From Deal Dynamics to Market Strategy: Gerald Cooper, Cambell Lutyens' Global Co-head of Secondaries, on the Secondaries Market

Consolidated 2025 Career Advice from Industry Veterans

In this episode of Secondary Snapshot, we revisit career recommendations from private equity and secondary market veterans. These senior leaders share their insights targeted at those early in their careers, but they could also be applicable to those more senior. Additionally, the group shares some insights on how to get jobs at some of the top firms in the industry.

A Perspective on Continuation Vehicles From Inside a Private Equity Fund With Berkshire Partners’ Matt Gooch

Matt Gooch, Managing Director of Business Development and Capital Markets at Berkshire Partners, joins Secondary Snapshot to discuss his career and Berkshire Partners approach to the secondary market. During the conversation, Matt shares insights from two successful GP-led transactions, emphasizing the importance of providing LPs with options while maintaining long-term trust. He concludes by advising young professionals to take calculated risks, practice gratitude, and prioritize roles that offer rigorous training and opportunity. Over the past 35 years, Berkshire has established itself as a premier private equity buyout firm, currently managing more than $30B in AUM with a team of over 125 professionals.

Matt Wesley on Rapidly Scaling Moelis' Private Capital Advisory Platform and the Latest on Continuation Vehicles

Matt Wesley, Global Head of Private Capital Advisory at Moelis & Company, joins Secondary Snapshot to discuss how he built and scaled Moelis’ private capital advisory platform, with a particular focus on the firm’s continuation vehicle (CV) advisory practice. Matt shares insights into the evolution of single-asset CVs. He unpacks key market nuances, including sell vs. roll decisions, asset-class-specific pricing dynamics, and how secondary buyers, traditional LPs, and GPs are each approaching today’s market. He closes with advice for the next generation of secondary professionals: don’t be afraid to take risks, stay excited about the opportunity ahead, and never burn bridges.

From Deal Dynamics to Market Strategy: Gerald Cooper, Cambell Lutyens' Global Co-head of Secondaries, on the Secondaries Market

Gerald Cooper, Partner and Global Co-Head of Secondaries at Campbell Lutyens, joins the Secondary Snapshot to discuss the path he took in building out his firm’s North America business across secondaries, primary, and minority GP stakes. He shares the trends that are driving how LPs and GPs are increasingly using the secondary market as an active tool to manage their portfolios. The conversation also covers sell-versus-roll decisions for allocators exposed to continuation vehicles, potential future regulation of the industry, and the rise of evergreen vehicles deploying retail capital. Gerald also shares his advice for the younger generation looking to start and excel at their careers —emphasizing the importance of intellectual curiosity, proactivity, and a strong work ethic.

From Intern to Industry Leader: Evercore’s David Markson on LP Secondaries

David Markson, Senior Managing Director of LP Secondaries at Evercore, discusses the early days of the secondary market, his rationale for joining Evercore in 2021, and the excitement of scaling a team that now represents roughly 50% of total LP secondaries volume. He also shares why LPs are seeking liquidity and how their motivations have evolved over time, the impact of retail capital entering the secondary space, and the key considerations LPs should keep in mind when looking to sell. David closes by offering advice to young professionals aspiring to enter the secondaries industry - encouraging them to stay open-minded, learn quickly, and always be willing to support senior team members.