JMES and the growing need for bespoke hiring in Private Markets

We continue to witness unprecedented growth in Private Markets - by far the fastest growing asset class currently sitting at $15 trillion in global AUM and projected to account for more than half of all global assets under management by the end of the decade. Alongside this growth, JMES have recognised the need to increasingly adopt a more nuanced, bespoke approach to solving the ever-evolving recruitment needs of Private Market clients.

As the range and diversity of individual fund strategies grows, we see this reflected in the increasingly particular demands of the investment mandates we undertake. On one hand you have some discrete, specialised strategies with quite specific hiring needs, whilst on the other you have more mature Private Market asset classes such as Private Equity where managers are increasingly looking to identify what gains, however marginal, that they can make to help them obtain that treasured top quartile status.

One of these strategies might be the search for the ideal mix of investment team structure and skills. We are seeing funds become a lot choosier in what they are looking for in their next hire, especially when additional headcount is a highly valuable commodity. This could be level (senior associate v junior); skill profile (IB v consulting v chartered v restructuring); sector experience (healthcare v TMT v retail / consumer v energy) or personal profile (creative/ideas driven v analytical).  It can also, of course, be the often requested "diversity" requirement (JMES have completed so many unofficial single gender searches we have lost count) as well as requirements to tap into the overseas talent pool of Aussies or those looking to relocate (2025 saw 25% of our private equity assignments filled from this source).

So, if you are a Private Markets fund with a genuinely alternative strategy, or a more mainstream fund looking to appoint the kind of profile noted above, you will likely require a more bespoke, proactive, forensic and focussed search process to ensure a successful and timely outcome.

JMES have ten search professionals, all with Private Markets experience, supported by a dedicated in-house research team.  We can deliver on any mandate you may wish to throw our way (maybe not quite any mandate – but we’re happy to listen).  Even if you simply want the best of the best, regardless of level/background, we are here to deliver.

Contact the JMES team here.

Check out our current assignments here.