Why I love working with Private Equity?
Over the last 10 years I have worked with Private Equity, in a CFO role, interim CFO role & through Private Equity firms as a consultant.
I love working with private equity, I’ll give you 5 reasons why.
Over the last 10 years I have worked with Private Equity, in a CFO role, interim CFO role & through Private Equity firms as a consultant.
I love working with private equity, I’ll give you 5 reasons why.
1. Fast paced – private equities have made an investment, and they want a return. Speed is the name of the game. Spending money to accelerate a project / return is justified as getting to exit with the required valuation as early as possible is the name of the game. I like this.
Spend money to save time, is a great strategy when you work with Private Equity. With private equity you need to put your runners on, red ones so you can run. Long hours, quick turnarounds & a team environment to drive an outcome in a short period of time.
2. Results oriented – private equity care about results. Whether it’s revenue, EBITDA or cash or all three they want results and they will incentive management to deliver. The incentives offered by private equity firms to deliver a financial outcome are part of the DNA. If you are an ambitious business leader, you can make some money driving very hard for private equity.
I love being results / outcome driven, it’s the way businesses should be. It’s not about the presentation packs, it's about what financial outcomes you delivered.
3. You know where you stand – honest, direct feedback from private equity means you know where you stand. If you are not performing, you won’t work there anymore. So don’t worry about what they think and continue to deliver the results at the speed.
4. Know your numbers – the PE firm expects the CFO to know the numbers, all the key numbers and be able to speak to the why behind the results. This means you need a strong team behind you that will deliver and ensure you can run along at the strategic level and ensure you also know the detail.
5. Cash is king – It wasn’t until I worked in Private Equity that I understood cash. When you report cash daily and do a 13-week cashflow forecast you start to realise that understanding all the timings and levers of cashflow is critical and while the Income statement is critical, knowing cashflow and how to pull the levers becomes critical.
What you learn is that cashflow doesn’t lie. Understanding earnings to cashflow means you can really understand where you are leaking cash.
Not every Private Equity firm is the same, so this article is a generalisation however it gives you a flavour and feel on the 5 key reasons I love Private Equity
At Whiteark we provide a number of services to Private Equity portfolio companies:
👉 Transition work
👉 Integration work
👉 Transaction work
👉 CFO transformation and operating model
👉 Transformation work
Led by Jo Hands who has experienced, capable, hands-on professionals who have done this before and want to help your team and business too.
We have a number of publications that you might find interesting:
Our work at Whiteark is focused on value creation levers, we have case studies for each of these levers that you can see on our website: https://www.whiteark.com.au/
We also have a number of articles that are relevant around private equity.
You might want to explore other thought leadership articles
Private Equity in Australia 2022
Sound investment: Industry operators have benefited from a record-low interest rate environment.
Concerns regarding inflation have prompted the RBA to increased the cash rate target three times over the four months through August 2022 to limit spending and tame inflation. Rising interest rates are likely to increase the cost of borrowing and subdue business confidence, while simultaneously taming inflation.
Industry Report
Private Equity in Australia
Sound investment: Industry operators have benefited from a record-low interest rate environment.
Concerns regarding inflation have prompted the RBA to increased the cash rate target three times over the four months through August 2022 to limit spending and tame inflation. Rising interest rates are likely to increase the cost of borrowing and subdue business confidence, while simultaneously taming inflation.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Private equity firms manage investments in private companies. They may invest their own capital, raise funds from external investors to invest on their behalf, or do both. Investments can include venture and growth capital for emerging companies, as well as buyouts, which involves purchasing a publicly traded company to take it private. Firms earn revenue from external capital management fees and from any gains made on their own investments.
Firms in the Private Equity industry pool investment funds to purchase companies. Industry firms then attempt to implement managerial and operational changes to improve the company's performance before selling it for a profit.
The industry has benefited from record low interest rates over the past five years, which have allowed for cheap financing and increased buyout activity. However, fluctuations in business confidence, primarily stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, have limited the willingness of investors to select private equity asset types.
Industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualised 3.3% over the five years through 2022-23, to $585.5 million. The gradual easing of restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and positive business confidence are anticipated to benefit industry players in the current year. However, lingering unfavourable trading conditions will limit the industry's expansion. Increases to interest rates are expected to subdue the ability of private equity firms to secure funding for buyouts and other ventures.
OUTLOOK 2023 - 2028
Private equity is projected continue growing over the next five years, as investors diversify their portfolios. A forecast rise in the value of managed funds and a strong share market performance will likely benefit industry revenue.
Growth in specific investment areas, such as financial technology (fintech), healthcare, and education and training are forecast to underpin private equity expansion. Despite remaining positive, a projected decline in business confidence in addition to forecast interest rate rises will likely limit the industry's expansion. In particular, interest rate rises are forecast to limit performance fees earned by private equity firms on exiting the industry. Industry revenue is projected to grow at an annualised 1.4% over the five years through 2027-28, to $628.8 million.
Source: IBISWorld | Private Equity in Australia, July 2022
Driving value creation
Jo Hands writes all about driving value creation. Value creation is a word that’s used a lot, but what does it mean? Creating value - customer, consumer and financial. When a company buys a business, they focus on value creation. The business case assumes that there is value to create. This value can be created by pulling either strategic or operational levers.
Value creation is a word that’s used a lot, but what does it mean? Creating value - customer, consumer and financial. When a company buys a business, they focus on value creation. The business case assumes that there is value to create.
Value can be created by pulling either strategic or operational levers:
Mergers and Acquisitions: Buy-and-build deals are where a Private Equity firm buys a company and aims to enhances that platform through add-on acquisitions.
Strategic Pricing: Strategic pricing incorporates best pricing practices and ensures that your pricing strategies, analytics and processes complement your business strategy. A product’s price is based on the value to the customer, or on competitive strategy, rather than on the cost of production. By creating strategic pricing policies, analytics, and processes, you can directly capture customer value and translate to shareholder value.
Distribution Strategy: Distribution strategy is a plan to make a product or a service available to the target customers through its supply chain - to make sure the it can reach the maximum potential customers at minimal or optimal distribution costs. A good distribution strategy can maximise your revenue and profits.
Geographic Expansion: With access to new markets, a business has the potential to build a new customer base.
Product Strategy: A product strategy outlines the desired outcomes to be achieved by the product including the end-to-end vision, and how it supports the company’s strategic objectives. The product strategy is brought to life through the product road map and can be used to support any tactical decisions that the company needs to make.
Product Innovation: Product innovation represents a new way of solving a problem a high number of consumers have:
There are no products on the market that address the problem statement - unexplored market spaces could potentially generate high profits or;
There may be other products on the market that address the problem but in a different way to your innovative solution
Digital Transformation: Digital transformation is the use of technology — software enabled, connected, transactions, and interactions, across all areas of a business. The goal of digital transformation is disrupting existing business models, improving customer experience, and creating operational efficiency to drive economic value creation.
Customer Segmentation: the benefits of customer segmentation include focus, competitiveness, expansion, retention, communications effectiveness and profitability.
Aftermarket Service Strategy: The concept of aftermarket service is as important as sales, the saying “it takes years to build a reputation but just moments to ruin it” addresses the importance of keeping a customer happy and satisfied. Aftermarket service does not generate any revenue for the company, but it increases the goodwill in the market and amongst the customers.
Data Strategy: Data strategy is a central, integrated concept that articulates how data will enable and inspire business strategy.
Pricing Optimisation: Price optimisation is the practice of using data from customers and the market to find the most effective price point for a product or service that maximizes value for customers and sales or profit for the company.
Sales Force Effectiveness: Sales force effectiveness is driven by the decisions, processes, systems and programmes that sales leaders are accountable. By managing sales force effectiveness drivers, companies can build high-quality sales teams that better meet customer needs, increase productivity and successful conversion, and consequently result in improved turnover and EBITDA margins.
