Private Equity Value Creation Podcast Ep. 98: Riccardo Basile, Permira | How to Focus Your Operating Team for Real Impact
Nov 6, 2025
Riccardo Basile, Operating Partner at Permira, specializes in commercial transformation and has built a dynamic 24-person value creation team. He shares insights on making value creation a competitive advantage by embedding operational excellence throughout the investment cycle. Riccardo emphasizes balancing in-house expertise with external resources and highlights the role of GenAI in enhancing portfolio performance. His strategies provide a blueprint for firms looking to refine their operating models and drive measurable results.
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Insourced Expertise Where Market Lacks It
- Insource capabilities that the market lacks while outsourcing where strong external specialists exist.
- Hire and embed in-house experts for repeatable, hard-to-find skills like tech pricing and advanced analytics.
Commercial Excellence Is The Biggest Lever
- Commercial excellence and go-to-market are the largest value-creation levers for a growth investor.
- Permira allocates roughly two-thirds of its team to commercial and pricing work across sectors.
Avoid Spreading Experts Too Thin
- Limit each specialist to two or three active portfolio engagements to avoid becoming a shallow resource.
- Make the team intensely involved early, then taper engagement as companies hire in-house experts.
