This book is a practical guide for private equity investors. It sets out a framework for understanding, assessing and managing the risks associated with senior management during the due diligence process of an acquisition. This provides an essential input into the wider due diligence review and a sound basis for managing the investment after the deal has been done so as to maximise the chances of a successful exit.

The book comes at a time of significant growth in the field of private equity. In the UK over 3 million people (around 18% of all private sector employees) now work for private equity backed companies. It is estimated that European funds currently have somewhere between #200 and #300 billion to invest over the next few years. In the US, the whole issue of private equity due diligence is much more advanced but it is still likely that due diligence will remain a significant issue for private equity investors for the foreseeable future.