Best But Never Final: Private Equity's Pursuit of Excellence Private Equity Career Lessons from 25 Years with Meranee Phing Naaman
8 snips
Nov 25, 2025 
Meranee Phing Naaman, a pioneering private equity investor with over 25 years of experience, shares her unique journey in consumer investing. She reveals how emotional intelligence and a learning mindset are crucial in the industry, not just raw IQ. From her innovative strategies in franchising to re-acquiring the Dwyer business, Meranee discusses scaling operations and navigating home services. She offers invaluable insights for aspiring PE professionals on curiosity, relationship-building, and continuous learning.
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Raised In A Restaurant Kitchen
- Meranee Phing Naaman grew up in her parents' Thai restaurant and ran one of five restaurants after college when her father fell ill.
- That operational immersion taught her hands-on operations and shaped her consumer investing focus.
Buying What You Use Worked With Baby Jogger
- Meranee led Riverside's investment in Baby Jogger after using the product as a new parent herself.
- She helped scale the brand from $50M to over $100M in sales and sold it to Newell Rubbermaid in under 2.5 years.
Validate Trends With Ethnography And Analytics
- Do rigorous ethnography and global sell-through analysis to distinguish trends from fads.
- Test product affinity, patents, channels, and repeat-purchase potential before betting on long-term growth.
