Shonnel Malani joined Advent in 2011 and is a Managing Partner in London. He advises on buyouts in the industrial sector and is responsible for Advent’s global aerospace and defense practice. Shonnel has advised on 13 investments during his career, eight while at Advent.
Prior to joining Advent, Shonnel worked as a private equity investor at Bain Capital and Centerbridge Partners, where he specialized in large and mid-cap buyouts. He began his career as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley.
Shonnel earned his BCom from McGill University, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPA from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.
How does Advent work with Operating Partners to improve the investment process?
From the beginning, Advent always had this approach of not doing an investment unless we have an Operating Partner on board – a senior executive from the sector involved who is a respected and integral part of the team. It’s why humility is important. Advent is a low-ego environment where the best idea wins. It doesn’t matter whether it comes from one of us or another member of the team we put together to support our companies.
What advice should new recruits take on board, if they’re to do well at Advent?
You don’t need to hang around the water cooler, waiting for the senior guy to pass by so that you can say something clever. That’s not what gets you promoted here. Stick to what you’re doing, do a great job, and you will be noticed: it’ll be highlighted in our review process and the most senior person in the office will hear about it. My other piece of advice is to ask lots of questions. It’s far better to ask questions all the time, rather than staying quiet, disappearing, and thinking you’ll come back with a fantastic solution. The chances you’ll find one on your own are very low. This is a team sport.
“Advent is a low-ego environment where the best idea wins. It doesn’t matter whether it comes from one of us or another member of the team we put together to support our companies.”
Shonnel Malani
Managing Partner, Advent International
What would you consider the highlights of your work?
Seeing the transformation of a company is the core of it for me. I love situations where we take a business that has something special but isn’t reaching its potential. There’s an opportunity to create a big transformation, whatever that entails. And then we see that come to fruition. That’s super-rewarding and fulfilling.
