Rejected KKR candidate for being "soft spoken" — executive presence matters as much as resume
• Requirements: Lateral operating partner, technology focus

Search 3: Atheist Capital — Generalist Operating Partner Lateral

• Client: Atheist Capital
• Location: MUST be in San Francisco
• Type: Generalist operating partner (not tech-specific)
• Status: 5 candidates already identified, Brian Jawalka is frontrunner (already presented, liked)

Archetype Profiles (Reference Candidates)

Carl Theobald — Gryphon Investors (Search 1 archetype)

• Role: Operating Partner, Software Group & Co-Head Operations Resources Group
• Pattern: Three-time SaaS CEO → PE operating partner
• Background: Princeton BSE + Stanford MS Engineering
• Companies: CEO at RichRelevance, FollowAnalytics, Avangate (6x growth, sold to Francisco Partners/Verifone)
• Boards: Meazure Learning, phData, RegEd, Rootstock
• Public Footprint: CIO Talk Network podcast, SIIA CEO events, 2Checkout blog author
• Why archetype: Shows the CEO-to-operating-partner lateral pipeline. Deep SaaS/enterprise software operator who moved to PE side.
• Sourcing signal: PR announcement when hired (Gryphon PR). Listed on firm website team page. Findable via board seat cross-references on TheOrg.

Ajaykumar Kutty — KKR Capstone (Search 2 archetype)

• Role: Technology Operating Principal
• Pattern: Enterprise tech executive → PE tech ops
• Background: Columbia MBA (Honors, Dean's List)
• Companies: Symphony Talent (Head of Products), PTC (VP Business Apps), Publicis Sapient
• Published: "Decision criteria for buying cloud solutions" (2015)
• Why archetype: Technology-focused operating partner at mega-fund. Hands-on cloud/DevOps/enterprise architecture.
• Sourcing signal: Listed on KKR website. KKR Capstone is ~100 person team — many similar profiles exist across mega-funds.

Jason Friedrichs — AEA Investors (Search 3 archetype)

• Role: Partner, Portfolio Growth (AEA Elevate)
• Pattern: Management consulting → PE value creation builder
• Background: Stanford MBA + Yale BA
• Companies: Bain & Company → built value creation at Altamont Capital → AEA Elevate
• Public Footprint: "Private Equity + AI" podcast (Oct 2025), still advises Altamont
• Why archetype: "Perfect fit on paper" per Brett. Classic Bain→PE trajectory. Generalist growth focus. San Francisco based.
• Sourcing signal: Podcast appearances, AEA press releases (3 senior hires in 6 months), Altamont team page (still listed as advisor).

Brian Jawalka — Quad Partners (Search 3 frontrunner)

• Role: Operating Partner, Product & Technology
• Pattern: Cloud infrastructure operator → PE ops
• Background: ~20 years software/SaaS/cloud
• Companies: TCV (growth equity) → Rackspace Technology (AWS/Azure/GCP) → Quad Partners
• Published: "Hiding in Plain Sight: Cost Reduction Opportunities in the Cloud" (2020)
• Conference: PEI Operating Partners Technology Forum 2021 panelist
• Why frontrunner: Client already likes him. Has both fund-level (TCV, Quad) and operator-level (Rackspace) experience.
• Status: ALREADY PRESENTED. Client favorable. Push to close.

Laith Kalamchi — BC Partners (Search 3 archetype)

• Role: MD, Portfolio Operations
• Pattern: Consulting + luxury brand operating + PE ops ("trifecta")
• Background: Columbia MBA, Georgetown BSBA
• Companies: McKinsey → Accenture → L Catterton → John Hardy (SVP, exec team) → BC Partners
• Public Footprint: Published "Spotlight on Portfolio Operations" profile on BC Partners website (rare for PE ops). Predicts ops roles will become increasingly specialized.
• Why archetype: Rare combination of consulting rigor + actual P&L operating experience + PE ops. The "practitioner turned advisor" model.

Achi Yaffe — GI Partners (Search 3 archetype)

• Role: MD, Portfolio Operations
• Pattern: Consulting + PE investing + PE ops (was GI Partners' FIRST operating hire)
• Background: HBS Baker Scholar (top 5%), USC BS
• Companies: McKinsey → Lee Equity Partners → eTelecare → GI Partners
• Boards (active): Flexential, Atlas Technical Consultants, Patriot Growth, ARS
• Boards (former): Papa Murphy's (NASDAQ:FRSH — public company board), 4 others
• Languages: English, Hebrew
• Why archetype: Deepest board portfolio of all 7. Being a firm's first operating hire signals highest caliber. Baker Scholar = top 5% HBS.

Ana Bakhshyan — KKR Capstone (Search 3 archetype)

• Role: Principal, Portfolio Operations
• Pattern: CPG operator → consulting → PE ops
• Background: HBS MBA, BCG Chicago, Goldman Sachs
• Companies: General Mills Canada (5+ years marketing) → BCG → Goldman → KKR Capstone
• Portfolio companies touched: Epicor, BMC, Wella, Apple Leisure Group, 2+ more
• Social: Active on Twitter/X (@AnaBakhshyan)
• Why archetype: Consumer/retail specialist. Shows CPG-to-PE pipeline exists. Cross-Atlantic (KKR Capstone EMEA member).

Key Patterns Across All 7

Ecosystem Map — Where These People Gather

Conferences & Events

• PEI Operating Partners Forum — NYC (Oct), Napa (spring), London (May), Tech Forum (June), Human Capital (March). 200-300+ attendees per event. THE primary gathering.
• Value Creation Summit (iGlobal Forum) — Annual NYC event
• Hunt Scanlon PE Recruiting Conference — NYC 2026
• ACG DealMAX — Association for Corporate Growth annual + regional events

Communities & Databases

• PE Operators Network (peops.net) — Member-only for ops/value creation at $1B+ AUM firms
• ACG Private Equity Operators Council (PEOC) — Dedicated operating partner community
• BluWave Business Builders' Network — Curated PE-grade operating partner database
• Umbrex — Profiles 50+ PE firms' operating partner groups with NAMED PERSONNEL

Alumni Networks (Top Feeder Pipelines)

• McKinsey Alumni Center — Searchable directory. 2 of 7 candidates are McKinsey alumni.
• Bain Alumni — Friedrichs is Bain → PE
• BCG Alumni — Bakhshyan is BCG → PE
• HBS PE Club — Baker Scholar lists are public per class. 2 of 7 are HBS.
• Stanford GSB — Investor Summit (640+ attendees). Friedrichs and Theobald are Stanford.
• Columbia PE Program — Annual PE Conference + Deal Camp. Kutty and Kalamchi are Columbia MBA.

Firm-Level Intelligence

• PE firm websites list operating teams (KKR Capstone page lists ~100 people)
• Press releases announce new operating partner hires
• TheOrg.com maps org charts including board seats
• Pitchbook/Preqin track PE firm personnel (paid)

Sourcing Strategy — Beyond LinkedIn

See: sourcing-playbook.md