Executive Search Success Story: Building the Executive Team for a Private-Equity-Backed Semiconductor Equipment Components Platform

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a private equity sponsor and its newly formed semiconductor equipment components platform with the chief executive, financial, operating, technology, and commercial leadership required to integrate three precision manufacturing acquisitions, qualify with leading equipment OEMs, and capitalize on domestic fab investment.

The Challenge

A private equity sponsor had combined three founder-led suppliers of precision components, ultra-high-purity cleaning services, and gas and fluid subsystems to semiconductor equipment OEMs into a single platform, with a thesis built on domestic fab investment and OEM demand for consolidated, qualified suppliers. Each company had its own founder, systems, and quality practices, none had been qualified across the largest OEMs, and the platform had no chief executive, no consolidated finance, and no shared technology roadmap. Executive leadership and the sponsor identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the thesis:

• Three founder-led companies with no platform chief executive or integration leadership
• No consolidated finance, reporting, or sponsor-grade forecasting
• Inconsistent quality systems preventing qualification with the largest equipment OEMs
• No shared technology roadmap to move from components to higher-value subsystems
• Fragmented commercial relationships managed personally by the founders
• A demand surge from domestic fab investment the platform was not positioned to capture

Recognizing that the thesis required a professional executive team, the sponsor engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Commercial Officer. The sponsor required an executive search partner with deep semiconductor supply chain expertise and experience building executive teams for newly formed platforms.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice serving semiconductor and electronics manufacturing companies, including equipment OEMs and their component, subsystem, and services suppliers, with a clear understanding of OEM qualification, precision manufacturing, and semiconductor demand cycles.

Private Equity Platform Experience

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting executive teams for newly formed private equity platforms, with a clear understanding of founder transitions, integration, and value-creation plan delivery.

Multi-Role C-Suite Execution

Our team specializes in running multiple C-suite searches in parallel with deliberate sequencing, placing the chief executive first so that subsequent hires are made with the new leader’s input.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Platform Thesis Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the sponsor’s deal team, operating partner, and the three founders to review the value-creation plan, integration priorities, OEM qualification requirements, and technology opportunities, defining five executive profiles sequenced around the chief executive placement.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting chief executives, finance, operating, technology, and commercial leaders at semiconductor equipment OEMs, component and subsystem suppliers, and precision manufacturers who had led documented platform integrations and OEM qualifications. Over 430 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of integrating acquired manufacturers, achieving qualification with the largest semiconductor equipment OEMs, consolidating finance under private equity ownership, building subsystem technology roadmaps, and institutionalizing founder-held commercial relationships. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented integration and growth plans to the sponsor and founders, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified integration, qualification, and growth outcomes, with later hires interviewed by the newly placed chief executive.

Key Outcomes

• 430+ semiconductor equipment and precision manufacturing executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized C-suite spanning chief executive, finance, operations, technology, and commercial within eight months.
• Consolidated three finance organizations onto one ERP within two quarters.
• Achieved preferred supplier qualification with the three largest equipment OEMs.
• Grew revenue 38% in two years.
• Improved EBITDA margin by 500 basis points and completed two add-on acquisitions.