Simona Everts, Associate in the ECI Commercial Team, reflects on how her international background supports her work with management teams, why she wanted to join ECI, and the chemical element she thinks she’d be.
Q: How did your Chemistry background lead to a career in finance?
When I started my degree, I definitely thought that would be my career, but through my degree I realised I found the time in the lab quite lonely. It taught me I liked the analytical side and spotting patterns, but I wanted to spend my time with people and see the applications of my problem solving in real life. Consulting gave me a great opportunity to do that and then from there it kept my options open to move into private equity.
Q: What made you want to make that move into private equity, and why ECI specifically?
I was increasingly interested in things that were more long-term or more hands on when it came to value creation, so the Commercial Team role was perfect for me. I didn’t want to just advise companies; I wanted to be there by their side for the challenges they would go through as they scale. The nice thing about this role compared to other private equity firms is that the Commercial Team are also involved from the moment we meet a prospective management team, so from the deal all the way to exit. That really means we understand and are part of the whole process and see the full business life cycle. We can identify value opportunities early and that helps us build conviction in that partnership.
Aside from the role specifics, I’d come across ECI in my previous firm, and they had a really strong reputation. People always spoke about them as a firm that invest in great businesses, and that they’re good people who treat those they work with well. It’s a nice thing about the move from consultancy into private equity – you get fairly good DD on your future employer!
Q: You were born in Italy, grew up in the Netherlands, lived in the UK and America, and now obviously work here. How has that helped you in your work life?
Being able to speak Dutch is helpful in my day-to-day role, but I think more importantly, when you know what it’s like to live in a country or be in a country you’re not from, it gives you a certain openness. You expect to meet people that don’t fit a certain type, you know what it’s like to be different or not to know anybody, it helps you to overcome shyness. I was very shy when I was young, and I remember when I went to school in the UK when I was 8, and I just didn’t speak a word of English, and within two months, I spoke English. You learn to just get on with it, and it does build a certain resilience.
Q: What does a typical day look like in your role?
It is really hard to pin this down as one of the things I love so much about this role is that there is just so much variety. I jump from doing a piece of data analysis on a portfolio’s competitive landscape to having expert calls or speaking to their customers to understand drivers for a product roadmap, or developing an ideal customer profile… It’s super varied. I suppose the part that is most satisfying is seeing it being received positively, helping management teams to understand something they don’t know about their business, and thinking about where opportunities might lie.
Q: How do you predict value creation in private equity will change over the next five years?
It’s clearly an area people are investing in, across the whole industry. There’s a lot more competition around deals and higher valuations, which means you need more conviction in value creation opportunities, especially in the context of a tougher macro environment. It’s a key part of how we protect value and make businesses more resilient, enabling them to continue to scale. I think those trends will continue, so it will continue to grow in importance, I suspect with more emphasis on resilience as the world becomes less predictable. That includes macro volatility but also defensibility and the massive growth and margin opportunities in the wake of AI.
Quick Fire with Simona:
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?
Variety, definitely. I want to keep learning and solve new problems.
What chemical element would you be?
This is a classic chemistry degree question for each new cohort. Lots of people would go with initials – very lazy, also I don’t know what Selenium does… My answer is actually Hydrogen – it’s the simplest and the most essential – who wouldn’t want to be that?
What is your favourite Dutch term?
Gezellig – there’s not a perfect English translation, but it effectively means cosiness, but in the sense of a nice atmosphere of togetherness. Similar to hygge, but more like when you have a nice dinner and you’re having fun in the company of nice people.
What holiday are you planning next?
I am going skiing in Italy with friends, which is great. One skill I have is I’m a good skier, so I’m really looking forward to it.
What’s your worst habit?
I didn’t have an answer for this and then I asked my boyfriend, and he immediately said, going on your phone in bed. He didn’t even pause.
