Podcasts about investment banking division

Kim Flynn, President of XA Investments, discusses her 25-year career in asset management, focusing on alternative investments. She highlights the challenges faced during the 2008 financial crisis at Nuveen Investments, where she refinanced $15 billion in frozen auction rate securities. Flynn explains the structure and benefits of closed-end funds, particularly interval funds, which offer periodic liquidity. She details XA Investments' three SEC-registered closed-end funds with $900 million in assets, emphasizing private credit strategies with yields ranging from 9% to 15%. Flynn also explores the potential of alternative investments like farmland, infrastructure, and crypto, noting their role in portfolio diversification and income generation. Note: this episode contains general information only and is not financial or investment advice. Please let Gene know your thoughts on this episode by emailing him at contact@economicsexplored.com.About Kimberly Ann FlynnKimberly Ann Flynn is a President at XA Investments. She is a partner in the firm and responsible for all product and business development activities. Kim is responsible for the firm's proprietary fund platform and consulting practice. Kim has developed an expertise in closed-end fund product development and is a frequent contributor to media and industry events on topics including interval funds, alternative investments and London-listed investment companies. Kim has earned the CFA designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Chicago. She is also Series 7, 63 and 24 licensed.Previously, Kim was Senior Vice President and Head of Product Development for Nuveen Investments' Global Structured Products Group. In her 11 years at Nuveen, she helped develop over 40 closed-end funds, raising approximately $13 billion in capital. In her leadership role at Nuveen, Kim was responsible for asset-raising activities through the development of new, traditional and alternative investment funds, including CEFs, ETFs, UITs and commodity pools.Kim received her MBA degree from Harvard University, where she was a William J. Carey scholar and President of the HBS Volunteers. Before attending Harvard Business School, Kim spent three years working in Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division (1999-2002) in their Chicago office. She earned her BBA in Finance and Business Economics, summa cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 where she was a valedictorian candidate, Rhodes Scholar finalist and the first recipient of the Paul F. Conway Award, given to a senior in the Department of Finance who embodies Notre Dame's tradition of excellence and who enriches the ideals of the university.Kim was recently selected to serve on the Notre Dame Wall Street leadership committee. She also serves on the board of the Women in ETFs Chicago chapter as Head of the Mentorship Committee and on the advisory board of Youth Guidance's Becoming A Man program. She is an active member of the University Club of Chicago and the Harvard Club of New York City, where she conducts regular business. Kim and her family - husband, Leo; son, Teddy; and daughter, Rose - live in Lincoln Park.TimestampsIntroduction (0:00)Kim Flynn's Career Journey (3:09)Experience During the 2008 Financial Crisis (4:41)Development of New Financial Products Post-Crisis (7:17)Understanding Closed-End Funds and Interval Funds (8:48)Investment Strategies and Alternative Assets (21:01)Energy Investments and ESG Considerations (29:02)Gold, Crypto, and the Role of FinTech (31:36)Evaluating Asset Managers and Investment Strategies (35:03)Investment Outlook and Market Dynamics (47:07)TakeawaysAlternative Investments Offer Diversification: Kim Flynn explains that alternative investments, including real estate, private credit, and farmland, provide diversification benefits, reducing reliance on traditional stocks and bonds.Liquidity Management is Crucial: Interval funds allow limited liquidity for investors, making them suitable for illiquid asset classes like private equity and real estate.Lessons from the 2008 Crisis: Kim shares her experience during the financial crisis, where she managed funds impacted by frozen liquidity, highlighting the importance of flexibility and innovation.Private Credit and Farmland Are Popular: Kim notes that private credit and farmland investments have seen significant interest due to their yield potential and inflation protection.Understanding Liquidity Premiums: Kim emphasizes that investors should seek a 300-400 basis point premium for illiquid investments compared to equivalent public market assets.Links relevant to the conversationKim's bio on the XA Investments website:https://xainvestments.com/team/US Treasury webpage on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP):https://home.treasury.gov/data/troubled-asset-relief-programLumo Coffee promotion10% of Lumo Coffee's Seriously Healthy Organic Coffee.Website: https://www.lumocoffee.com/10EXPLOREDPromo code: 10EXPLORED Full transcripts are available a few days after the episode is first published at www.economicsexplored.com.

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.Today's conversation features a live podcast that takes place at BTG Pactual's NYC office for an audience in private markets.We are joined by Todd Owens, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cantilever Group, where BTG Pactual is an investor.Cantilever is an independent firm focused on providing capital solutions to middle market asset managers. The firm's capital can be used to accelerate growth, support acquisitions or liftouts, fund GP commitments, seed new strategies, facilitate generational ownership transfer, and provide liquidity to founders. Cantilever focuses on asset management firms that have enterprise values between $50M and $500M. The team has executed on over $500M of GP stakes, financing, and seeding transactions as both investors and principals. The team's advisory experience working with stakes funds includes over 15 GP stakes transactions, multiple GP stakes portfolio financings, numerous GP and BDC IPOs, and dozens of asset management financing and control transactions.Cantilever is working with two strategic partners as they build their firm: BTG Pactual, the ~$30B market cap Brazilian bank and wealth and asset manager has invested into Cantilever's fund, and Broadhaven Ventures, the principal investment arm of Broadhaven Capital Partners.Todd has over 30 years of experience as an advisor covering financial institutions and as a senior financial services executive. Prior to founding Cantilever, Todd has been a Partner at Broadhaven Capital Partners, an independent financial services focused investment bank that's completed over $100B in announced M&A transaction volume, as well as the former CEO of Fifth Street Finance. Todd began his career at Goldman, Sachs & Co, spending 24 years including as a Managing Director and Partner in the Investment Banking Division.Todd and I had a fascinating conversation about the GP stakes space and why the middle market represents a compelling part of the asset management ecosystem as the industry undergoes change and consolidation. We discussed:The early days of alternative asset managers going public.The evolution of the GP stakes market.The role that GP stakes investing can play in the growth of alternative asset managers.How and why GP stakes has shades of private equity, private credit, and secondaries in a single strategy. A tale of two cities — the upper end of the market and the middle-market.What will liquidity look like in the GP stakes space?Thanks Todd for sharing your wisdom and views on GP stakes and asset management.Subscribe to Alt Goes Mainstream to receive the weekly newsletter every Sunday and all of AGM's podcasts.Show Notes00:38 Welcome to the Alt Goes Mainstream Podcast00:40 Live Podcast at BTG Pactual's New York City Office00:49 Introducing Todd Owens and Cantilever Group02:26 Welcome to Alt Goes Mainstream Live03:04 Todd's Background and Perspective03:29 The Early Days of Minority Equity04:28 Alternative Asset Managers Going Public04:53 The Success of Public Offerings05:32 Evolution of the GP Stakes Market05:58 The Financial Crisis and Market Evolution06:14 Understanding the Asset Management Business06:47 Public vs. Private Market Perceptions08:07 Middle Market Opportunities08:37 The Role of GP Stakes in Firm Growth09:05 Different Approaches to Building a Business09:15 Lessons from advising Oaktree and Ares09:27 Strategic Planning in Asset Management10:14 Sophistication in the Middle Market10:45 The Future of GP Stakes and Asset Management11:48 Differences Between Upper and Middle Markets14:46 Opportunities in the Lower Middle Market16:03 The Persistence of the Middle Market17:58 Wealth Channel and Private Markets18:48 Evolution of Wealth Management20:04 Democratization of Alternatives20:24 GP Stakes as an Investment Strategy20:54 GP Stakes: The Best of All Worlds?20:59 Investment Strategies and Market Trends22:08 Private Credit vs. GP Stakes22:58 Betting on Private Markets Growth23:17 Long Duration Capital in GP Stakes23:47 Liquidity in the GP Stake Space24:22 Managing Portfolio and Realizations25:01 The Need for Liquidity Solutions25:19 Quick Fire Questions25:26 Favorite Asset Class in 2025?26:06 Next Firm to Go Public?26:16 Challenges of Merging Large Firms27:21 Future of Middle Market GP Stakes28:07 Conclusion: Live Podcast Wrap-Up28:12 Thank You and Closing Remarks Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.In this episode, I have the pleasure of conversing with Gaurav Mathur, Partner at Pinegrove Capital Partners. Together, we dive into the evolving venture capital landscape, focusing on liquidity solutions and the rise of secondary markets. Gaurav shares insights from his extensive experience, discussing the growth in assets under management, the trend of companies staying private longer, and the changing dynamics for limited partners. We explore mechanisms for generating liquidity, such as continuation funds, strip sales, and secondary tenders, emphasizing the importance of alignment between general partners and limited partners.About Gaurav Mathur and Pinegrove:Gaurav Mathur is a Partner at Pinegrove Capital Partners. Gaurav Mathur is a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience in investment banking and venture capital. In 2023, he co-founded Pinegrove with Brian Laibow through the backing of a $500 million commitment from Sequoia Heritage and Brookfield.THE ORGPrior to founding Pinegrove, Gaurav spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs as a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division, leading the US Equity Private Markets. He began his career at PwC in the Dispute Analysis & Investigations Group. Gaurav holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Commerce from the University of Virginia.Pinegrove Capital Partners is a venture investment platform that offers tailored solutions for fund managers, founders, and limited partners within the venture capital ecosystem. Their expertise includes fund of funds, venture debt funds, venture secondaries, and co-investments.With combined assets under management exceeding $10 billion, Pinegrove is supported by sponsors such as Sequoia Heritage and Brookfield Asset Management. In May 2024, an affiliate of Pinegrove, backed by these sponsors, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SVB Capital, the investment platform business of SVB Financial Group. This transaction was completed in September 2024. Topics in this conversation include:* Growth of AUM in Venture Capital (3:53)* Data-Driven Insights on Liquidity (6:11)* Private Markets Growth Forecast (11:03)* Mechanisms for Generating Liquidity (17:00)* Alignment in Continuation Structures (21:28)* Sizing Continuation Funds (29:44)* Exploring Strip Sales (31:36)* NAV Lending as a Liquidity Tool (34:00)* Growth of Liquidity Solutions (37:35)* Technology's Role in Liquidity (41:14)* Final Thoughts and Takeaways (45:55)I'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Gaurav Mathur. Follow me @samirkaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked.If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com

On this episode of the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show, Wayne Kimmel interviewed Dylan Robbins, CEO of our portfolio company, Lucra. Lucra, an emerging market leader in social gamification technology, today announced it has raised $10 million led by SeventySix Capital, 7GC, Steve Kuhn, and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, alongside a who's who of professional team owners and athletes. Additional prominent investors and advisors in the company include professional team owners Marc Lasry (ex-Milwaukee Bucks), Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons), and Dennis Wong (LA Clippers), former WNBA president Donna Orender, tennis champions John Isner and James Blake, NFL players Zach Ertz and Emmanuel Sanders, and more. Robbins is currently Founder & CEO of Lucra Sports. Prior to Lucra - Robbins founded and sold Lifetime Vintage, a wine e-commerce platform focused on making wine more approachable. Before diving into entrepreneurship, Robbins started his career at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division. He is a graduate of Stanford Business School and Duke University, and currently lives in New York City. Lucra: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucra-sports/ X: https://twitter.com/LucraSports Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucrasports/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucrasports YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMKf_D_n80bE9OjegIcPRJA Dylan Robbins: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-robbins-56338b63/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drobzingis/

Hasseeb Rahman is Portfolio Manager at The Palisades Group and has been with the Firm since 2014. He is responsible for overseeing the deployment and management of various fund strategies and vehicles, ensuring their effective implementation. As co-leader of the Portfolio Management Team, Mr. Rahman plays a vital role in shaping and executing the Firm's investment strategy. Additionally, he has been actively involved in all aspects of People Operations at the Firm. Prior to joining Palisades, Mr. Rahman worked as a Senior Analyst in the Investment Banking Division at Raymond James. During his tenure there, he executed transactions within the Financial Institutions Group, focusing on the Asset Management, Banks, and Insurance sectors. Mr. Rahman's transaction experience includes advisory services for private equity and debt placements, sell-side and buy-side advisory, as well as public debt and equity transactions. He earned a BA in Applied Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis. Listen to this insightful RIA episode with Haseeb Rahman about building a global residential credit empire. Here is what to expect on this week's show: - How Palisades operates with two main business verticals: advisory services for large institutions and discretionary capital vehicles. - How Palisades' funds are structured as close-end private equity-style vehicles with typical investment periods of 2-3 years and harvesting periods of 3-4 years. - Why Palisades may explore more permanent capital vehicles in the future, like open-ended evergreen funds. - How Palisades' growth has not been linear and faced challenges before scaling through effective use of data and technology. - How the shift in the housing market has allowed Palisades to grow in a more predictable manner. Connect with Haseeb: Links Mentioned: https://www.palisades.us.com/ X: @palisades_group LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-palisades-group-llc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today marks the launch of a new show on Alt Goes Mainstream: What's Your Edge?Every person, every company, every fund has something that makes them special.Makes them stand out from the crowd.Gives them an unfair advantage.Tips the scales in favor of success.In this episode,  I ask our special guest, Bob Long, “What's Your Edge?”Bob Long is CEO of StepStone Group's Stepstone Private Wealth. He has three decades of experience in the private markets and has led investment teams for global firms in both the general partner and the limited partner role. He has served as the CEO of two publicly-traded companies focused on expanding private market access for high net worth investors.Prior to StepStone Private Wealth, Bob was the CEO of OHA Investment Corporation, a publicly-traded specialty finance company. Previously, he co-founded Conversus Capital, the largest publicly traded fund of third-party private equity funds with $3 billion of AUM and served as its CEO. Previously, he led Bank of America's $7 billion strategic capital division. Early in his career, Bob served as the lead in-house counsel for a large portion of Bank of America's Investment Banking Division and worked as a securities lawyer for a major law firm.A recognized industry leader, Bob was named one of 50 “GameChangers” by Private Equity International, has been profiled in the WSJ, and hosted CNBC Squawk Box Europe on numerous occasions.On today's podcast, Bob and I discuss the nuances of evergreen funds and the unique features and offerings of StepStone Private Wealth's evergreen strategies.Thanks Bob for coming on the show to share your wisdom, experience, and your edge.Show Notes00:00 Introduction00:38 Welcome to What's Your Edge?01:01 Meet StepStone Private Wealth CEO Bob Long: A Leader in Private Markets03:09 Lessons from Public Markets04:34 Evergreen Fund Structure05:27 Benefits of Evergreen Funds06:25 Immediate Investment Advantage07:20 Evergreen Funds and Financial Advisors07:35 Evergreen Fund Liquidity08:04 StepStone's Approach to Evergreen Funds09:09 StepStone's Strategy and Structure09:32 Balancing Inflows and Outflows10:34 Importance of Deal Flow11:04 Balancing Liquidity and Returns11:56 StepStone's Competitive Advantage13:52 Portfolio Construction14:57 Diversification in Private Markets16:06 Evergreen Fund Structures19:44 Liquidity in Private Markets27:57 Key Takeaways for Investors29:53 Operational Due Diligence Essentials30:13 Key Questions for Evergreen Fund Structures30:36 Understanding Fee Structures30:42 Management Fees and Leverage31:33 Incentive Fees Explained32:19 Administrative Costs and Transparency32:34 Fee Compression in Evergreen Funds34:11 Portfolio Construction Strategies34:24 Investing in Secondaries37:10 Psychology of Allocators38:04 Accessibility and Minimum Investments38:43 Investor Profiles and Strategies40:36 Transparency and Performance41:40 Rebalancing and Evergreen Funds43:10 Model Portfolios and Private Markets45:19 StepStone's Investor-Centric Approach46:15 StepStone's Competitive Edge48:31 Growth of Secondaries and Private Markets51:37 Future Trends in Private Markets55:30 Philanthropy and Purposeful Stewardship

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.Today's podcast dives into the continued innovation in the GP stakes space with someone who has advised some of the industry's largest firms on their businesses and going public.We are joined by Todd Owens, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cantilever Group. Cantilever is an independent firm focused on providing capital solutions to middle market asset managers. Their capital can be used to accelerate growth, support acquisitions or liftouts, fund GP commitments, seed new strategies, facilitate generational ownership transfer, and provide liquidity to founders. They focus on businesses that have enterprise values between $50mm and $500mm. The team has executed on over $500M of GP stake, financing, and seeding transactions as both investors and principals. Their advisory experience working with stakes funds includes over 15 GP stakes transactions, multiple GP stakes portfolio financings, numerous GP and BDC IPOs, and dozens of asset management financing and control transactions.Cantilever is working with two strategic partners as they build their firm: BTG Pactual, the near $30B market cap Brazilian bank and wealth and asset manager has committed 9 figures into Cantilever's fund, and Broadhaven Ventures, the venture capital arm of Broadhaven Capital Partners.Todd has over 30 years of experience as an advisor covering financial institutions and as a senior financial services executive. Prior to founding Cantilever, Todd has been a partner at Broadhaven Capital Partners, an independent financial services focused investment bank that's completed over $90B in announced M&A transaction volume, as well as the former CEO of Fifth Street Finance. Todd began his career at Goldman, Sachs & Co, spending 24 years including as a Managing Director and Partner in the Investment Banking Division. Todd and I had a fascinating discussion about how funds are becoming firms and why there's an investment opportunity around that transformation. We discussed:The evolution of alternative asset managers from Todd's perspective as a banker to many alternative asset managers.Why GP stakes has become a solution for alternative asset managers.Why and how alternative asset managers are businesses and why it can make sense for them to take investment to grow.The benefits of GP stakes for investors and why the growing AUM of private markets means investors could benefit from exposure to GP ownership.The risks and challenges with GP stakes as an investment strategy.Why the middle market is an underserved and attractive segment in alternative asset management.What the currency of consolidation will look like in alternative asset management.What it means to grow and evolve a business as an alternative asset manager.Thanks Todd for coming on the show to share your wisdom and experience on the evolution of asset management from your 30 years in the industry. We hope you enjoy.A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Ultimus Fund SolutionsThis episode of Alt Goes Mainstream is brought to you by Ultimus Fund Solutions, a leading full-service fund administrator for asset managers in private and public markets. As private markets continue to move into the mainstream, the industry requires infrastructure solutions that help funds and investors keep pace. In an increasingly sophisticated financial marketplace, investment managers must navigate a growing array of challenges: elaborate fund structures, specialized strategies, evolving compliance requirements, a growing need for sophisticated reporting, and intensifying demands for transparency.To assist with these challenging opportunities, more and more fund sponsors and asset managers are turning to Ultimus, a leading service provider that blends high tech and high touch in unique and customized fund administration and middle office solutions for a diverse and growing universe of over 450 clients and 1,800 funds, representing $500 billion assets under administration, all handled by a team of over 1,000 professionals. Ultimus offers a wide range of capabilities across registered funds, private funds and public plans, as well as outsourced middle office services. Delivering operational excellence, Ultimus helps firms manage the ever-changing regulatory environment while meeting the needs of their institutional and retail investors. Ultimus provides comprehensive operational support and fund governance services to help managers successfully launch retail alternative products.Visit www.ultimusfundsolutions.com to learn more about Ultimus' technology enhanced services and solutions or contact Ultimus Executive Vice President of Business Development Gary Harris on email at gharris@ultimusfundsolutions.com.We thank Ultimus for their support of alts going mainstream.Show Notes00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message01:18 Podcast Opening and Theme01:59 Introduction to Todd Owens and Cantilever Group03:10 Todd Owens' Career Background04:39 Early Days of Alternative Asset Management08:28 Challenges and Opportunities in Alternative Asset Management10:00 Cantilever's Focus on the Middle Market11:35 Investment Opportunities in the Middle Market13:50 Identifying and Investing in Promising Managers16:24 Insights from Working with Founders18:42 Sizing Up the Middle Market Opportunity19:49 Sourcing and Structuring Investments21:16 Offering Diverse Financial Solutions23:15 Evaluating and Picking the Right Managers25:54 Identifying Investment Opportunities26:16 Winning Deals: Strategies and Insights26:51 Providing Strategic Capital and Advisory27:58 Focusing on Growth and Diversification29:18 Underwriting and Growth Expectations31:15 Exit Strategies and Market Dynamics33:13 Diversification and Portfolio Construction34:29 Revenue Streams and Valuation35:54 Cantilever's Market Edge37:33 Strategic Partnerships and Support39:01 Founders' Perspective and Industry Insights41:01 Cantilever's Unique Value Proposition42:40 Leadership and Influences43:34 Concerns and Challenges46:05 Reflections and Future Outlook

About Ian Wijaya:Ian Wijaya is the Co-Head of Lazard's North America Healthcare practice. Ian joined Lazard in 2011 and co-founded the Firm's healthcare services practice, with a focus on M&A, strategic advisory, and recapitalization advisory for managed care insurance payers, providers across the continuum of care (e.g., acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, post-acute care, etc.), PBMs, distributors, payor and provider services companies, HCIT, and digital health companies.Ian is a member of Lazard's Opinion Committee and the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Healthcare, as well as a Corporate Leader on the Council on Foreign Relations.Ian has advised on more than $250 billion of corporate finance transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, financial restructurings and reorganizations, joint ventures, and other matters, and has advised on several of the largest and most transformative M&A transactions in healthcare, including three of the largest in recent history.Prior to joining Lazard, Ian was an investment banker at Greenhill & Co. in New York, where he focused on healthcare M&A but also provided M&A advice to companies in the technology and retail sectors. Prior to Greenhill & Co., he worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs & Co. and the financial restructuring group of Houlihan Lokey in New York.Ian has an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategy from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a B.A. (cum laude) from Dartmouth College.Things You'll Learn:The candid examination of market barriers and what it takes to finalize deals in turbulent times.The healthcare tech market demands investments in businesses with sustainable unit economics and the potential for operating leverage, promoting a balance between profit and growth.Strategic buyers and private equity are looking for healthcare services that can enhance supply chain visibility, manage costs efficiently, and improve patient outcomes through tech-enabled solutions.AI stands poised to revolutionize healthcare across several domains, with an emphasis on clinical decision support, population health management, and automation of administrative tasks.AI in healthcare will likely boom in 3 areas: clinical support, population health management, and operational automation. Resources:Connect with and follow Ian Wijaya on LinkedIn.Learn more about Lazard on their LinkedIn and website.

