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Back in 2018\u2014when Deb Ricci\u2019s name topped the list of leading candidates to fill the CFO role at Guidehouse, a management consulting firm carve-out\u2014three career distinctions likely set her apart from other candidates.

First, Ricci was a veteran public sector executive whose finance resume included multiple chapters inside the government services sector, Guidehouse\u2019s home turf.

Second, she had worked inside private equity\u2013backed companies\u2014experience that few recruiters could ignore in light of Guidehouse being the offspring of private equity firm Veritas Capital.

Third, she had an EBITDA mind-set\u2014an unyielding orientation that allowed Ricci\u2019s lines of sight to seldom stray very far from the metrics that helped to track, measure, and deliver EBITDA.\xa0

Of course, it is just such a mind-set that has likely kept Ricci\u2019s finance leadership credentials on the radar of private equity partners. To date, she has played senior finance roles inside four private equity\u2013backed firms.

\u201cI know what they\u2019re looking for. Often I think like they think. And I find that the objectives that they\u2019re looking to achieve are the same ones that I look to achieve,\u201d explains Ricci.

Since Veritas first acquired the public sector practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018 and rebranded it as Guidehouse, the professional services firm has made headlines with its acquisition of Navigant Consulting in October of 2019, a deal that expanded Guidehouse\u2019s workforce from 2,000 to 7,000 and planted a trove of commercial clients inside Guidehouse\u2019s customer portfolio.

What\u2019s more, the Navigant organization brought along two-decade\u2013old processes and practices, whereas the Guidehouse organization had still been mapping out its internal approaches and practices. \xa0

\u201cWe were receptive to adopting some established practices, while on the Navigant side I think that they were very accepting of change\u2014so for me, this was the most successful acquisition that I\u2019ve ever been associated with,\u201d remarks Ricci.\xa0\u2013Jack Sweeney\xa0

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