A Family Office Hired an Endowment Veteran for Private Equity: How to Map Warm Paths Into a New Head

On 22 October 2026, Miras Investments, a Middle East-based family office, announced that Matthew Lesesky had joined as global head of private equity, reporting to chief investment officer Elizabeth Hewitt. He arrives after 14 years at UNC Management Company, where he most recently oversaw private equity as a managing director on the private investment team. We cover the move itself in our LP Intelligence note on the hire. This piece is about what a fund manager does next: how to find the shortest credible route to a decision maker who has just changed seats.

Why a new head is the right moment to map paths

A new head of an asset class usually has no fixed view of which managers are in the portfolio's inner circle, and the people around him are still learning how he works. That makes the first months a window for introductions, but only a well-judged one. A cold message that reads like a mass mailing wastes it. A short, specific note that arrives through someone he already knows is far more likely to be read. We have written before about mapping warm paths to the person who actually decides inside a family office, and a new hire is the cleanest case for it.

Step one: build the map from what is public

Start with the facts the announcement gives you. Mr. Lesesky reports to Ms. Hewitt, so there are two people to understand, not one. His previous employers are named: UNC Management Company, Hatteras Funds, Pacific Corporate Group Capital Partners, Citigroup and Fusion Ventures. Each is a place where he has colleagues, counterparties and managers he has worked with. Write those five names across the top of a page and list underneath each one every person in your own network who has worked at, sold to or invested alongside that organisation. We have no information on which individuals knew him or which managers he backed, so the exercise is about finding your own overlaps, not guessing his.

Step two: rank the overlaps by strength

A warm path is only as good as the relationship behind it. Rank each overlap on three questions. Does the person know him well enough to speak for him? Do they know you well enough to speak for you? Would they say yes if asked to make the introduction today? A former colleague who worked beside him for several years and has co-invested with you is a strong path. Someone who attended the same conference is a weak one. Keep only the paths where both answers are yes, and do not count a name you have never spoken to.

Step three: use your own limited partners

Your existing limited partners are often the best route, because a recommendation from an investor already in your fund carries weight with another allocator. Check whether any of your current investors have co-invested with a family office, sit on an advisory body with a former colleague of his, or have a relationship with the family office itself. Ask them directly and be specific about what you want: a short, direct warm introduction and a line they are comfortable saying about you, not a long endorsement.

Step four: shape the ask for a family office

Family offices can invest through funds, co-investments and direct deals, and we do not know which Miras prefers. Our reading of earlier survey work is that direct deals matter to many family offices, so be ready to describe both a fund commitment and a co-investment route if your strategy supports each. Our coverage of a survey of North American family offices found that 86% invest in private markets but direct deals outweigh funds 45% to 36% of the book. That survey is about a different region, so use it as a prompt for what to prepare, not as a claim about Miras.

Step five: write the introduction note

Make it easy for the person introducing you. Give them three or four lines they can forward unchanged: who you are, the strategy and fund number, one reason it fits an investor who has run an endowment-style programme, and a single request for a short call. Do not attach a long deck. A new head will want to see your realised track record and how your fund fits alongside existing exposure, so offer a data pack on request and keep the first message light.

What to avoid

This section is our advice, not guidance from the family office. Do not message Mr. Lesesky and Ms. Hewitt separately in the same week. Do not describe him as a likely buyer of any strategy, because the announcement says nothing about preferences. Do not rely on a single path. If one contact declines, thank them and move to the next ranked overlap, and keep a record of who you asked so two people do not introduce you in the same week.

What to watch next

Watch for further hires under him, for any commitments Miras discloses, and for the next step in his own network, such as conference appearances. The same approach works for any family office that announces a new head of an asset class, and for any new hire at Miras Investments. FundLinx members can see which institutions are active in your strategy.

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