Johanna Barr joined Advent in 2007 and is a Managing Director and Global Head of Limited Partner Services (LPS) in London. She leads the LPS Group and is primarily focused on fundraising and investor relations activities in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Johanna is a member of Advent’s Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves as a Director of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Council, and previously chaired the BVCA’s Investor Relations Advisory Group between 2018 and 2023.
Prior to joining Advent, Johanna worked for four years in the M&A and Corporate Broking departments of Deutsche Bank in both the London and Frankfurt offices. She advised clients across sectors on a variety of transactions, including international public and private mergers and acquisitions, flotations, and secondary equity offerings.
Johanna received a BSc (First Class Hons) in Business Administration from the University of Bath, School of Management. As part of her degree, she studied at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Why is Advent’s culture of sharing and collaboration so important?
It goes back to what we’re trying to achieve. I think if you are a firm like Advent, which ultimately wants to bring the best resources to bear both on investments and on non-investment topics, then ensuring that you leverage the whole organization is critical. We have a global team, and I interact with a global investor base. We want to speak to all these people with one voice – to share the same values and talk about our portfolio in the same way. That only works because we’re constantly in dialogue with each other.
What advice would you offer to someone new at Advent?
There’s the old adage about this being a marathon, not a sprint – and I’d encourage them to get the most out of each part of their career, and expect to face challenges, both personally and professionally. But very soon, they’ll need to think about developing the talent they’re responsible for. You become a mentor to the next generation as soon as you’re no longer the most junior person in the office, and that’s pretty early on in your career. So, you have to think about how you can create leverage for your team, and empower colleagues to step up, develop, and take on more responsibility.
“You become a mentor to the next generation as soon as you’re no longer the most junior person in the office.”
Johanna Barr
Managing Director and Global Head of Limited Partner Services, Advent
What have been the highlights of your career at Advent?
For me, it’s the whole thing: it’s the experience, and the privilege of growing up and growing my career here. I was given a lot of responsibility quite early on in that process, and was trusted to lead the team. This was a significant milestone in my career, but I’m proud of all that the Limited Partner Services team has achieved – alongside our colleagues throughout the firm – during my tenure at Advent.
What keeps you grounded when you’re not at work?
I enjoy playing golf on the weekends if time allows. It’s something I’ve enjoyed since childhood and is a great way to switch off. I play with friends who work across different sectors and the phone stays in the locker.
