Private Equity / Venture Capital

Our Fastest Growing Service.

We are at the forefront of recruitment within the dynamic and rapidly evolving private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) sectors. As these industries experience unprecedented growth and transformation—driven by increased global capital flows, technological innovation, and shifting investment strategies—our firm stands out as a premier partner in navigating this complex landscape. Whether the need is internal or at a portfolio company, we will deliver. 

Our firm has rapidly scaled to meet this demand, driven by our deep industry expertise and an extensive network of top-tier professionals. We excel in connecting exceptional talent with leading firms, leveraging our in-depth market knowledge to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by today’s investment climate. Partner with us to see why this practice has grown over 300% recently.

Recent Placements

Recent & Sample Placements

Mandates We've Helped Fill.

Recent Placements

Core Vertical to Jennings Executive Search Since Inception.

Executive Recruitment For Private Equity & Venture Capital Roles.

Unquestionably, 2023 stands as another distinctive year in the Private Equity (PE) industry, shaped by ongoing global developments. Yet, the sector has shown remarkable adaptability, thriving even in challenging circumstances.

Private equity firms are poised to capitalize on an unprecedented volume of deals in 2023, in spite of economic uncertainties that continue to be influenced by the global health landscape. The combination of approximately $2.5 tn in global dry powder, a sustained low-interest-rate environment, and the emergence of exciting market opportunities ensures a fiercely competitive pursuit of high-quality assets.

Leadership has become the critical factor for private equity and venture capital operating executives seeking top talent for their portfolio companies.

In this fluid landscape, PE firms need to maintain their agility and proactivity to secure lucrative deals. Assembling a team of the industry’s finest talent remains the key to successfully navigating these uncertain times.

Talk to us about how we can help

With over 2 decades’ experience, our team at Jennings Executive brings in-depth sector knowledge of PE & VC and related sub-sectors

Having the right people in place can make all the difference in the fast-paced and exceptionally competitive worlds of private equity and venture capital.

A surprisingly strong private equity market is fueling intense competition for top talent to lead both investment roles at funds as well as for portfolio companies. Our focus is on securing our clients’ investments by placing leaders who can decisively confront challenges, put strategy into action, and balance caution with risk-taking to optimize performance.

We work to secure commercially and intellectually sharp individuals with the talent to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Through our searches, we have developed a network of top performers in the market, who we maintain regular contact with.

At Jennings Executive Search, we bring a retained search model to the contingent space.

We create a professional, highly tailored pitch for each one of our job requisitions. Our competitive advantage is achieved through understanding our client and their needs on a visceral/intuitive level and communicating it effectively to the most desirable candidates in our rapidly expanding network.

We then present only the most accomplished candidates with detailed descriptions of quantifiable accomplishments, soft skills and directly transferable hard skills.

Recent & Sample Placements

Mandates We've Helped Fill.

Recent Placements

“Jon is a great recruiting executive. He has a tremendous knack for finding top financial and accounting talent. Jon is a pleasure to work with and is a constant professional in his field. Works very hard for his clients to meet their staffing needs.”

Industry Specialization

Our renowned reputation, extensive network of contacts, and proficient team of experts will help you locate the best talent in your industry, with deeper specialization in certain areas.

Who We Serve

Industries We Specialize In.

Get our recruitment agency expertise working for you

We’ve been working with companies across the nation for over 10 years. Our renowned reputation, extensive network of contacts, and proficient team of experts will help you locate the best talent in your industry.

Being a relatively new field compared to other traditional roles, recruitment for pricing roles can be very tricky and time-consuming. A few years ago, most prices were set by salespeople, marketers, or product managers as part of their overall responsibilities.​​​​​​​

Learn more here.

Riding on the global of increased global deal flow, corporate transactions, and an ever-changing regulatory environment, corporate finance professionals are increasingly expected to become holistic advisers rather than simply being transactional advisors.​​​​​​​

As with many other industries, 2020 has been a year like no other and the Private Equity (PE) industry has felt the impact. Despite its challenges, the industry has proven resilient and adaptable to the new working environment.​​​​​​​

Learn more here.

Riding on the global of increased global deal flow, corporate transactions, and an ever-changing regulatory environment, accounting and tax professionals are increasingly expected to become holistic advisers rather than simply being transactional accountants.​​​​​​​

Learn more here.

Throughout 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the investment banking (and capital markets as a whole) industry in multiple ways, most notably by reshaping the competitive landscape, prompting a new wave of innovation, and accelerating digitization in almost every sphere of banking and capital markets. ​​​​​​​

Learn more here.

