How PE Is Transforming Their Talent Strategy
Tony chaired PEI's Operating Partners Forum in Napa. 4 things PE is thinking about talent: AI-advanced talent, EQ over finance, community for AI adoption, and go slow to go fast. Plus FMS surged 350% and EOR holds the top search since December.
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4 things PE is thinking about talent right now
I just chaired PEI's Operating Partners Forum in Napa. Hundreds of operating partners from the largest PE firms in the world, all in one room for three days.
PEI Operating Partners Forum, Silverado Resort, Napa, June 23-25, 2026
Here is what stood out:
- AI-advanced talent is the priority. PE firms are not just talking about AI. They want people who can build and deploy it. Every portfolio company is being asked: who on your team can build an agent? See the Forward Deployed Engineers shortlist →
- EQ over traditional finance. The operating partner profile is shifting. Firms are indexing much more on emotional intelligence than the traditional finance background. Transformation requires people skills, not just spreadsheets.
- Community is crucial to implementing AI. You cannot hand someone a tool and walk away. Everyone is required to build an agent, but the organizations that succeed are the ones building a community around adoption. That takes facilitation, coaching, and change management.
- Go slow to go fast. Get your data right first. Have a strategy to manage your data. Have a strategy to manage your agents. The firms that skip these steps end up rebuilding from scratch.
The wrapper for all of this is flexible talent
Expertise changes so fast that the capabilities you need this quarter most likely will not be what you need next quarter. You need talent that can ebb and flow with you, so they are not gone when the work shifts, because you need that community cohesion. And they carry the widest range of tactical experience, which full-time employees simply cannot have.
My tech-focused co-founder Matthew Mottola visualizes the human-AI relationship like below:
And the key reality shift that makes this essential: you are no longer planning for the year, you are planning for the quarter.
Tomorrow I will share more on our community call. Plus, Dr. Jon Younger will join us with an update on the state of freelance. Jon just finished speaking at Europe's largest freelance conference.
Tomorrow
HC Community Call · July 2, 2026 · 12:00 PM ET
PE Customers and the State of Freelance
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Tony Buffum Selling to Private Equity |
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Tony Buffum Selling to Private Equity |
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Matthew Mottola Buyer Demand |
Want to be part of our talent executive only community? Or do you have a question on transitioning to a talent access mindset? Reply and I'll respond asap,
- Tony
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Tony Buffum, Chief Strategy Officer Co-Founder & CSO at Human Cloud. 20+ years in global HR and talent transformation. Former CHRO at FLIR Systems, VP HR at Stanley Black & Decker, and VP HR Client Strategy at Upwork. Grab time with me » |
Kudos Pulse
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SAP Labs Hungary, Balazs Nyers, COO → beecrowd Verified
Pinata, Matt Ober, Co-founder & CTO → Remotely Verified
HC Search Trends
Here is what companies searched on Human Cloud this past week. These are real queries from real buyers exploring workforce solutions.
| Marketing | +15% this month |
| EOR | Top search since Dec, +88% this month |
| Developers | +71% this month |
| FMS | +350% this month |
| Construction | +54% this month |
| Instructional Design | +50% this month |
| Civil Engineering | +42% this month |
| AI | -24% this month |
| Fractional | -7% this month |
| Strategy | -5% this month |
Percentages are this month vs last month.
Trending Shortlists
Your peers are building these shortlists right now. Each one connects you to vetted solutions for your exact need.
Featured Shortlist · FMS
Searches surged 350% this month. If you manage contractors across multiple entities, you need a system that handles payments, compliance, and reporting in one layer.
View Shortlist →| EOR · +88% this month | View → |
| Fractional · Global | View → |
Trending Solutions: FMS
+350% this month. When you need to manage contractors across multiple entities with one system for payments, compliance, and reporting.
Copenhagen, Denmark · US + EU
Business Case — Petrol Advertising
$40,873 Saved Annually and 91% Reduction in Contract Admin Time
Petrol Advertising, an 85-person agency, ran manual invoicing, could not pay freelancers in some countries, and had no central contractor database. Worksome automated the compliance and payments layer, cutting contract admin time 91%.
91% Less Admin$40K+ SavedGlobal PaymentsSan Francisco, United States · Enterprise freelancer management
Business Case — Identity
How Identity Manages 3,000 Freelancers for Mega Events Like The Coronation
Identity needed to compliantly manage nearly 3,000 freelancers during high-profile global events including the Coronation and the first global AI Safety Summit. Worksuite automated the onboarding and compliance layer.
3,000 FreelancersGlobal EventsAutomated ComplianceTrending Solutions: EOR
Top search since December, +88% this month. When you operate across jurisdictions, these specialists run the classification, payroll, and audit layer so you stay compliant.
Portland, United States · 100+ Countries
Business Case — Boeing
Managed 800+ Contractors Across 8 International Locations via Global MSP
Boeing was carrying inflated supplier margins and country-by-country contracts with no visibility across European contingent spend. CXC ran a global MSP that expanded from 3 countries to 8+ and pulled the entire program into one governed model.
800+ Contractors8 CountriesGlobal MSPCanton, United States
Business Case — Eisenhower Health
Deployed Remote W2 Workers Across 50 States
Eisenhower Health needed to employ remote W2 workers across all 50 states without setting up entities in each one. FoxHire handled the EOR layer so workers were compliant from day one.
50 StatesW2 ComplianceHealthcareGlobal · EOR, Payroll, Tax
Business Case — Visium
Achieved 100% Compliance While Hiring Across Multiple Countries
Visium needed to hire across multiple countries without establishing local entities. Native Teams provided the EOR infrastructure to achieve full compliance while the team scaled internationally.
100% ComplianceMulti-CountryNo Local EntityTrending Solutions: Marketing
Top search this month at +15%. When you need to rebrand post-acquisition, run overflow, or launch without adding headcount, these are the teams that do it on demand.
Atlanta, United States · on-demand marketing talent
Business Case — Large Beverage Company
Improved Pitch Skills for 20 Team Members With a Six-Week Training Program
A large beverage company's in-house creative team lacked exposure to the intense environment of agency pitches. Wripple designed a six-week training program that elevated storytelling capabilities across 20 team members.
20 Team Members6-Week ProgramPitch TrainingWashington DC, United States
Business Case — Stretto
Delivered 80%+ Nationwide Adoption Through Website Redesign
Stretto needed a website redesign to drive nationwide adoption of its restructuring platform. Model B delivered a redesign that achieved over 80% adoption across target markets.
80%+ AdoptionNationwideWebsite RedesignRaleigh, United States
Business Case — Tupelo Honey Cafe
Delivered 12-Location Rebrand Under $200K
Tupelo Honey Cafe needed a full rebrand across 12 locations without the agency price tag. Uncompany delivered the complete rebrand under $200K.
12 LocationsUnder $200KFull RebrandAlso Trending
Construction and Civil Engineering are both surging (+54% and +42% this month). Your peers are looking for workforce solutions built specifically for construction and infrastructure projects.
Instructional Design rose +50% this month. As companies deploy AI tools, they need people who can design the training and change management around them.
Developers are up +71% this month. AI is changing what engineering teams look like, and companies are building hybrid teams of in-house engineers and on-demand specialists.
AI searches are down -24%. This does not mean AI is less important. It means the search is getting more specific. Companies are searching for "Developers" and "FMS" and "Strategy" instead of the generic term.
Want the shortlist for your exact need?
Search Human Cloud →PS: Need to downsize without losing institutional knowledge? Try the Downsizing Accelerator »
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