Procurement & Managing Suppliers: Smart procurement practices are fundamental for companies across all industries to optimise operational efficiencies and improving EBITDA margin.
Product Portfolio Optimisation: Product portfolio optimisation helps managers assess their products’ current level of success - it provides a centralized view of an entire suite of products against the prevailing marketplace for those products. Effective product portfolio optimisation highlights future opportunities for improved resource allocation, greater returns, growth and profit, and reveals products that are generating a negative contribution.
Operational Efficiencies: Operational efficiency refers to a company’s ability to reduce waste in time, effort and materials as much as possible, while still producing a high-quality service or product. Financially, operational efficiency is the ratio between the input required to keep the company going and the output it provides. When improving operational efficiency, the output to input ratio improves. The greater the operational efficiency, the more profitable a company becomes as it can generate greater income or returns for the same or lower cost.
Cost to Serve: Cost to Serve focuses on aggregate analyses around a blend of cost drivers. The analysis exposes the variation in customer demands for different activities and has a different cost profile. Without understanding the cost to serve a customer, a company is unable to determine the value that customer is contributing to their business.
The value levers are a great way of prioritising what's important.
The levers that drive the biggest value result in an improved performance that leads to greater valuation.
If you are:
1. Getting your business ready for sale
Executing initiatives that drive value and can be in the run rate results will result in a higher sale price
2. Buying a business.
Your investment case is critical to drive the appropriate acquisition price. This will also drive what transformation program looks like once the business has been bought to ensure the business case is achieved/exceeded
3. Running your own business.
Driving value is what you do everyday but sometimes it's easy to miss the levers to pull to achieve the greatest success.
At any point of a business lifecycle it's imperative that driving value is something you focus on to drive consistent and stable earnings with a positive trend.
Article by Jo Hands, Co-Founder Whiteark
Looking for more support? Download our Private Equity Playbook for the ultimate guide to value creation.
Looking to create value in your organisation? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business.
Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
The Ultimate Private Equity Playbook
Private Equity firms must have a clearly defined playbook containing value creation initiatives in order to succeed. This 40+ page playbook by Whiteark is the ultimate guide to realising value in your Private Equity transaction. An asset’s full potential is realised through a holistic approach, that focuses on optimising operational performance, enhancing strategic capabilities and effective capital management.
Private Equity firms must have a clearly defined playbook containing value creation initiatives in order to succeed. This 40+ page playbook by Whiteark is the ultimate guide to realising value in your Private Equity transaction.
An asset’s full potential is realised through a holistic approach, that focuses on optimising operational performance, enhancing strategic capabilities and effective capital management.
Playbook Inclusions:
✔️Overview
✔️Strategic Levers
✔️Operational Levers
✔️Identify Value Creation Initiatives
✔️Types of Value Creation Initiatives
✔️The M&A Benefits
✔️Strategic Pricing
✔️A Sharp Focus - where to target your efforts
✔️Distribution Strategy
✔️Types of Distribution Strategy
✔️Geographic Expansion
✔️Geographic Considerations: Entry to new markets, New sales, Access to local talent, Increased business growth, Competitive advantage, Operational efficiencies
✔️Product Strategy: Product Vision, Goals, Product Initiatives
✔️Product Innovation
✔️Digital Transformation Approach
✔️Digital Transformation
✔️Digital Strategy
✔️Customer Segmentation
✔️Aftermarket Service Strategy
✔️Data Strategy
✔️Data Strategy Principles
✔️Pricing Optimisation
✔️Approach to Pricing Optimisation
✔️Sales Force Effectiveness
✔️Procurement & Managing Suppliers
✔️Successful Procurement Management
✔️Pricing Optimisation
✔️Benefits of Product Portfolio
✔️Operational Efficiencies Focus Areas
✔️Cost to Serve
And more…
Get your hands on the PE playbook
Want your copy of our 40-page Private Equity playbook? Click the button below to proceed.
Private Equity is our thing. Qualified, experienced, and connected, our team is on hand to help you exceed all expectations.