 The two happiest days of owning a boat are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it….other than when you are the lender to a Super Yacht manufacturer. If banks aren't lending nowadays, then who is? Time for some discussion on the highly demanded World of private credit. Epsilon Direct Lending specialise in lending to some of Australia and New Zealand's most respected mid-market companies, from IT through to coffee roasters. Epsilon provide institutional and wholesale investors with stable and attractive returns, with the Founders having sourced and arranged several billions of dollars of direct loans. Joe Millward is a Founding Partner of Epsilon Direct Lending and a member of the Investment Committee. Joe has 25 years of experience in a career covering direct lending funds management, growth, and event-driven corporate financing, business strategy, compliance, operations, and finance across Europe and Australia. Joe was most recently an Executive Manager in CBA's corporate bank. He previously held the roles of Chief Operating Officer of the Corporate & Investment Banking Division at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Australia and Head of Loan Funds at the Royal Bank of Scotland pc's asset management business. Joe is a fully qualified accountant and fellow member of the ACCA. During this podcast, Craig holds an in-depth discussion with Joe on the intricacies of lending to mid-market companies, how a deal is assessed and approved, through to lessons learned during his successful career in establishing one of Australia's most reputable direct corporate lending companies. Disclaimer: The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

On this episode of the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show, Wayne Kimmel interviewed Dylan Robbins, CEO of Lucra, and Michael Madding, COO of Lucra. Our SeventySix Capital portfolio company, Lucra, is the leading technology provider of gamification services. Their B2B technology facilitates cash, e-commerce, or cashless contests on partner platforms. Lucra's white-label Software Development Kit (SDK) provides partners with a comprehensive, turnkey solution to embed gamification technology directly into their platforms. This innovation offers features previously unavailable to enterprise Partners, including real-money, peer-to-peer contests within their platforms. Madding is currently the COO of Lucra. Prior to Lucra, he spent six years at Goldman Sachs, working across its Investment Banking and Executive Office divisions in San Francisco, Madrid, and New York. He is a graduate of Stanford Business School and Williams College (where he played Varsity Soccer) and currently lives in London, England. Robbins is currently Founder & CEO of Lucra Sports. Prior to Lucra - Robbins founded and sold Lifetime Vintage, a wine e-commerce platform focused on making wine more approachable. Before diving into entrepreneurship, Robbins started his career at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division. He is a graduate of Stanford Business School and Duke University, and currently lives in New York City. Lucra: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucra-sports/ X: https://twitter.com/LucraSports Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucrasports/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucrasports YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMKf_D_n80bE9OjegIcPRJA Dylan Robbins: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-robbins-56338b63/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drobzingis/ Michael Madding: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-madding-13ba9522/ X: https://twitter.com/MichaelMadding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelgmadding/

Welcome back to another season of the more we know. Because the more we know, the more we grow! Your mentor today is the FORMER CEO of P.F. Changs, which you may have dined at! We dived into all things business, leadership, including getting up at 4 am to workout!! Damola Adamolekun is an Operating Partner at Garnett Station Partners and the former Chief Executive Officer of the global restaurant chain P.F. Chang's, where he led the company in strategic initiatives ensuring the continued growth and success of one of the most important hospitality brands in the world.Mr. Adamolekun also previously served as a Partner at Paulson & Co., a New York based investment firm, and the principal owner of P.F. Chang's, where he played a vital role in the sourcing and subsequent management of several of the firm's largest investments.Previously, Mr. Adamolekun has worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs and as a Private Equity Associate at TPG Capital. Mr. Adamolekun previously served on the boards of P.F. Chang's, Inday, the National Restaurant Association, and International Tower Hill Mines (NYSE: THM), and was a Board Observer for Bausch Health Companies (NYSE: BHC).In 2021, Mr. Adamolekun was recognized with three GLOBEE Leadership Gold awards for CEO of the Year: Food and Beverage, CEO of the Year: Hospitality, Travel, Recreation, Leisure, and Top CEO of the Year: The Rising Star, as well as a GLOBEE Leadership Silver award for CEO Achievers: Transformational Leader of the Year, while in 2022 he was named in Nation's Restaurant News' Power List among the most innovative and inspiring leaders in the restaurant industry.Mr. Adamolekun received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Brown University, where he was a member of the Ivy League champion Brown Football team and served as President of the Brown Investment Group, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he served as Portfolio Manager for the HBS Investment Club.Listen To The More We Know ⇨ https://www.buzzsprout.com/1134704​Subscribe ⇨https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvfd5ddf72Btbck8SdeyBwFollow my Instagram ⇨ https://www.instagram.com/sameer.sawaqed/?hl=enFollow my Twitter ⇨ https://twitter.com/commitwithmeer

About This EpisodeCara Shortsleeve, CEO of The Leadership Consortium, exemplifies the delicate balance between strength and vulnerability in leadership. Her early lessons of inclusion and empowerment growing up have translated into a leadership style that's as inclusive as it is decisive. Throughout this episode, she delves into the importance of trust and transparency as a leader as well as the significance of self-evaluation. Cara describes how The Leadership Consortium, co-founded by Frances Frei and Anne Morris, came about as a leadership development platform for high potential and diverse leaders that aims to proactively cultivate cultural excellence. Tune in for an insightful episode around authentic leadership, including how to foster confidence, vulnerability, and trust for yourself and your team. About Cara ShortsleeveCara Shortsleeve is the CEO at The Leadership Consortium (TLC), a leadership development platform for high potential and diverse leaders. Cara joined Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and Thinkers50 author Anne Morriss to launch and scale the business in 2018. Since that time, TLC has forged strong enterprise partnerships with 80+ companies (including Google, Walmart, IBM, ServiceNow, L'Oreal, State Farm, the NBA, and dozens more) in 50+ countries. The ROI for clients is real: TLC has accelerated 4,500+ leaders, 97% of whom say TLC increased their confidence and 99% of whom report increased goodwill toward their employer. Prior to joining TLC, Cara spent 10+ years in various leadership roles at Google and YouTube- most recently focusing on commercial and product strategy as a Global Director for GTM at YouTube. Previously, she helped launch and scale Google's east coast, mid-market sales presence in Boston, MA. Before Google, Cara managed the US running apparel business at New Balance, served as a Sales Director for Hind/Saucony, and spent three years with Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division. Cara received her BA from Williams College and her MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives near Boston with her husband and three children. Additional ResourcesWebsite: www.theleadershipconsortium.orgLinkedIn: @CaraShortsleeve

For this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast, DCF's editors sat down with James Walker, BEng, MSc, CEng, PEng, CEO and board member of Nano Nuclear Energy Inc., and Jay Jiang Yu, Nano Nuclear Energy's founder, executive chairman and president, for a discussion regarding industry news and technology updates surrounding small modular reactor (SMR) and microreactor nuclear onsite power generation systems for data centers. James Walker is a nuclear physicist and was the project lead and manager for constructing the new Rolls-Royce Nuclear Chemical Plant; he was the UK Subject Matter Expert for the UK Nuclear Material Recovery Capabilities, and was the technical project manager for constructing the UK reactor core manufacturing facilities. Walker has extensive experience in engineering and project management, particularly within nuclear engineering, mining engineering, mechanical engineering, construction, manufacturing, engineering design, infrastructure, and safety management. He has executive experience in several public companies, as well as acquiring and re-developing the only fluorspar mine in the U.S. Jay Jiang Yu is a serial entrepreneur and has over 16 years of capital markets experience on Wall Street. He is a private investor in a multitude of companies and has advised a magnitude of private and public company executives with corporate advisory services such as capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, structured financing, IPO listings, and other business development services. He is a self-taught and private self-investor whose relentless passion for international business has helped him develop key, strategic and valuable relationships throughout the world. Yu leads the corporate structuring, capital financings, executive level recruitment, governmental relationships and international brand growth of Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. Previously, he worked as an analyst as part of the Corporate & Investment Banking Division at Deutsche Bank in New York City. Here's a timeline of key points discussed during the podcast: 0:22 - Nano Nuclear Energy Expert Introductions 1:38 - Topic Set-up Re: DCF Senior Editor David Chernicoff's recent data center microreactor and SMR explorations. 1:59 - How microreactors might impact the data center industry. (Can time-to-market hurdles be shrunk?) 2:20 - Chernicoff begins the interview with James and Jay. How the NuScale project difficulties in the SMR segment resulted in the DoD pulling back on preliminary microreactor contracts in Alaska due to market uncertainties directly related to NuScale.  3:23 - Perspectives on NuScale and nuclear power. 4:21 - James Walker on NuScale vs. microreactor prospects:  "They have a very good technology. They're still the only licensed company out there, and they probably will bounce back from this. It's not good optics when people are expecting product to come out of the market. And NuScale was to be the first, but market conditions and the structure of SPACs and the lack of us infrastructure can all complicate what they want to do. Half the reason for them taking so long is because the infrastructure was not in place to support what they wanted to do.  But even hypothetically, even if the SMR market, as an example, was to collapse, microreactors are really targeting a very different area of market. SMRs are looking to power cities and big things like that. Microreactors, you're looking at mine sites, charging stations, free vehicles, disaster relief areas, military bases, remote habitation, where they principally fund all their energy using diesel. It's kind of hitting a different market. So even if the SMR market goes away, there's still a huge, tremendous upside, potential untapped market in the microreactor space." 5:39 - DCF Editor in Chief Matt Vincent asks, "What's the pros and cons of the prospects for microreactors versus what we're commonly thinking about in terms of SMR for data centers?" 5:51 - Nano Nuclear's James Walker responds:  "I would start with the advantages of microreactors over SMR. It's smaller, it'll be cheaper, it'll be safer, it'll be more deployable, you'll have far more economies of scale of producing hundreds of these things. They're easier to decommission, remove, they're easier to take apart.  I mean, logistically, shipping these things around the world as if they were diesel generators is a very feasible prospect. Opex cost will be far lower. Personnel that need to be involved in the day to day physical operation will be negligible.  Where the disadvantage of a microreactor is, is that SMRs would provide a cheaper form of electricity. But as SMRs are providing for cities, microreactors are more for remote locations, remote industrial projects, remote data centers, those kind of things.  You're really competing with sort of the high costs of remote diesel.  As an example, we were speaking with some Canadian government officials and they were saying [with] some of their remote habitations, they can have a community of 800 people, but it still costs $10 million US in fuel alone, ignoring all of the logistical costs of bringing that fuel in on a daily basis, just to power those remote communities that have no possibility of being hooked up to a grid because it's too far.  And that would be the same for all sorts of things, like if you want a remote data center, remote or mining operations, remote industrial projects, oil and gas things, then microreactors aren't really competing with SMRs on cost." 7:33 - Data Center Frontier's David Chernicoff asks: "We're a data center publication, so that obviously is a lot of interest to us, and you pointed out how diesel is the primary methodology for backup power for data centers.  I realize no one has actually shipped a microreactor yet in this form factor. But one of the advantages, for example, that comes from Project PELE from the US DoD was the decision to standardize on Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) fuel so that for anybody building one, now, the whole issue of building infrastructure to provide the fuel is significantly simplified.  Realistically (and obviously we're asking you to make a projection here, but), when you're able to deliver microreactors at any sort of scale, will they be competitive with diesel generators in the data center space? And I would also allow for you to say, well, diesel generators also have to deal with all the emissions issues, environmental concerns, greenhouse gases, et cetera, that are not issues with a containerized nuclear power plant. So will there be a realistic model there?" 8:45 - James Walker compares the financing costs of diesel generators vs. microreactors. 9:28 - Walker offers this forecast: "With competing with diesel generators, once the infrastructure [for nuclear] is built back up, and you have deconversion facilities and enrichment facilities able to produce High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel, and companies are able to source this stuff very readily, the capital costs come down markedly. And that'll be the same for people like NuScale. Then there'll be an optimization period, typically, I would expect over an eight-year period of launch. So, say microreactors launch in 2030, nearing 2040, I believe the cost will be competitive with diesel by that point. Because the optimization will kick in, the infrastructure will all be in place. And the economies of scale over which these things are being produced means that, yes, you'll essentially have a nuclear battery that can compete with diesel, that can give you 15 years of clean energy, at a cheaper rate. That's what the projections show currently." 10:31 - Discussion point clarifying that nuclear microreactors for battery backup are being positioned for replacement of diesel generation, as distinct from SMR power plant options. 12:00 - Walker explains how the power range of microreactors can vary. SMRs will give you 100 MW of power for enormous data centers and AI, but microreactors allow for data centers to be sited anywhere. If more power for a larger facility is needed, multiple microreactors can serve into the microgrid at the location. 12:50 - Nano Nuclear's Jay Jiang Yu notes, "We've been contacted by Bitcoin mining companies as well, because they want to actually power their data centers in cold environments like Alaska. We've been contacted many times, actually, and there is like a trending topic on 'Bitcoin nuclear.'"  13:28 - Regarding microreactors' being employed in conjunction with microgrids, DCF's Chernicoff asks: "Do you see this being eventually being sort of a package deal -- not just for data centers (obviously data centers will be a big consumer of this) -- but for deployable microgrids where you have battery power, microreactors providing primary power sources, integrating the microgrid with the local utility grids to allow for providing power back to the grid in times of need, pull power from the grid when it's cheap, that kind of whole microgrid active partner model?" 14:19 - Walker holds forth on nuclear investment stakes, and where microreactor and microgrid technology fits in. 16:16 - On the compactness of microreactors, occupying less than an acre. 17:33 - Asking again about the US DoD's Project PELE, how microreactors were instrumental, and what the project's implications might be for data centers. 18:14 - Walker explains how Project PELE was a microreactor program developed by the  US DoD to create a 1.5 megawatt electric microactor to serve the US military in wider capacity in remote areas such as Iraq or Afghanistan forced to rely entirely on diesel power generation.  Walker adds, "Project PELE, even though it began as a military thing, is probably going to have enormous benefits for the wider microreactor market, because there's a lot of development work that can go into fees and inform commercial and civil designs." 19:58 - DCF's Chernicoff notes: "I presume that one of the biggest factors that PELE brought was the standardization for the fuel, the transportability, the applications people were considering with it, and the form factor. Can I stick it into 40 foot containers and get it to my site? Once you standardize on those things, prices start to come down, and that's going to be a big part of making this acceptable to the data center industry, to replace diesel generators or to build microgrids around." 20:31 - More from Nano Nuclear's Walker on how and why the ultimate aim of microreactors is to replace diesel generators. 21:20 - DCF's Vincent asks the Nano Nuclear experts whether, beyond bitcoin mining data centers, they've fielded much interest from standard data center operators?  21:25 - In response, Walker says: "There's been some big ones. Like Microsoft, as an example, were incredibly interested in powering a lot of their remote data centers with nuclear, and so they've even put out funding opportunities to this effect. But on the smaller front, we've seen Chat GPT talk about powering their centers with nuclear in the future ... It opens up the potential for enormous amounts of expansion. It can reduce a lot of costs, especially capital costs of the startup, and I think that's the big draw here." 22:25 - DCF's Chernicoff asks, "Obviously, if I can plunk a microreactor down in the middle of my data center campus, I don't have to worry about transmitting power through the campus. Are there cost advantages in this? Is it something that the big power providers are looking at as a way to basically build a more distributed power grid?" 23:11 - Walker explains how a large mining company Nano Nuclear worked with did just that, and how use of nuclear energy can work to eliminate energy storage and transmission costs. 24:41 - Addressing nuclear NIMBY issues and PR concerns for builders of data centers. 25:40 - On the inherent safety of microreactors. 27:51 - Down to brass tacks on timeframes for microreactors and SMRs. DCF's Chernicoff asks, What are the obstacles to seeing them deployed within the next decade? 29:20 - On the work of Idaho National Labs in nuclear reactors. 31:03 - Taking it back to current events in closing: On NuScale's travails in 2023, Microsoft's SMR job posting raising hopes for a nuclear energy tipping point in the data center industry, etc.  

 IBI Corporate Finance has been advising clients on mergers and acquisitions since 1966. Until recently it was owned by Bank of Ireland but now it's been snapped up by the Japanese investment banking division of Daiwa. Does it put Ireland on the M&A map globally or will IBI simply disappear under a global brand? Speaking to Joe to discuss was Tom Godfrey the Chief Executive of IBI Corporate Finance.

Discover why Rohan Doctor (CEO of Louisa.ai) left Goldman Sachs, how he realized his meetings were no longer effective, and what leadership tip was given to him by his successful brother (14 minutes). CEO BLINDSPOTS® PODCAST GUEST: Rohan Doctor. Rohan is the Founder and CEO of Louisa.ai, an AI-powered expertise platform that is revolutionizing the way Goldman Sachs and other companies are able to get a ROI on the collective intelligence of their people. It was also described as an "A.I.-powered LinkedIn on steroids" during a news clip about Louisa.ai by CNBC; CNBC news clip about Louisa.ai (4 min); https://youtu.be/zTt6CeMnNAA?feature=shared Prior to founding Louisa, Rohan Doctor was head of Goldman's bank solutions in Hong Kong, working with 150 banks in Asia. Earlier, in London, he worked in Macro Structuring & Systematic Trading Strategies; Dutch & Finnish Bank, Insurance & Pensions Sales; and Investment Banking Division, Financing Group. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2006, after working three years as a Credit Strategist at Citi, London. Rohan Doctor earned a Master's in Finance & Mathematics from Imperial College, London, and a BS in physics from Oxford University. For more information about Rohan and Louisa.ai; https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohan-doctor-17310713/ To book a demo; info@louisa.ai CEO Blindspots® podcast host: Birgit Kamps. Birgit's professional experience includes starting and selling an “Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Company” and a “Best Company to Work for in Texas”, and serving as a Board Member with various companies. She is able to help investors and executives quickly discover blind spots holding their organization back, and accelerate leadership effectiveness. In addition, Birgit is the host of the CEO Blindspots® Podcast which was recognized by Spotify for having the “biggest listener growth” in the USA by 733%; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ceoblindspots.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To ask questions about this or one of the 200+ other CEO Blindspots® Podcast episodes, send an email to⁠ ⁠birgit@ceoblindspots.com⁠⁠

Ross is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners in Boston. He began his career in private equity over 35 years ago.  Ross joined Berkshire Partners in 1993 and became a Managing Director of the firm in 2000.  During his tenure, Ross has represented the firm's interests on a wide range of portfolio company boards, including:  Advanced Drainage Systems, Asurion, Bare Escentuals, Carter's, Inc., CrossFit, Melissa & Doug, Torres Unidas, and Tower Development Corporation.  Prior to Berkshire Partners, Ross worked at a start-up merchant bank, at Bain & Co. and in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co.  He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Ross enjoys travel adventures with his family, exploring the great outdoors, and a variety of sports including biking, golf, tennis, and skiing.  He is engaged in several non-profit organizations including The Imago Dei Fund, which he cofounded with his wife, Emily, in 2010, Seed a Stanford GSB-led initiative that is working to end the cycle of global poverty, and the Dartmouth College President's Leadership Council. Ross and Emily raised their three now grown children in Needham, Massachusetts, where they currently reside.

