Mark Crowley

Investing

Having started my career in strategy consulting at PwC, I really found my passion after making the move to the investment world. What truly excites me about private equity is the opportunity to work closely with entrepreneurial management teams running smaller businesses, allowing me to work closer to the coal face and having a tangible role in the exciting growth journey of these companies.

With prior experience at private equity firms spanning different stages of a company’s life cycle, I’ve gained valuable insights into the multifaceted roles investors can play beyond a transaction. QPE grabbed my attention with its genuine focus on partnership and passion for adding value throughout a company’s growth journey. I derive huge satisfaction (and have learnt a great deal!) from engaging with ambitious entrepreneurs, understanding their hunger for growth, and showcasing how QPE’s distinctive approach can propel them towards their aspirations.

At QPE we actively seek out management teams who share and demonstrate our core values of Empathy, Energy and Excellence. Empathy, for us, means more than understanding; it’s about stepping into the shoes of management teams and comprehending the unique challenges and stresses they face on a day-to-day basis and the responsibility we have as investors to fulfil our roles as supportive partners on this journey.

Having lived in four different countries, from my home country of Ireland to the United States and Australia before settling in London, the experiences I’ve had have cultivated a deep sense of empathy and stressed to me the importance of understanding and valuing different ways of thinking. This mindset is crucial at QPE, where personal chemistry with our partners is vital to our operational approach. We recognise the significance of tailoring a value creation strategy for each management team, ensuring it aligns specifically with their unique needs.

Outside of the work, I have a huge passion for sports, both as a fan and a casual player. While my dreams of making it big in tennis may have shifted to more recreational pursuits like tag rugby and 5-a-side football, the competitive instinct and the satisfaction I get from playing as part of a team persist. Elsewhere, during my downtime you’ll normally find me travelling the world with my wife or friends or cheering on my hometown Leinster rugby team.