Advent’s ethos is defined by its partnership.
Organizationally, Advent is a true partnership, and there are relatively few of those in private equity today. Of course, we have leaders, but there’s no one person or persons whose personality and decisions drive the firm. It’s very liberating. Rather than expending energy on politicking, it’s all about internal collaboration. This is also the mentality everyone at the firm brings to working with our entire ecosystem: just focusing our time and resources on what matters most – everyone’s collective success.
My motto in life is to embrace ambiguity.
Life is about pivoting. Nothing in life is linear for very long – especially now – so you need not only to accept ambiguity, but also to get excited by it. To be successful, to do something really awesome, you’re always heading into uncharted territory. If you don’t, you’ll end up doing something that somebody else has done before, and probably done well.
In my career, I’ve always looked for the white space.
I love to create. When I first discussed coming to Advent Tech, my one criterion was that there was no job description. Head of Strategy: that’s a pretty broad mandate. I relish the fact that it gives me license to identify ways to make our team, our franchise, and everyone that touches our group better, and then to execute on it.
It’s all about the people.
If you’re looking to join a firm, what do you really care about? If you have a choice between investment partners, are you looking for a team working to a playbook or one with the collaborative culture and partnership mindset to help you grow? People are the reason that I’m proud to be part of Advent. Of course, everyone here is smart and experienced, but they are also down to earth, humble, and always looking to do the right thing. That’s the reason we have so many Advent lifers. These are individuals you want to be around for the long term and have by your side in the good and not-so-good times.