Revenue growth is the primary value creation lever in most PE mandates. We place Chief Revenue Officers and Chief Commercial Officers into private capital-backed businesses, leaders who build pipeline, professionalise go-to-market, and drive the top-line growth your investors are banking on. Qualified shortlist within 72 hours of brief.
Why this hire matters
Most PE portfolio companies have a revenue ambition that their commercial infrastructure cannot yet support. The sales team is reactive. The go-to-market is undocumented. Pricing is inconsistent. The pipeline is not predictable. A CRO or CCO who has professionalised a commercial function before, built the playbook, the team, and the reporting, can be the single highest-leverage hire in the first 12 months of a PE holding period.
What “professionalising go-to-market” looks like in practice: a defined ICP, a repeatable outbound motion, structured account management, pricing frameworks tied to value rather than history, and a CRM that actually reflects reality. The right commercial leader does not just manage the existing team; they rebuild the commercial engine around a growth thesis.
Because the best commercial leaders are typically succeeding in role, they are not on the market. Finding them requires direct relationships, sector-specific networks, and the ability to make a compelling case to someone who wasn’t planning to move.
What great looks like
Revenue architect
Has built commercial functions from scratch or rebuilt broken ones. Understands pipeline, conversion, retention, and pricing as integrated systems, not separate P&L lines. Has owned a revenue number, not just managed towards one.
PE-paced
Demonstrates clear, measurable revenue contribution within 12–18 months. Understands that PE sponsors measure performance quarterly, communicate with the board in data, and have no patience for 24-month transformation timelines before results appear.
Team builder
Attracts commercial talent and builds accountability cultures where performance is visible and underperformance is addressed. Distinguishes between managing a sales team and leading one. Creates commercial capability that outlasts their tenure.
Customer-centric
Can articulate the ICP with precision. Understands buying dynamics, competitive positioning, and where the real switching costs lie. Builds sales motions around customer value, not internal targets.
HMN's approach
The CRO and CCO are distinct profiles and we treat them as such
A CRO is typically the right hire when the challenge is revenue performance, pipeline generation, conversion, and sales team structure. A CCO is typically the right hire when the challenge is commercial strategy, pricing, market positioning, partnerships, and go-to-market design. Sometimes the business needs both; more often, it needs one done well.
We match commercial models to candidate experience
A CRO who has built a SaaS recurring revenue motion is not automatically the right person for a B2B services business with long sales cycles and relationship-driven accounts. We map sector, business model, and deal complexity in every brief.
We also offer interim CRO and CCO placements
For businesses facing urgent commercial leadership gaps, including during a management team restructure or as bridge cover ahead of a permanent hire. Shortlists are delivered within 3–4 weeks; for urgent mandates, we can present a qualified initial shortlist within 72 hours of brief. Note that the strongest commercial leaders are often on notice periods of 1–3 months, which we factor into timeline planning from the outset.
The process
1
Brief
We understand the revenue model, the current commercial capability gaps, the growth thesis, and what the board will measure the new leader against in their first year. The brief determines everything.
2
Search
We map commercial leaders with relevant sector, model, and PE experience. Our approaches reach candidates who are succeeding in role and not actively looking, using direct relationships built over years in this market.
3
Shortlist
We present 3–5 candidates with commercial model fit assessments, PE readiness evaluations, and reference intelligence. Delivered within 3–4 weeks, or 72 hours for urgent mandates.
4
Close
We support through offer negotiation, variable compensation structuring (OTE, equity, performance triggers), and onboarding, including a 90-day commercial diagnostic framework to accelerate impact.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CRO and a CCO, and which do we need?
A CRO owns revenue performance: pipeline, sales team structure, conversion, and the number. A CCO owns commercial strategy: pricing, market positioning, channel design, and go-to-market architecture. If your challenge is ‘we are not selling enough’, you likely need a CRO. If your challenge is ‘we are not positioned or priced correctly’, you likely need a CCO. Many private capital-backed businesses need both over a hold period, but sequencing matters; we help sponsors think through which hire creates the most immediate leverage.
What does a typical private capital-backed CRO profile look like?
Usually someone who has built or significantly scaled a commercial function in a sector-adjacent business, with direct experience of sponsor governance and quarterly board reporting. They tend to be highly data-literate, comfortable with CRM discipline, and capable of having difficult conversations with underperforming sales teams. The best ones combine analytical rigour with genuine commercial instinct, and they can sell internally as well as they can sell externally.
How long does a CRO or CCO search take?
We deliver a qualified shortlist within 3–4 weeks. End-to-end completion typically runs 10–16 weeks, with the upper range driven by notice periods rather than search activity. The strongest candidates are often on 1–3 month notices, which we build into timeline planning from the outset. For urgent situations, we can present an initial shortlist within 72 hours of brief.
Ready to start a CRO or CCO search?
What our clients say
“Revenue leadership at this stage of the journey is make or break. HMN Capital brought us candidates who had genuinely done it before in a PE-backed context — not just enterprise sales leaders who looked good on paper.”
CEO, B2B SaaS Business, Backed by European Growth Fund
“Speed mattered as much as quality on this search. HMN Capital ran a tight, professional process and delivered a shortlist in under five weeks. Our new CCO has hit the ground running.”
Portfolio Director, Pan-European PE Fund