The Consulting Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Private Equity Consultants and Leaders of 2025. Private equity has become one of the most powerful forces in the global economy, fueling company growth, driving innovation across industries, and shaping the strategies of corporate titans. As the asset class has expanded—reaching trillions of dollars in assets under management—its influence on job creation, competitiveness, and long-term value has also grown.
Behind this expansion are advisors who help firms deploy capital wisely and ensure portfolio companies deliver on their potential. The individuals recognized here are those trusted voices: leaders who validate investments, identify risks, and design strategies that accelerate scaling and transformation. Their work links the flow of private capital with real outcomes in sectors such as technology, healthcare, consumer goods, and industrials—demonstrating why private equity matters not only to investors but to the wider economy.
Among this year’s awardees, Rachel Barton, Senior Managing Director at Accenture, stands out for leading the firm’s global Private Equity business and helping investors and executives navigate the full deal lifecycle—from diligence through exit—while driving growth, innovation, and large-scale transformation. Sean McDevitt, Partner at Arthur D. Little, is recognized for guiding private equity firms, infrastructure funds, and lenders through high-stakes investment decisions, applying three decades of international consulting and operations experience to due diligence, market assessments, and portfolio value creation.
Also recognized is Amit Vij, Global Head of Private Equity at Tech Mahindra, who has built and scaled private equity practices across multiple organizations, leading global teams that help investors and portfolio companies drive value through digital transformation, cost efficiency, and sustainable growth.
This year’s awardees were selected through a methodical nomination process and careful consideration of each candidate’s career track record and industry contributions. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Private Equity Consultants and Leaders of 2025.
1. Rachel Barton
Firm: Accenture
Title: Senior Managing Director
Rachel Barton is a Senior Managing Director at Accenture, where she leads the global Private Equity business. She operates across the deal lifecycle, from diligence to exit, advising private equity leaders and C-level portfolio company executives. Working cross-sector, Rachel specializes in revenue growth, innovation, operating models, and complex transformation.
With over 20 years of experience developing strategies at the intersection of business and technology, Rachel is increasingly working with private equity firms to develop AI agendas that accelerate diligence, increase multiples and drive fund-level efficiency.
Rachel is motivated by helping companies create positive societal and environmental impact. She sits on the board of Accenture’s Global Giving Foundation, Corporate Citizenship Council, and Accenture Strategy’s Global Thought Leadership Council. Outside Accenture, Rachel is Chair for UnLtd, a charity that supports and funds social entrepreneurs.
2. David Quigley
Firm: McKinsey & Company
Title: Senior Partner
David Quigley is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he has spent more than two decades advising clients at the intersection of private capital, healthcare, and life sciences. From 2021 to 2024, he led McKinsey’s Private Capital Practice, spanning private equity, infrastructure, private credit, real estate, and institutional investors, and earlier he headed the firm’s North America Life Sciences Practice. He has supported private equity firms, portfolio companies, and publicly listed healthcare and life sciences organizations on transactions and strategic transformations worldwide.
3. Emma Cox
Firm: Deloitte
Title: Partner
Emma Cox is a Partner at Deloitte, a global professional services network offering audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services to businesses worldwide. With a history spanning more than 175 years and member firms in over 150 countries, Deloitte helps clients address complex challenges, build trust, and create sustainable impact through business expertise, technology, and strategic partnerships.
4. Joe Repp
Firm: EY-Parthenon
Title: Partner
Joe Repp is a Partner at EY-Parthenon, the strategy consulting and transactions arm of Ernst & Young (EY). The firm advises clients across industries on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and value creation.
5. Jamie Austin
Firm: BDO USA
Title: Partner
Jamie Austin is a Partner at BDO USA and serves as Head of Global Private Equity for the firm, as well as National Head of Private Equity for BDO UK. With a corporate finance career that began in 1993, he has advised on numerous domestic and cross-border transactions across buy-side and sell-side mandates, working with large corporations, private equity portfolio companies, and owner-managed businesses.
6. Apurva Nair
Firm: Oliver Wyman
Title: Partner
Apurva Nair is a New York City-based Partner, and leads Oliver Wyman’s Private Capital Operations team. The Private Capital Operations team is a highly specialized group focused on helping PE-owned businesses maximize upside in operating performance.
Apurva has nearly two decades of experience working closely with PE firms on both, pre- and post-deal initiatives. He has been able to successfully combine his technical background, strong quantitative skills, and relentless focus on results to create a strong, multi-year track record of high-impact value creation across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Apurva’s PE-specific focus includes both, deal/M&A advisory (buy and sell-side diligences, operations due diligence) as well as post-deal value creation (growth and/or EBITDA focused initiatives) across industrials, consumer goods, and telecom/enterprise software sectors.
Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, Apurva served as partner and COO for a boutique firm with operations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Apurva holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management, and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College.
7. Matt Redente
Firm: Crowe
Title: Partner
Matt Redente is a Partner in the audit services group at Crowe LLP, a public accounting and consulting firm that provides audit, tax, and advisory services to public and private companies. Redente has more than two decades of experience delivering audit, attestation, and advisory services.
8. Sean McDevitt
Firm: Arthur D. Little
Title: Partner
Sean McDevitt brings three decades of international management consulting and operations experience spanning several global markets. Based in Boston, he is a Partner at global consultancy Arthur D. Little, where he leads the USA TMT Practice. Sean's clients—telecom operators, suppliers, private equity, infrastructure funds, and lenders—turn to his expertise for critical business decisions regarding investment due diligence, commercial/market assessments, business plan review, strategic growth initiatives, and portfolio value creation.
Sean has been pivotal in driving ADL’s growth and re-emergence as one of the premier management consulting firms in the U.S. Since its reentry into the U.S. market, ADL currently serves five of the top ten U.S. telecom operators, and most of the leading financial investors. Sean also leads the firm’s recruiting efforts and has had an instrumental role in building the ADL U.S. team and company culture.
In October 2023, the United States Commerce Secretary appointed Sean to serve on the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), the U.S.’s nationwide public safety broadband network that equips first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities. In 2024, Sean was reappointed to the FirstNet Authority Board for a three-year term and named Chair of the Finance & Investment Committee, overseeing nearly $40 billion in network investment. Sean earned his bachelor’s degree in classics and business economics from Brown University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
9. Colleen Corwell
Firm: Kroll
Title: Managing Director
Colleen Corwell is a Managing Director at Kroll, a global provider of financial and risk advisory solutions offering services in valuation, compliance, restructuring, cyber risk, ESG, and corporate finance. With nearly a century of history and expertise across industries, Kroll helps organizations navigate complex risks and opportunities in financial reporting, regulation, and strategic decision-making.
Based in New York, Corwell serves as Head of U.S. Compliance Consulting within the firm’s Financial Services Compliance and Regulation practice. She brings more than 20 years of experience advising investment advisers, investment companies, and broker-dealers on regulatory compliance. Corwell has led numerous SEC and FINRA examinations and has deep expertise across a range of investment products, including private equity, private credit, real estate funds, and registered investment companies.
Corwell’s earlier roles include managing director at Foreside Financial Group and director at Alaric Compliance Services. She has also held senior roles at Ameriprise, Capital One, and ING. Corwell holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, an MBA from Touro University, and has completed the Corporate Governance Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 55, 63, 79, and 99 registrations and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
10. Carl Evander
Firm: OC&C Strategy Consultants
Title: Partner & Global Head of Private Equity
Carl Evander is the Global Head of Private Equity at OC&C Strategy Consultants and a Partner in the New York office. He advises private equity clients and their portfolio companies across a wide range of B2B sectors, guiding them through complex strategic challenges across the full investment cycle. In his role, Carl helps to coordinate OC&C’s work globally within the PE community, leading efforts to bring sector depth and innovative solutions to investors worldwide, both in diligence but also in driving value creation agendas.
With more than 20 years of experience in consulting and as a private equity Operating Partner, Carl has worked globally across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. He has deep expertise in industries facing disruption from technological change, sustainability demands, evolving supply chains, and consolidating competitive landscapes. His work spans infrastructure and construction, business and industrial services, food manufacturing, and facilities management.
In addition to his client work, he oversees the firm’s pro bono initiatives in North America and serves on the board of EL Education, a national education nonprofit. Carl studied economics at Cambridge University and previously held roles at Renovo Capital and Bain & Company.
11. Robert Lytle
Firm: Grant Thornton Stax
Title: Senior Managing Director
Robert Lytle is a Senior Managing Director at Grant Thornton Stax. He has over three decades of strategy consulting experience with a focus on private equity firms and PE-backed companies, guiding them through commercial due diligence and value creation initiatives toward measurable results.
Before joining Grant Thornton Stax in early 2025, Robert spent more than 25 years at Parthenon and EY-Parthenon. He co-founded the firm’s global education practice and led it for 15 years, crafting growth strategies for education entities ranging from universities to K-12 institutions and government agencies. In the final phase of his tenure, he directed the U.S. Government and Public Sector practice, delivering strategic solutions to federal and state-level clients.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University.