In this episode, we've lined up a trio of compelling guests to keep you informed. First, Congressman Russell Fry, representing South Carolina's 7th District, joins us to discuss critical topics, including the border crisis, Hurricane Idalia's impact on his district, and his bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act. Plus, we'll explore the latest developments in the Biden family investigations.Then, we'll shift our focus to New York's 3rd Congressional District with congressional candidate Kellen Curry where he discusses his bid to unseat incumbent George Santos.Lastly, friend of the show, Henry Olsen, a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, will provide insights into the ever-evolving political landscape, including his recent analysis of Trump._Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds-Congressman Russell Fry is proud to serve the Grand Strand and Pee Dee as their Representative for South Carolina's Seventh Congressional District.Russell is a true believer in the American Dream. Growing up he watched his parents work hard for every penny they earned, and since then Russell has been doing the same. He put himself through his undergraduate education at the University of South Carolina and law school at the Charleston School of Law, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association, helped the school achieve its American Bar Association accreditation, and also received the prestigious Civility Award. After this, he practiced law along the Grand Strand for over a decade.As an Eagle Scout, Russell shares the sentiment that “you should leave your campsite better than you found it.” Every day he strives towards a goal that  “we should leave our country better than we found it.” Growing up, he saw first-hand how government's actions directly affect families living paycheck to paycheck, and he is committed to fighting for those who don't always have a voice.Russell is a public servant and active member of his community. Prior to this role, he represented State House District 106 (Horry County) in South Carolina's General Assembly for seven years. He served as Chief Majority Whip, where he fought for lower taxes, less government, pro-Second Amendment legislation, and pro-life legislation. Russell also chaired the House Opioid Abuse Prevention Study Committee, which resulted in 18 policy initiatives being signed into law and record funding for opioid prevention, education, and treatment.Russell is a loving husband to his wife, Bronwen, and dedicated father to their son, James. The family lives in Murrells Inlet with their chocolate lab, Jasper.  -Kellen CurryAs a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy Kellen spent eight years on active duty delivering critical cyber security technology for our country's military and completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. After completing his Master of Business Administration degree at George Washington University, Kellen went on to work at J.P. Morgan's Corporate and Investment Banking Division in New York City. Kellen believes his extensive experience working in national security and in our national economy will serve him well in his bid for Congress. Kellen continues to serve our nation in the Air Force Reserves and is a student at Columbia University pursuing a Master of Science in Sports Management where he also volunteers with Positive Coaching Alliance, a non-profit organization which strives to create a positive youth sports environment in communities across the country.In his campaign, Kellen will be focusing on core issues including national defense in the face of rising global threats, economic insecurity due to persistently high inflation, increasing affordability on Long Island and raising the accountability bar in D.C. through ethics reforms.He will also be working to achieve what he calls ‘the gold standard of constituency services' which has been absent but is critical to improving the lives of NY-3 residents.-Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He was the Thomas W. Smith distinguished scholar in residence at Arizona State University for the winter/spring 2023 semester. Olsen began his career as a political consultant at the California firm of Hoffenblum-Mollrich. After three years working for the California Assembly Republican Caucus, he returned to school to become a lawyer. Following law school he clerked for the Honorable Danny J. Boggs on the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Dechert, Price & Rhoads. He then joined the think tank world where he spent the next eighteen years as an executive at a variety of institutions, serving as the President of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Vice President at the Manhattan Institute, and as Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He left AEI in 2013 to pursue a career in political analysis and writing at EPPC. During that time his work has appeared in variety of leading publications in America and the United Kingdom. He is the author or co-author of two books, “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism” and (with Dante J. Scala) “The Four Faces of the Republican Party”. His biennial election predictions have been widely praised for the uncanny accuracy, and he is a frequent guest on television and radio programs. Olsen regularly speaks about American political trends and global populism in the United State, Europe, and Australia.-TRANSCRIPTIONSam Stone: Welcome to another episode of Breaking Battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone. Our first guest up today, Congressman Russell Fry, represents South Carolina's seventh District. Prior to going to the US Congress, he represented the state House in South Carolina's General Assembly for seven years, served as chief majority whip. And Chuck, we always love Congress members and senators who have served in their local, state house or local government because you just get a perspective that Washington does not offer. So we're very excited to talk with him. He is a fighter for lower taxes, less government, pro-Second Amendment legislation and pro-life legislation. Chuck, if you're pro-life today, you've got to be fighting this fentanyl epidemic, this crisis that is tearing the country apart.Chuck Warren: 100%. Congressman, you have introduced a bipartisan bill called the Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act to learn more about how the fentanyl crisis is impacting America in South Carolina in 2021, you had 1494 deaths due to fentanyl. I mean, that's we can multiply that by 1020 because of the family members it affects, right? Their loved ones, things of that nature. What do we need to do to turn the tide back against this fentanyl crisis?Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, gosh, there's just a lot. And quite honestly, I don't even know that we have enough time in this segment, but we'll try. The first thing I think is and the first thing is you've got to stop the flow that's at the border. You've got to stop that. You've got to address that. But beyond that, what you have to realize is you need access to care. You need the ability of families to get the resources and the help they need. You need to strengthen law enforcement. And what frustrates me is this is the biggest one of the biggest health care problems that we have in this country. But beyond that, Congress doesn't know a lot about the impact on the economy, on the labor market, on housing, the impact on the Treasury, I mean, all these different things. And the fact that we don't know those frustrates me. I just got there. I'm like, wait a second, y'all don't know these data points that would help dictate good policy. So you got to stop the flow. But beyond that, you need to give lanes for recovery so that people can get back on their feet and get back to work, get back to being normal people. And fentanyl just I mean, we see it every day. 70% of the overdoses in this state are associated with fentanyl alone. And it's similar like that across the country. It's just sad to see.Chuck Warren: Well, what's so frustrating about this fentanyl crisis is a there is a role for government closing the border, finding out what these data points are, the things you're trying to investigate.Sam Stone: And pushing people into treatment.Chuck Warren: Pushing people in treatment. But what's also frustrating for me is just don't take drugs. I mean, you know, I mean, it's that's what's hard about it. Right? And so there's you know, the government has a role in this. And I don't want to pretend it does not law enforcement has a role in this. But there's also a lot of personal responsibility. And I think that's something the communities and churches I mean, the old Nancy Reagan slogan, just say no, which was mocked. I don't know. Maybe we need a campaign like that again.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, maybe. Look, and I do know that prevention for every dollar that you invest in prevention, you save, I think, $4 in health care costs and $7 in criminal justice costs. So the messaging, the PSA that people put out there, that that education component is just so big. And what's crazy look, I'm 38 years old and we all know people who partake in a little bit of marijuana or whatever. People just do that. And and in some states, it's allowed. Some states it's not. But you know what's crazy? They lived to tell the tale until recently. I mean, it's laced in everything. And that's the that's the crazy people don't go out and seek, you know, let me get some fentanyl. It's usually added into other things. And you hear about West Point cadets, you hear about students, you hear about just really everybody in all walks of life that have to deal with this. And they never live to tell the tale to get back on the recovery. So the prevention side, which you just talked about, that's critical to this.Sam Stone: Well, and and, Congressman, this is Sam. One of the things that so I've worked a lot with the city of Phoenix. And one of the things that that we know that I don't think the public is fully aware of yet is that Narcan loses effectiveness after a person has had to use it a couple of times. So the more the more someone has overdosed. And right now, we're keeping a lot of these folks alive by having Narcan everywhere. But there are limitations on that. And that's going to result in a increased death toll over time.Congressman Russell Fry: I'm right. Right. And you know what's frustrating to to that point, we just did this pilot program in South Carolina that I think other places can do. But say you say you overdose, you go to the hospital, you're recovered, you revive, you come around again, and you know what? You have this moment of clarity. At that point. A lot of people do, and they go, I need to get help. And so then they try to go get into a place to get help. And guess what? You got to wait two, three, four weeks to get into a place. Well, guess what? By that time, that addiction has already started to pull you back in and you're back doing the same thing you are again. What we've done in South Carolina, at least here locally, is fast track those people. So when these things happen. But that's one of those barriers to access that just when there's that clarity because everyone hits that point, when there's that clarity and you go, I need to get help, I need help, you got to wait around for 4 or 5, six weeks. If you can even get in somewhere.Sam Stone: You have to have help available right then and there, right?Congressman Russell Fry: So you need it. And if you don't have that peer to peer help, if you don't have, you know, medication assisted treatment or whatever, whatever options are out there, if that's not available to you, you're doing the same thing again. And you might not get a second, third and fourth chance in the future. You might overdose and pass away. And that's what we're seeing right now.Chuck Warren: With Congressman Russell Fry. He represents South Carolina's seventh district. You can catch this interview this weekend in Florence, South Carolina, on Am 1400 and of course, nationwide on other outlets. Congressman, have you talked to local law enforcement about this issue? And what are their what's their feedback to you?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, I have and unfortunately, in your listening area in Florence, there's a sheriff whose daughter just recently passed away from a fentanyl overdose. And so, again, it affects everybody, but they're seeing just the dramatic growth in it. Their officers are equipped with Narcan. They're seeing it. They're seeing the growth of this drug in rural communities, in urban centers, really everywhere. And it's and it's worse than it's ever been. So they feel frustrated. South Carolina did fortunately pass a law last year. I had when I was in the General Assembly, I was had brought it up. And sometimes these things take a couple of years to get done. But in this one, it just gives tools to law enforcement to be able to crack down on this, to be able to, you know, to unwind some of these some of these drug rings that are that are around. And so that's a big component to this, too. But they're feeling it and they see it every day. And they have to train their officers on how to deal with it because it's a dangerous substance that if it gets on your skin, one of their own might go down.Sam Stone: Yeah, we've seen that across the country with police officers who have been overdosed from from very minor exposure to fentanyl during their interactions with the public. So it's a huge issue. But Congressman, one of the things and I know you've been a big fighter for a secure border, but it seems like this is not a problem we're going to be able to address unless we start getting control of the border. And the data that just come out shows that not only are we not doing anything realistically to get control of the border, the problem is worse than it's ever been. Over 90,000 people detained by Border Patrol last month, you know, beating a May 2019 record.Chuck Warren: And that's who they.Sam Stone: Caught and that's who they caught. The fentanyl dealers are not the ones those are the ones who are turning themselves over to Border Patrol to begin the asylum process. The people were not catching are the fentanyl traffickers, the dealers, the cartel members. Right. How do we address this unless we start really securing our border?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, you can't. And that's been my message even before I got to Congress. And just doing dealing with opioids in the state level, you cannot begin to address the issue until you shut off the hose, until you shut off the flow. And it doesn't mean you can't start start trying and keep trying. South Carolina's always going to do that. Local governments are always going to keep trying to address it, but they're not in the position that the federal government is to deal with the flow. And when you have the administration touts the record amount of fentanyl that they've seized, that's great. But there's so much more that's coming through the border. We know that. We know the precursors, the chemicals are coming from China. We know that they're being manufactured. And just south we know that the cartels are shipping them up and they're not dummies. They will flood an area with 100 200 migrants and then two miles up the road, they'll sneak a you know, they'll sneak fentanyl across the border or, you know, human smuggling or human trafficking. They'll do that because all the resources are dealing with the 200 people that are just sitting there in this section of Yuma or wherever they might be. It's obscene.Chuck Warren: Well, with Congressman Russell Fry, you can get him on Twitter at Russell Fry, SC. Congressman, you you're your district was just hit by the hurricane. How is everybody doing? How's everybody coping out there?Congressman Russell Fry: I think okay. I mean, we were very fortunate. I mean, there was some tornadic activity up in the Cherry Grove section along the coast. And so you had some homes that were damaged. You have a road that that looks like it took some damage. But I would say overall, we were very fortunate. I think the storm, you know, there's never a. A great time for a storm to hit. But when it's low tide and the storm arrives, you don't have the storm surge. It was moving very quickly, so it didn't stay here long. You know, it rained five and a half, six inches, which is a lot. But it was able we were able to largely absorb it. So I think overall, we were very blessed in dealing with it. And so some some things to recover from, but not as bad as Florida and not as bad as prior storms in our area.Sam Stone: Congressman, we have just about two minutes before we go to break. And folks, we're going to be coming back with more from congressman here in just a moment. But one of the things I kind of Chuck and I have been kind of talking about these last couple of days watching this hurricane is that I think the almost every American citizen would would give thanks to God that this did not end up being a worse situation than it was, that it was not the catastrophe that was predicted. But what is kind of disconcerting to me is that it seems like the corporate media, the left media, even some Democrat officials, there was almost a palpable sense of disappointment that these two hurricanes that we've just had, the one on the West Coast and this one neither delivered the kind of catastrophe that that they almost seem to be hoping for.Congressman Russell Fry: No, it's it's it's wild. And they drive clicks and they spin up fear. We actually had some and I won't tell you who, but we had some news interviews that were canceled. And I just have to assume that it was it wasn't it wasn't chaotic enough for them. But regardless, I think I think you're right. And and it's sad to see people get spun up. We've been dealing with storms since forever. And in 1957, we had Hurricane Hazel that wreaked havoc. It was way before my time. But you talk to people, it was, I think, a Category 4 or 5 that hit this area directly. These storms are you know, they they are problematic. But what makes it worse is just the the doomsday scenarios from the media. People just need to be prepared. They need to listen to their, you know, their local local officials and state officials on how to deal with this. But then that's when FEMA comes in on the back end, is to help the recovery.Sam Stone: Yeah, absolutely. Breaking is going to be back in just a moment with more from Congressman Russell Fry.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms, Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful, high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making dream Homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone. We're going to be continuing on in just a moment with more from Congressman Russell Fry of South Carolina's seventh District. But first, folks, how's your portfolio doing? Been an up and down, another up and down week in the Biden stock market. What if you could earn up to a 10.25% fixed rate of return instead of taking all that risk up to 10.25% fixed? It's a fantastic opportunity from our friends at  Y refy. Check them out, invest, yrefy.com or give them a call at 888 y refy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you. All right, Congressman, before we went to break, we were talking a little bit about the issues with fentanyl, the border. And you mentioned that something I think a lot of people are becoming aware of is that the precursor chemicals for the fentanyl that we're seeing coming into the country for the meth, that is vastly more powerful than it was just a few years ago. That is coming into this country with the the tranq and other new designer drugs, the precursor chemicals are all coming to Mexico where they're turned into drugs. They're coming from China. What can we do to try to stop that pipeline?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, I think I think you've got to have a realistic one. I think that there are and we we saw this a little bit with with the Trump administration in the early stages. But you've got to stop that flow. You've got to be able to sanction those companies, stop the flow, take, you know, and look, China needs to be a willing participant here, too. And that's the frustration that I have right now, is that there was a there was an op ed the other day talking about fentanyl from a Biden administration official, but they never mentioned China. Well, they have a big role here. These chemicals are manufactured over there and they're shipped across to the cartels who put it all together and make fentanyl. And so they've got to be a willing participant. But you've got to have an administration that actually wakes up and says, we know this is coming from our southern border. We know the chemicals are coming from China. And up to this point, they're not really talking about that. And I think that's the big that's the biggest frustration.Sam Stone: You're asking Joe Biden to wake up. There's no evidence that's possible.Chuck Warren: I mean, look, if you're China and you want to hurt your competitor, I won't say we're there. Amy, let's say were their number one competitor. What do you do? You flood their country with things that will cause devastation, Right? It's an unseen war that.Sam Stone: Fentanyl, meth.Chuck Warren: Tiktok, it's not the same as firing a missile, but it has the same effect. All due respect.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, in a lot of these companies, too, I mean, they have multiple locations in different spots, right? I mean, they're just they're usually not just isolated in China. You know, these are big companies. And so they need to have some skin in the game. You need to be able to you need to be able to leverage influence there, maybe even tariff or sanction them. But at the end of the day, the flow, you know, China has a spot there. And you know what? Maybe there's there is a nefarious purpose behind this. I believe you're probably right about that. But there are ways to address it. And if they won't, then we need to there are other ways that we can force them to the table. And we need to we need to take a look at that. 300 Americans die every single day from this drug. I mean, it's just astronomical. And, you know, we've used the term poisoning because that's really what it is. It's not an overdose as much as it is fentanyl poisoning in our country. So pulling them to the table, even if they don't want to come, I think has got to be a priority of this administration.Chuck Warren: With Congressman Russell Fry of South Carolina's seventh District, you can join and help us campaign at Russell Fry SC.com or visit him on Twitter. Russell Fry, SC. First, I have two questions. First, is it true you're the eighth grade ping pong champion?Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, yeah. I still got the trophy. It wasn't it wasn't a participation trophy either. It was a real trophy.Chuck Warren: And and and the person you you, you beat, is that person still bitter about that or has he given up? Given up?Congressman Russell Fry: They probably given up. I don't know. Maybe they're bitter. I haven't talked to that person in a while.Chuck Warren: But, you know, I think I think we need a social media post with that trophy.Sam Stone: We'll be coming We'll be coming back with with more from from Congressman Gump here shortly.Chuck Warren: Exactly. All right. We have Hunter Biden and, you know, the press, which is gives the ultimate cover to the Biden administration. First of the laptop two years later, they admit it. Now we have all these alias names, 5000 emails and archives. Tell our audience what on earth is going on. I saw a tweet this morning. I just replied, The easiest way for Biden to solve this just release all the emails if there's nothing there. Right? I mean, just transparency. So tell people a little bit about it and what House Republicans can do to flesh this out more since the press is going to do everything they can to protect President Biden and Hunter.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, they're finally starting to pay attention. And I think that's maybe begrudgingly, maybe they don't want to pay attention, but they're finally starting to take notice of what's going on. But the new the new revelation, you know, look, Hunter Biden or Joe Biden had aliases that they used and that's what the Oversight Committee had subpoenaed. They used aliases, you know, Robin Wear and Robert Peters and, you know, different names that they would use. And so we subpoenaed anything that had to deal with those names or those email addresses. And again, it just shows a pattern of conduct with this family. You look at the text messages, you look at the emails, you look at the use of the term the big guy. You look at the 1023 that was released, you look at the the bank transactions and the money that flows from, at this point, four companies ultimately layered through kind of a series of money laundering actions and funneled into 20 LLCs that are all connected to multiple members of the Biden family. So this this again, just shows a course of conduct.Chuck Warren: And what people, family and what people don't understand is I own several companies, so I have various LLCs for various things. Correct. It takes a lot of work to manage 20 LLCs. You get filings, you get taxes. I mean, so this wasn't done just. To be. I mean, it was done more to be clever and hide something. They don't seem done.Sam Stone: Admittedly, they don't seem to have paid a lot of attention to the taxes part.Chuck Warren: No, but would you agree with that? I mean, doing 20 LLCs. I mean, it takes a lot of work.Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, it's a headache. And most of these LLCs were actually formed while Joe was vice president. That's that's kind of alarming. But to see and I think there was a quote in the 1023. You all have seen it. Your listeners have seen it as well. But it was toward the bottom. And the guy says it will take investigators ten years to figure out what's going on. And that's kind of proven true. I mean, we're on year I think, eight at this point, but it's taken that long because no one, DOJ and others didn't want to actually investigate this. But to when you're dealing with financial stuff, it's just so nebulous and it's hard to follow and it's hard to track and it's hard to keep people's attention. But there is enough smoke here that people realize what's going on. And I think that's why the work that we've done so far has been incredibly important on this and also why I think that this is headed toward an impeachment inquiry. It doesn't mean impeachment. You still have to do your homework and make sure you do your job. But at this point, there's just enough there. There's way more than enough to launch that process.Chuck Warren: We have about 30s left with you. Tell our audience, tell your constituents why you have faith in America's future.Congressman Russell Fry: Because I have faith in the American people and their resolve and their ability to take large amounts of information, synthesize them and make an opinion. We're seeing people wake up in a powerful way right now. And and it's not just Republicans. It's really everybody realizing what's going on. The people control this country. They always have. And they see what's going on is is, you know, shameful. But they're ready for for a better tomorrow.Sam Stone: Fantastic. Thank you so much, Congressman. We very much appreciate your time today. Folks, you can follow him. Chuck, what was that?Chuck Warren: You can follow him on Twitter, Russell Fry, SC, or you can also visit his website. Russell Frysc.com contribute, volunteer, get involved. He's doing the great work and help him out. Congressman, thank you.Congressman Russell Fry: Thank you all.Chuck Warren: Have a great weekend.Sam Stone: Folks, more from breaking battlegrounds. We're back in just a moment. Welcome back to Breaking Battlegrounds with the host Chuck Warren and Sam Stone. Big thank you to our first guest up today, Congressman Russell Fry. Fantastic discussion with him. And now we're talking to someone. Frankly, Chuck, I think this is going to be one of the most important congressional races for for Republicans in the country in this coming year. It's going to be close. Well, if you.Chuck Warren: Like honesty in public elections. Yes.Sam Stone: Yeah, Well, some of us still do. Some some of us believe in truth telling, even even on the air here where almost everyone else wants to lie to you. But, folks, we're not doing that. And that's why we have today Kellen Curry, congressional candidate running against Jorge Santos for New York's third Congressional District. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, one of those places where they don't take liars lightly and spent eight years on active duty delivering critical cybersecurity technology for our country's military. After completing two tours in Afghanistan, Kaelin went on to work at J.P. Morgan's corporate and investment banking division in New York City. Kaelin Curry, welcome to the program.Kellen Curry: Hey, how are you? Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be talking with you guys this afternoon.Chuck Warren: So tell us, what did the Air Force do to prepare you to run for Congress and to serve in Congress eventually?Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I think, you know, every every part of my experience in the Air Force was extremely positive. You know, the culture of serving the country, which, you know, is a culture that I come from my my you know, I'm a third generation veteran. My parents were public servants. Dad was a retired naval officer. Mom is a is a continues to be a decades long federal civil servant. And so just grew up watching them and and they both worked at Tinker Air Force Base right outside of Oklahoma City. And just, you know, I always wanted to have my own story of service. And so I think it was always in my future and going to the Air Force Academy and serving in the Air Force as an officer, you know, just the lessons of leadership, the lessons of of of being in a team and a group where you don't know who's who's a Republican or who's a Democrat, you just your mission focused. And that's the kind of perspective I bring to politics.Sam Stone: Kellen Considering especially mission focus, one of the things I like about your background, your resume, is the experience in cybersecurity. There are a few people in Congress, in the Senate who are starting to become more aware of that issue. But it's not an area where there's a lot of elected expertise. You talk about mission focus. How much do you think you'll be able to make that your mission to help educate your colleagues about the various issues related to cybersecurity on both sides of the aisle?Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I think the country has been going through and really all of society has really been going through a learning curve when it comes to cybersecurity. And it's really just a matter of how do we defend and safeguard the information that's that's on that's on our networks. And we're so we're such a networked people in in society today. And so, you know, the first and foremost is just, you know, your hygiene on the Internet. You know, when you use the same password for every website. I know some of us are guilty of that. I know I am sometimes, too. It seems like I'm.Sam Stone: Looking across at Chuck right now and laughing. Yeah.Kellen Curry: Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, we live in a in a culture in a society where you got to have a password and login for like everything you touch. And so, you know, that's the first and foremost. And then the other thing is that I think from a national security standpoint is that we just have to invest, we have to invest, and we have to nurture innovation. One of the best things about America is our is our innovative economy, and that flows into our national security. I mean, to the extent that we can nurture that, that innovation in the private sector and then leverage it to use in military applications is what my time in the Air Force was all about. And so, you know, like you said, being able to educate, you know, our lawmakers on how to procure those those technologies, how to make sure that we don't pass regulation, that that stifles that technology is really the biggest thing.Chuck Warren: What do we do about China? I mean, you were in the military, two tours in Afghanistan. What do we do about China? What do your colleagues you worked with, what what do people actually who defend this country think we should be doing with China? Yeah.Kellen Curry: Yeah. Well, first and foremost, we have to not overreact. China for sure is a is a near-peer competitor, as we say, in the military. And so they absolutely should be taken serious. But they have a lot of issues and challenges, social challenges on their end, you know, so so it's not like we're going up against an adversary that we cannot be successful in. I think, you know, going back to the innovative economy that I mentioned earlier, we have to make sure that we remain an innovative and capitalistic economy that can produce technologies of the future. You know, you think about you think about China, so much of what they want to you know, how they want to. Place American superpower is, is really through AI and quantum computing and biotechnology and these other things. So we have to continue to make those investments. We also have to do things. For example, the Merchant Marine Academy is located here in my district. And so when you think about how do we sustain naval power in the South China Sea, the merchant Marines are on the front lines of making sure that we're able to do that because they transport so much equipment and personnel into the South China Sea. So those are just a few things, a couple of things I would say. And then maybe the last is that we have to reinvigorate our all volunteer military force, which is at an all time low in terms of our propensity for people to serve.Sam Stone: And I want to talk more about that. And and the merchant Marine issue you brought up Kellen Curry. We're coming right back with more from him. He's running against Jorge Santos in New York's third Congressional District, breaking battlegrounds. Back in just a moment.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms. Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making Dream homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Moran. I'm Sam Stone. We're going to be continuing on in just a moment with more from Kellen Curry, congressional candidate running against Jorge Santos in New York's third Congressional District. But before we do, folks, how's that portfolio of yours doing? Are you making money in this stock market, this Biden economy working out for you? It doesn't seem to be working out for most people. That's why Chuck and I recommend you check out our friends and invest. Why refy.com Go to their website. Invest y refy.com Learn how you can earn up to 10.25% fixed rate of return. That's right up to 10.25% fixed. You can turn your monthly income on or off, compound it, whatever you choose. There's no penalty to your principal if you need to withdraw your money early. This is a fantastic opportunity. So check it out. Go to investyrefy.com or give them a call at 888 yrefy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you.Chuck Warren: Well, we're with Kellen Curry here. He is running for Congress in New York, three against Jorge Santos. And you can learn more about him at Kellen Currycomb. Sam wants to follow up with some questions on the Merchant Marines.Sam Stone: Go ahead, Sam. Yeah, so that's actually Kellen, thank you for bringing that up because that's actually something that hasn't come up here before. I know a little bit about it from a friend who went through the Merchant Marine Academy. But one of the big underlying issues to national security that I don't think most people understand is our ability to transport goods and troops in wartime crisis. And to do that, you need US flagged carriers and we don't have many of them. And that's a huge issue. And we don't have enough merchant marine sailors. And that's another huge issue.Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I mean, if you if you think about it, over 90% of the ships that come in and out of American ports are, you know, our foreign crews. And so you could expect that in a conflict that China, they will do all they can to put pressure on those foreign crews and on those host governments not to make good on deliveries to our ports. And we saw what can happen with this during the pandemic. You know, when store shelves went bare and, you know, the American economy was crippled, supply chains became dislocated. So we have to be able to continue our economy even if we do get into, you know, a a hot war, if you will, in the South China Sea with with China. But, you know, to your other point, the vast majority of the military's equipment and personnel actually moves on sea. And so we have to have that capability. It has to be something that's real and that's a deterrent effect and that China understands that we can sustain ourselves in a in a naval, you know, in a naval conflict or just a naval operation in in the in that region, particularly in the South China Sea. And so, so much of this capacity over the last, you know, three or 4 or 5 decades has really left our country. And it's it's been outsourced. And so we have to work and think about how we bring more of that capability back to America. You know, we've seen industrial policy in the microchip space, and we're going to have to do a industrial policy to bring the merchant marine presence back to our country, increase the number of sealift officers, the number of merchant Marine officers, which the Merchant Marine Academy produces. And this is you know, this is one of the crown jewels of our district. It's one of the crown jewels of the nation. We need a strong federal partner for that academy. And I look forward to being that in Congress.Sam Stone: You know, one of the things I think that's underreported also, we had a different congressman on our program. Hopefully you'll be joining him in office fairly soon. But one of the things he pointed out was China's aggressive efforts via both partnership and intimidation to essentially deny that chain of Pacific islands that the US used in World War Two to eventually get to Japan. But China realizes that that chain is is our ladder in a Pacific war with them, and they're really doing a lot to take it away. You talk about that ability to deliver equipment that becomes doubly critical in this situation where we can't count on our ability to fly troops and resources into those islands.Kellen Curry: Absolutely. Absolutely. And so much of so much of how we posture to be successful against China is really going to depend on our allies in that region to make sure that we have basing options, that we have places where we can stage and host our troops and our and our equipment in a way that that China can't can't penetrate. And so it's positive that we recently had a trilateral at Camp David with some of the nations there, mainly Japan and South Korea and America. Of course, Japan and South Korea have been, you know, at odds for quite some time. And so our ability to bring those nations together is extremely important. The administration just you know, we did a big bill out of the House that eventually passed the Senate and was signed into law to. To deliver more aid to Taiwan in a way that we haven't done in the past. And so I think the administration just released about two. 2 billion or so to make sure we operationalize that that that that legislation. So that's that's a good thing. I mean, one thing about America that's unrivaled is our alliances around the world. I mean, it's a tremendous source of soft power, the ability of an American president to pick up the phone and call somebody anywhere in the world. And, you know, eight, nine times out of ten get a favorable response is is really, really important. It's going to be important against against the fight against China. So it's good that we have an administration that recognizes that. And that's one area that I do support this administration on.Sam Stone: See, Chuck, I love it when we get congressional candidates and people running for office for the first time who can talk about this whole variety wide range of geopolitical issues, because that kind of knowledge. Kalen Curry that you're just displaying is is rare for people who are entering Congress. And folks, you need to check him out and follow him at Kellen Kellen underscore Curry on Twitter. You can go to his website. Kellen Curry.com Definitely go and check him out there and support this man because we need to bring we need to retain control of Congress. We need smart people there who can talk about issues like we've been talking about. And also we need to restore some integrity to this specific seat, because, quite frankly, Jorge Santos is an embarrassment to every Republican in this country.Chuck Warren: He's a bad Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live skit. Kellen, let me ask you this question. There's two reasons. There's a couple reasons why you said you were running for office besides obviously your service in the Air Force and your tours in Afghanistan. One was running against Jorge Santos because he's ineffective. But number two, you've cited Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan and you called it a disastrous withdrawal. Talk about it a little bit, what that meant to you and the people you served with over there.Kellen Curry: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was it was heart wrenching, you know, I mean, I spent two tours there. I worked, you know, actually I worked on an old Russian base we were embedded with with our Afghan allies working shoulder to shoulder. It was a very interesting unit. I was I was attached with, you know, we had actually bought about 30 helicopters from the Russians, actually when relations were good in the early 2000. And we were trying to outfit these with new armaments for what was essentially the Afghans, like 82nd Airborne helicopter unit. And so we were doing that work. My job was to do all we could to keep these things in the air and provide all the procurement necessary to do that and to teach the Afghans how to do that as well. And so, you know, you go through things like that. You travel the country doing that work, and then you turn on and you come home and you turn on CNN and you see, you know, people clinging from planes and just the chaos and certainly the 13 Marines that we lost. And there was just there was a better way to exit that country that did not leave, you know, America diminished on the global stage.Kellen Curry: And I think watching that, certainly every veteran that spent time there watching that and then, of course, you know, by going to the Air Force Academy, I had friends that went there that unfortunately did not come back home. And, you know, you internalize all that and and it moves you, you know, emotionally. And then you look over and you see we have somebody here in Congress who's just wholly unfit. And the fact is that our veterans and the American people writ large, they deserve the best leadership that our country can provide so that we can avoid those situations, but also so we can have trust that the agenda that our elected representatives are pursuing is, is the agenda of the people and not their own personal agenda. And so, you know, all of those things, I think moved me to to think about how I could serve again. And and this was something that that that came up. And I did a lot of the research and asked a lot of the questions and eventually got to the point where I decided to go for it. And here I am.Chuck Warren: Well, we certainly need more leaders like you in Congress and you've had some great life experiences. So, for example, you ran the 60m at the Air Force Academy. What did track and field teach you about leadership?Kellen Curry: Yeah, you know, I've always been active in sports. And I think, you know, for me as an athlete, you know, you've got mom and dad there to, you know, to make you into the person that that you that you eventually become. But but something happens in that relationship with coaches and with athletes that's just special. And it enriches the life of a young person. You know, Track did that for me. High school football did that for me. I still stay in touch with coaches from high school. Wait, what.Sam Stone: Position did you play? We got to we got to get the important stuff in here.Kellen Curry: Yeah, I was a I was a defensive back. I didn't have any hands, so I couldn't catch anything. So they put me on that side of the ball. But. But yeah, man, I enjoyed sports of all kind and just the relationship building. Being in the team building and in the lessons that you learn from those experiences, they just make you a well rounded person and and enjoy traveling the country and running track at the Air Force Academy. It was a real highlight for me.Sam Stone: All right. So so now we know you were a DB. So the important question becomes, are you a Deion Sanders DB or are you covering everybody, locking them up or are you Troy Polamalu? You're coming in there to knock their head off?Kellen Curry: I'm covering them up, man.Chuck Warren: Yeah, Yeah. You're a blanket.Kellen Curry: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I was only like £160 soaking wet, so there wasn't a whole lot of hitting I could do, but. But I could run and I could run and chase and cover folks. And so, so really enjoyed the ups and downs of what you learn in that sport and just in sports in general. So really enjoyed competing.Chuck Warren: You worked in investment banking after the Air Force One issue you're going to have to deal with when you're elected is our deficit in national debt are it's just not a path we can continue. What do you propose we do on it? How do we pay down our debt? How do we get our finances in order?Kellen Curry: Yeah, I think the first thing we have to do is we have to be honest with the American people about where we are. I mean, the fact is we're not going to cut our way out of this hole. We're not going to, you know, grow our way out of the hole in terms of, you know, achieving, you know, astronomical GDP growth rates year over year. I think in order to bend the curve on the debt, we're going to have to get away from annual deficit spending at some point. And and listen, we are transitioning right now from a low interest rate environment to a high interest rate environment. So the interest on the debt is going to become more material than what we've seen in the past, and it's going to create more pain. So, you know, some of the first things that I think we're going to have to do is we're going to have to get our arms around how do we make our entitlement programs more solvent. We know that Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, these programs are going to become insolvent here in the next ten, 15, 20 years. And so we've got to get serious about how do we restructure these things and do it in a way where Democrats aren't going to go out and say, oh, here comes the Republicans again. They're going to end these programs as you know it and all that. So so we have we need presidential leadership on this issue to move the country in this direction and get serious about it, because it will become something that that begins to crowd out what we can do in the defense space, the investments that we have to make there, and certainly the investments that we have to make on the domestic side as well. But but the entitlement programs is something that's going to be a forcing a forcing function that makes us get real about how we spend and how we allocate money. We definitely need more members of Congress who are going to hold the line on spending as we go forward here in the next several decades.Sam Stone: Kellen, we have only about two minutes left here before we let you go. What has been the initial response from folks on the ground there in the third Congressional District in New York? You know, as they're learning about you and that you're taking on Santos in this race.Kellen Curry: You know, it's been tremendously positive. I think a lot of a lot of what was in the trajectory of the Santos story, I think at this point here, you know, people on the ground are just kind of sick and tired of hearing about the guy.Chuck Warren: So.Kellen Curry: You know, they they are they are hungry for what comes next. We are the first campaign that's been out there on doorsteps and the reaction has been positive. They want to know who the candidates are, what they're talking about, what their ideas are for moving the district forward. And they're ready for the stain of of of Mr. Santos to be removed. And so I think at this point, we've all kind of learned our lesson, that we have to wake up and make sure we're paying attention in these elections, that we get out and vote and that we know who we're voting for. And so I think you're going to see a lot of people who are just excited about about doing that work as citizens and taking responsibility to make sure that they get to know the candidates. They're getting to know me. I think they like what they hear and what they see, and I think we're going to be successful here.Sam Stone: I love that folks. Thank you so much, Kellen Curry. We really appreciate having you on the program today. Folks. You can follow him at Kellen underscore Curry on Twitter at Kellen Currycomb. Make sure you tune in to breaking battlegrounds next week when we're back on the air. But in the meantime, we always have a little extra segment for our podcast listeners. Go to all your favorite podcast places, download us subscribe, and we'll see you next week.Advertisement: The 2022 political field was intense, so don't get left behind in 2024. If you're running for political office, the first thing on your to do list needs to be securing your name on the web with a your name Web domain from GoDaddy.com. Get yours now.Sam Stone: All right, Welcome to the podcast. Only segment of breaking battlegrounds. Folks. Thank you for tuning in as always. And special thanks to Congressman Russell Fry and Kellen Curry for their appearances today. Fantastic discussions from them. But now we're continuing on with somebody that, frankly, Chuck, I always loved talking to him more than almost any of our guests, friend of the program and repeat returning guest Henry Olsen, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Henry, thank you so much, as always, for joining us.Henry Olsen: Well, thank you, as always for having me back.Chuck Warren: Henry, Tell us about your new podcast, by the way. Let's get a plug for it. Tell us about it. Sure.Henry Olsen: My new podcast is called Beyond the Polls, and I interview leading election analysts and poll analysts every two weeks. And we talk about all things political. We talk about the Republican race and we talk about where Biden is. And I always have somebody from one of the key swing states in my segment called State of Play, where the person who's on the ground knows the state best can give you the lowdown. So it's every two weeks you can find it on all the podcast formulas.Chuck Warren: So since you've been doing that, tell us something that has stood out to you, talking to your guests, a little nugget that has stood out to you.Henry Olsen: The importance of what I'm calling the double doubters, that if you go back to 2016, the reason the polls were upended is that 18% of Americans didn't like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and they switched in the last week from being undecided or third party voters to backing Trump over 20%. My pollsters, analysts are telling me, are double doubters with respect to Biden and Trump. And that's before the mudslinging between them really starts in earnest. That sounds to me like if we do get the rematch that the polls suggest, we're going to get the same sort of late break that may confound the experts.Chuck Warren: So that perfect segue into your your column this week. Trump might have the lead in Iowa, but he has one big weakness. What is that weakness?Henry Olsen: That weakness is churchgoing evangelicals, that they are the group that has swung behind one candidate and propelled them to victory in each of the last three caucuses. Actually, the last four. They gave George W Bush a narrow plurality in 2000. And I spent a week there. And the polls say he's got a lot of support among evangelicals, but the people on the ground may be willing to back him, but they're looking around. They want to see is there somebody better, somebody who supports our values, supports our issues and doesn't have the baggage? Iowa evangelicals historically break late. They wait until the last few months to make a decision. So it's not saying Trump isn't going to win, but don't be surprised if you see them switch to somebody who they think can give them 80% of the fight with 10% of the baggage.Sam Stone: Now, is it just the baggage or are there specific policies that Trump is weak with them on? The one that popped to my mind was Covid and allowing the closure of churches. Is there something like that that's playing?Henry Olsen: I'll tell you, I was surprised in my conversations at the lack of policy disagreements. I would have expected more of the evangelicals to note things like that, but also note his backing away from a strongly pro-life stance, saying that the whole point of overturning Roe was to negotiate without saying what he actually stands for. I did not get that from anybody. I really got a question of that. His long standing concerns about his character remain. And the question of is this guy so tied down by his character and legal problems that he can't effectively beat Joe Biden. And they're really scared of Joe Biden.Chuck Warren: They should be. They should be. Let's do a little switch here and let's talk about the Hunter Biden stuff. Do you feel look, you're in D.C.. You're a columnist for The Washington Post. Do you feel what people call the legacy media is really starting to pay attention to this issue or are they still trying to just sweep it under the floor mat?Henry Olsen: You know, I would say it's between and it depends on which legacy media outlet you're talking about. There's beginning to be enough there, there. Right. You know, in the sense that you just can't ignore some of the things that are now being said under oath as opposed to things that were being speculated about or which relied on, you know, on emails, copies of emails found on laptops. And so I think we're only 1 or 2 revelations away. If those revelations exist of the legacy media actually having to pay much more attention to it. I think they're no longer in the sweep under the rug. They hope that it goes away. But if it doesn't, I think there's been enough there that they actually will have to turn their attention to it.Chuck Warren: Do you find any reasonable explanation why he would have 5000 emails under an alias?Henry Olsen: A reasonable explanation? Yeah.Chuck Warren: I mean, look, I mean, the easy way to handle this is just release them all. If there's nothing there, there's nothing there. Just make it transparency and embarrass the Republicans. That's an easy way to handle this, right? If there's nothing there.Henry Olsen: Yeah, well, I never want to get into the argument that stereotypically is offered by autocratic police departments. If you have nothing to fear, you have nothing to hide.Sam Stone: Guys, guys, I don't know this. I've got to say, this is like going when you've got this. This is like going to the ATM after 3 a.m. Nothing good is going to come from this. When you have fake email addresses and you're in office, nothing good is ever going to come from that.Henry Olsen: Yeah.Henry Olsen: You know, the thing is, I can imagine reasons you would want to do it like evade, you know.Sam Stone: Like did you see Gretchen Whitmer's guy communicating with her in Greek alphabet letters?Chuck Warren: Oh, that's cool.Sam Stone: To avoid FOIA.Henry Olsen: Yeah. No, I hadn't. I hadn't heard about that one. You know, just goes to show they all should have been watching Bill and Ted because I.Chuck Warren: Think there's.Henry Olsen: Greek alphabets when Bill interviewed Socrates. But.Henry Olsen: You know.Henry Olsen: I can imagine good reasons for 5000 emails under multiple aliases, depending who he's communicating with. But again, the thing is, at some point, we're going to find out at least some of them. And if they aren't benign, you know, like personal stuff, that you just don't want to have somebody you know, somebody who's you're concerned about hacking and they'll looking for the words Joe Biden. I could imagine that if you were a foreign government and you might want to have malware placed on Joe Biden's personal friends and anything that says Joe Biden gets sent to Beijing. Yeah, I can imagine that as a vice president and wanting to avoid things like that. But again, we'll see whether eventually some of these will be produced. May not be 5000, may be 200, maybe 500. And we'll see what they say.Chuck Warren: Interesting. If we wrap up here, anything you think we should be looking for here in news the next month or two? Something that's going to pop up that you feel we should keep our eyes on?Henry Olsen: You know, I think there's the usual, you know, who knows what's going to happen in the counteroffensive in Ukraine? Who knows what's going to happen with the Chinese economy. I would say, though, that, you know, the second debate is going to take place at the end of the month, September 27th, out at the Reagan Library. And it's going to be make or break time for some of these people. You know that the one in Milwaukee was really kind of first impression, kind of like speed dating. The second one is going to find out whether anybody wants to return the phone call. And so I think you're going to see a little bit more fire, a little bit more opposition. And it could be that somebody breaks out or somebody crashes to the earth.Sam Stone: I would like to see a couple more people drop out before then. I would narrow it to 4 or 5 maybe.Chuck Warren: I think what's really impressive is the cultural references Henry's used today speed dating and Bill and Ted. That's the most amazing thing of this aspect today. One last question. One last question, Henry. I think Republicans have a really good chance of taking the Senate. What are your thoughts?Henry Olsen: Absolutely. I think they should be the favorites. Even if Biden wins re-election. That has to do with the math. Yes. You know, so poll came out today or yesterday from a respected pollster showed Jon Tester only getting 43% against either of his opponents, Sherrod Brown. There's been polls show that Brown's in a neck and neck race. But the important thing is where is the longtime incumbent? And he's sitting at 45%, which is roughly around where a Democrat should get flip those two seats. The Republicans control the Senate. And then you've got all the other seats. This is a map that heavily favors Republicans. Joe Manchin haven't even mentioned him. You know, these are three states that Trump carried by between 6 and 30 something points. It's just hard to see where Republicans don't get those 2 or 3 seats. And then it's very hard to see how they would lose other seats that they hold given what are up to throw control back to the Democrats?Chuck Warren: Well, being a Republican, I have complete faith my party can blow it one way or another. So amen.Sam Stone: Amen. Our skills are legendary.Chuck Warren: Henry Olsen, thanks a million for visiting with us today.Henry Olsen: Thanks for having me on.Chuck Warren: Folks. This is breaking battlegrounds. We hope you've enjoyed this week's show and we'll be back next week. And if you can visit us at Breaking Battlegrounds or anywhere you find your podcasts. Have a great weekend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com

