Operating Partner
Private Equity glossary · Private Equity Fundamentals
Definition
Senior PE professional (often ex-CEO/COO) embedded with portfolio companies to drive value creation post-acquisition.
Operating Partner in plain English
An Operating Partner is the 'been-there-run-that' member of a private-equity firm — usually a former CEO or COO who has actually operated real companies, not just analyzed them on spreadsheets. After the firm buys a business, this person rolls up their sleeves and works alongside the company's managers to make it genuinely better: fixing operations, coaching leaders, and hunting for ways to grow profit. Picture buying a struggling restaurant and bringing in a veteran chef-manager who's turned around a dozen kitchens to run it day-to-day. Their whole job is turning the price paid into a business worth much more when it's sold years later.
Related Private Equity terms
Private Equity practice questions · Private Equity flashcards · Private Equity study guide