Specialist search for Chief Revenue and Chief Commercial Officers who can build scalable growth engines and drive sustainable revenue performance ahead of exit.
CRO & CCO Executive Search for PE-Backed Businesses
Revenue leadership that creates enterprise value
In a PE-backed business, the route to a strong exit multiple runs directly through revenue growth. A well-executed commercial strategy, with the right leadership in place, can reframe how a business is valued entirely. Conversely, flat or inconsistent revenue growth is one of the most common reasons a sale process disappoints.
The CRO and CCO roles are the most impactful commercial hire a PE-backed business can make. Whether the mandate is to professionalise a founder-led sales function, build a scalable revenue engine from the ground up, or accelerate growth ahead of exit, the person in this seat sets the commercial tone for the entire organisation.
HMN Capital places more CRO and CCO mandates than any other C-suite role. We understand the commercial profile PE sponsors are looking for, and we know how to find executives who have genuinely built and scaled revenue in high-growth, sponsor-backed environments.
#1 placed
CRO and CCO are HMN Capital's most frequently placed C-suite roles across UK and European portfolios
Revenue
growth is the single biggest driver of exit multiple expansion, the right CRO transforms what's possible
2–3 years
is typically the window a CRO has to build a revenue engine capable of supporting a credible sale process
What great looks like in a PE-backed CRO or CCO
Builder, not just manager
The CROs who transform PE-backed businesses are those who have built things, sales teams, go-to-market motions, channel strategies, not just managed existing ones. They arrive with playbooks drawn from real experience and the credibility to implement change quickly in a business that cannot afford a slow start.
Data-driven and accountable
Great commercial leaders in PE-backed environments are rigorous about metrics. They define pipeline coverage ratios, conversion benchmarks and revenue forecasts with precision, and they hold themselves and their teams to account. Sponsors need CROs who can report commercial performance with the same clarity the CFO brings to financial performance.
Exit-narrative ready
The most valuable CROs think about the exit from the beginning. They structure the commercial business in a way that is not only effective today but also tells a compelling growth story to acquirers, repeatable revenue, diversified customer base, strong retention and a pipeline that demonstrates future momentum.
When sponsors and portfolio companies engage us
Our CRO and CCO mandates reflect a wide range of commercial challenges. Each search is designed around the specific revenue objectives, business model and exit horizon of the portfolio company.
Professionalising a founder-led sales function
The business has grown on the back of founder relationships and informal selling. The new sponsor needs a CRO who can install process, technology and team structure without destroying the culture that made the business successful. We find commercially experienced leaders who can build without breaking.
Scaling revenue ahead of exit
With a sale process 18–36 months out, the sponsor needs a CRO who can accelerate revenue growth in a way that is both real and evidenced, strong ARR, improving net revenue retention, expanding customer logos and a pipeline that justifies a premium multiple.
New market or channel entry
The investment thesis depends on geographic expansion or a new go-to-market motion, and the business needs a CRO who has done it before. We identify executives with credible international or channel-build experience who can execute without a long learning curve.
Sales transformation mandate
Revenue performance is below plan and the board needs a CRO who can diagnose and fix it quickly, whether through team restructuring, ICP refinement, pricing strategy or sales methodology. We look for executives who have successfully turned around underperforming commercial functions before.
First institutional commercial leader
The business has never had a dedicated CRO or CCO. It now needs someone who can build the commercial function from a strong but informal base, creating structure, process and talent that can support a step-change in growth under institutional ownership.
Our approach to CRO and CCO search
1
Commercial brief
We start by understanding the revenue model, the growth thesis, the current commercial capability and the specific mandate, whether that is building, scaling, transforming or repositioning the commercial function.
2
Network-led search
We draw on our network of PE-experienced commercial leaders across the UK and Europe. Our relationships span B2B SaaS, professional services, healthcare, industrials and financial services, the sectors most actively backed by private equity.
3
Commercial assessment
We assess each candidate on revenue track record, leadership credibility, business model fit and cultural alignment, with particular focus on evidence of building and scaling in PE-backed or high-growth environments.
4
Long-term partnership
We stay involved after the hire, monitoring commercial performance, providing market context and remaining available to the sponsor and the CRO as a trusted resource throughout the hold period.
Discuss your CRO or CCO mandate with HMN Capital
Whether you are planning a commercial leadership search or want a candid view of the CRO and CCO market, we are ready to advise. We work with sponsors and portfolio companies across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.