Private Equity Business Development Directors

High School

Business development directors must be excellent communicators, so you should take as many English and speech classes as possible to build these skills. Psychology classes will help you to understand human behavior—which might give you an edge when sizing up new contacts. Other important courses include business, mathematics, economics, computer science, and marketing.

Postsecondary Education

Business development directors typically have degrees in business, finance, accounting, marketing, or sales, but people in this career come from a variety of educational backgrounds. Many firms prefer BDDs with master’s degrees in business administration. While in college, be sure to take classes that focus on private equity and other alternative investments. Some schools, such as Northwestern University, offer a specialized academic track in private equity and venture capital. Courses in Northwestern’s private equity track include Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital; Mergers and Acquisitions, LBOs, and Corporate Restructuring; Strategic Decisions in Operations; and a Private Equity Lab. The London School of Economics and Political Science offers a master’s degree in finance and private equity.

Certification

Some colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in private equity and other alternative investing fields. For example, the University of Pennsylvania offers the Wharton & Wall Street Prep Private Equity Certificate Program. To earn the certificate, students must complete the following modules: Introduction to the Private Equity Asset Class; The PE Investment Framework; The Private Equity Deal Process; Deal Structure; Private Company Analysis, Valuation & LBO Modeling, Parts 1 and 2; and Thinking Like a Private Equity Professional, Parts 1 and 2. Programs typically last six months to a year (although some are shorter) and are available in online, in-person, and hybrid formats. Contact schools in your area for information about available programs.

Other Education or Training

The Sales Management Association offers webinars, workshops, and classes that might be useful to business development professionals. Past offerings included Sales Simulations: An Emerging Platform Poised for Explosive Growth, Designing Effective Sales Processes, and Compensating Recurring Sales. Contact the association for more information.