Richard Kerby, co-founder and general partner at Equal Ventures, shares the journey of Equal Ventures and thought behind Emerging Managers Circle. He provides insights into the investment decision-making process at multi-partner venture capital firms and offers advice on how to position your business for success. Finally, he discusses the issue of diversity in the VC industry.In this episode, you'll learn:[2:55] New York's is becoming an increasingly attractive hub for startup ecosystem players.[6:56] Equal Ventures investment philosophy and process; and why consensus doesn't lead to great investment decision making.[17:09] The hype days are gone. You can't just tell a story and try to raise money without a real business.[18:26] Emerging Managers Circle benefits to emerging GPs as they pursue their dreams of starting their own firms.[21:03] How more diversity at the LP and GP levels can unlock the hidden potential of the startup ecosystemThe non-profit organization that Richard is passionate about: BLCK VC, BVCCAbout Guest SpeakerRichard Kerby is Co-founder and General Partner at Equal Ventures. Prior to co-founding Equal Ventures, Richard was an investor at Venrock, where he led seed-stage and Series A stage investments in 6Sense, Amino Apps, Beckon, Burner, Luxe Valet, and Salsify.Prior to joining Venrock, Richard was an investor at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP),where he focused on identifying and evaluating later-stage investments. While at IVP, Richard worked with IVP portfolio companies such as Dropbox, FleetMatics, PopSugar, Shazam, and Yext. Prior to joining IVP, Richard worked in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse.About Equal VenturesEqual Ventures is a New York-based early stage venture capital firm that backs founders and businesses that are disrupting legacy markets. Its core focus areas are retail, care, insurance, supply chain and climate. Portfolio companies include wrapbook, gerry, ODYSSEY, MVMNT, WeeCare, SmartHop, ThreeFlow among others.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode. Follow Us:  Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram | Facebook

