Key Takeaways
- • CEO Coaching International has hired Tom Barrett, a private equity operating executive and multi-time CEO, as partner and coach, signaling demand for advisors with hands-on M&A, scaling, and exit planning experience among founder-led and PE-backed companies.
- • Barrett brings three decades of operational and transaction experience across software, technology, business services, and multi-site organizations, with current role as operating partner at lower middle-market PE firm The Riverside Company.
- • The hire reflects a structural shift in executive coaching toward advisors with PE rigor and operational credibility rather than traditional leadership development consultants, as growth-stage founders increasingly seek coaches with capital raise, acquisition execution, and exit strategy expertise.
- • Barrett's background spans scaling businesses, executing turnarounds, driving EBITDA expansion, and managing organizational development—capabilities aligned with PE portfolio company performance expectations and value creation mandates.
Summary
CEO Coaching International has recruited Tom Barrett as a partner and coach, bringing a veteran private equity operating executive to the firm at a time when founder-led and PE-backed companies are actively seeking advisors with demonstrated transaction and operational expertise. The appointment underscores evolving preferences among growth-stage CEOs and PE-backed management teams, who increasingly value coaches with firsthand experience navigating capital raises, acquisitions, scaling challenges, and exit planning—capabilities that extend beyond traditional executive coaching frameworks.
Barrett joins from The Riverside Company, a lower middle-market private equity firm where he serves as operating partner working with portfolio companies on growth strategy, operational improvement, and EBITDA expansion. His career spans multiple decades executing turnarounds, building enterprise value, and scaling operations across software, technology, business services, and multi-site organizations. This background aligns directly with the operational and financial performance expectations that characterize PE-backed company environments.
According to CEO Coaching International CEO Randy Dewey, "Tom is an outstanding addition to the CEO Coaching International team because he brings a rare combination of private equity rigor, operating leadership, and hands-on growth experience." Dewey emphasized that Barrett has "spent decades helping companies scale, improve profitability, execute acquisitions, and create meaningful enterprise value across a wide range of industries." This positioning reflects the firm's strategic emphasis on recruiting coaches who can advise on both strategic and operational challenges specific to PE ownership models and growth trajectories.
The hire signals broader market dynamics in executive coaching, where advisors with operational credentials and transaction experience command premium positioning among institutional clients and sophisticated founders. As PE investment in lower and middle-market companies continues to drive M&A activity and operational transformation, demand for coaches with PE background and multi-company scaling experience is expected to remain elevated.
Barrett joins from The Riverside Company, a lower middle-market private equity firm where he serves as operating partner working with portfolio companies on growth strategy, operational improvement, and EBITDA expansion. His career spans multiple decades executing turnarounds, building enterprise value, and scaling operations across software, technology, business services, and multi-site organizations. This background aligns directly with the operational and financial performance expectations that characterize PE-backed company environments.
According to CEO Coaching International CEO Randy Dewey, "Tom is an outstanding addition to the CEO Coaching International team because he brings a rare combination of private equity rigor, operating leadership, and hands-on growth experience." Dewey emphasized that Barrett has "spent decades helping companies scale, improve profitability, execute acquisitions, and create meaningful enterprise value across a wide range of industries." This positioning reflects the firm's strategic emphasis on recruiting coaches who can advise on both strategic and operational challenges specific to PE ownership models and growth trajectories.
The hire signals broader market dynamics in executive coaching, where advisors with operational credentials and transaction experience command premium positioning among institutional clients and sophisticated founders. As PE investment in lower and middle-market companies continues to drive M&A activity and operational transformation, demand for coaches with PE background and multi-company scaling experience is expected to remain elevated.
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