12. Nate Heeren
Firm: Riveron
Title: Senior Managing Director & National Private Equity Leader
Nate Heeren is a private equity strategy leader delivering tailored solutions to PE sponsors and portfolio companies. As a Senior Managing Director and National Private Equity Leader at Riveron, Nate is responsible for driving the firm’s PE strategy. This includes effective, value-added application of Riveron’s services to new and existing clients. With nearly 20 years of experience, Nate has a proven track record of delivering results and achieving growth for the firm and its clients.
Nate has held several leadership roles, spanning client service, strategy, P&L ownership, and operational business building. In a client-serving capacity, he has led complex engagements for private equity portfolio companies, including financial due diligence, interim financial management, carve-outs, operational accounting, and budgeting. This includes clients in the manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, consumer, and retail industries.
Over the past decade, Nate has played a significant role in building Riveron, including establishing and running the Denver and New York markets and leading strategic business development efforts across the PE landscape. Before Riveron, Nate held roles as a director at FTI Consulting and a senior associate in transaction services and audit at Ernst & Young. He holds a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
13. William Hendrickson
Firm: dss+
Title: Managing Director
William Hendrickson is a Managing Director who leads the North America Private Equity & Principal Investor business and internal Merger & Acquisitions team at dss+. He specializes in advising senior executives on how to transform their businesses and deliver revenue and EBITA growth from strategy to execution.
William focuses on maximizing value creation, delivering a positive impact for private equity funds and their portfolio companies. This includes conducting environmental, health, safety, ESG, and operational due diligence, company diagnostics, and transformational implementation programs with portfolio companies.
William has over 37 years of business experience in industry and management consulting, which includes being a key member of the global dss+ executive leadership team that led the successful carve out of the business from Dupont Chemical in 2019. This included standing up businesses, offices and legal entities in over 40 countries around the globe. Since the carve out, dss+ has grown significantly both organically and through eight acquisitions that have diversified the business from both industry experience and offering expertise.
William holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University.
14. Adrian James
Firm: Partners in Performance
Title: Managing Director
Adrian James is a Managing Director at Partners in Performance with nearly two decades of management consulting, M&A, and commercial experience across consumer sectors including FMCG, CPG, and retail. He has worked in 13 countries with leading grocery retailers and many of Australia’s large national and multinational brands, helping them achieve measurable improvements in commercial performance. He has also advised on more than 40 M&A transactions for private equity and strategic investors in the consumer sector.
At Partners in Performance, James focuses on helping organizations make the right commercial decisions to achieve growth, navigate transformation, and deliver lasting results. He is recognized for combining analytical rigor and executional speed—qualities demanded by private equity—with the ability to scale solutions across large corporate environments. His work reflects a commitment to building a competitive and sustainable consumer landscape while ensuring tangible outcomes for both companies and investors.
Earlier in his career, James was an associate director in strategy consulting at KPMG and earlier co-founded YMCA Rebuild, a social enterprise. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from RMIT University.
15. Phil Dunne
Firm: Grant Thornton Stax
Title: Managing Director
Phil Dunne is a Managing Director at Grant Thornton Stax and leads the firm's private equity initiatives in the UK and EMEA. With over 25 years of experience spanning both industry and consulting, Dunne brings a wealth of expertise with a strong focus on the industrial and automotive sectors within the private equity ecosystem.
Prior to Grant Thornton | Stax, Dunne served as the UK managing partner at Roland Berger, advising private equity and corporate clients across the automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors. In this role, Dunne spearheaded large-scale cost transformation and performance projects and provided buy-and sell-side support on multiple transactions. Before joining Roland Berger, Dunne was a partner at EY, where he headed the EY-Parthenon Strategy team, and UK managing partner and leader of the Private Equity practice at Kearney.
Prior to consulting, Dunne gained industry experience in aerospace, where he designed ground-to-air missiles with BAe Systems, and in automotive, where he worked on tire-making machines with Michelin. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Birmingham University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.
16. Amit Vij
Firm: Tech Mahindra
Title: Global Head Private Equity
Amit Vij is the Global Head of Private Equity at Tech Mahindra, where he leads the firm’s work with private equity clients and their portfolio companies worldwide. With more than 20 years of experience, he has scaled private equity practices across multiple organizations, combining deep sector expertise with an entrepreneurial approach to building and growing business units. At Tech Mahindra, Vij and his team partner with investors and portfolio leadership to create value through cost efficiencies, digital transformation, and top-line growth. He is focused on helping boards and C-suites align strategic priorities with ESG objectives, operational improvements, and sustainable growth initiatives.
