Kearney names two principals in private equity team

Kearney has announced the expansion of its private equity team, in response to growing demand for portfolio value creation and operational improvements. The firm has appointed Grace Chieng and Marius Boersema as principals in the practice, while also adding a new senior manager and associate.

Jan Timmermann, European Lead of PE Portfolio Operations at Kearney, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Grace, Sara, Michael and Marius to our growing team at Kearney. We’re looking forward to working with our new hires to drive value creation for our clients and enhance our strategic capabilities across a range of different sectors.”

Timmerman explained that while the private equity market witnessed a historic slowdown in exits and fundraising in 2023, the market is now returning to health. With high levels of un-exited assets, estimated at approximately $3 trillion, the global private equity market is seeing high demand from General Partners (GPs) – the managing partners of private equity or venture capital funds – prioritising value creation across their portfolios. This is something Kearney believes it is even better-positioned to support with thanks to its new hires.

Grace Chieng joins as principal, with over 13 years of experience in financial analysis, operational due diligence and high impact transformations for private equity funds and their portfolio businesses. Prior to joining Kearney, Chieng spent over six years at EY-Parthenon in the strategy and transactions team where she also focussed on pre- and post-acquisition projects. 

“I’m delighted to join Kearney at this pivotal time in the private equity landscape,” Chieng said. “With an ever increasing focus by PE firms to deliver tangible value and operational improvements, I look forward to leveraging my experience in high-impact transformations and operational due diligence to drive value for our clients. Kearney’s commitment to portfolio value creation aligns perfectly with my professional background and I am eager to contribute to the firm’s success and growth.”

Marius Boersema joins in the same role, having also gained experience at EY Parthenon’s strategy and transactions team. He also previously worked in the Montagu Private Equity Operational Excellence team where he focussed on value creation across their portfolio companies He specialises in identifying and delivering value creation opportunities.

Boeresma added, “The appointments were accompanied by two other hires in the practice. Michael Schutte joined as a senior manager, having spent the last nine years in PwC’s deals strategy and operations practice. And Sara Tan joined as an associate, having also spent time in the same division at PwC.