Client Testimonials

Kerry Ward

Director of Strategic Operations

Kerry is the Director of Strategic Operations at Jennings Executive Search. Starting her career with a boutique bank management consulting firm specializing in revenue enhancement and regulatory compliance, her engagements with financial institutions within all 12 Federal Reserve Districts propelled her interest for blending client interaction and strategic financial operations. She later transitioned to tax consulting and wealth management becoming registered with FINRA and the SEC and becoming licensed in insurance. Moving into a big four investment bank, and working in a boutique ultra high net worth investment advisory firm, her history spans various aspects of capital markets – both public and private.


Here at Jennings Executive Search, Kerry applies her two decades of experience along with her knack for interpersonal communications in aligning the interest of all stakeholders. Joining the team was a natural return to a highly specialized firm where she can work across all business functions using her energetic candor, enthusiasm for growth and improving processes while fostering relationships with our clients to reach their talent development and overall strategic growth goals.


Kerry graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University, and earned her MBA in Finance. Outside of the Jennings office, she enjoys traveling with her family for outdoor music festivals, golf and sports.

Daniel Wilkinson

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Client Success

DANIEL WILKINSON IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CLIENT SUCCESS. HE BRINGS OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AND PRICING STRATEGY, HAVING HELD KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES AT DELTA AIR LINES AND DELTA VACATIONS. HIS CAREER IS MARKED BY A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DRIVING SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM LEADERSHIP, AND ENHANCED PROFITABILITY. DAN’S EXPERTISE IS IN HIS ABILITY TO INTEGRATE DATA ANALYTICS WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING, ENABLING ORGANIZATIONS TO OPTIMIZE THEIR REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND PRICING STRATEGIES IN DYNAMIC MARKET ENVIRONMENTS.

AT DELTA VACATIONS, DAN SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC BUSINESS/IT PLANNING & REVENUE MANAGEMENT, WHERE HE SUCCESSFULLY LED TEAMS IN DELIVERING SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, DEFINING GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGIES AND DRIVING SIGNIFICANT INCREMENTAL REVENUE AND PROFIT.

DAN RECEIVED A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE FROM TAYLOR UNIVERSITY AND AN MBA WITH A FINANCE CONCENTRATION FROM EMORY UNIVERSITY’S GOIZUETA BUSINESS SCHOOL.

Brian Banister

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

BRIAN BANISTER IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. BRIAN HAS A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE, HAVING WORKED IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTING ROLES FOR LEADING COMPANIES AND CLIENTS IN THE HOSPITALITY, REAL ESTATE, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, AND TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA, AND TELECOM (TMT) SECTORS. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE, WORKING AS A LICENSED CPA. AFTER DELOITTE, BRIAN PIVOTED INTO CORPORATE FINANCE, WHERE HE HELD POSITIONS IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP (IHG) AND COX COMMUNICATIONS, AS WELL AS AN FP&A ROLE AT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG). THESE ROLES ALLOWED BRIAN TO GAIN VALUABLE EXPOSURE IN AREAS LIKE CLIENT SERVICES, STRATEGIC CONSULTING & PLANNING, FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, AND M&A AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY.

BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES BOTH A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY DEGREE AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

Lori Shad

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

DRIVING TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PEOPLE IS OUR MISSION AND LORI’S PASSION AS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER WITH JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. SHE CONDUCTS THOROUGH RESEARCH ON EACH ROLE AND BUILDS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANDIDATES TO HELP CONNECT PROFESSIONALS WITH THEIR NEXT GREAT OPPORTUNITY. LORI SPENT 22 YEARS AT A FORTUNE 500 INSURANCE COMPANY IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, SALES/BUSINESS CONSULTING, AND RECRUITING ROLES. SHE USES THIS EXPERIENCE AS SHE SEARCHES FOR THE BEST TALENT TO HELP DRIVE CLIENT SUCCESS FORWARD. SHE’S FOCUSED ON DELIVERING RESULTS AND GETS THERE THROUGH EFFICIENCY AND TENACITY WITH AN EMPATHETIC, COMPASSIONATE, FUN, GENUINE, AND POSITIVE APPROACH. SHE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING CLIENTS ACHIEVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THROUGH UNDERSTANDING NEEDS, CREATING INDIVIDUAL, DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND TEAMWORK.

LORI GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

Justin Graves

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

JUSTIN GRAVES IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH.

