Case Study

PROBLEM

Our client, market-leading private credit firm, a large North American alternative asset manager, engaged DES to lead a search for a new senior leader to join its pure-play direct lending platform. As there were no natural successors within the firm, our client sought candidates with strong credit investment & people leadership experience to shepherd the business through a new phase of growth. The firm is highly entrepreneurial, and thus it was essential that the candidates be highly collaborative, able to fit seamlessly into our client's hard-working, fluid and high-integrity culture. Importantly, “success” for the candidate was to be measured by the firm’s growth and performance, team engagement and maintenance of the firm’s strong reputation in the marketplace.

APPROACH

Our search targeted candidates across the alternative asset management space (comprising private debt, private equity & other related “alternative” areas) in Canada & the U.S. During the course of this assignment, we were also asked to build out the Chief Financial Officer & Investor Relations functions of the team. Thus, the scope of the work expanded significantly, providing us even greater insight into the broader North American market for alternative investors.