Ranjan Sen joined Advent in 2003 and is a Managing Partner in Frankfurt. He acts as an advisor in the German-speaking region. Ranjan is a member of Advent’s Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He has advised on 37 investments during his career, 36 while at Advent.
Prior to joining Advent, Ranjan worked for DB Capital Partners, the private equity arm of Deutsche Bank, where he focused on larger international buyouts with a particular emphasis on German companies. Before that, he spent two years as a Director at UBS Capital, working on mid-market private equity transactions. Earlier in his career, Ranjan spent seven years as a Vice President in the Structured Finance Group of Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, specializing in acquisition financings.
Ranjan studied for two years at the European Business School and graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Richmond University in London.
How do you identify interesting companies in your sectors of interest?
Advent is continuously on the lookout for exciting new companies that have the potential to become, with our support, global market leaders. The sourcing process requires experience and also necessitates discipline. It requires Advent to spend significant time in a sector to build deep expertise and conviction and spot opportunities others don’t see. Advent is highly selective and doesn’t chase every lead. We use multiple lenses to identify promising opportunities, assisted by our powerful network of industry advisors and Operating Partners. This is where our wealth of experience as an international organization bears fruit. It’s never about an individual: success is based on collaboration, with every team member contributing to a successful investment, from associates, analysts, and advisors to the partner.
How do you partner?
The beauty of the Advent model is that we have the mandate to develop the best possible proposal for each investment situation. Advent invests a lot of time and resources to craft a compelling investment thesis for each deal situation. Teamwork and having a full alignment of interest with every stakeholder is critical for success. We’re ultimately backing exceptionally talented executives to create lasting value in our portfolio companies. This is the most exciting and challenging part of our role – identifying and supporting talented people, who are able to execute our joint vision. As part of this journey, Advent is committed to help managers become successful entrepreneurs and thereby support their personal and professional development.
What advice would you give to a new hire at Advent to set them up for success?
Advent is all about the strength of the team, rather than having a star on the team. That’s deeply embedded in our DNA. Private equity in general is an apprenticeship game, and as you rise through the ranks at Advent you are expected to develop into a culture carrier. This isn’t a place for big egos.
“The beauty of the Advent model is that we have the mandate to develop the best possible proposal for each investment situation.”
Ranjan Sen
Managing Partner, Advent International
Describe a pivotal experience that has shaped your career?
Early on in my career I started to appreciate that successful organizations will provide you with the opportunity to take on responsibility early on in your career and have a bigger tolerance for mistakes. Advent has such an ethos and acknowledges that mistakes unfortunately happen and are important learning opportunities. That’s an integral part of our culture that comes from the very top. We recruit very talented people here, and they may initially think they’re only measured on performance. That’s not the case. At Advent, you’re also evaluated on how you work within a team and how you deal with challenges.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
I love what I do, because of the people I work with and the lack of routine. Every day, I have the chance to work and meet very talented people, who help to broaden my horizons and ultimately, allow us to make better investment decisions. How exciting is that?
