Private Equity Executive Search

The right
leader
accelerates
everything.

Lumina Search Group places transformative executive talent across private equity-backed software, services, and consumer businesses. We work at the intersection of capital, operations, and leadership — built exclusively for the PE ecosystem.

Begin a Search Our Expertise

"The right executive doesn't just fill a seat — they define the trajectory of your investment."

94%
Placement retention at 2 years
68
Day average time-to-close
$2B+
Portfolio value represented
300+
Searches completed
CEO Placement PE-Backed Software Services & Tech-Enabled Consumer & Retail CRO Search CFO Advisory Platform Plays Buy & Build Chief Commercial Officer Growth Stage CEO Placement PE-Backed Software Services & Tech-Enabled Consumer & Retail CRO Search CFO Advisory Platform Plays Buy & Build Chief Commercial Officer Growth Stage
Who We Are

Built for the
private equity
ecosystem.

Lumina Search Group was founded by practitioners who understand the demands of private equity–backed businesses. We are not a generalist search firm that dabbles in PE — this ecosystem is our entire focus, across software, tech-enabled services, and consumer and retail.

We know what it takes to hire for EBITDA targets, ARR acceleration, and value creation plans. Across all three of our practices — software, services, and consumer & retail — every candidate is rigorously assessed through the lens of PE-grade performance expectations and the specific demands of sponsor-backed environments.

01

PE-Native Perspective

We speak the language of sponsors, GPs, and portfolio operators. Our process aligns with hold periods, value creation plans, and exit timelines.

02

Cross-Sector PE Network

A decade of relationships with executives across software, tech-enabled services, consumer brands, and retail — built exclusively within the private equity ecosystem.

03

Rigorous Assessment

Structured competency interviews, behavioral modeling, and reference processes calibrated to PE performance benchmarks.

04

Discreet & Efficient

We close complex searches in 60–75 days on average — without disrupting your business or burning a market.

What We Do

Three practices,
one focus.

Chief Executive Officer

Identifying and placing CEOs across software, services, and consumer businesses who can operationalize a PE sponsor's thesis — from revenue acceleration to platform integration to exit-readiness.

C-Suite

Chief Revenue Officer

Revenue leaders who've scaled ARR in software, driven commercial growth in services, or built omnichannel revenue engines in consumer and retail environments.

Go-to-Market

Chief Financial Officer

Finance executives fluent in PE reporting, SaaS and services metrics, and capital structure — built for board-level credibility across software, services, and consumer businesses.

Finance

Chief Technology Officer

Technical leaders who balance product velocity with scalable architecture in software and services companies — understanding what PE-grade engineering and digital transformation actually require.

Technology

Chief Product Officer

Product executives who align roadmap to business outcomes across software platforms, tech-enabled services, and digital consumer experiences — essential for platform strategy and M&A integration.

Product

VP-Level & Operating Partners

Senior functional leaders across Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Customer Success — spanning software, services, and consumer businesses. Plus interim executive and operating partner mandates.

Senior Leadership
How We Work

A disciplined
search methodology.

Executive search for PE-backed companies demands more than a database. It demands a proprietary process calibrated to holding periods, investment theses, and board dynamics. Here's how we operate.

01

Sponsor & Management Alignment

We start by aligning with both the PE sponsor and management team on the ideal candidate profile, success metrics, and cultural fit. Misalignment here kills searches — we prevent it upfront.

02

Proprietary Market Mapping

We conduct a systematic mapping of the relevant talent universe — including passive, non-networked candidates who would never surface through referrals alone.

03

Structured Evaluation & Screening

Competency-based interviews, SaaS metric fluency assessments, and PE culture fit evaluation. We only advance candidates who can perform in a sponsor-backed environment.

04

Presentation & Selection

Curated slate of 3–4 finalists with detailed written assessments. We facilitate structured panel interviews and guide both sides through the decision process.

05

Reference Verification & Close

Deep reference checks, offer negotiation support, and a 90-day onboarding check-in. We stay involved until the executive is set up to succeed.

Roles We Place

From day one to
exit-ready.

Whether you've just closed the deal or you're 18 months from a process, we have the right profile for where you are in the hold period. We've placed executives at every stage of the PE lifecycle.

