Thrive is built for the private equity operator ecosystem.
We work exclusively in PE-backed environments where leadership outcomes are shaped by governance, incentives, and timing. Thrive supports the system across selection, transition, and performance in-seat.
What Thrive believes.
These beliefs shape how Thrive evaluates leaders, supports transitions, and designs systems under pressure.
- Leadership outcomes in PE are system-driven, not personality-driven.
- Governance, decision rights, and incentives shape behavior.
- Selection is only the beginning — transitions and in-seat pressure determine value creation.
- Signal matters more than polish in compressed decision environments.
Leadership with PE operating context.
Thrive serves private equity sponsors and portfolio companies with a systems approach to leadership risk—grounded in capital context, signal, and in-seat operating reality.
Leadership
Susanna Madden
CEO
- Private equity operator ecosystem focus
- Search + leadership systems across selection, transition, and in-seat performance
- Signal-based evaluation designed for PE decision environments
Bill Madden
President
- Client leadership and engagement execution
- Operating cadence and delivery across portfolio environments
- Systems consistency across offerings
Michael Finch
Chief Technology Officer
- Platform architecture across the Thrive ecosystem
- Signal workflows and product delivery systems
- Technical execution supporting operator outcomes
John Loucks
Chief Commercial Officer
- Partner relationships across PE and portfolio organizations
- Commercial strategy across Search, Platform, and ThriveBoard
- Go-to-market execution aligned to the operator ecosystem
Operations
Yari Paez
Client Coordinator
Client coordination and operational support across Thrive engagements, ensuring reliability in high-velocity environments.
Alexx Wigglesworth
Intern
Research and project support across Thrive’s work in the PE operator ecosystem.
Start a conversation.
For sponsors and operators facing leadership decisions where timing, pressure, and replacement cost matter.
