Consumer services businesses punch above their weight to land corporate development talent

By Derek Gracey, Joe Opaleski & Ilana Trembisky

Why is a $23-million business offering similar compensation to a $5.2-billion business for corporate development talent?

Despite having a fraction of the revenue, some private equity-backed consumer services companies are offering compensation on par with multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

According to our 2025 Corporate Development Compensation Report, three under-$100 million private equity portfolio companies had offers in the top 45% of others in the business and consumer services sector.

Download: 2025 Corporate Development Compensation Report

While offers aren’t always this competitive for companies of this size in this space, we believe high compensation rates are a result of growing demand for M&A talent in fragmented, recession-resistant industries that need top-tier corporate development leaders to drive their growth.

What we’re seeing overall:

In the consumer services space, corporate development compensation is growing increasingly competitive in subsectors like HVAC, roofing, plumbing and restoration.

Related: No cooldown in sight for HVAC M&A

These industries have been attractive to private equity investors for so long that smaller portfolios just now building platforms need more experienced corporate development leaders to independently source, evaluate and execute transactions while also managing post-merger integration.

This level of autonomy and responsibility not only justifies higher pay but also makes these roles particularly attractive to experienced M&A professionals looking for greater ownership in their work.

It’s also typical for these burgeoning platforms to hire one corporate development person instead of a team, therefore warranting a higher compensation package. In some cases, these individual contributors are brought in as a sole corporate development leader but tasked with building a team around them, which further merits competitive compensation.

Considerations for candidates and hiring managers

We’re seeing strong compensation trends in the consumer services sector, but it’s important to note that some of these cases are outliers and they don’t necessarily reflect the overall market rate for corporate development talent.

Related: Decoding corporate development leadership titles

Still, both large and small companies in the consumer services sector may have to raise compensation or evaluate non-monetary incentives to attract and retain top performers.

Larger organizations can offer extensive resources and brand recognition, and smaller platforms can differentiate themselves by offering high-impact roles with clear paths to advancement.

If base pay is more in line with median compensation benchmarks, candidates can typically expect stronger equity incentives or performance-based upside. Also, many consumer services companies operate in recession-resistant industries where strong exits are likely.

The takeaway:

Heightened compensation rates tracked in our report reflect the growing importance of corporate development talent in private equity-backed consumer services businesses, where M&A expertise is critical.

As demand for experienced dealmakers rises, both companies and candidates must weigh compensation, career trajectory and industry stability to make informed hiring and career decisions.

To learn more, contact Derek Gracey at (336) 217-9152 or derek.gracey@charlesaris.com.