Justin Gordon (@justingordon212) talks with Richard Kerby (@kerby), Co-Founder and General Partner at Equal Ventures, a seed stage focused fund backing the founders and businesses transforming society and industry. Prior to Equal Ventures, Richard was an investor at Venrock, where he led seed stage and Series A stage investments in 6Sense, Amino Apps, Beckon, Burner, Luxe Valet, and Salsify. Prior to joining Venrock, Richard was an investor at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), where he focused on identifying and evaluating later-stage investments. While at IVP, Richard worked with IVP portfolio companies such as Dropbox, FleetMatics, PopSugar, Shazam, and Yext. Previously, Richard worked in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse. Richard is a proud Georgetown alum and is a rabid Hoyas basketball fan. He is also the founder of Stealth Mode, a community of more than 1,500 African American founders, operators and investors.Website: Equal VenturesLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richardkerby/Twitter: @kerbyEmail: kerby@equal.vcShow Notes: Equal Ventures' investment thesis and the strategy behind being generalists Deciding to start a fund instead of joining an existing one Richard's key learnings as an emerging manager What being hands-on with their founders means at Equal Ventures Their all “hands on deck” approach to building the Equal Ventures team Running the Emerging Managers Circle and deciding to host summits Trends Richard is excited about Richard's view on remote vs. in-person How Equal Ventures evaluates founders Richard's advice for emerging managers More about the show:The Vitalize Podcast, a show by Vitalize Venture Capital (a seed-stage venture capital firm and pre-seed 400+ member angel community open to everyone), dives deep into the world of startup investing and the future of work.Hosted by Justin Gordon, the Director of Marketing at Vitalize Venture Capital, The Vitalize Podcast includes two main series. The Angel Investing series features interviews with a variety of angel investors and VCs around the world. The goal? To help develop the next generation of amazing investors. The Future of Work series takes a look at the founders and investors shaping the new world of work, including insights from our team here at Vitalize Venture Capital. More about us:Vitalize Venture Capital was formed in 2017 as a $16M seed-stage venture fund and now includes both a fund as well as an angel investing community investing in the future of work. Vitalize has offices in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.The Vitalize Team:Gale - https://twitter.com/galeforceVCCaroline - https://twitter.com/carolinecasson_Justin - https://twitter.com/justingordon212Vitalize Angels, our angel investing community open to everyone:https://vitalize.vc/vitalizeangels/

OMG! A personal brand is the best thing you can do to position yourself as an authority in your industry. And if you haven't heard of it, you may be living under a rock.A personal brand is about how you promote yourself, your skills, and your experiences. It distinguishes you from the rest of the job market.Just think about brands like Apple and Samsung and how they are recognized worldwide, separately, even when they both sell phones. Now think about you standing out for yourself just like they did — and that's possible with a personal brand.In today's episode, we will talk about how to create a personal brand at work with Betty Encinales.Betty will teach us what a personal brand is, why it is important, and most importantly, how to create one.Are you going to miss this incredible episode? What are you waiting for? Press play!EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS[1:55] Who's Betty Encinales[5:00] What's a personal brand, and why is it important?[10:50] The biggest challenges to creating a personal brand for Latinos.[16:30] How to take advantage of the diversity movement as Latinos?[23:31] Betty's best pieces of advice for her younger self and yourself.QUOTESTrust and everything will be ok — Betty Encinales.You can only build a personal brand when you are really connected with who you are — Betty Encinales.ABOUT BETTY ENCINALESIn-house talent acquisition/experienced hire recruiter at Goldman Sachs Human Capital Management Division. Betty is responsible for identifying, engaging with and attracting the market's top talent into Goldman Sachs experienced hire Operations and Investment Banking Division. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettyencinales/?originalSubdomain=ukABOUT PATRICIA MANLEYPatricia Manley is the brain and heart behind the LA MANTUANA brand and was lucky enough to be born in the same city as women like fashion designer Carolina Herrera, Latin-American heroine Luisa Caceres de Arismendi, and music composer Teresa Carreno. Over the years, she has always been true to her roots, taken risks, and grasped any opportunity to establish herself as a real modern-day Mantuana.Website: la-mantuana.comInstagram: @lamantuanauk  | @iammantuanaFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lamantuanauk

Welcome back to another episode of The Pathfinders, brought to you by Ansarada, with our host, former NFL Player, Investor, and Entrepreneur Dhani Jones. On this episode, Dhani talks with Akila Raman-Vaseghi, the COO of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division where she runs an operational strategy focused on international expansion and growth in new products. Akila is a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word, who has prioritized using technology and automation to streamline workflow and relieve stress. She joins Dhani to talk about her deal-making philosophy and why mentoring women and people of color across the industry is so important to her. So get comfortable and join us for this insightful episode of The Pathfinders, brought to you by Ansarada.You can learn more about Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division on their website, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and you can follow Akila on LinkedIn too.  Don't forget you can also follow Dhani on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.Follow UsLinkedIn @AnsaradaTwitter @ansaradaFacebook @AnsaradaPlatformInstagram @ansarada_Presented by Ansaradawww.ansarada.com

Today on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast, we have two guests who have built alts behemoths: the CEOs of iCapital, Lawrence Calcano, and SIMON, Jason Broder. iCapital and Simon recently completed a landmark transaction in the alts space, with the joining together of two of the largest digital platforms that enable advisors and individuals to invest into private markets through iCapital's acquisition of SIMON. iCapital has built the leading platform to drive efficiency and alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries. They had grown to over $138B in platform assets before acquiring SIMON, which focuses on helping financial advisors understand and manage structured investments, annuities, and other risk managed products. SIMON adds a track record of $48B of issuances in 2021 to iCapital's platform.Lawrence and Jason both come from Goldman Sachs roots before building their building their respective businesses.Lawrence spent 17 years at Goldman and was a Partner, where he was Co-Head of the Global Technology Banking Group in the Investment Banking Division. He was a perennial winner of the Forbes Midas List award for the most influential people in venture capital in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006.Jason also spent almost 17 years at Goldman, where he was a Managing Director and Head of Private Investor Products Group in the Americas, which focused on the creation and distribution of structured investments to Goldman's private wealth management management clients and third party distributors.Lawrence and Jason are both experts on product distribution of alts to the wealth community so it was a treat to have them on to discuss the anatomy of this landmark SIMON acquisition and how this revolutionizes distribution of alts products.We had a fascinating conversation. We discussed: Why this acquisition is so important for the alts space. The importance of building a one-stop shop alts investment platform for financial advisors. How important it is to comprehensively serve financial advisors. Why the platform who figures out distribution will be the winner in the alts space. How data and analytics will play a key role in educating advisors. How alts will no longer be alts, but will be mainstream, as investors think about the reconstruction of the 60/40 portfolio. Thanks Lawrence and Jason for coming on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast. It was a pleasure to have you share your views on the continued development of the alts space.

In this episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs: Great Investors, Tara Alhadeff, partner at Permira, talks with Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division, about investing in iconic brands like Doc Martens, Valentino and Golden Goose and the outlook for discretionary spending in times of volatility.

Doug McCormick is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of HCI Equity Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on partnering with family and founder owned manufacturing, service and distribution companies. Doug has been an active investor in numerous markets to include aerospace, defense, distribution, food services, packaging, manufacturing, outsourced business services, transportation and logistics. He currently serves on the board of AmercareRoyal, Echelon Supply & Service and Pacific Defense and serves as board chair for Consolidated Hospitality Supplies, MSI Express, SDS Rx and Tech24.  Doug actively supports the veteran community as the Chairman of Team Red, White and Blue. He is also a member of the board of trustees and Chair of the investment committee for the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE); a board member of The Heritage Group, founding member of Capital For Children, and a 2011 Henry Crown Fellow. Doug is the author of Family Inc. and uses this content to empower others with financial literacy skills, with an emphasis on the veteran community. His work and recommendations regarding investing and personal finance topics have been cited or featured by leading media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The NY Times, USA Today, CNBC, PBS, NPR, TIME, Investor's Business Daily, Fast Company, The Larry Kudlow Show, Huffington Post, Motley Fool, The Art of Manliness and others. Before founding HCI Equity, Doug was a Managing Partner at Thayer Hidden Creek and Thayer Capital and worked in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division. Doug received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he served as First Captain of the Corps of Cadets and Captain of the Army Wrestling team.

In this episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs: Great Investors, Sandra Horbach, co-head of US Buyout and Growth at The Carlyle Group talks with Goldman Sachs' Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division, about what it was like to be a trailblazer in the private equity space and the evolution of diversity in the industry. 

How is one of the most senior dealmakers in Europe navigating inflationary pressures? In the latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs: Great Investors, Tara Davies, Partner, Global Head of Core Infrastructure and Co-head of European Infrastructure at KKR, talks with Goldman Sachs' Alison Mass, Chairman of the Investment Banking Division, about the European infrastructure space and the inflation pass-through mechanic in infrastructure assets.

Investors are facing one of the most challenging backdrops in recent years amid slowing economic growth, rising inflation and geopolitical conflicts. In this special series, Exchanges at Goldman Sachs: Great Investors, we speak with the world's most respected investors about their investing strategies, career trajectories, and their outlook on markets and the economy. In our most recent episode, Joe Bae, Co-CEO of KKR, talks with Goldman Sachs' Alison Mass, Chairman of the Investment Banking Division, about shifts in the macroeconomic environment, building the firm's business in Asia and his work to combat anti-Asian discrimination and violence.

Investors are facing one of the most challenging backdrops in recent years amid slowing economic growth, rising inflation, and geopolitical conflicts. In this special series, Exchanges at Goldman Sachs: Great Investors, we speak with the world's most respected investors about their investing strategies, career trajectories, and their outlook on markets and the economy. In our inaugural episode, Tricia Glynn, Managing Director at Advent International, talks with Goldman Sachs' Alison Mass, Chairman of the Investment Banking Division, on “breaking glass moments” in the industry, her outlook on the private equity landscape, and how she finds her best investments. 

Cara Shortsleeve is the CEO at The Leadership Consortium (TLC), a leadership development platform for high potential leaders with a specific expertise on accelerating women and people of color. Cara joined TLC in 2018 to launch and scale the business. Since that time, TLC has forged a strong partnership with professors at the Harvard Business School, attracted best-in-class clients (including Google, Walmart, IBM, P&G, GE, SAP and dozens more), and enabled 3,000+ executives to lead stronger teams and businesses. Prior to joining TLC, Cara spent 10+ years in various leadership roles at Google and YouTube -- most recently focussing on commercial and product strategy as a Global Director for GTM at YouTube. Previously, she helped launch and scale Google's east coast, mid-market sales presence and then led the North American mid market sales teams for Financial Services and Healthcare. Before Google, Cara managed the US running apparel business at New Balance, served as a Sales Director for Hind/Saucony, and spent three years with Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division. Cara received her BA from Williams College and her MBA from Harvard Business School. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farah-bernier/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farah-bernier/support

Against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, a growing number of companies are turning to spinoffs, separations and carve-outs in an effort to create value for shareholders. In the latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, Ben Snider, senior strategist on the U.S. Portfolio Strategy macro team in Goldman Sachs Research, and David Dubner, global head of M&A Structuring in the Investment Banking Division, explain why an increased focus on corporate margins is leading to a change in restructuring strategies. 

With Tanzanian heritage, a UK education, and a deep interest in emerging markets, Karim Jetha founded Longdean Capital. Karim's early career focus on MENA, and his experience living in the region, informs his current investing strategy. Longdean has the operational infrastructure to invest primarily in companies solely listed on local exchanges, which Karim believes gives them access to the best opportunities. In addition to its focus on frontier and emerging markets, Longdean invests with a bias towards companies with a positive social impact, such as Leejam Sports. Recognizing the increasing participation of females in the workforce facilitated by changing social norms, this chain of fitness centers opened up the first set of female gyms in Saudi Arabia. Karim's deep understanding of the nuances in the MENA market inform his appreciation for the diversity and quality of businesses within the region. He shares, “In order to make outsized long-term returns, you have to think differently.” Though this contrarian way of thinking may not appeal to all, Karim values remaining true to your own convictions and trusting that the right investors will follow. Karim Jetha is founder and Chief Investment Officer at Longdean Capital. Before founding Longdean Capital in 2018, Karim spent nine years at Blakeney Management, where he was Partner, Portfolio Manager, and Head of MENA Coverage. Prior to Blakeney, Karim was an Associate at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division with stints in London and Dubai. Karim has an MA from the University of Cambridge where he read Economics.

This week, Sumeru Co-founder and Managing Director Sanjeet Mitra, guest-hosts a conversation with two prominent ed-tech leaders: Advait Shinde, CEO and Founder of GoGuardian, and Nick Hernandez, CEO and Founder of 360Learning. Sanjeet Mitra is a Managing Director focused on the firm's software, cloud and hardware company investments and sits on the investment committee. Prior to co-founding Sumeru Equity Partners he was a Principal at Silver Lake Sumeru, the middle market investment strategy of Silver Lake and predecessor fund to Sumeru Equity Partners. Sanjeet has more than ten years of investing and investment banking experience. Prior to joining Silver Lake Sumeru, Sanjeet worked in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in San Francisco, where he worked with clients in the industrial, TMT, and healthcare sectors. -- Our host Mark Healy is a writer, creator, and podcast producer. He is the VP of Content at Ceros, a software platform for interactive design, and one of Sumeru's portfolio partners.

In the latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, Jung Min, co-COO of Global Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) and co-head of TMT in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan in Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division, explains the evolution of the gaming industry and why the sector is poised to become the next battleground for big tech.

In the latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, Beth Hammack, Goldman Sachs' co-head of the Global Financing Group in the Investment Banking Division, explains how tightening financial conditions and volatile markets are affecting companies' ability to raise capital.

PODCAST GUEST BIO: Led by President Blake Sturcke, Encore Renewable Energy is a community-scale solar and energy storage development company, as well as a B Corps showing leadership on diversity in the energy sector. Blake serves as the President for Encore Renewable Energy, where he spearheads all of the Company's project and corporate finance activities. In addition, Blake leads the Company's corporate development and M&A activities and oversees a number of general management functions. Prior to joining Encore, Blake co-founded Turning Earth, a leading clean energy company within the organics recycling and waste-to-energy sector. Earlier in his career, Blake worked for 15 years for leading global investment banks as a capital markets and corporate finance banker to high-growth companies in the U.S., Asia and Latin America. Blake began his career at Morgan Stanley where he held a succession of positions, including leadership roles in the firm's Investment Banking Division in New York, Hong Kong and India. Blake is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School, a community-based charter middle school governed by the New York State of Education Department which was founded to provide interdisciplinary education to adolescents of all abilities and backgrounds, with a focus on environmental sustainability. In addition, Blake is a member of the Advisory Board of 118 Capital, a New York-based impact investing organization catalyzing economic, social and environmental impact in the Americas. Blake received his MBA from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, and earned his BA in Economics from Bucknell University. He later co-founded the Bucknell Finance Network. Blake regularly guest lectures on topics including clean energy, financing green technologies, and corporate development, at academic institutions including Bucknell, Columbia, Yale, UVM and Villanova. ------- PODCAST HOST: Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We're on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential. Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today's highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that. Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Membership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12Gyg Sample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehS Request more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/entrepreneurs-for-impact/message

The record wave of M&A activity that we witnessed in 2021 is showing no signs of slowing as we turn the page on a new year. Goldman Sachs' Stephan Feldgoise and Mark Sorrell, co-heads of the global mergers and acquisition business in the Investment Banking Division, explain the drivers behind the deal-making activity and the outlook for 2022. 

In part 4 of our special miniseries, host Kara Mangone talks to John Greenwood of our Investment Banking Division and Ahmed Saeed of the Asian Development Bank on the role public-private partnerships will play in the drive to Net Zero.