Previously, Vij was an EVP in the global private equity practice leader at Firstsource and, before that, a managing director in private equity at Information Services Group. Earlier in his career, he served as a squadron leader and fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. Vij earned an MBA in business administration and general management from INSEAD and a bachelor’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
17. Roxana Fariborz
Firm: FTI Consulting
Title: Executive Vice President
Roxana Fariborz is a member of FTI Consulting's Private Equity practice, where she specializes in directing the research, business evaluation, strategic marketing, and client relations efforts for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. She has more than 25 years of experience advising investors in the long-only, hedge fund, and private capital markets.
Roxana is methodical in how she covers her clients and views herself as an extension of her clients within FTI. By bringing in teams that offer a combination of deep industry, functional, and operational expertise, she delivers implementable solutions and measurable return on investment for her PE clients as well as management at their portfolio companies. Roxana holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
18. Hariprasad Pichai
Firm: Arthur D. Little
Title: Partner
Hariprasad Pichai is a Partner at Arthur D. Little, an international management consulting firm founded in 1886 and recognized for linking technology, strategy, and people to help organizations solve complex challenges and drive innovation. The firm provides services in areas including strategy, innovation, operations, transformation and technology, supporting clients in achieving growth and building long-term advantage.
Based in Boston, Pichai is a member of Arthur D. Little’s global Telecommunications, Information Technology, Media, and Electronics (TIME) and Private Equity Practices. He advises communications companies, technology providers, and new market entrants on opportunities in digital infrastructure, cloud, and the broader compute ecosystem. He also contributes to the firm’s strategy and growth practice, focusing on corporate strategy, diversification, growth acceleration, and open innovation with startups.
Before his current role, Hari worked in new product and service development at technology firms, following earlier roles at United Online and Symantec (VERITAS Software). He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.
19. Sheldon Hamburger
Firm: Infosys
Title: Senior Director, Private Equity Practice
Sheldon Hamburger is a Senior Director in the Private Equity Practice at Infosys, a global consulting and technology services company headquartered in India. Infosys provides business consulting, engineering, outsourcing, and digital solutions that help enterprises accelerate transformation, enhance agility, and create sustainable growth.
20. Alex Keville
Firm: Willis Towers Watson
Title: Managing Director
Alex Keville is a Managing Director at Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory, broking, and solutions firm that provides data-driven, insight-led services in the areas of people, risk, and capital. Formed through the merger of Willis Group Holdings and Towers Watson & Company, the firm operates in over 140 countries, helping clients enhance organizational resilience, manage risk, and optimize performance across industries.
21. Luigi Peluso
Firm: Alvarez & Marsal
Title: Managing Director
Luigi Peluso is a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, a global professional services firm providing management consulting, turnaround management, and business advisory services. Founded in 1983, A&M helps organizations transform operations, achieve growth, and unlock value through hands-on, action-oriented strategies across performance improvement, interim management, and other practice areas.
22. Dan Lonergan
Firm: Teneo
Title: Managing Director
Dan Lonergan is a Managing Director at Teneo, a global CEO advisory firm that provides integrated services in strategy, communications, financial advisory, risk, and management consulting. Founded in 2011, Teneo works closely with CEOs and leaders of large organizations to address complex business and reputational challenges, offering expertise in investor relations, restructuring, ESG, and talent development.
23. Rebecca Burack
Firm: Bain & Company
Title: Partner
Rebecca Burack is a Partner at Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. Burack leads Bain’s Global Private Equity practice, where she advises private equity investors and alternative asset managers across the full investment cycle. With more than 25 years of consulting experience, she has supported hundreds of due diligence assignments and value creation plans post-acquisition.
24. Timothy Tracy
Firm: EY
Title: Global Client Service Partner | EY Private Equity Group
Timothy Tracy is the Global Client Service Partner for the Private Equity Group at EY, where he has spent more than 35 years advising clients. He began his career with the firm in 1990 and today works closely with private equity investors and their portfolio companies.
25. Glenn Mincey
Firm: KPMG
Title: Global & U.S. Head of Private Equity
Glenn Mincey is the Global and U.S. Head of Private Equity at KPMG and has more than 20 years of experience advising on private equity transactions worldwide. He joined the firm in 2008 as a direct-entry partner. KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services in 143 countries. In the United States, KPMG LLP operates as the independent U.S. member firm, delivering these services from more than 90 offices with over 36,000 professionals.