Operating Partner - Market Research - USA

March 18, 2025

At A Glance

How many Private Equity firms have Operating Partners in the small & mid cap space

Operating Partner - Market Research

 

OPERATING PARTNERS MARKET REPORT

Welcome to Raw Selection’s latest market report — this time spotlighting Operating Partners in Private Equity.
We’ve mapped out this often under-analyzed segment to give you direct insight into the people behind portfolio performance.

 

KEY STATISTICS

  • 1,765 Operating Partners currently active in Private Equity

  • 538 PE firms employ Operating Partners

  • Only 10.3% of Operating Partners are women
    This data reflects only middle-market and lower-middle-market firms and does not include large-cap firms.

 

WHO'S LEADING THE CHARGE

These firms boast the highest number of Operating Partners across our data:

  • One Rock Capital Partners

  • Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners

  • Arbor Investments

  • MidOcean Partners

  • Ten Oaks Group

  • Thoma Bravo

  • Corsair Capital

  • Arsenal Capital Partners

  • Akoya Capital Partners

  • Havencrest Capital

  • Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
    Each of these firms has embedded Operating Partners as a core part of their value creation strategy — a sign of deep operational focus within their portfolio execution models.

 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR PE-FIRMS

Whether you're seeking to expand your operating bench, evaluate diversity within leadership, or benchmark against peers, this data reveals key trends worth noting:

  • Operational talent is dispersed across a broad base of firms — this is no longer limited to the big names.

  • Diversity remains low, but the spotlight is increasing. The 10.3% figure highlights both a challenge and an opportunity.

  • Middle-market firms are aggressively building operating infrastructures, creating a competitive market for top talent.

If you're looking to add an Operating Partner or assess how your firm compares, Raw Selection provides tailored search strategies focused on Private Equity-backed environments.

 

GET IN TOUCH

Want to explore your next career step or looking for a strategic hire?
Contact Alex.Rawlings@Raw-Selection.com
Managing Partner & Founder

All the insights in this market report are provided from our proprietary data

Raw Selection | De-Risking Executive Search for Private Equity firms across Europe and North America.

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