Why Platinum Equity: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Platinum Equity Overview

Platinum Equity is a global investment firm that invests institutional capital, has more than $36 billion assets under management, and a diverse portfolio of operating companies in various sectors.

As per the firm’s record, their portfolio of companies generates above $89 billion of aggregate revenue and employs more than 200,000 people worldwide.

Platinum Equity has a trademarked strategy called M&A&O® which combines investment expertise and operational resources and capabilities to further help their portfolio companies.

The firm’s specialty is in private equity buyouts and has more than 27 years of experience across various locations, transaction types, and industries

Aside from buyout, Platinum Equity is also active in the credit class, making investments in the private and public debt of undermanaged, underperforming, and undervalued companies in North America.

Platinum Equity was founded in 1995 by Tom Gores with $200K in seed capital. Today, the firm is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.

Platinum Equity AUM

As per the most recent regulatory filings, Platinum Equity manages $47.6 billion of assets as of March 29, 2023.

Platinum Equity Interview Process & Questions

Firms have the freedom to modify their interview process with each candidate. However, if you interview at Platinum Equity (or similar firms), chances are, you’ll experience the following:

• 4 to 6 rounds of interviews
• Interview with HR team or junior investment professionals for the initial rounds and with the more senior staff at the later rounds
• Entire process that could last multiple weeks – unless it’s on-cycle or on-campus recruiting

When you interview at Platinum Equity, prepare to answer a mixture of behavioral questions, fit questions, and technical / investing questions.

If you’re looking for resources to help with your interview preparations, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Platinum Equity

“Why this firm” is one of the crucial questions that candidates almost always have to answer during interviews.

If you’ve networked with the firm’s employees, make sure to mention whoever you’ve connected with and how their experiences, stories, and professional conduct inspired you to join the firm.

Also, it’s a good practice to do research about the firm before your interview. For this, I highly suggest you listen to interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, and management team.

Check out this interview with Platinum Equity operations executives where they explain how the firm drives transformation with insight, understanding and operational capabilities:

More interviews

• Platinum Equity’s co-president Jacob Kotzubei joins discussion at the Milken Institute’s 2023 Global Conference
• About Platinum Equity, A Private Equity Firm Founded by Tom Gores

Platinum Equity Case Study

Interviewers often conduct case study exercises to assess each candidate’s technical knowledge and ability to communicate effectively.

Most case studies will have you perform financial modeling and investment recommendations. However, if you’re applying for a junior role, you may be required to do a cold calling case study as well.

Check out Growth Equity Interview Guide for case study walkthrough, examples, and expert tips.

Platinum Equity Salary & Compensation

When you work at Platinum Equity as an associate, you can earn an estimated total pay of $99,576 per year according to Glassdoor. This figure represents the median and can still vary depending on your level of education, experience, and skill set.

Associate

Based on other public sources of data, recent associates have earned salaries of $80,000 per year, while there’s no recent data for analyst hires.

Platinum Equity Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To view vacant positions at Platinum Equity, head over to our job board where we feature all open roles for them and other similar firms.

Platinum Equity Portfolio & Investments

As per Crunchbase, Platinum Equity has four investments and operates four funds. Some of the firm’s notable deals include Aventiv, McGraw Hill, and United Site Services

Notable Transaction: Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro is an American distributor of IT services and products. The company provides business applications, cloud infrastructure solutions, security solutions, communications and collaborations, management and training solutions, backup and disaster recovery, and many more.

Ingram Micro basically helps businesses through customized solutions and services for B2B customers, industry verticals, and commercial needs.

In July 2021, Platinum Equity acquired Ingram Micro Inc. from HNA Technology for a total enterprise value of $7.2 billion which includes $5.9 billion of equity value.

Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores said that ecommerce is thriving, corporate IT priorities are changing, and digitization keeps on accelerating, which makes tech products, solutions, and services that Ingram provides more important than ever.

Next Steps

If you think that Platinum Equity is the right firm for your career, I highly suggest you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide so you can show up at interviews confident and well-prepared, and increase your chances of landing the role you’re applying for.

Growth Equity Interview Guide is a self-paced online course with step-by-step video lessons on topics such as case studies, market thesis, and many, many more. Check out the course and gain a competitive edge over other dozens of qualified candidates you’d be competing with during the firm’s hiring period.