Chief Executive Officer
C-Suite
Chief Revenue Officer
C-Suite
Chief Technology Officer
C-Suite
Chief Product Officer
C-Suite
Chief Financial Officer
C-Suite
Chief Marketing Officer
C-Suite
Chief Customer Officer
C-Suite
Chief Operating Officer
C-Suite
VP of Sales
Senior Leadership
VP of Engineering
Senior Leadership
VP of Product
Senior Leadership
Operating Partner
Interim / Advisory
Our Practices

Three practices,
deep expertise.

Our Commitment
"We only work with private equity-backed companies. Software, services, or consumer — the common thread is always PE."

This focus isn't a niche — it's a competitive advantage. Our entire network, methodology, and institutional knowledge has been built around the private equity ecosystem across three distinct practices. That means faster searches, better candidates, and longer-tenured placements.

We currently support portfolio companies across 15+ PE sponsors — spanning lower middle-market buyouts, growth equity investments, and platform build strategies across software, services, and consumer.

Our Three Practices

Software, Services
& Consumer.

Lumina Search Group operates three distinct practices — all united by a singular focus on private equity-backed businesses. Whether the portfolio company is a vertical SaaS platform, a tech-enabled services business, or a consumer brand, we bring the same PE-native methodology and the same standard of rigor to every search.

Software

PE-Backed Software

  • Vertical & horizontal SaaS
  • Infrastructure & DevOps platforms
  • AI & machine learning software
  • Cybersecurity & GRC
  • Fintech & payments software
  • Healthcare & legal technology
Services

Tech-Enabled Services

  • Tech-enabled business services
  • Financial & professional services
  • Healthcare services & RCM
  • Outsourcing & BPO platforms
  • Data & analytics services
  • Government & defense IT services
Consumer & Retail

Consumer Brands & Retail

  • PE-backed consumer brands
  • Omnichannel & DTC retailers
  • Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
  • E-commerce & marketplace platforms
  • Luxury & specialty retail
  • Venture-backed consumer startups
Our Commitment

One methodology.

Regardless of sector, every Lumina search follows the same rigorous five-step process — market mapping, structured assessment, curated slate, reference verification, and a 90-day onboarding check-in.

One standard.

Every candidate — whether a SaaS CEO, a services operating partner, or a consumer CCO — is evaluated against PE-grade performance expectations and the specific demands of sponsor-backed environments.

One focus.

We do not serve public companies, non-profits, or family-owned businesses. Every client relationship is with a private equity sponsor or a PE-backed portfolio company. Full stop.

About the Founder
Nancy, Founder & CEO of Lumina Search Group

Nancy

Founder & CEO, Lumina Search Group

Emory University, B.A. 27+ Years in Executive Search

Built from
experience.

Nancy is a veteran talent executive with more than 27 years of experience at the intersection of high-growth technology and human capital. Over the course of her career, she has reviewed more than 4 million resumes, coordinated hundreds of thousands of interviews, and placed thousands of professionals across every level of an organization — from first hires to chief executives.

She founded Lumina Search Group to address a gap she observed repeatedly throughout her career: private equity and venture capital–backed software companies face uniquely high-stakes leadership decisions, yet are often underserved by generalist search firms that lack the technical fluency and PE ecosystem relationships to move with the speed and precision these environments demand.

Before founding Lumina, Nancy served as CEO of PathMatch, a digital career navigation platform that matched college students with modern career paths and connected employers with emerging talent at scale. Under her leadership, PathMatch developed proprietary matching technology that helped students identify in-demand career trajectories while enabling companies to build early-career talent pipelines and strengthen their employer brands with the next generation of professionals.

Prior to PathMatch, Nancy founded FILD, a technology-enabled recruiting firm that partnered with some of the most recognized names in tech — including Snap, Amazon, Warby Parker, and Netflix — to hire thousands of employees. FILD was acquired in 2018, a testament to the firm's operational excellence and the differentiated value of its approach.

Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Music from Emory University.

4M+
Resumes Reviewed
27+
Years of Experience
2018
Successful Exit (FILD)
Get in Touch

Start a
conversation.

Whether you're a PE sponsor looking to upgrade portfolio leadership across software, services, or consumer — or an executive exploring your next opportunity — we'd like to hear from you.

Email hello@luminasearchgroup.com
Phone +1 (310) 867-4295
Location Los Angeles

Begin a Search Engagement