For private equity operating partners
Operational value creation, sized before close and delivered in the first 100 days
We help sponsors find where a portfolio company's operating results can move, then deliver those improvements with the company's own people in fixed-scope Sprints, so the gains show in EBITDA and cash and hold after we leave.
Where we fit
Across the deal, from diligence to exit
Most of a deal's value is made in the hold, but the operating case is set before close. We work at four points along the way, from diligence to exit.
01 · Before close
Operational due diligence
“Is the operating case in the model real?”
About 2 to 5 weeks, depending on the complexity of the business
- We test the operational assumptions in the investment case.
- We size the improvement opportunities in hours and dollars.
- We flag the execution risks the model does not show, and the areas that can only be confirmed after close.
Why then: Value found before close can shape the bid and the plan, not only the hold.
02 · First 100 days
100-day value creation plan
“Which levers do we pull first, and who owns them?”
The first 100 days after close
- A value creation plan built with management, with targets they believe in.
- Each priority run as a fixed-fee Focused Value Sprint with a Day 0 success metric.
- A named Initiative Owner from the management team on every Sprint.
Why then: A plan management helped build is a plan management delivers.
03 · Through the hold
Portfolio value creation
“How do the gains hold when people and priorities change?”
Across the hold period, Sprint by Sprint
- A Program of Sprints, priced Sprint by Sprint as results come in.
- Each Initiative Owner earns a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt while delivering.
- Daily management routines that keep the gains in place.
Why then: Capability that stays is what turns a quick win into a run rate.
04 · Before exit
Exit readiness
“Will a buyer see, and trust, the improvement?”
12 to 24 months before exit
- We refresh the plan and take on the next set of levers.
- We make the gains visible in clean operating data a buyer can diligence.
- We leave a credible improvement plan for the next owner.
Why then: Gains a buyer can verify are easier to value.
The menu
Value creation Sprints by time to impact
Examples of the levers we deliver, each as a fixed-fee Sprint run by a named Initiative Owner from management. Capital programs such as footprint moves, offshoring or IT re-platforming sit outside our work; we work alongside the sponsor's other advisers on those.
Under 12 months
Quick wins, often run as parallel Sprints
- Cash conversion: receivables follow-up and billing accuracy AI and Digital Sprint
- Procurement: contract compliance, demand management and spend tracking Process Sprint
- Finance and HR processes: a faster close, reporting and simple automation Process and AI Sprints
- Performance management: KPIs, tier boards and weekly performance dialogues Process Sprint
- Labour scheduling and capacity matched to demand Process Sprint
- Front-line waste: changeovers, restocking and rework Process Sprint
12 to 24 months
Primary value levers, run as a Program of Sprints
- A Lean operating system across sites: standard work and daily management Process Sprint
- End-to-end redesign of core value streams to lower cost to serve Process Sprint
- Demand, supply and capacity planning with AI-assisted forecasting AI and Digital Sprint
- Consolidating support functions into shared services Process Sprint
- One trusted source of management data, ready for a buyer's diligence AI and Digital Sprint
- A Green Belt bench across the management team Capability
Value levers
What changes in the business
Cash conversion
Labour productivity and capacity
Cost to serve
Speed and accuracy of reporting
Data a buyer can diligence
Proof
Results on the same levers
Our case library is drawn from public bodies and private companies rather than sponsor-owned businesses; these results show the same levers working.
Investment
Commercial terms
Every Sprint is a fixed fee set at scoping, typically $15,000 to $85,000 depending on scope, with a Day 0 success metric: if we miss it, we keep working at no extra cost until we hit it. A Program of Sprints is priced Sprint by Sprint, so the sponsor commits capital in step with evidence.
Team
Who leads the work
Mayank Chadha
Managing Director
Mayank brings nearly 20 years of management consulting and operational excellence experience, including senior roles at McKinsey & Company. Before LEA, he was an operating partner at a mid-market Canadian private equity fund, leading operational diligence and value creation planning before acquisition, then delivering those plans after close and stepping into leadership, operating and board roles at portfolio companies across sectors.
Manish Singh
Lead, Operational Excellence
Manish brings 17+ years of operations and transformation experience across North America and Asia-Pacific, including senior roles at Deloitte, Boston Consulting Group, IBM and Ernst & Young, where he led cost turnaround, operational excellence and AI-enabled supply chain programs. He leads LEA's operational excellence and consulting teams and holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Track record
From our operating-partner work
Before LEA, our Managing Director was an operating partner at a mid-market Canadian private equity fund, serving in CEO, COO and board roles at its portfolio companies. Three examples from that work:
A manufacturing and services company
CEO, COO and board roles
EBITDA improved by more than 25%, and more than $1M of inventory was released, by consolidating suppliers, standardizing products and centralizing procurement. A new product family lifted revenue by 30%, and the manufacturing division was divested so the company could focus on asset rental.
A specialty manufacturer
COO and board
A facility relocation and supply chain overhaul doubled throughput and improved reliability, with inventory down more than 20% and labour cost down more than 15%.
A business services company
Board adviser
Dispatch and invoicing were redesigned and then digitized, cutting scheduler cost by 50%, improving EBITDA by about 20%, shortening cash conversion from more than 30 days to 5, and halving the time to integrate a new site.
These results were achieved before LEA and are not LEA engagements.
FAQ
Common questions
Yes. We are usually brought in to deliver specific workstreams of the value creation plan, and we report against the sponsor's plan and metrics rather than our own framework.
A Sprint's Prep stage can begin soon after signing; timing is agreed at scoping.
One named Initiative Owner per Sprint, a short weekly working session, and access to the data needed to set the Day 0 metric.
Have a portfolio company in mind?
We will tell you where we think the operating upside is, and how we would test it.