| Slade Kobran

Slade Kobran

Slade Kobran is an innovative strategic marketing executive with a proven talent for elevating the visibility, performance and profitability of growth-minded organizations. Kobran achieves these goals through the expert orchestration of branding, lead generation, market development, new product launch, and external and internal communications. He is known for his ability to identify new customer markets, products and revenue streams that generate substantial profit. Kobran’s many hats have included Chief Marketing Officer; Vice President, Strategic Initiatives; Vice President, New Business Development & Marketing Services; and Vice President, Marketing with such market leaders as Infogroup, ADP and Dun & Bradstreet.

Sales Training Programs for Maximizing Results in PE-Backed Portfolio Companies

May 20, 2025 12:58:31 PM | Posted by Martin Vann

In private equity-backed companies, sales teams face intense expectations. Growth targets are ambitious, and there’s little room for missteps. Too often, though, training is treated as a formality rather than a real opportunity to improve team performance. With the right focus, sales training can become a practical tool for building confidence, consistency, and results rather than just another item on a checklist.

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How Challenges Become Opportunities: A Conversation with Joe Grace

Apr 10, 2024 2:41:19 PM — I recently spoke with Joe Grace, a seasoned executive and long-time CMO and partner at Chief Outsiders to discuss the transformative engagement he recently completed with a medical device company. The company, which sells directly to consumers –specifically men over 60 – had been experiencing some significant growth challenges and Joe was brought in to get them back on track. I was excited about the opportunity to talk with Joe about the engagement. It was a great representation of the positive outcomes he provides for his clients as well as the passion Joe has for the work he does as a Chief Outsider.

Private Market Matters: The Rx for Growth at Healthcare Portcos

Apr 1, 2024 2:25:59 PM — Roll-ups may be all the rage for PE investors in healthcare, but today’s more patient-centric ecosystem argues for addressing organic growth as well. Here’s how to use sales and marketing savvy to upgrade value creation at every step of the deal cycle, according to fractional growth executive provider Chief Outsiders. There are few things more popular with PE investors right now than platform plays, with add-ons accounting for 75.9% of all buyout activity in 2023, according to data from PitchBook. And due to the highly fragmented nature of the US healthcare system, there’s no shortage of opportunities to scoop up enterprises around a theme, tune up the operations and sell the newly minted market leader.

Private Market Matters: Healthcare’s Power Shift

Mar 27, 2024 2:10:24 PM — Savvier patients are transforming the healthcare sector, and private equity investors would do well to invest real time, skill and effort to marketing efforts as part of their value creation plans, according to fractional growth executive provider Chief Outsiders. Healthcare has long been a sweet spot for private equity, offering plenty of opportunities for investors to do what they do best to drive returns: streamlining operations, cleaning up balance sheets, building industry platforms through M&A drives and tapping industry talent to steer companies to new heights. But as with any sector, competition for opportunities eventually drives up prices and as companies mature, value creation requires greater sophistication to deliver the massive growth that warrants fat exit multiples.

Private Equity Blog

Slade Kobran

Recent Posts

Sales Training Programs for Maximizing Results in PE-Backed Portfolio Companies

Recent Posts

How Challenges Become Opportunities: A Conversation with Joe Grace

Private Market Matters: The Rx for Growth at Healthcare Portcos

Private Market Matters: Healthcare’s Power Shift

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