Senior Partner – Capital and Deals — Applied-AI Portfolio

The mandate

Boards and investors increasingly need transaction advice that understands how applied-AI capability changes value, diligence and integration. General deal processes can identify financial and legal exposure, but they often miss model dependency, data rights, control maturity, product adoption and scarce-talent concentration. The Senior Partner – Capital and Deals will build sector-specific counsel that connects these factors to capital decisions and post-deal outcomes.

The relevant platform represents approximately C$700 million in AI product and services revenue and about 125 employees and material partners across Canada, Toronto and the wider region. The practice will operate across customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single transaction type. A responsible-AI control build provides a differentiating evidence base, but only if it can be translated into valuation, terms, readiness and integration decisions.

The first-year destination is board access, deal conversion and post-deal value capture. The practice should not be measured by completed diligence reports alone. Its value lies in changing whether, how and at what price capital moves, then ensuring critical assumptions are owned after closing.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created urgent role because demand and the control build now require one accountable practice leader. Interim governance protects current pursuits, but permanent ownership is needed within six to eight weeks. The hybrid Toronto appointment supports international relocation and reports to the Global Managing Partner and regional partner council.

What you will own

You will choose the sectors, transaction questions and client relationships where the practice can earn distinctive access. Propositions may cover diligence, carve-out readiness, integration, value creation or capital allocation, but each needs a clear board decision and evidence. Broad AI credentials are insufficient without a route to commercial consequence.

Origination is personal. You will build relationships with boards, investors and senior executives, qualify mandates and mobilise finance, technology, data, product, risk and people specialists. Pursuit review should establish access, independence, conflicts, decision timetable and deliverable value before senior capacity is committed.

Responsible-AI evidence must enter deal logic. You will define how model performance, control effectiveness, data provenance, deployment context and incident exposure affect valuation, warranties, conditions, integration and future investment. Teams must state uncertainty and distinguish issues that can be remedied from those undermining the thesis.

Post-deal value capture requires baseline and ownership. You will connect diligence findings with integration workstreams, leadership and benefits governance. The 125-person employee and partner perimeter needs principals able to lead multidisciplinary work and future partners who can originate independently. Reusable methods should improve consistency without replacing transaction judgement.

The practice must also make independence visible when it advises both capital providers and operating leaders. Conflict checks, information barriers and acceptance decisions should occur before sensitive evidence enters the team. Where another adviser is better placed, the Senior Partner should protect client trust by narrowing or declining the mandate rather than stretching the proposition.

The first 12 months

Within 90 days, map priority sectors, target clients, current pursuits, partner capability and adjacent firm relationships. Review completed deals to see which insights affected decisions and survived closing. Agree proposition boundaries, conflict controls, investment gates and a practice scorecard with the partner council.

From months four to nine, originate signature mandates, establish the multidisciplinary method and develop principals through consequential work. Demonstrate one case where responsible-AI evidence changes valuation, terms, capital or integration. Build post-close hand-offs into every relevant engagement and stop pursuits without genuine board access.

By year end, the practice should show recurring board access, converted mandates and measurable post-deal value capture. The next plan must reconcile qualified pipeline, partner attention, delivery capacity and talent. Provide downside actions where sectors or offerings fail demand and economics gates.

What the board will measure

The approved first-year practice case should remain within 10% of fees and investment assumptions, with early variance disclosure. Three consecutive forecasts must reconcile mandates, cash, client outcomes and capacity. A defined gap in responsible-AI transaction evidence should improve quantitatively from a verified baseline.

Priority engagement, conflict and reputation risks must close by agreed dates with proof that correction endures. Critical-talent retention should reach 90% or better, while 70% of direct reports have ready-now cover. Severe client issues require decision within 30 days and cannot be hidden from governance.

The person

You are a Senior Partner, Deals Leader or Investment Committee adviser with 22–28 years in AI, enterprise software, data infrastructure, cloud, analytics, applied research or comparable transactions. You have owned at least C$400 million in P&L, book, budget or client-value portfolio and led at least 100 people.

Your evidence spans board origination, sector-specific diligence, transaction judgement and post-close value. You can identify cases stopped or restructured and quantify how your advice changed outcome. The board expects development of principals and future partners alongside personal access. References should distinguish your role from adviser brand and client momentum.

Compensation and terms

The expected package is C$330,000–440,000 base plus annual incentive, calibrated to confirmed practice scope and current mix. Longer-term participation, if offered, follows normal vesting and performance terms. A client and conflict transition up to six months can be arranged. The role provides recurring contact with the chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors.

Confidentiality

The organisation, live deals and client information will follow reciprocal interest under an appropriate undertaking. Public scale and operating facts are deliberately composite.