With extensive experience working with private equity firms, we have the ability to drive true value in portfolio investments. Globally, and locally, our team’s combined experience bridges the gap and fills in the blanks, so we’re ready to help - exactly when you need it.
Our approach is rooted in data, ensuring the right decisions are made – based on accurate information. Hands-on, we get into the trenches with you, working directly with the management team to realise outcomes expected by shareholders. We offer a range of transformation services which can be tailored to suit standard private equity options; always accompanied by a laser focus on profit optimisation of the business.
Public M&A Activity in Australia
Public M&A activity reduced in FY20, largely due to global uncertainty and economic impacts resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The transactions accounted for in this document involve Australian ASX listed targets that were conducted (or announced as intended to be conducted) by way of takeover bid or scheme of arrangement in FY20.
Public M&A activity reduced in FY20, largely due to global uncertainty and economic impacts resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The transactions accounted for in this document involve Australian ASX listed targets that were conducted (or announced as intended to be conducted) by way of takeover bid or scheme of arrangement in FY20.
Source: Australian Public M&A Report 2020, Herbert Smith Freehills
TOTAL DEAL VALUE: $13.4bn
FY19 was $45.9bn / (FY15-FY19 average: $36.1bn)
ANNOUNCED DEALS: 51
FY19 was 63 / (FY15-FY19 average: 57)
SUCCESS RATE: 63%
FY19 was 74% / (FY15-FY19 average: 71%)
MEGA DEALS >$1bn: 2
FY19 was 8 / (FY15-FY19 average: 7)
DEALS INVOLVE A PRIVATE EQUITY BIDDER: 29%
FY19 was 21% / (FY15-FY19 average: 17%)
FOREIGN BIDDERS BY VALUE: 60%
FY19 was 80% / (FY15-FY19 average: 65%)
UNSOLICITED TAKEOVER BIDS: 29%
FY19 was 62% / (FY15-FY19 average: 37%)
MEDIAN TARGET VALUE: $124m
FY19 was $109m / (FY15-FY19 average: $102.1m)
The significant reduction in total deal value ($13.4bn) relative to the number of deals (51) highlights the absence of mega deals (>$1bn), with only 2 mega deals announced - the lowest recorded in 12 years.
Private equity emerged as a keen capital provider, with the ability to look beyond the pandemic in making investment decisions.
There was a steep incline in the number of deals announced in the second half of FY20 -- prior to January 2020, 18% of deals were unsolicited and post January 2020, 43% of deals were unsolicited.
Cash has re-emerged as the preferred form of consideration, with 74% of all deals offering shareholders only cash (66%) or a choice of cash (8%) as consideration. Deals were more likely to succeed if cash was offered as a consideration.
LOCATION OF TARGETS PER STATE
VALUE OF DEALS PER SECTOR
10 LARGEST ANNOUNCED DEALS
Looking for some help with M&A? We’re your people.
Whiteark is highly experienced in providing services to Private Equity firms and has had great success at driving an improvement in returns through involvement in portfolio transition and transformation projects. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
A clearly defined playbook with value creation initiatives is critical for Private Equity firms
Revenue contribution to the Private Equity industry in Australia is forecast to decline 3.5% in 2020-21 due to Covid-19 disruptions, however, it is expected to grow 2.6% over the years through to 2025-26 to $725.3M. Private Equity firms need to consider the following four actions to ensure they can add value.
Revenue contribution to the Private Equity industry in Australia is forecast to decline 3.5% in 2020-21 due to Covid-19 disruptions, however, it is expected to grow 2.6% over the years through to 2025-26 to $725.3M.
Private Equity firms need to consider the following four actions to ensure they can add value to individual companies, outperform the market, and become an organisation that can confidently generate attractive returns:
Articulate a new, clear value proposition either through specialisation or economies of scale.
Achieve excellence in talent, governance, and organization.
Refine how to successfully originate and execute on deals.
Prepare for successful exits at least 18 months prior to a planned exit; allowing time for asset owners to shape a compelling equity story.
