Mergers & Acquisitions
Mergers & Acquisitions Names the Best Places to Work in Private Equity
By Wendy Connett
September 11, 2023
Mergers & Acquisitions is recognizing eight firms for the inaugural Best Places to Work in Private Equity. The latest in our award series honors private equity firms who stand out amongst their peers in demonstrating leadership and innovation in their workplace cultures, policies and internal operations. They have also taken proactive measures to adapt to the changing demands of a post-pandemic world, as well as building environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at their firms and portfolio companies.
Our awards program continues to evolve with the industry. Given that ESG is now more commonplace in private equity, and the growing prevalence of DEI, we decided to incorporate some of the criteria from our PE Innovators in ESG and M&A Leaders in DEI awards into the newly-minted Best Places to Work in PE. Consequently, we retired the standalone ESG and DEI awards.
To determine the winners, nominees were asked to detail how they stand out from competitors when it comes to retaining top talent, work-life balance, training, compensation, benefits, career mobility and leadership assessment. Nominees were also asked to describe how they implement and continue to grow ESG and DEI policies and programs.
The firms we are honoring include relatively new and longstanding PE shops. They were founded anywhere from five to more than 50 years ago. The combination of the traits that make them a great place to work range from an emphasis on professional development to lifestyle benefits, such as new parents being granted generous parental leave. All share an ongoing commitment to ESG and DEI.
The 2023 Best Places to Work in PE honorees are listed below with links to our coverage. An additional seven firms received honorable mentions.
American Securities has a strong track record of growing and promoting talent from within its ranks.
KKR has taken steps over the last decade to invest in finding and retaining top talent, including changing how the firm recruits, expanding its inclusion and diversity program, and augmenting family support benefits.
MiddleGround Capital has a number of policies that support the well-being and individuality of its employees, including DEI efforts, a transparent compensation matrix and generous parental leave.
Ridgemont Equity Partners places a premium on training, supporting and advancing employees at all levels.
TA Associates describes its culture as a meritocracy where career advancement is based on transparent and specific accomplishments and skill requirements.
The Green Cities Company has developed and published a set of company behavioral competencies to establish expectations for all employees, regardless of their positions.
The Riverside Company’s perks include a month-long paid sabbatical for tenured employees who have worked at Riverside for 15 years, and generous parental leave.
The Vistria Group places an emphasis on work-life balance, which includes a hybrid work environment ranging from 100 percent remote to a mix of in-office and remote.