JUSTIN HAS A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES WORKING WITHIN PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY ACCOUNTING. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH PATHSTONE FAMILY OFFICE PREPARING TAX RETURNS FOR HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATIONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA. IN JANUARY 2015, HE JOINED COHNREZNICK, LLP, A TOP 10 PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM, IN AUDIT & ASSURANCE WORKING PRIMARILY IN THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AND HOUSING MARKET. PRIOR TO JOINING JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH, JUSTIN WORKED AT A FAST GROWING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, SS&C TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE HE WORKED IN THE REAL ASSETS DEPARTMENT DOING FUND ADMINISTRATION.

JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELORS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ACCOUNTANCY FROM OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY.

Justin Jennings

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

JUSTIN JENNINGS IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE COMES FROM THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY WITH 15 YEARS OF MEDICAL SALES EXPERIENCE. HE ATTRIBUTES HIS SUCCESS IN SALES TO LISTENING AND LEARNING FROM HIS CUSTOMERS AND ENJOYS THE PROCESS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS. HE IS SKILLED AT DEVELOPING THE RIGHT ACTION PLAN FOR EACH OF HIS CLIENT’S UNIQUE NEEDS AND COMMITTED TO HELPING THEM CHOOSE THE BEST SOLUTION. JUSTIN HAS TAKEN HIS SPIRIT AND PASSION FOR SELLING TO THE WORLD OF RECRUITING. HE HAS A GOAL OF SURPASSING HIS CLIENT’S EXPECTATIONS AND ASSISTING THEM WITH TALENT ACQUISITION.

JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT FROM GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. WHEN NOT AT WORK, YOU CAN FIND HIM ON HIS MOUNTAIN BIKE, THE GOLF COURSE, OR SKIING OUT WEST IN THE WINTERS.

Chip Locke

PRACTICE LEAD, TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING

CHIP LOCKE IS THE TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING PRACTICE LEAD FOR JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. CHIP BRINGS 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY AND RECRUITING INCLUDING HANDS-ON WORK AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER AND BIG 4 SYSTEMS CONSULTANT. HE IS A TRUSTED CIO ADVISOR WITH EXPERIENCE ACROSS INDUSTRY VERTICALS AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS AND THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF DELIVERY THAT ENABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS. HIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES RECRUITING EXECUTIVES AND COLLABORATING ON STRATEGIC PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF IT ORGANIZATIONS.

HIS CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES CAN BE FOUND AT COMPANIES RANGING IN SIZE FROM STARTUP TO FORTUNE 500 ACROSS AVIATION, ENERGY, FINANCE, HEALTHCARE, TECH, MANUFACTURING, RETAIL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS. CHIP GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WITH A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS.

Brian Gelfand

PARTNER

BRIAN GELFAND IS A PARTNER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE IN AUDIT AND ENTERPRISE RISK SERVICES, WITH A FOCUS ON THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND REAL ESTATE INDUSTRIES. AT DELOITTE, BRIAN GAINED VALUABLE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR PUBLIC MORTGAGE SERVICING CORPORATION, AND A NOT-FOR-PROFIT FOUNDATION WITH OVER $10 BILLION IN ASSETS. BRIAN PASSED THE CPA EXAM BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED ASSISTING CLIENTS WITH THEIR PEOPLE STRATEGIES WAS HIS PASSION.

BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY FROM KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY

Jon Jennings

FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER

JON JENNINGS IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. ESTABLISHED IN 2014, HIS VISION WAS TO SHAPE A FIRM ANCHORED IN TRANSPARENCY AND VALUE CREATION. OVER THE YEARS, JON HAS HAD THE DISTINCT OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AND LEARN FROM LEADING INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES, GLEANING INSIGHTS FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES AND COMBINING THIS KNOWLEDGE WITH THOROUGH RESEARCH. THIS HAS EQUIPPED HIM TO OFFER A DEEPER, MORE STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE ON ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN AND TALENT IDENTIFICATION. WITH AN INITIAL FOCUS IN FINANCE, THROUGH JON’S LEADERSHIP THE FIRM HAS PIVOTED INTO BROADER COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL STRATEGIES AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.

TOGETHER WITH HIS EXPERIENCED TEAM OF EX-CONSULTANTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, JON COLLABORATES WITH PREMIER CONSULTING FIRMS TO ENHANCE THEIR PRACTICES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HE ASSISTS PRIVATE EQUITY GROUPS AND THEIR PORTFOLIO COMPANIES IN REFINING AND FORTIFYING THEIR COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL STRATEGIC OPERATIONS.

THE CULMINATION OF THESE EFFORTS IS A BOUTIQUE FIRM THAT INC.COM CELEBRATED AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S FASTEST-GROWING COMPANIES. BETWEEN 2019 AND 2022, THE COMPANY WITNESSED A STAGGERING GROWTH RATE OF NEARLY 600%.