Abstract: How are boards of directors of major companies coping in 2021 with the increasing expectations from so many stakeholders? How are boards equipping themselves to meet the challenge of overseeing large global organizations? In this episode of the Principled Podcast, Marsha Ershaghi Hames, Partner at Tapestry Networks, guest hosts a conversation about the critical role boards play in shaping ethical corporate culture with Don Cornwell, an accomplished corporate leader who currently sits on the boards of AIG, Natura & Company, and Viatris. Listen in as Marsha and Don talk about the importance of intention when making decisions at the board level—especially as it relates to diversity, mentor sponsorship, and professional guidance.   [1:28] Guest Don Cornwell's diverse background and pioneering career journey. [3:25] Where are we now in terms of diversity on Wall Street? [9:22] Where is the U.S. going wrong in terms of maximizing capital and production? [13:12] How can boards and corporate leaders take the first steps to open doors and drive intentional sponsorships while navigating DEI? [21:08] How can boards begin to transform their own culture? [26:09] How boards can take action to cultivate ethical culture given the context of these times.    Additional Resources: Article:  Father and Son Investment Bankers Describe Wall Street Regrets [Subscription required]   Featured guest: Don Cornwell retired as chair and CEO of Granite Broadcasting Corporation in 2009, a company he founded in 1988. Granite developed from an entrepreneurial idea into a diverse company operating 23 channels in nine television markets and became one of the nation's 25 largest television station groups. Previously, Don was employed for 17 years in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. While at Goldman Sachs, he was engaged in public and private financing and merger and acquisition transactions for publicly traded and privately-owned companies, with a primary focus on consumer product and media companies. In addition to transaction responsibility, he served as the chief operating officer of the Corporate Finance Department from 1980-1988. Currently, Don serves on the board of directors of AIG, Inc., Natura Holdings, Viatris Inc. and Blue Meridian Partners, Inc. Don is also a trustee of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of NY. At AIG, he is Chair of the Compensation and Management Resources Committee and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Don served on the boards of Pfizer from 1997 to 2020, Avon from 2002 to 2020, and CVS Caremark Corporation from 1994 until 2007. At Pfizer, he was Chair of the Audit and Regulatory and Compliance Committees and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Science and Technology Committees. Viatris was created as a public company as a result of a strategic merger of Pfizer's Upjohn business with Mylan Inc. At Avon, he was Lead Director of the board, Chair of the Finance and Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Nominating and Governance and Audit Committees. Avon was acquired by Natura in 2020. Don previously served on the board of Occidental College, the Advisory Council of Harvard Business School, the MS Hershey School and Trust, the Wallace Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and as Chair of the Board of the Telecommunications Development Fund appointed by the Chairman of the FCC. Don received his BA from Occidental College in 1969 and MBA from Harvard Business School in 1971 and has been honored as Alumnus of the Year by both institutions.   Featured Host:  Marsha is a partner with Tapestry Networks and a leader of our corporate governance practice. She advises non-executive directors, C-suite executives, and in-house counsel on issues related to governance, culture transformation, board leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining Tapestry, Marsha was a managing director of strategy and development at LRN, Inc. a global governance, risk and compliance firm. She specialized in the alignment of leaders and organizations for effective corporate governance and organizational culture transformation. Her view is that compliance is no longer merely a legal matter but a strategic and reputational priority.  Marsha has been interviewed and cited by the media including CNBC, CNN, Ethisphere, HR Magazine, Compliance Week, The FCPA Report, Entrepreneur.com, Chief Learning Officer, ATD Talent & Development, Corporate Counsel Magazine, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and more. She hosted the “PRINCIPLED” Podcast, profiling the stories of some of the top transformational leaders in business. Marsha serves as an expert fellow on USC's Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making and on the advisory boards of LMH Strategies, Inc. an integrative supply chain advisory firm and Compliance.ai, a regulatory change management firm. Marsha holds an Ed.D. and MA from Pepperdine University. Her research was on the role of ethical leadership as an enabler of organizational culture change. Her BA is from the University of Southern California. She is a certified compliance and ethics professional.   Transcript: Intro: Welcome to the Principal podcast brought to you by LRN. The principal podcast brings together the collective wisdom on ethics, business and compliance, transformative stories of leadership, and inspiring workplace culture. Listen in to discover valuable strategies from our community of business leaders and workplace change makers. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: How are boards of directors of major companies coping in 2021 with the increasing expectations from so many stakeholders? How are boards equipping themselves to meet the challenge of overseeing large global organizations? Hello, and welcome to another special episode of the Principled podcast, where we continue our conversations about the critical role boards in shaping ethical corporate culture. I'm your guest host, Marsha Ershaghi Hames, a partner at Tapestry Networks. And today, I'm pleased to be joined by Don Cornwell, an accomplished corporate leader who currently sits on the boards of AIG, Natura & Company, and Viatris. Don, thank you for coming on the Principled podcast. Don Cornwell: Marsha, thanks for the invitation. I look forward to our conversation. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: Excellent. So Don, let's share with listeners a little bit. You've had a very unique background from your early career at Goldman Sachs to founding and leading Granite Broadcasting, which at its peak, was the largest African American-controlled television broadcasting con in America. You've continued to lead a distinguished career of service on both corporate and nonprofit boards. Could you tell our listeners just a little bit more about your amazing journey? Don Cornwell: Well, I've done a lot of moving around for a kid who was born in segregated Oklahoma in 1948. My family moved to the Pacific Northwest when I was five, so they could frankly continue their careers as educators. And so I lived in Tacoma, Washington, until I graduated high school in 1965, then left to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles, followed immediately by a move to Boston to attend Harvard Business School. And from there, often New York to join a considerably smaller Goldman Sachs. As you know, I left Goldman Sachs in 1988 after 17 years. I started a business, you've referenced it, Granite Broadcasting Corporation, and we built that for 20 years. And then I left the company and essentially went into so-called retirement, which I've failed at miserably and have continued to serve on corporate boards. You didn't mention, I have to mention, Pfizer and Avon and CVS. I've been very proud of my association with all three of those companies. So I wouldn't want to pass that. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: Well, you mentioned your journey with Goldman Sachs. You had joined their investment banking department in the early '70s. And I actually was reflecting on that fantastic interview with Bloomberg, the profile with you and your son last year. Your story is very pioneering for African Americans working on Wall Street. As you look back on that experience, what are some of your observations on diversity on Wall Street, and essentially the being the only one in the room? Has there really been progress? Don Cornwell: So I did the interview, the Bloomberg interview with my son, because I thought it provided a context of experience by African American professionals over a significant period of time. I started at Goldman Sachs in 1971 and he joined, I should say, after I graduated from Harvard Business School. And he joined Morgan Stanley in 1998 after he graduated from Stanford Business School. I am shameless about promoting the article. So if any of your listeners have an interest, they should check it out. On your question, so I would say the industry is making what I call directionally correct movement. That's a good thing, but I guess I'm at an age in life where I can say that I think the progress is too slow and I think it's not deep enough. And so in making that comment, I can point to some really terrific success stories at various financial firms. And by financial firms, I'm incorporating everything from banks and insurance companies to the typical Wall Street firms that you think about. But in thinking about those success stories, I'm hard pressed to find what I would call an adequate pipeline of aspiring and qualified young professionals available for the succession planning of the future. I've found, in my career, that when you build a pipeline, and that's something that Pfizer talks about a lot, but when you build a pipeline of talent, the issues that we're discussing become somewhat moot. However, when you don't have a pool of talent, you then find yourself scrambling to, and I put quotes around the word "improve," from a very unimpressive baseline. And frankly, in this day and age, that does not go unnoticed by shareholders, and stakeholders, and society. So I guess I would give the industry a mixed grade. I think it's getting better. I think that there's some great success stories that I read about and know about, but much more work to be done. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: Speaking of that, I actually read another article or a derivative article. And I read a quote here that said "Wall Street has a problem with black excellence." And most super successful people on Wall Street are just excellent at what they do and how they got there. However, when someone is excellent as an African American, it is not embraced. How does that sort of land with you or resonate with you? Don Cornwell: Well, it's an interesting observation. I don't know where it comes from. I think I would sort of turn it just a little bit to say that I felt, in my time, that the process of growing in a career, no matter who you are, requires an effect. What I would describe as someone who intentionally wants to see success. So the observation, to be candid that I've made about the financial community, I think, is a problem across industry and the country. I think we simply have not done enough to hire, encourage and retain young people of color, or women, in general industry.  I think that we leave a lot of talent behind. We're getting better, but we leave a lot of talent behind. So when I talk about, I have a theme of being intentional about a success experience, I can certainly say that each and every one of the success stories that get spoken about a lot, people like Ken Chenault that Ken Frazier, just to name a few, and I can name many, many others, that they can point to those moments in their careers where they were given a helping nudge along the way. And so I'm sort of simple minded about it, which is that if people in power want to see success in that regard, they have to be intentional about it. It has to be something that's on their mind. They have to insist on it. And quite frankly, when decisions, tough decisions. Have to be made as to whether somebody's performing or not, they have to be willing and not afraid to call it. Because as I said, everybody isn't going to make the cut, but it's great if people can feel comfortable that they have that opportunity. In the Bloomberg interview, and I hope you don't mind my going on at lengthy here a little bit, but this is one of my favorite topics. I spoke about intentional sponsorship. That's my theme. And I spoke about it in context of senior managers. I read, referenced a fellow that I called my very best boss ever. He has unfortunately passed away. His widow read the interview and called me and was quite amazed at how I felt about this. And I think she understood things that I had said to her over the years about how important he had been to my life and my family's life in terms of my own success. So I always say that during that eight year period, when I had his sponsorship within Goldman Sachs, and by the way, he wasn't necessarily a great guy. I've had people contact me after the interview and say, "Well, he wasn't very nice to me." And so I get that, but I do know that once he asked me to join his team, then I became part of the team and he became my advocate. And that was the best period of my career at Goldman Sachs. And quite frankly, my worst periods were when I didn't have that guidance. I think, and I hope you'll let me go on just a little bit longer, but I think that as a country, we're not maximizing our human capital. We see that every day as we work our way through the pandemic. I mean, think about it. Human capital, with a bit of help from our global partners, came up with multiple ways to stop the coronavirus. Okay. I mean, that's amazing if you think about it. I mean, we're all somewhat concerned these days about the continuation of variants and issues about whether you get a boost, et cetera. But the facts are is that we found a way, in a very, very short period of time, to bring a halt to this really vicious virus. And so that's the wonder. On the other hand, we are also picking up the newspaper and learning that we are short of people to do the most basic jobs, as well as, quite frankly, many of those requiring much more in the way of skills. As a country, I think we've given up on our public education system. It used to be an advantage for us. We spend a lot of time bashing teachers and so forth, and fighting about the curriculum and so forth. We're resisting efforts to train people. We need the labor, but we don't want the cheap labor coming across the border, even though we don't necessarily have the labor to fill many of those jobs. And I'm going to be a little controversial in my next comment, and you guys can edit this out if you want. But I have long said that the country long benefited from structural inequity/ if you think about the quality of teachers we had many, many years ago, when one of the best jobs available to a bright woman or a person of color was as a teacher. And I used my mom as an example, she finished first in her class in college in 1942. There were no corporations or financial institutions on her campus aggressively recruiting, particularly at an HBCU. And so society benefited because you had this class of individuals who were largely directed into a profession that was the best available to them, and we're indebted to them, but that's changing. And without getting into the debate about teachers, and quality, and what have you, that's changing. And that's a debate for another day, but it goes back to my opening comment, which was that we're not spending enough time maximizing human capital. And I think that's a problem. And it ties back to DEI. It ties back to ESG. It ties back to a lot of things that we might talk about. So I'll pause there. I know I'm talking too long. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: No. Yeah. So first of all, Don, I mean, you are touching on some very, very timely issues that, I mean, companies are exploring ways to essentially future proof talent models that clearly we've got an inequity, as you say, of infrastructure and how organizations go to recruit and build their pipeline. So when I sometimes hear the comments of, "There isn't a pipeline," or "We are not able to build a pipeline." Sometimes, I often think, "Where are you looking?" And there are some organizations today that are starting to try to build bridge around skill mobility, bridges into minority serving institutions. You mentioned HBCUs. But to go and to build recruitment pipelines to offer opportunities in other types of fields that may not have been historically or traditionally built into that recruitment infrastructure. So you're really touching on an important point that we probably should set up another conversation to unpack acutely. However, you earlier also mentioned this kind of societal shift that's a lot of pressure from company consumers, and stakeholders, and investors on companies to take more responsibility. And I like how you share your reflection on that intentional sponsorship by this mentor in your life. I am wondering, in the area that you sit today from your vantage point, how can boards, how can corporate leaders take those first steps to, whether it's mentorship programs, or to be more prescriptive or surgical in driving this notion of, "We need to open doors. We need to find ways to design more intentional sponsorship." Are these conversations happening within the board? Because I know, again, this is unique to your story. And I've heard other similar stories where it was that one mentor or sponsor who took them under their wing and just offered the difficult, often difficult guidance, to chart out the path. But how can we do more of that? Because clearly, the pressure's there for companies to take responsibility, but it's the how part, it's the pragmatic. What are the steps to activate that? What are your thoughts on that and what are you hearing or observing from where you sit today? Don Cornwell: So I think every board room where I have the honor of residing, the topics on the table, the topic is one of discussion and there's work being done and reporting out on the topic. So I think it's on the agenda. I'm not sure, from my perspective, whether corporate boards today really recognize that these societal forces that we think about, how powerful those items are for the future, that we get very caught up in a variety of other topics, which are also very, very important. And I'm sure you'll ask me about a few of those at some point here. But I do think that, and to some degree, this kind of gets to one of the notions that I have about the composition of boards, which is the notion that we actually need more people in the room with not only courage to ask tough questions, but also a wider lens in many instances, because I'm not sure that we're really necessarily seeing what's coming at us from a lot of different angles. If I can go back to the comments I made about diversity and inclusion, and a little bit ESG that you had asked about that, I really think these are societal forces that are starting, whether we want it to or not, to drive the corporate board agenda. So just a couple of thoughts. Can you imagine what the board discussions in Facebook are like these days? Or if you've been following Netflix. Could be a more successful company, quite frankly than either of them. All right. I mean, Facebook was founded... My daughter is 36 now, and she's a 2007 graduate of college. And I remember when she was a freshman, she and all of her friends were talking about whether or not they would sign up for Facebook, which had only been started maybe two years before they were to be freshmen. And Facebook's the bad people, there's all kinds of negative things being said about Facebook, but just look at the corporate and business success or Netflix. I mean, my God. How many times did I find the little red envelopes around my house that had never been returned? And talk about a success story. But what are they talking about at those boards? They're talking about all the issues that here on cable television 24/7. At Netflix, you're talking about comedian who has decided to be less than politically correct in the way he talks about things. And so that raises all kinds of challenges about speech and what's appropriate. But then you move from that and you've got, [inaudible 00:16:55] Exxon. My God, what could be more... There it is, Exxon. And you literally have activists find a way with major shareholders to challenge their corporate strategy. And it's front and center around climate and sustainability. What are you doing? And they end up changing out board members. And then there's one that you may or may not have heard of, but I pay a lot of attention because of my history in the broadcast business. It's a company called Tegna, which is essentially the old Gannett company's television station group, which is quite a large group. And they have been under attack for three years by a very, very sophisticated activist shareholder. And his primary focus, his primary focus has been on the treatment of people and particularly the treatment of people of color within the company. And it's been kind of a fascinating thing to watch. The corporate, the board has succeeded in being reelected each year, but the noise gets louder and louder. And at the current time, that activist has now joined forces with one of the major private equity firms and has made it an offer to who buy the company. And so that board is very much under siege. And so I see these forces from society demanding a seat at the table. And quite frankly, these are not the topics that are ever at all candor on the agenda in most instances. You get me started on this, so I apologize, but you think about the tensions that corporations are having to navigate as between national and global interest. Anybody that's doing business in China, those of us who deal with compliance, and risk, and what have you, we spend all of our time thinking about China as a compliance issue. But you've got geopolitical stuff there. I mean, don't go to China and start talking about your great relations in Taiwan. And they've got their views about data privacy. And quite frankly, beyond China, just across the globe, there are views about that. And so that's my way of saying that boards are being forced by the outside world to think about stuff, including the issues... DEI is not just a, "Oh, we got to check that box." Okay. In my opinion, it's part and parcel of so much that's going on out there that boards are having to deal with. Then, of course, we've got to deal with cyber. I mean cyber's going to destroy us if we're not careful. Compliance and ethics is an amazingly significant issue. If you saw yesterday that the whistleblower in the LIBOR scandal is getting a $200 million payout. That's going to motivate a few people. And then I always finally point out, and by the way, we're hopefully coming out of a pandemic and we're going to be worrying about organizational culture, given that most of us have spent two years working remotely, and we got to figure out how to get back together again. So longwinded answer to your question and hopefully a little bit helpful. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: Yeah, no, no, very helpful. And I'm glad you've touched upon what we're witnessing in terms of this societal shift and the increased pressure from investors, regulators, employees, other stakeholders, just the demands on companies to show progress. Business resiliency, environmental climate transaction plans. And then, of course, there's no question in terms of not only human capital. And I don't really like the phrase human capital. Or natural capital sometimes is also on the climate stuff, but it's really our people, our talent and the innovations and the diversity of how they bring ideas to the table, can really transform and create a certain agility to business progressing. And as this is continuing to capture the board and corporate leaders' attention, I like the phrase when you said boards really are starting to get forced to think differently. And I want to unpack that a little bit. So you touched on culture. I want to start with this notion of transforming board culture. And you mentioned earlier having the courage on the agenda to maybe ask more difficult questions. But how can boards, or you have had such a distinguished career, both as an executive and on serving boards. How can boards really start to begin to transform their own culture? Before boards can take the step for oversight of culture within the organization, how do they turn the mirror back and reflect on themselves and take the steps to really help cultivate a transformation within their own board culture? Don Cornwell: Yeah. I'm probably more of a pessimist in all these things than many. And I don't know if that's helpful or unhelpful. My experience has been that crisis tends to drive focus, and we all get very comfortable doing what we do. We do it every meeting, whether it's four meetings a year or 10 meetings a year, whatever the case may be. And then it's when all of a sudden, we get something that comes in, sort of a curve ball that we're forced to try to get smarter. And so my best board experiences have been in situations where there is what I would describe as intentional diversity of voice around the table. And diversity has always thought about it from the context of gender, and ethnicity, and what have you. And I think those are very much part of it, but I also think that diversity of voice in terms of experiences and worldview is just so important. I have found that when you have that... So you have to start with the notion that you are not going to figure it all out, okay? That bad stuff will happen. And so you want to be prepared to react, but then you should spend time, not only trying to figure out the root cause... But I guess I think it was Andrew Grove, the guy who founded Intel. He had a book called Only the Paranoid Survive. And I've always found that to be, at least that my business experience, just so true. That there's a need to constantly scan the horizon, looking for what's coming over the hill, that you could just not imagine. And so I think that best boards are trying to find ways to empower the management teams, to scan the horizon, to think about risk, think about the unimaginable, think about what you do when the unimaginable happens. That's, I guess, my belief about it. I know a lot of people think that a lot of it has to do with the books and records and the control and so forth. And it certainly does, but I will tell you that I can go back and look at scandal after of scandal and crisis after crisis. And you discover that all that stuff that I just described, the books and records and stuff all seemed totally fine until you discovered that something else was going on that was much more difficult. And so I'm a big believer in trying to inject a bit of imagination, creativity, energy, new ideas, new perspectives in the boards. I'm a believer in having boards that have some longevity and some experience. I enjoyed, in my long career on the Pfizer board, ultimately being the one that the new directors would turn to and say, "Don, why did we do that?" Okay. And there was great value to that, but it was also time for me to go. And that I'm pleased to say that one of the people that was recruited in the context, not to replace me, but in the context of my leaving, Scott Gottlieb. Scott and I had gotten each other in a year of overlap, and anybody who's watched television, he's a very, very bright young person. And I just think that people who come to the party with different sorts of experiences can just bring so much to a board. And I urge boards to do that. I think some are trying hard. I think some are still, in my honest opinion, still checking boxes that satisfy the New York Stock Exchange, or some perceived notion of best practices, and not necessarily bringing enough wisdom and perspective to the boardroom table that can hopefully help management as they try to navigate their way through increasingly difficult times. So I'm talking too long. I'm going to stop there. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: No, then you're actually spot on, Don. I mean, when you say "Crisis tends to drive focus," I mean, and clearly you're drawing from, you've served on boards of so many highly regulated industries. You mentioned Pfizer, you've got pharma, you've got finance services and so forth. Tell me, when there is crisis, when there are ethical lapses, what role can boards do, especially in these times with these shifts that we're discussing in society? How can they really take action to cultivate ethical culture in the organization? What are the steps they can take there? Don Cornwell: So I don't want to get too specific, but I lived through one with one of my former boards, where the company ended up making a settlement with the government and writing a very, very large check to compensate for all sorts of perceived and admitted sins. I think that out of that, both management and the company clearly recognized that this had been an issue and that we needed to figure out how to do better. But the focus, which I greatly appreciated, and I had a little bit to do with leading, though lots of others were leading the charge, the focus had to do more with root cause, and how do we get there? What could we do to change? How could we make sure that the organization knew that that certain behavior was not part of what that company wanted to convey to the outside world? So that really became a major investment of time and resources on the part of the company and with regular reporting to the right committees, audit, and regulatory and compliance, and then ultimately, to the board, about just what was being done, not only to prevent a repeat of what had happened, but also to what was being done to make sure that, within the culture, everybody sort of knew what was expected? And to be candid, it was made a lot easier because the CEO was not, in any way, either conflicted or hesitant. Very strong views on the issue. And quite frankly, personally, very embarrassed by what had happened. So that's what I call, what do you do afterwards? And so you deal with it. I mean, we did the usual stuff of figuring out who needed to be appropriately treated, fired, terminated, remediated, what have you. We went through all that. But I think that the bigger learning, I think, for this company, and very much into it as I was leaving the board and I'm very much hoping that that will continue to be the case, was really what I would describe as, "So let's scan the horizon. Let's figure out how to identify the next issues and see if we can get ahead of it." And I mean, they literally formed a... I guess I hate to call it a committee, but I guess it's a committee, that on a regular basis, was effectively reviewing, within this particular part of their business, sales practices and new developments, et cetera, and looking at where there might be issues, my contribution, which I think they followed, was to find the person in their organization that nobody tended to like, who was not afraid to say, "But, sounds good, but..." And to empower them to find ways to reward the person for bringing an independent and a challenging viewpoint. That's hard in organizations. I don't know how well they did with that. I think they did some of it, but the point is that you're trying to be ahead of it. You're trying to recognize that bad stuff happens. That you can talk to the cows come home, but bad stuff happens and it will happen. And people for either evil reasons or innocent reasons sometimes go over the line, go where they shouldn't go. You just have to recognize that that's going to be the case. From a board perspective, I always took the position you have to recognize that. You have to make sure managers know that bad news can be delivered safely, that you're not going to all of a sudden have the hanging party go out because someone came in and told the audit committee that there had been an issue, but that what you really wanted was, "So how do we find this out? What are we doing about it? What do we think the causes were? What can we do better?" And then you go through the checklist. So again, not sure if I responded to your question, but I do think that boards are having to organize themselves around these challenges. And in my opinion, there are no right answers. There's no exact answer to any of it, which is why I always argue that you got to talk about it a lot. You got to recognize that sometimes the agenda of that's laid out isn't necessarily the agenda that you really need to be focusing on, and at least have some discussion about that, so that the person who might have a different idea can feel empowered to bring that idea up. Anyway, I'm going to stop there. Marsha Ershaghi Hames: You're hitting really excellent points. I feel like we could continue this for a good another hour because culture in and of itself, it's so elusive. And to your point, there's the agenda. And then there's the fuzzy noise. And how do we extract that clear focus? And while, so glad you said this, bad stuff happens, it'll continue to happen and crisis continues to unfold. However, I think it's, how do organizations take a step back and try to see, what are the lessons that we can learn? How can we be a little bit more acutely aware to try to identify these signals early? And how do we really foster a culture where management is also comfortable coming in and escalating, or bringing these to our attention sooner? Or what are the challenging questions we can ask of management to try to uncover these issues sooner? So it's sort of a mutual dialogue here, but clearly, Don, this is a conversation we could probably continue to have, but we're reaching the end of our time. And I have learned so much from you. I feel like I was intentionally sponsored today. So many new ideas are sparked in my head. So thank you so much for sharing your time and for joining us on this episode today. And I want to say to our listeners, this was a real special treat. We're just so thrilled to have Don share his reflections and experiences here. And I'm Marsha Ershaghi Hames. With gratitude for tuning in to the Principled podcast from LRN, and I'm going to sign off. Thank you. Outro: We hope you enjoyed this episode. The Principled podcast is brought to you by LRN. At LRN, our mission is to who inspire principled performance in global organizations, by helping them foster winning, ethical cultures rooted in sustainable values. Please visit us at lrn.com to learn more. And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And don't forget to leave us a review.

Amid a record-setting IPO market, one group of companies going public stands out—the makers of things we use in our everyday lives. On this episode, host Allison Nathan speaks with Jennifer Davis and Vishaal Rana from the Investment Banking Division's Consumer Retail Group about why investors are enthusiastic about consumer goods and services.

