Leadership, board and culture advisory for private equity.

Former CEO, executive chair and PE operating partner. More than forty deals, public and private. I now advise firms on leadership, boards and culture, and coach portfolio company CEOs and their teams.

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A particular kind of pressure

ENTRY EXIT the plan where the human problems land

Running a business through a hold period is not the same as running one outside it. The timeline is fixed, the scrutiny is close, and the return depends on more than the plan: on the right leaders in the right seats, a board that functions, and a culture that can move at the pace the thesis assumes.

Most of what goes wrong during a hold period is human rather than commercial. That is the part I work on.

Two versions of the same company

In AlixPartners' 2024 leadership survey, investors attributed weak CXO performance to a lack of urgency, unfocused execution and inflexibility. Portfolio company leaders described the same relationship differently: investors without operating experience, clashing working styles, and less capital than the plan required.

In my experience both versions are usually accurate. Neither side gets much time to find out.

I have held both roles. I know what each side means by what it says, and most of my work is closing the gap between them before it gets expensive.

CEO CFO COO CCO REVENUE ON PLAN WHAT THE INVESTOR SEES A CFO close to the sponsor A COO who stopped arguing A hire nobody quite chose WHAT THE CEO SEES
70% of CEOs at PE-backed companies are replaced during the average holding period.
— Heidrick & Struggles

How I Work

At three levels: with the investor, with the board, and with the leadership team. In practice that might mean assessing a candidate before a hire is confirmed, reviewing how a board is functioning, running a culture diagnostic, or working alongside a chief executive over a longer period.

Engagements begin with a diagnosis, not a programme.

Get in touch

If you are weighing a hire, a board that is not working as it should, or support for a chief executive in a demanding role, I am glad to have an initial conversation. Those are informal and without obligation.

Get in touch
About Me
John Declerck, founder of Portobello Advisory
About John Declerck

My Philosophy

My view is that strong leadership is necessary but not on its own sufficient. Value creation in private equity depends on the wider system holding together: how the board functions, what the culture rewards, and whether the executive team can execute against a fixed timeline. I work on the alignment as much as on the individuals.

About Me

Operator KINGFISHER · HOME DEPOT · TOYS"R"US PE leadership CEO · EXEC CHAIR · OPERATING PARTNER · 8 NED ROLES Advisory PORTOBELLO

I am John Declerck. I coach private equity-backed chief executives and advise the firms that back them. I am based in London and work across the UK, the US, France and other European markets.

Before this I ran businesses. For ten years I was a private equity-backed chief executive, an executive chair and an operating partner, and I have held eight non-executive directorships in public and private companies across the UK, Germany, the US and Turkey. I have worked on more than forty transactions, public and private, across North America, Europe and Asia. Earlier in my career I held strategy, M&A and CEO roles at Kingfisher, The Home Depot and Toys"R"Us Europe.

I hold three qualifications from the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations: in individual coaching, in organisational coaching, and in board dynamics. I am an accredited mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Association. I hold an MBA from IESE and a BA in Economics from Bucknell University.

Contact

Get in touch

If you are considering a hire, a board review, or support for a chief executive in a demanding role, do get in touch. Initial conversations are confidential and without obligation.

EMAIL

jdeclerck@portobelloadvisory.com

PHONE

+44 7772 636477

ADDRESS

70, Portobello Road
London W11 3DL

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