INSIGHT

How to attract the next generation of Private Markets talent by Marina Gil Martinez, Senior Associate

29 Apr 2026
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What is the next generation of Private Markets talent looking for?

Marina is a Senior Associate in our Munich office, specialising in junior Private Markets roles across the DACH region and Iberia, where she works closely with funds to identify and place the next generation of investment professionals.

Over the past decade, PER has built strong relationships with Europe’s leading business schools, regularly advising students on entering Private Markets while gaining valuable insight into what matters most to the next generation of talent.


Marina's profile

Speaking with Europe's leading business school students

In the last 12 months, we took the opportunity to ask students one open question at each of our sessions: Which aspects are important to you when choosing a Private Markets fund?

The responses, aggregated across six presentations and hundreds of students, reveal a set of priorities that every fund looking to attract the best junior talent should take on board.

The standout finding: team and culture appeared in every single session, often as the dominant response. Compensation, by contrast, was not the primary factor, suggesting it is a hygiene factor rather than a decision driver for most candidates.
Two important findings

Brand gets you considered, culture gets you chosen

Brand and reputation appeared consistently as factors across sessions, but always below team and culture in prominence. This suggests candidates use a fund's name to build their shortlist, but make their final decision based on people and environment. Funds that rely on brand alone to attract talent may find themselves losing finalists to lesser-known competitors with a clearer cultural identity.

Sector conviction matters more than AUM

Across all six sessions, students consistently gravitated toward sector focus, industry fit, and investment approach over fund size. For candidates, a clearly articulated investment thesis and evidence that juniors get real exposure to it carries more weight than a large headline number.
What this means for hiring teams

The next generation of Private Markets professionals is sophisticated, well-informed, and selective. They are not choosing a fund; they are choosing a career environment. The firms that attract the strongest candidates will be those that can articulate not just what they invest in, but what it feels like to work there, and where a junior hire will be in the years that follow.

The message is consistent: substance wins. A clear sector thesis, a visible and accessible team, and an honest conversation about growth opportunities will outperform brand prestige that is not backed by lived experience.

This analysis is based on live polls conducted across six business school presentations between March 2025 and April 2026, covering students at HSG, TUM/LMU, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and NOVA SBE.

If you are a fund looking to sharpen your junior hiring strategy in the DACH region, or simply want to understand what tomorrow’s candidates are looking for, Marina is happy to continue the conversation. Feel free to reach out directly.