This episode of The Crexi Podcast covers lessons learned from investing in commercial real estate technology with Hunter Dallas of Leon Capital Group.The Crexi Podcast explores various aspects of commercial real estate in conversation with top industry professionals. In each episode, we feature different guests, tapping into their wealth of expertise and exploring the latest trends in the world of commercial real estate.  In this episode, Crexi's Ashley Kobovitch sits down with Hunter to discuss important lessons learned as an investor in both technology startups and various commercial real estate assets and businesses.  Their wide-ranging conversation covers: Essential things to keep in mind when developing an investment ethos, including how to adapt your strategy over time.Advice for new entrepreneurs and how to continually improve on growth and strategy as startups develop into a fully-fledged organization.Emerging trends in the future of commercial real estate, across asset classes and more general shifts in REIT and private investor behaviors.The role technology is poised to play in shifting how commercial real estate professionals conduct business and complete deals.And much more!If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the very next one delivered straight to your inbox. For show notes, past guests, and more CRE content, please check out Crexi Insights.Ready to find your next CRE property? Visit Crexi and immediately browse hundreds of thousands of available commercial properties.Follow Crexi:https://www.crexi.com/​ https://www.crexi.com/instagram​ https://www.crexi.com/facebook​ https://www.crexi.com/twitter​ https://www.crexi.com/linkedin​ https://www.youtube.com/crexiAbout Hunter Dallas:Hunter Dallas serves as Managing Director for the Private Equity division at Leon Capital Group. With an emphasis on healthcare and technology, Hunter is responsible for sourcing platform acquisitions, transaction structuring, strategy execution at the board level, and driving organic and inorganic growth within Leon Capital's portfolio companies.Prior to Leon Capital, Hunter was at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the real estate financing group within the Investment Banking Division. At Goldman, Hunter was involved in over $1.5 billion in debt financings, emphasizing structured products in markets across the United States. Prior to Goldman, Hunter worked at Caterpillar Financial in their finance leadership development program, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

The Breastfeeding Series on That's Total Mom Sense August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month so I am bringing you The Breastfeeding Series on That's Total Mom Sense. A 3-part series with leaders in the industry. Some people feel breast is best and others think fed is best and I'm here to be an objective insight and provide perspective for you because in the end, you have to trust your mom sense. So whether you breastfeed, formula feed, pump, or use donor milk, it's entirely up to you. However, it is important to destigmatize breastfeeding in modern day society. I want you to know your options, the benefits, hear from medical professionals, public figures, and legal experts on lactation regulations in the workplace which you can use to your advantage. I hope you feel empowered by the Breastfeeding Series on “That's Total Mom Sense.” Introduction Debi Yadegari is the Founder and CEO of Villyge. Her experience juggling a challenging legal career and breastfeeding as a new mom was the muse for Villyge, and why Debi is so dedicated to providing parents with the workplace support they need to pursue their professional goals while also balancing the responsibilities of new parenthood. Debi traded her brief case for a diaper bag in 2005 and has been supporting working parents ever since. Today, she is the leading authority on lactation accommodation law and a trusted expert on all matters working parenthood. She is a sought-after speaker and frequent contributor to Fox Networks, Working Mother Media, and various HR syndicates. Most importantly, she is a working mother of five (ages 3, 9, 12, 13 and 15). Prior to joining the esteemed ranks of motherhood, Debi developed a distinguished legal career. She began her career as a Corporate Associate in Big Law, where she specialized in security offerings within the capital markets. Subsequently, she served as Counsel to the Investment Banking Division of a leading international investment bank. While practicing law, Debi also offered pro bono legal assistance to the New York Legal Assistance Group. Debi received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she double majored in economics and political science, and her Juris Doctor from George Washington University. Debi is a Certified Lactation Counselor with the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice and lives on Long Island, with her supportive husband and five children. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: Villyge.com INSTAGRAM: @villyge FACEBOOK: /villyge LINKEDIN: Villyge Press NASDAQ: The 9 to 5 is Dead FORBES: How This Company Is Helping Women Balance Work With Health And Motherhood Mom Haul: INSTACART: “Instacart for door-to-door Costco essentials, because I have zero time!”

Can the record pace of M&A continue? Goldman Sachs' Mark Sorrell and Stephan Feldgoise, co-heads of global M&A for the Investment Banking Division, discuss the outlook, drivers and structures of M&A activity on Exchanges at Goldman Sachs. 

Related Article:  Alternative investment sales skyrocket in 2021Guest Bios: Milind Mehere: Serial entrepreneur, builder, thinker, angel investor, husband, and father. Milind is the Founder and CEO of YieldStreet and is on the mission to change the way wealth is created. A serial tech entrepreneur, he founded YieldStreet on the simple belief that everyone, regardless of their net worth, should have access to make the most of their money. Prior to YieldStreet, Milind spent nearly a decade scaling Yodle from $0 to $200M in revenue and employing more than 1,400, while helping hundreds of thousands of SMBs market their businesses online. Yodle was acquired by Web.com (Nasdaq: WEB) for $342M in 2016. Milind has a track record in building large scalable businesses and delivering life-changing products to underserved markets. Milind shares knowledge of investment and tech trends, company growth, building great teams, fundraising, and fan-favorite, fine whiskey. When Milind is not working, you can find him watching the Patriots with his son, traveling with his wife, reading non-fiction, and running in Central Park while listening to his favorite podcast, Hidden Brain.Lawrence Calcano is Chairman and CEO of iCapital Network. He began advising and working with iCapital shortly after its 2013 founding to lead key strategic and business development initiatives. Lawrence was a partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he spent 17 years, most recently serving as the co-head of the Global Technology Banking Group of the Investment Banking Division. He serves on the Boards of the Mental Health Association of New York City and Capitol Acquisition V, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company. Lawrence was named to the Forbes Midas List of the most influential people in venture capital in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Lawrence received a BA from the College of the Holy Cross and graduated from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College as a Tuck Scholar. 

Debi Yadegari is the Founder and CEO of Villyge. Her experience juggling a challenging legal career and breastfeeding as a new mom was the muse for Villyge, and why Debi is so dedicated to providing parents with the workplace support they need to pursue their professional goals while also balancing the responsibilities of new parenthood. Debi traded her brief case for a diaper bag in 2005 and has been supporting working parents ever since. Today, she is the leading authority on lactation accommodation law and a trusted expert on all matters working parenthood. She is a sought-after speaker and frequent contributor to Fox Networks, Working Mother Media, and various HR syndicates. Most importantly, she is a working mother of five (ages 3, 9, 12, 13 and 15). Prior to joining the esteemed ranks of motherhood, Debi developed a distinguished legal career. She began her career as a Corporate Associate in Big Law, where she specialized in security offerings within the capital markets. Subsequently, she served as Counsel to the Investment Banking Division of a leading international investment bank. While practicing law, Debi also offered pro bono legal assistance to the New York Legal Assistance Group. Debi received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she double majored in economics and political science, and her Juris Doctor from George Washington University. Debi is a Certified Lactation Counselor with the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice and lives on Long Island, with her supportive husband and five children. For more on Debi and her work, visit Villyge's website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the future of retirement post-pandemic? Smart, a leading retirement technology business and one of the UK's largest providers of retirement plans, recently launched the Future of Global Retirement report. It examines how retirement plans will evolve in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia in the years to come, following the coronavirus pandemic. Key U.S. findings from the report found that: Retirement ages are rising, and one in seven Americans now expect to delay their retirement due to COVID-19. 56% of Americans see retirement as a multi-stage transition rather than a one-off event. There's an "advice gap": Many Americans don't know where they can get retirement advice. Jodan Ledford, the CEO of Smart in the US, joins me today to share his insights. We discuss: Key findings from the Future of Global Retirement report - and what was surprising Why traditional retirement is dead - and why people's retirement planning isn't always in sync with that The biggest concerns and fears people have about retirement post-pandemic What was common and different across different regions When most people plan to access their retirement savings The pandemic's impact on retirement planning Jodan Ledford joins us from Nashville. ________________________ Bio Jodan Ledford is the US CEO of Smart. Before joining Smart, Jodan was the Chief Client Officer at Legal & General Investment Management America (LGIMA), where he oversaw a team of 75-plus spanning Sales, Marketing, Investment Solutions, Product & Corporate Strategy, as well as Multi-Asset Portfolio Management. Joining LGIMA shortly after their US market entry, Jodan led LGIMA's growth in the US market from $10 billion to $130 billion in US  third-party clients over 7 years. Prior to LGIMA, Jodan held positions at UBS Global Asset Management, J.P. Morgan's Investment Banking Division, and Watson Wyatt Worldwide. _________________________ Podcast Episodes You May Like What Trends in Retirement Should You Be Up to Speed On? – Catherine Collinson Getting Things Done In Retirement – David Allen What Can You Do to Age Better? – Anna Dixon Who Will You Be in Retirement? – David Ekerdt The Future You – Brian David Johnson Are You Ready For The New Retirement? – Stephen Chen   Browse all 4 seasons of our retirement podcast here _________________________ About Retirement Wisdom Traditional retirement is obsolete. It simply doesn't work for most people today. However, it is an important catalyst for the beginning of a new phase of life. But often what's next isn't clear. What do you want your new life to look like? Even if you have some ideas about your future, it can be hard to figure out exactly how to get there. You need a sound process – and a guide you can trust. The solution is Retirement Wisdom. Our Certified Designing Your Life coach can help you envision and transition to your new life, using a proven three-phase approach. Imagine new possibilities, evaluate alternative pathways, and create an actionable roadmap to your new lifestyle. Take the first step today. Schedule a free call with Joe Casey to learn more about our coaching programs. ___________________________ Explore retirementwisdom.com

The industrials sector—historically comprised of mature businesses without as much need for near-term growth capital—has seen robust IPO activity so far in 2021, with no signs of slowing down. Matt McClure, co-head of the Investment Banking Division's global industrials group, explains what's driving the activity and how clients are thinking about accessing the public markets.

Jennifer Davis and Vishaal Rana of the Investment Banking Division discuss the fate of brick-and-mortar retail locations and why the seamless omnichannel experience is the future of consumer retail.

In this special episode, four leaders across Goldman Sachs—Alec Phillips of Goldman Sachs Research, Amelia Garnett of Global Markets, Susie Scher of the Investment Banking Division, and Ashish Shah of the Asset Management Division—discuss what the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan means for the economy, markets, corporations and investors.   Recorded March 17, 18, and 22, 2021.  

In this episode of Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors, Antoine Flamarion and Mathieu Chabran, co-founders of Tikehau Capital, discuss how they have incorporated ESG into their investment strategy, the process of growing a global firm while cultivating its culture and identity, and the keys to their individual investing success. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, Goldman Sachs' chairman of Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity.   Copyright 2021 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Guest Cara Shortsleeve is the CEO at The Leadership Consortium (TLC), a leadership development platform designed to accelerate high potential and diverse leaders. Shortsleeve joined TLC in 2018 to launch and scale the business which has since forged relationships with Google, IBM, HubSpot, P&G, WPP and dozens more. Under Shortleeve’s leadership, TLC has enabled more than 2,000 executives to lead stronger teams and bring broader strategic mindsets to their business. Prior to joining TLC, Shortsleeve spent more than a decade in various leadership roles at Google and YouTube. Most recently, she served as a Global Director for GTM and commercialization at YouTube, focusing on product and commercial strategy. She was initially hired in 2007 to help launch and scale Google’s east coast, mid-market sales presence, after which she led the North American mid market sales teams for both Financial Services and Healthcare. Before Google, Shortsleeve managed the US running apparel business at New Balance, served as a Sales Director for Hind/Saucony, and spent three years with Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division.

In this special episode, four leaders across Goldman Sachs—Raj Mahajan of the Global Markets Division, John Marshall of Goldman Sachs Research, Lizzie Reed of the Investment Banking Division, and Greg Tuorto of Goldman Sachs Asset Management— discuss the historic rise of retail investing and its profound implications for market participants.

In this episode of Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors, Julian Salisbury, Global Co-Head of Asset Management at Goldman Sachs, discusses his global investment approach during the pandemic, his views on investing in emerging markets, and the biggest lessons he learned throughout his career. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity.   Copyright 2021 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors, PAG CEO Weijian Shan discusses his investment focus in Asia, how the evolving US-China relationship impacts his investment approach, and what he has learned from key investments throughout his career. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2021 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

It's not often we get to hear from a 7th generation American manufacturing family with a company that dates back to 1728 and in their family since 1793. The Hollingsworth & Vose Company (https://www.hollingsworth-vose.com/en/Company/Company-History/) is a technical manufacturer with a rich history of R&D and innovation. Here to share their story with us are Val & Annie Hollingsworth, first cousins and both members of the 6th generation, stewarding this incredible and impactful company to the next generation. Val Hollingsworth has served as President of Hollingsworth & Vose Company (https://www.hollingsworth-vose.com/) since January 1997, and added the title of Chief Executive Officer in January 1998. He began in operations, working as a Shift Supervisor and as a Production Manager, then held a series of manufacturing, sales, and marketing positions. He served as Mill Manager of our West Groton Mill and General Manager of the Battery Separator Business Unit. While the majority of his career has been at H&V, he also spent two years in the Investment Banking Division at Lehman Brothers in New York. Val earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. Annie Hollingsworth was elected to the H&V Board of Directors (https://www.hollingsworth-vose.com/) in 1997. She currently serves on the Nominating & Governance and the Executive Compensation committees of the Board. Prior to joining the Board, Annie worked at H&V starting in 1984. She held several positions in Sales and Marketing including Product Manager, Battery Separator and Marketing Manager, Nonwovens. She was instrumental in getting H&V into the battery separator business. Annie's father, Mark was the CEO of H&V from 1963 – 1983. Standout Quotes: * "Our company's history has been one of finding new and more technically oriented products in order to replace products that are maturing and obsolescing… Because the family had so much invested in this, we couldn't take the risk of being obsolete" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "If you're trying to optimize profitability, which we all are, how do you start to invest in things that may cannibalize an already existing product?" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "If we could be a good company.... that would attract good people, those good people would do good work" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "Ultimately, you have to trust other people to become the real experts and get in-depth, so it's more a matter of helping find and develop the right people and giving them what they need" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "There has always been an unwritten ethic of having to go the extra mile if you're from the family and you're in the business" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "If the family can contribute in helping set the right tone, and helping nurture the sense of purpose and values that are relevant, both for the family and ultimately for the company… that's invaluable in creating the atmosphere and dynamic that attracts good people" - [Val Hollingsworth] * "Be a good steward, Don't take it for granted" - [Val Hollingsworth] Key Takeaways: * Annie highlights that the company's resilience over the decades comes from a strong focus on customer relationships as well as Research and Development. * Val notes a conscious intent in the company from the beginning to continually reinvest, describing some of the intricate planning involved in the company's production line. * The business tries to keep up with a mantra of having the best product in the market, a better one in customer evaluation, and an even better one in the labs. * Val also describes the role of the workers in building the company's resilience, stressing the importance of having and keeping good people. * Trusting the employees plays a vital role in creating a balance for Annie and Val, between having knowledge of the technical expertise required in the family business and the job of stewardship. * Unlike Annie's Father who had to step up to the needs of the company without having much of a choice, Val and Annie were not under any pressure and joined purely out of interest. * The challenge for the older generation (6th generation) is to be open to change, to understand the important things that can make the company relevant to the next generation, and to know how to communicate with them. * Annie shares that she would encourage her kids to pursue their passion, as there are many ways to be a good family member or stockholder, but to ensure they continue to honor the company. * Val points out that with good stewardship, the family business could give meaningful contribution to the world. Episode Timeline: * [00:49] Meet Val and Annie Hollingsworth, as they share the early origins of their family business dating back to the late 1700s * [07:17] What is it about this company that has allowed it to remain so resilient for so many years? * [14:55] Val points out that the business also has multiple generations of employees * [16:42] Can you share some of the more notable products that the company is known for manufacturing today? * [22:14] Annie and Val each highlight events leading up to their entrance into the company and the journey so far. * [29:35] How do you balance understanding the depth of the technical expertise in the business with your stewardship role as a family member? * [33:33] Some of the strategies employed in keeping all the various stakeholders up to date with happenings in the business * [39:04] The business has an associate development program that exposes workers to the different areas of the business so that they can make a good match. * [43:38] Val describes the role of non-family members in the success of the overall business. * [46:30] How does the governance side of the family business work? * [54:24] Does the family do anything to ensure that the business's history is documented over time? * [55:50] The future of Hollingsworth and Vose. * [59:44] Annie's letter to her children * [01:00:40] Val's letter to his children For more episodes go to BusinessOfFamily.net (https://www.businessoffamily.net/) Sign up for The Business of Family Newsletter at https://www.businessoffamily.net/newsletter (https://www.businessoffamily.net/newsletter) Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeBoyd (https://twitter.com/MikeBoyd) If you feel it's appropriate, I'd so appreciate you taking 30 seconds to Leave a Review on iTunes (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1525326745), I receive a notification of each review. Thank you! Special Guests: Annie Hollingsworth and Val Hollingsworth.

In this episode ofTalks At GS Presents: Insights From Great Investors, Advent Managing Partner David Mussafer discusses how he has kept his pandemic investing strategy focused on the long-term, learning the difference between a great company and a great investment, and why a management team is key to successful investing. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Gregg Lemkau, co-head of the Investment Banking Division, reflects on how the industry and the firm have changed – and stayed the same – since he joined Goldman Sachs in 1992.  

In this episode, Bain Capital Co-Managing Partner John Connaughton discusses how the pandemic has impacted his long-term investing strategy, why he thinks taking “calculated risk” is key to being a successful investor, and key lessons he’s learned from past investments. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode, Permira Co-Managing Partner Tom Lister discusses the three sectors he is focused on in the investing landscape, why he thinks it is important to sell ahead of an investment’s top performance, and why resilience is a key trait of great investors. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of "Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors," Thoma Bravo managing partner Orlando Bravo discusses why he began investing in software two decades ago, the resiliency of the software business model, and navigating the investing landscape throughout the pandemic. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of "Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors," Warburg Pincus CEO Chip Kaye discusses why he thinks investing is about the “who” as much as the “what” and how living in Asia has influenced his career as an investor. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of "Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors," Carlyle Group CEO Kewsong Lee discusses how the pandemic has reshaped his investment outlook, why he thinks the biggest risk as an investor is not taking any risk at all, and why EQ—as much as IQ—shapes a successful investing career. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of "Talks at GS Presents: Insights from Great Investors," Jean Salata, CEO of Baring Private Equity Asia, discusses growing the private equity industry in Asia, navigating the challenges of the pandemic, and investment opportunities in the years ahead. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Matt McClure, co-head of the Global Industrials Group in Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division, discusses the high volume and velocity of deal activity in the sector since March. 

In this episode of "Talks At GS Presents: Insights From Great Investors," Eurazeo CEO Virginie Morgon discusses her investment strategy in response to the pandemic, the company’s renewed ESG commitments and why she thinks having self-confidence is key to a successful investing career. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Staying at home has resulted in sharp increases in streaming-video consumption, as well as entertainment companies moving some of their big releases from movie theaters to on-demand video. This has upended the entertainment landscape, creating challenges and opportunities for content creators, distributors and exhibitors. In this episode, Brett Feldman of Goldman Sachs Research, Adam Agress of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Alekhya Uppalapati of the Investment Banking Division explore these topics and how the entertainment industry is rapidly evolving. This is the first episode of a four-part miniseries: Exchanges Deep Dive: The Battle for Our Screens, which brings together experts from across Goldman Sachs to analyze how the pandemic has shifted our lives digitally and how industries are responding.  

The pandemic began a massive, unexpected work-from-home experiment. That has led companies to rely on technology in new ways to keep their employees connected, productive, and happy.   Heather Bellini of Goldman Sachs Research and Ryan Nolan of the Investment Banking Division talk about the opportunity for software to unlock productivity gains in the world’s 1.25 billion knowledge workers. Then, Tammy Kiely of the Investment Banking Division is joined by Renee James, CEO of Ampere Computing, to talk about what she’s learned about leading a tech startup through the pandemic and keeping her team mentally and physically well. This is the second episode of a four-part miniseries: Exchanges Deep Dive: The Battle for Our Screens, which brings together experts from across Goldman Sachs to analyze how the pandemic has shifted our lives digitally and forever changed how we rely on technology.  

As lockdown measures turned our real lives digital, we’ve looked to social media to connect with the outside world. This has only accelerated trends within the industry, like the increasing appetite for user-generated short-form video. To explore these shifting habits, Heather Bellini and Piyush Mubayi of Goldman Sachs Research discuss consumers’ social media consumption in the U.S. and Asia. Then, Jane Dunlevie from the Investment Banking Division discusses the state of play among her social media clients and how the pandemic has impacted their corporate strategies. This is the third episode of a four-part miniseries: Exchanges Deep Dive: The Battle for Our Screens, which brings together experts from across Goldman Sachs to analyze how the pandemic has shifted our lives digitally and forever changed how we rely on technology.  

Doug Holladay is the founder and CEO of Path North, Georgetown University professor, and former White House advisor teaches you how to find meaning, balance, and purpose throughout your career while reaching the highest levels of professional achievement—how to do well without losing yourself. He is the author of Rethinking Success. Doug was formerly a senior officer with the international investment banking firm Goldman, Sachs and Company, headquartered in New York. At Goldman Sachs, he worked in the Investment Banking Division on a range of matters, strategic and administrative as well as on certain international transactions with a governmental component. While with Goldman Sachs, he served as founding President of One to One Mentoring Partnership (Points of Light), an initiative of the New York financial community to bring imaginative solutions to some of our most pressing urban youth challenges, now known across the country as Mentor.

