Author Archives
Eric Walczykowski
More Than a Closer: What Private Equity Boards Demand from Go-to-Market Leaders in 2026
I recently sat down with Andrew Reynolds, Partner in our Go-to-Market practice, to work through what private equity boards are demanding of go-to-market executives right now and where the model is breaking down.
The Private Equity CEO Playbook: How Patrick Dennis Thinks About Value Creation, Boards, and Building the Right Team
Most conversations about value creation in PE-backed software stay abstract. Frameworks get named, principles get cited, and very little of practical use gets said. My conversation with Patrick Dennis on Tailored Talent was not that conversation.
Why the Go-to-Market Number Two Has Become the Most Critical Hire in Private Equity-Backed Software
On a recent episode of Tailored Talent, I sat down with Liz Moses, Partner in our Go-to-Market practice, to talk through what is happening in PE-backed software right now and what it means for the leadership builds we are running.
Software Will Keep Eating the World…and AI is Setting the Table
If you have been in tech long enough, you have lived through several “software is over” predictions. Open source. Cloud. Mobile. Containerization. None of them eliminated demand for software. AI will be no different. What changes is which companies capture the next cycle.
Reflecting on Five Years in a Built Different Firm
Over the years, I have heard a consistent refrain from the people who know Bespoke Partners best, candidates, clients, and employees alike. They tell me the same thing. Bespoke feels different.
How CEOs Are Thinking About Their Next Act: Timing, Risk, and Conviction in 2026
In a recent Tailored Talent conversation, I sat down with Katherine Baker, CEO, Board and P&L Practice Lead at Bespoke Partners, to unpack what is actually shaping CEO decision-making right now. What stood out was not just the constraint in the market, but the degree of nuance executives are applying as they think about what comes next. This is increasingly a market defined by conviction, not volume.
Leadership Economics: Decisions That Define the Next Cycle
As 2026 begins, the conversation around leadership in private equity has shifted. The question is no longer whether talent matters. The data from 2025 made that unmistakable. The real question now is how leadership decisions shape outcomes as the market enters its next phase.
2025 in Review: What the Leadership Market Revealed Before It Was Obvious
As 2025 came to a close, one word surfaced naturally before any data review or performance analysis: gratitude. Gratitude for the teams, partners, and sponsors who trusted us with complex leadership decisions during a year that demanded precision and speed.
CFO Talent Outlook: What Sponsors Need to Prepare For in 2026
In my recent conversation with Marie Deller, our newest Partner in the Finance Executive Recruiting Practice, we spent time unpacking what is real, what is changing, and what private equity sponsors should expect in 2026.
CFO Talent Market Grows Tighter: What Sponsors Need To Know
In a recent Tailored Talent conversation I sat down with Katelyn Quaresma, Partner and Head of Bespoke’s Finance Practice, to understand what is actually happening in the CFO and VP Finance market and what sponsors should expect in the year ahead.
