With about 21,000 private equity-backed companies in the US, according to an EY estimate last year, there are plenty of CFO jobs to fill at PE-backed companies. US PE activity last year amounted to more than 9,000 transactions and an aggregated value of more than $1.2 trillion, according to Cherry Bekaert; there are more businesses (including accounting firms) joining the ranks of portfolio companies (portcos).

Do you have the moxie, experience, or both to lead finance when you have to answer to a financial sponsor?

Before you say yes, the first thing to note is that the qualifications differ from those of a startup or corporation. For example, “large corporate CFOs are accustomed to abundant resources, established processes, and long decision cycles,” Antonia Halliday, a partner at executive recruiter Calibre One, wrote recently. “They thrive in predictability, in depth and structure.”

In contrast, a PE-backed business “is characterized by ambiguity, compressed timelines, and a constant focus on value creation. The finance function may be lean, the data messy, and the expectations high.”

Keep reading.—VR

Whenever the phrase “Covid peak levels” gets thrown around, let’s just say it’s usually not totally good news.

Holds true: Morgan Stanley analysts said default rates in private credit could climb to their highest level since the pandemic, spurred primarily by AI disruptions in the software industry, according to a note on Monday.

“In our view, AI disruption will be a meaningful catalyst to drive defaults higher in direct lending,” Morgan Stanley strategist Joyce Jiang said in a note, per CNBC. “Overall, we expect the direct lending default rates to reach 8%, approaching Covid peak levels.”

The private credit market has been on a rocky path lately, with investors pulling money from private credit funds, fearing AI disruption in the software market.

Keep reading.—NP

As more companies inch closer to a five-day, in-office workweek, some white-collar workers may feel like they’re back in the pre-pandemic workplace…

While we’re not there (yet), last month was the busiest February for office attendance since February 2019, according to a recent report from location analytics platform Placer.ai. Office visits in February were 31.9% below 2019 levels, an improvement from February 2025, when they were down 35.7%. The biggest February return-to-office push seemingly happened between 2022 and 2023, when attendance went from -65% to -44.6%.

“We continue to see gradual improvement in terms of return to office. This is obviously the best February that we’ve seen post-pandemic,” R.J. Hottovy, Placer.ai’s head of analytical research, told HR Brew. “That’s what we’re looking at for 2026. It’s this continued, gradual improvement as more people are in the office, and you see new industries like AI start to drive people back to the office.”

What else is going on? Keep reading on HR Brew.—MC