Ken Greenberg is bringing executive recruitment and acquisition strategy together, helping private equity investors consider who will lead a business before they buy it.
At Auctus Search Partners, Ken Greenberg is focused on a question that can shape the outcome of a private equity acquisition long after the paperwork is signed: Who is going to run the company?
Greenberg, the firm’s senior managing director and private equity practice lead, helps investors identify experienced executives, develop acquisition opportunities and build management teams for businesses they already own. One part of that work challenges the conventional sequence of finding a target company first and selecting its leader later.
Through its executive-led platform creation service, Auctus connects an operator with a business thesis and potential acquisition targets. The objective is to involve the person responsible for delivering the growth plan while the opportunity is still being evaluated, rather than making leadership an afterthought.
The timing matters. A 2026 analysis from McKinsey found that 60% to 70% of private equity-backed businesses experience a CEO change during ownership. The report also emphasized that investment returns increasingly depend on operational improvements and leaders capable of delivering them, not simply favorable financing or a higher resale valuation.
Start With The Operator, Not Just The Acquisition Target
Auctus works with lower-middle-market and middle-market private equity firms and family offices. For its executive-led acquisitions, the firm looks for leaders with full profit-and-loss responsibility, a clear view of a particular industry, and an actionable list of companies that may be suitable acquisition targets.
This changes what an executive brings to the table. Instead of arriving at a newly acquired business with only a mandate to improve performance, a candidate may already understand the market, recognize where consolidation could create value, and have a point of view about which businesses are worth pursuing. The investor still has to assess the economics and risks of the deal, but the leadership and investment cases develop together.
Auctus offers both opportunities that emerge from its existing executive network and targeted searches built around an investor’s preferred industry and deal size. The firm’s executive-led acquisition practice has worked across sectors including financial services, industrial businesses, software and infrastructure.
Hiring For The Decisions That Follow
The same thinking shapes Auctus’s broader executive search practice. Its assignments include CEOs, COOs, board members and other senior leaders for private companies and private equity portfolio businesses. Finding someone who has held an impressive title is only part of the task. An acquisition-focused company may need a leader who can combine teams, preserve customer relationships, manage costs and keep employees aligned through disruption.
Auctus uses structured assessments alongside interviews to evaluate candidates’ professional skills, leadership readiness and behavioral fit. Its published process includes skills-based testing, behavioral assessments and leadership feedback tools. The distinction matters because a candidate’s previous results do not automatically establish how well that person will perform in a different company, ownership structure, or stage of growth.
Greenberg also leads the firm’s Virtual Board offering, which combines an independent executive adviser with temporary CFO and/or operations leadership. The service is designed for companies that need hands-on financial analysis, operational improvement, and outside accountability but may not need, or be ready for, a full permanent executive team. In practice, that connects the firm’s leadership work with the less visible discipline of turning a strategy into monthly decisions and measurable results.
An Investment Banker Who Moved Closer To The People Making The Decisions
Greenberg’s perspective draws on several sides of the same transaction. Before joining Auctus, he worked in senior investment banking roles at Tucker Anthony Sutro Capital Markets and JWGenesis Capital Markets and collaborated with private equity investors on executive-led acquisitions and recapitalizations. He later founded KLG Consultants, a leadership and talent advisory business acquired by Auctus Group in November 2016. The KLG team subsequently operated under the Auctus Search Partners name.
When that transaction was announced, Greenberg described the thinking behind the combination: “Human Capital and Financial Capital deserve an equal seat at the value creation table.” Nearly a decade later, the firm’s mix of executive search and acquisition support continues to put that idea into practice.
His interest in leadership extends beyond transactions. Greenberg has taught leadership and organizations at the University of Denver, facilitated professional development programs through the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and written the book Leadership: A Short Manual to Success. He earned his undergraduate degree from Colorado College and an MBA from the University of Denver.
For private equity buyers, the strongest acquisition thesis can still fail if the company lacks the people to carry it out. Auctus Search Partners is building its work around the reverse proposition: identify what capable leadership looks like, involve that leadership in finding the opportunity, and support the team when the real work of running the business begins.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or professional advice. References to private equity acquisitions, business strategies, and investment outcomes are provided for general informational purposes and should not be interpreted as recommendations or guarantees of future performance. Readers should consult qualified professionals before making financial or business decisions.
