Brandon Sedloff and Mike Cordingley explore what it takes to build durable, scalable private markets firms in an era of constant disruption. Mike leads the strategy, leadership, and advisory group at Ferguson Partners, a talent management and strategic advisory firm that works with about half of the public REITs and many of the largest private equity and real estate platforms. His work takes him inside these organizations as they navigate fundamental shifts in leadership, operating models, and business strategy.
The conversation on The Distribution covers how private markets firms have reached an inflection point where the entrepreneurial, founder-led models that drove early growth now face pressure from rising costs, compressed fees, and the need to retain next-generation talent. Mike explains why founders must move beyond an investment thesis to develop a true enterprise strategy, and why the CEO's role is evolving from chief decision-maker to platform architect who distributes decision rights across the organization.