The pressure for Private Equity firms to achieve profitable returns is critical, even more so in today’s economic environment. In order to be certain they can achieve consistent returns in the fund they must focus on purchasing the investment at the right price and focusing on accelerating value creation initiatives to ensure that they can sell at a significant increase in multiple.
Private Equity firms must have a clearly defined playbook which contains value creation initiatives to support the investment thesis. This provides an advantage in knowing what to pay and the level of risk. The playbook should be refreshed and prioritised for each investment.
An asset’s full potential is realised through a holistic approach that optimising operational performance, enhancing strategic capabilities and effective capital management. The efficient use of capital is also a critical component of valuing an asset’s full potential. Capital deployment is an important foundation to support strategic and operational initiatives.
Strategic Levers
Drive Multiple
Transforms the Business Model
Mergers and acquisition
Geographic expansion
Customer segmentation
Strategic pricing
Product strategy and innovation
Aftermarket/service strategy
Distribution strategy
Digital transformation
Data strategy
Operational Levers
Drivers EBITDA Margin
Transforms Execution of the Business Model
Pricing optimisation
Sales force effectiveness
Product portfolio optimisation
Operational efficiencies through optimisation – manufacturing, distribution
Cost to serve
The business world is changing with the rapid evolution in technology, and in order for Private Equity firms to maximise the returns on their investment funds, a value creation focus in digital transformation is important.
The goal of digital transformation is disrupting existing business models, improving customer experience, and creating operational efficiency.
Strategic acquirers are more likely to pay higher multiples for successfully digitised companies, given that they are easier and faster to analyse and integrate.
Looking to create your own playbook? Let us help.
Whiteark is highly experienced in providing services to Private Equity firms and has had great success at driving an improvement in returns through involvement in portfolio transition and transformation projects. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Private Equity in Australia
Although Private Equity revenue is forecast to decline 3.5% in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 disruptions, it is projected to grow 2.6% over the years through to 2025-26 to $725.3m. Private equity firms are responsible for investment management in private companies. They may invest their own capital and/or raise funds from external investors to invest on their behalf.
Industry Report
Private Equity in Australia
Although Private Equity revenue is forecast to decline 3.5% in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 disruptions, it is projected to grow 2.6% over the years through to 2025-26 to $725.3m.
Private equity firms are responsible for investment management in private companies. They may invest their own capital and/or raise funds from external investors to invest on their behalf. Generally an investment period is 4-5 years, during which they commit resources to maximising the company’s enterprise value, before selling it for a capital gain.
OVERVIEW
Over the years, successful industry players have built their market share based on their reputation to raise larger pools of funds. Market share is based on the size of funds managed by each of its participants. Assets are more indicative of the investment power and size of a fund, and therefore better reflect the size of a private equity firm relative to its competitors.
The industry’s life cycle is in Growth phase. The industry is growing faster than the overall economy, increases in superannuation are flowing through to private equity, boosting funds under management; and sectors such as technology and health (candidates for early-stage investment) are growing.
The pressure for Private Equity firms to achieve profitable returns is critical, even more so in today’s economic environment. In order to be certain they can achieve consistent returns in the fund they must focus on purchasing the investment at the right price and focusing on accelerating value creation initiatives to ensure that they can sell at a significant increase in multiple.
Value Creation in the Private Equity Industry
Private Equity firms must have a clearly defined playbook which contains value creation initiatives to support the investment thesis. This provides an advantage in knowing what to pay and the level of risk. The playbook should be refreshed and prioritised for each investment. An asset’s full potential is realised through a holistic approach that explores optimising operational performance, enhancing strategic capabilities and effective capital management. The efficient use of capital is also a critical component of valuing an asset’s full potential. Capital deployment is an important foundation to support strategic and operational initiatives.
The CFO role has never been so important. Companies are navigating uncertain territory and having a strong CFO that can manage the nuts and bolts of finance and help navigate the commercial as well is instrumental to how companies navigate this period.