Baillie Gifford’s Alan Coffey on private markets and companies staying private for longer
INTERVIEWSERIES
Alan Coffey, Director, Private Companies, Baillie Gifford
May 2026
In this exclusive interview, Alan discusses how the continued growth of private companies is reshaping the opportunity set for long-term investors. He explains how Baillie Gifford translates its 100+ years of growth investing heritage into advantage in accessing and navigating private market opportunities today, as more companies remain private for longer.
Watch the full interview which covers:
00:14 - How is the continued growth of private companies reshaping the opportunity set for long-term investors?
01:14 - Baillie Gifford has over 100 years of growth investing experience. How does that heritage translate into an advantage in private markets today?
02:44 - How does your integrated public and private platform support your investing?
03:40 - In highly competitive private funding rounds, why do founders choose Baillie Gifford as a long-term partner?
04:50 - You have been investing in private growth companies for close to 15 years. How would you describe that journey, and what do you anticipate over the next 15?
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Alan Coffey, Director, Private Companies, Baillie Gifford
Alan is a Director in the Private Companies Team with over two decades of private equity experience. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2025 from BlackRock.
Prior to this, Alan held senior positions at Goldman Sachs and SL Capital where he was a specialist responsible for private equity capital raising across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. He began his career at Fintrax Holdings in Canberra, Australia, focusing on new business development.
Alan is a CFA Charterholder. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies (Hons) from University College Dublin in 1999, and earned a Masters in Finance (Hons) from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, Dublin, in 2001.
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