In this episode of "Talks At GS Presents: Insights From Great Investors," TPG co-CEO Jim Coulter talks about investment trends accelerated by the pandemic and why he thinks a good investment strategy is “not consensus.” The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode of "Talks At GS Presents: Insights From Great Investors," Blackstone President and COO Jon Gray discusses the historic dislocation in markets brought on by the pandemic, the themes driving Blackstone’s investment strategy moving forward, and the importance of “high conviction” in his approach to investing. The interview is moderated by Alison Mass, chairman of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Leading commentator and influencer on African affairs, Colin Coleman recently presented a speech at the University of Cape Town's Vice-Chancellor's Open Lecture. The speech was titled “From a Two-Speed Society to one that Works for All” and centred on a ten-point action plan to grow an inclusive South African economy and escape a socio-economic crisis. Colin opened his speech by stating that South Africa is in trouble. However, this is just a prefix to the rest of his speech in which he lays out an action plan to right all the wrongs we are currently facing. As one of South Africa's most prominent investment bankers and an expert on the economic development challenges and opportunities across Africa, Colin is forward-thinking, action-oriented and deeply passionate about South African economics and current affairs. On this week's Business Unusual podcast, Topco Media CEO, Ralf Fletcher, sits down with Colin for a dynamic and informative discussion ranging from how we can address South Africa's current challenges to what's needed to drive a culture of entrepreneurship. Colin's insights are equally optimistic and realistic as he dives into the three main challenges which South Africa is facing at this point and how we can combat them. Among other topics, Colin and Ralf discuss the notion of debt spiral, how we can make the most of our dynamic economy and the problem with rigid ideological boundaries (To view Colin's full speech, visit the link below). Colin Coleman is a South African banker and public figure. He currently holds a position as a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. A former partner of Goldman Sachs, Colin was Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs for Sub-Saharan Africa. He was head of the Goldman Sachs South Africa office from 2000. In 2008, he was named head of the Investment Banking Division for Sub-Saharan Africa. Colin Coleman Lecture

Leading commentator and influencer on African affairs, Colin Coleman recently presented a speech at the University of Cape Town's Vice-Chancellor's Open Lecture. The speech was titled “From a Two-Speed Society to one that Works for All” and centred on a ten-point action plan to grow an inclusive South African economy and escape a socio-economic crisis. Colin opened his speech by stating that South Africa is in trouble. However, this is just a prefix to the rest of his speech in which he lays out an action plan to right all the wrongs we are currently facing. As one of South Africa's most prominent investment bankers and an expert on the economic development challenges and opportunities across Africa, Colin is forward-thinking, action-oriented and deeply passionate about South African economics and current affairs. On this week's Business Unusual podcast, Topco Media CEO, Ralf Fletcher, sits down with Colin for a dynamic and informative discussion ranging from how we can address South Africa's current challenges to what's needed to drive a culture of entrepreneurship. Colin's insights are equally optimistic and realistic as he dives into the three main challenges which South Africa is facing at this point and how we can combat them. Among other topics, Colin and Ralf discuss the notion of debt spiral, how we can make the most of our dynamic economy and the problem with rigid ideological boundaries (To view Colin's full speech, visit the link below). Colin Coleman is a South African banker and public figure. He currently holds a position as a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. A former partner of Goldman Sachs, Colin was Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs for Sub-Saharan Africa. He was head of the Goldman Sachs South Africa office from 2000. In 2008, he was named head of the Investment Banking Division for Sub-Saharan Africa. Colin Coleman Lecture

Aia is a first year student at HBS. She is currently a Senior Associate at the Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, where she focuses on making early-stage technology investments in companies across the United States. In her role, she focuses on investment sourcing, due diligence, and working with portfolio companies. Prior to joining Revolution, Aia was an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York City. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

Susie Scher, co-head of the Global Financing Group in Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking Division, talks about how companies are meeting their financing needs in this environment and the broader sentiment for banking activity in the second half of 2020. Additionally, Scher shares her thoughts on how to recruit and develop diverse talent, as well as advice for how junior employees can continue to grow and develop their networks while working remotely.

Tomer is a Partner & CFO at aMoon, where he leads mid-late stage investments in healthtech companies. Tomer joined aMoon in early 2018 and led several investments including $30M Series C round in Zebra Medical Vision and $55M Series D round in Seer. He is also a board member in PharmaTwoB and Mapi. With 15 years of US capital markets experience, Tomer spearheads aMoon's Bridge to Wall Street, where he manages the fund's relationships with major investment banks, equity research analysts and investment funds. Prior to joining aMoon, Tomer was the CFO & COO of Alcobra, a NASDAQ-listed development-stage biotech company, where he led successful public equity offerings from leading US healthcare funds. Prior to joining Alcobra, he was an Executive Director in J.P. Morgan's Investment Banking Division in New York, where he played a leading role in numerous capital market and mergers and acquisitions transactions. In this capacity, he advised senior management and boards of directors of J.P. Morgan's key U.S. clients, including several S&P 500 healthcare firms. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Tomer worked in Citigroup's Investment Bank in New York. From 2000 to 2003, he served as an economist in the Financial Advisory Unit to the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. Tomer holds a Ph.D. in Finance and Economics (with Distinction) from Columbia Business School and has published a number of corporate finance articles in leading academic and practitioner journals. He also holds an M.Sc. in Finance and Accounting (Magna Cum Laude) and a B.A. in Economics and Management (Magna Cum Laude), both from Tel-Aviv University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomerberkovitz/ | https://www.amoon.fund/ Get in touch: www.jamessomauroo.com | www.somx.co.uk

If you’re still using conventional toothpaste, know that the biggest brands in oral care have often been the biggest culprits for containing harmful ingredients like fluoride, triclosan, and calcium chloride to name a few. It’s safe to say, we unknowingly ingest a lot of poison every year just by brushing our teeth. Risks from simply ingesting a fluoride toothpaste include permanent tooth discoloration (dental fluorosis), stomach ailments, acute toxicity, skin rashes (perioral dermatitis), and impairment in glucose metabolism. Therefore, I encourage you to do your research and make a switch to organic oral care for yourself and most definitely your kids. On today’s show, I’ll be chatting with Kori Estrada, the Co-Founder of the new natural oral care company RiseWell, and co-CIO of Axon Capital, an asset management firm in New York. With a focus on consumer, technology and healthcare related investments throughout her career in both public and private markets, Kori is passionate about innovative companies and brands that are moving the needle in these specific industries. Prior to joining Axon Capital, Kori was an Associate at Shumway Capital Partners and an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division at UBS Investment Bank. She received her BA from Columbia University majoring in Economics and Philosophy. In her spare time, she can be found fishing with her husband and fellow Co-Founder John in the North Fork of Long Island, spending time with her 2-year old son Leo or cooking healthy recipes for her personal blog KoKoButter.com.

Olivia Wassenaar is a Senior Partner at Apollo Private Equity having joined the firm in 2018, and is focused on the firm's natural resources investing activities. She serves on the boards of several Apollo portfolio companies, including Apex Energy, American Petroleum Partners, LifePoint Health, Pegasus Optimization Managers, and Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO). Prior to joining Apollo, Ms. Wassenaar was a Managing Director at Riverstone Holdings, where she was a member of the investment team for ten years. Previously, Ms. Wassenaar worked at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division focusing on natural resources and at The World Bank Group.

What Will Your Life in Retirement Be Like After a Highly Successful Career? Some people can't wait to enjoy the freedom to retire. But for many of us, it's just the beginning of the next chapter. What is it like to change lanes and perhaps never retire? Professor Meyer Feldberg is the author of No Finish Line: Lessons on Life and Career. He joins us for a conversation about the book, his reflections on different phases of his illustrious career - including his post-retirement career - and his advice on continuing to move on, contribute, and grow throughout life. ____________________________ Bio Meyer Feldberg served as dean and professor at Columbia Business School for over 15 years. He received a BA from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, an MBA for Columbia Business School, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town. In 1972 he was appointed dean of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. In 1979 he became director of executive education and associate dean at Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In 1981 he was appointed dean of Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, and in 1986 returned to Columbia as professor of management and dean of the Business School. In 2003, he was named the Sanford C. Bernstein Professor of Leadership and Ethics and held the chair until 2007, when he became dean emeritus. In 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Professor Feldberg president of New York City Global Partners. Professor Feldberg is currently a senior advisor in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley. He and his family have lived in eight cities on three continents.   _____________________________ About the Book Meyer Feldberg is a storyteller. The source of his stories is his rich and unique life, which took him from South Africa under apartheid to a C-Suite in present-day New York, from the hallowed halls of academia to the frenzy of global investment banking. As with all storytellers, there is a purpose embedded in each of his stories that is specific in its details but universal in its message. No Finish Line is Meyer Feldberg as his friends and colleagues know him. It is the professor dispensing sage advice. It is the mentor telling a tale about himself that is really about you. In his telling, Feldberg’s story―his successes and his failures―is a lesson plan for how to lead a worthy personal and professional life. This concise volume reminds the reader of the importance of courage and decency in our relationships. Feldberg shows how values such as self-awareness, personal responsibility, and generosity play out in ways that in retrospect become pivotal. He relates his regrets as well as his triumphs, candidly sharing how our failures to live up to our own expectations can continue to haunt us. Written by a leading fixture of New York’s educational, cultural, and business elite, No Finish Line is an engaging portrait of what matters most in living a good and successful life. - Columbia Business School Publishing Order No Finish Line: Lessons on Life and Career by Meyer Feldberg _____________________________ Wise Quotes On Mentoring “It gave me an understanding that there are two kinds of mentoring, mentoring that is destructive and makes life awkward and difficult for you and mentoring that helps you grow - where you admire the individual that's working with you and assisting you and directing you.”   On Second Careers “I don't use the phrase second act or second shot. You’ve got to feel the energy of wanting to move on and move up, move on and move up. And then one day, I assume you say, I'm done. I'm not done. But to me, it's not a second act or a third act or a fourth act. It's just been moving on and moving up.” __________________________ Related Podcast Episodes The Skill Set for Life’s Transitions – Bruce Feiler How to Make a Wise Career Switch – Dawn Graham

David Eisman '92 is head of the Northwest Region and co-head of the firm’s West Region Advisory Group in the Investment Banking Division. He has worked with many of the firm's most important clients in the Retail, Consumer and Food sectors. David has also been involved in the firm's coverage of financial sponsors. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1998 in the Mergers & Acquisitions Department in New York. In 2002, David joined Investment Banking Services, and in 2008, he relocated to Los Angeles. In 2017, David relocated to the Seattle office. He was named managing director in 2005 and partner in 2010. Prior to joining the firm, David worked at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. He serves on the Board of Directors of The UCLA Foundation. David earned a BA and MA in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1992, and a JD from Columbia Law School in 1995. Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

In an effort to provide timely and valuable updates regarding ongoing market volatility and potential economic impacts, we’re sharing a “Market Update” call hosted by our Investment Banking Division. In the conversation, Goldman Sachs President and COO John Waldron provides an update on the current environment, alongside other senior leaders across the firm.

Today I’m joined by Aarti Kapoor.    Aarti is an investment banker at Goldman Sachs covering Consumer & Retail clients, including high-growth health, wellness & lifestyle companies.    In today’s episode, Aarti and I discussed the evolution of the wellness market, the filters she uses to access deals, and the impact of digital and connected fitness on the future of the industry.    About Aarti >>    Aarti Kapoor covers Consumer & Retail clients at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division in New York. While active across all major industry verticals, Kapoor specializes in covering high-growth health, wellness & lifestyle companies – an area in which she has received significant recognition from publications spanning Forbes (“30 Under 30”), Business Insider (“Rising Stars of Wall Street”), Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, espnW, and more. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Kapoor spent 9 years in Consumer & Retail investment banking at Moelis & Company, after starting her career at Citigroup in New York. Kapoor graduated with a BA Honors in Economics from Harvard University. Outside of the office, Kapoor is a fitness & wellness junkie, foodie and travel enthusiast.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Denis Coleman, co-head of Goldman Sachs' Global Financing Group in the Investment Banking Division, joins host Jake Siewert to talk about the business and financing environment in Europe.

The latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs was recorded at the firm’s recent 2019 Builders + Innovators Summit, which convened nearly one hundred entrepreneurs from various industries to share their stories and learn from one another. Host Jake Siewert was joined by Investment Banking Division co-head Gregg Lemkau, as well as Brynn Putnam, founder of fitness startup Mirror, and Ryan Petersen of the logistics company Flexport. The group discussed today’s environment for entrepreneurship as well as the highs and lows of startup life. “The future of entrepreneurship is exciting,” Lemkau said. “And just being around people like [Putnam and Petersen], who started their own businesses, and the passion you feel for what they’re trying to build. I think the ability to start a business and scale it, given where technology is now, is phenomenal and only growing.” 

 A Remarkable Corporate Turnaround: The “Take-Private” of Talen Energy with CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez A CEO’s Virtual Mentor® Episode 22  Welcome to Episode 22 and May 2019, which marks Lyceum’s three-year anniversary of publishing A CEO's Virtual Mentor®. Today I'm joined by Talen Energy’s CEO, Ralph Alexander, and CFO, Alex Hernandez. We'll be discussing the remarkable turnaround of Talen Energy that Ralph and Alex have been leading. Talen Energy in its privately-held form today is unique and its evolution to its current state illustrates the range of leadership approaches available for a company in a “take-private” setting. There's a definite before, middle, and beyond to the take private transformation. Talen is still in the early stage of the “beyond” era. The red-letter date of the take-private was December 6th, 2016.  And to set context, we have to back up a little bit.  About a year and a half before the take-private, Talen Energy was formed when Pennsylvania Power & Light, or PPL, spun off their power generation assets and combined them with those belonging to private equity group Riverstone. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on June 1st, 2015, with initial ownership being 65% PPL and 35% Riverstone. That company, which Ralph and Alex refer to as “Talen 1.0,” had about 15,000 megawatts of capacity split across fuel sources, with about 43% from natural gas, 40% from coal, and 15% from nuclear (from the company’s one nuclear facility, Susquehanna). Those assets sold into two major wholesale markets in ERCOT and PJM, plus a small amount in New England. Talen generated a proforma of $4.3 billion in 2014 revenues. On December 6th, 2016, Riverstone purchased the remaining 65% of Talen, making Talen a privately-held company, and appointed Ralph and Alex to lead the company. They faced the massive task of sorting out what the company had and planning what they would do with it.  Our interview covers a lot of ground and addresses an array of business leadership questions, including: What are the expectations and requirements that a private equity owner has for a company and a management team? What historical decisions prior to new ownership of a company led to lackluster performance? What were the strategic views embedded in the private equity investor’s thesis about a company? Why invest more deeply in a company that is suffering from lackluster performance? Can new management and their decisions have a marked impact? How does a new leader ferry the costs out of and efficiencies into a business after acquisition? Does private ownership provide benefits for a company? What does a productive, strategic partnership between a CEO and a CFO look like? What is the role of a “strategic” CFO? Is good leadership universal? Is a management team and its profitable approach transportable to other sectors?  We would like to express our special thanks to the clients of Lyceum Leadership Consulting that enable us to bring you this podcast.  Thanks for listening.  We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.    Informative and Helpful Links Talen Energy's Website - https://www.talenenergy.com/ Riverstone's Website - https://www.riverstonellc.com/ Economic dispatch of power generation resources explained by the EIA - https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=7590   Program Guide Episode 22 A Remarkable Corporate Turnaround: The “Take-Private” of Talen Energy with CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez  0:00     Introduction to Talen Energy and CEO Ralph Alexander and CFO Alex Hernandez 4:00     Expectations and requirements that Riverstone had for the company and the management team. 7:11     Historical decisions prior to new ownership of the company that led to lackluster performance. 9:17     Break 1 9:35     Why invest more deeply in a company that is suffering from lackluster performance?  Can new management and their decisions have a marked impact? 12:32   How does a leader lead the costs out and the efficiencies into the business through others? 20:11   Break 2 20:30   Does private ownership provide benefits for a company? 26:04   Break 3 26:32   What does a productive, strategic partnership between a CEO and a CFO look like? 30:24   What is the role of a “strategic” CFO? 34:29   Break 4 34:49   What is the next chapter for Talen Energy? 39:00   Break 5 39:24   Is good leadership universal? Is a management team and its approach profitability transportable to other sectors? 44:52   Closing comments and coming attractions   Biographies of Guests Mr. Ralph Alexander Ralph Alexander was appointed President and CEO of Talen Energy on December 6, 2016. He was previously a Partner with Riverstone Holdings, LLC. For nearly 25 years, Mr. Alexander served in various positions with subsidiaries and affiliates of BP plc, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. From June 2004 until December 2006, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Innovene, BP's $20 billion olefins and derivatives subsidiary. From 2001 until June 2004, he served as Chief Executive Officer of BP's Gas, Power and Renewables, and Solar segment and was a member of the BP Group Executive Committee. Prior to that, Mr. Alexander served as a Group Vice President in BP's Exploration and Production segment and BP's Refinery and Marketing segment. He held responsibilities for various regions of the world, including North America, Russia, the Caspian, Africa, and Latin America. Prior to these positions, Mr. Alexander held various positions in the upstream, downstream, and finance groups of BP. Mr. Alexander currently serves on the boards of Enviva Partners, LP, Talen Energy Corporation, and CHI St. Luke’s Health. He has previously served on the boards of Foster Wheeler, Stein Mart, Inc., Amyris, and Anglo-American plc. In addition, Mr. Alexander is currently Chairman Emeritus of the Board of NYU School of Engineering and a Trustee for New York University. He received an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Brooklyn Polytech (now NYU School of Engineering - Polytechnic) and holds an M.S. in Management Science from Stanford University.   Mr. Alejandro (Alex) Hernandez Alex Hernandez was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Talen Energy on December 6, 2016. Before that appointment, Mr. Hernandez was a Senior Advisor at Riverstone Holdings, LLC, where he focused on the power sector and on the acquisition of Talen Energy. ​Prior to joining Riverstone, Mr. Hernandez was CFO of Terraform Power until November 2015. Mr. Hernandez was formerly Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, with a primary focus on coverage of North American companies in the merchant power, utilities, and renewable energy sectors, providing strategic and capital markets advice to management teams and boards of directors. ​Mr. Hernandez currently serves as a Roundtable member of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Mr. Hernandez received a B.A. in Economics from Rice University, a B.S.C. from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from Columbia University. Your host Thomas B. Linquist is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lyceum Leadership Consulting and Lyceum Leadership Productions. Over his 14 years in management and leadership consulting he has served a wide array of industrial clients.  This includes leadership assessment and search for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and boards of directors.  He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and over his 28-year career has served in a variety of roles: as an engineer with Shell Oil Company, a banker with ABN AMRO Bank, and as treasurer was the youngest corporate officer in the 150+ year history at Peoples Energy Company in Chicago.  He is an expert on hiring and promotion decisions and leadership development.  Over the course of his search career, he has interviewed thousands of leaders.  Thanks for listening.  We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues.   Program Disclaimer The only purpose of the podcast is to educate, inform and entertain. The information shared is based on the collection of experiences of each of the guests interviewed and should not be considered or substituted for professional advice. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and neither The Leadership Lyceum LLC nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular content, recommendation or methodology discussed in this podcast. Follow Leadership Lyceum on: Our website: www.LeadershipLyceum.com LinkedIn: The Leadership Lyceum LLC Twitter: @LeaderLyceum https://twitter.com/LeaderLyceum Email us: info@LeadershipLyceum.com Thanks for listening.  We can’t improve without your feedback – write us through our website www.LeadershipLyceum.com and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  Please rate us and spread the word among your fellow executives and board colleagues.  This podcast Leadership Lyceum: A CEO’s Virtual Mentor has been a production of The Leadership Lyceum LLC. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

Stephen is a Partner of Cornell Capital. He has over 25 years of private investing experience across a broad array of sectors. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Stephen worked as a Portfolio Manager at Avenue Capital, focused on public and private equity investing. Previously, he served as a member of the Management Committee and Global Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Merchant Banking Division and Private Equity Group. Stephen began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he worked in the Investment Banking Division’s Energy and Power Group in New York and Corporate Finance Group in Hong Kong before moving to the Merchant Banking Division in Hong Kong and London where he Co-Headed the Industrials investing effort and was a member of the Investment and Operating Committees. Stephen formerly served on the board of various Goldman Sachs portfolio companies, including Berry Plastics, Capmark Financial, Cobalt, Cognis, Deutsche Kabel, Messer Griesheim and Wincor Nixdorf, among others. Stephen is a Director of Knowlton Development Corporation. Stephen was a member of the United States Olympic Fencing Teams in 1984 and 1988. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbia College and Storm King Art Center.

Betsy Kacizak, Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment, and Brad Chandler, Director, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business of University Wisconsin-Madison, discuss what makes the Wisconsin MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (10:45) | Admissions (29:56) | Scholarships (45:32) | Careers (49:08 About Our Guests Betsy Kacizakis the Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Betsy excels at walking you through the admissions process, including helping guide you toward the specialization that best fits your passions and career aspirations. She has expertise as a leader in the field of graduate admissions. She has worked for the Wisconsin School of Business for 11 years and worked for seven years at Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Brad Chandleris the Director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business. At the Nicholas Center, Brad is responsible for both administering the Center's specialized programming focused on MBA and undergraduate students and teaching a number of its core courses. Prior to joining the Nicholas Center in 2017, Brad was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley in New York City. While at Morgan Stanley, Brad advised corporate and private equity clients on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism and defense, leveraged buyouts, debt and equity financings, restructurings, and fund-level financings. Brad successfully executed over 55 transactions representing over $225 billion in transaction value. Representative transactions include advising Dow on its merger with DuPont, advising Axiall on its hostile defense against Westlake Corporation, advising Agrium on its proxy contest victory over JANA Partners, advising Dresser Rand on its sale to Siemens AG, the Trinseo and Sensata IPOs, and numerous financings for Bain Capital, Advent Capital Management, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, CF Industries, and Eastman Chemical. What is unique about the Wisconsin MBA? What are its key advantages? The Wisconsin MBA asks applicants to select from 10 career specializations at the time they apply: Brand and Product Management, Marketing Research, Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, Applied Security Analysis, Real Estate and Risk Management and Insurance, Operations and Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Arts Administration Wisconsin MBAs start taking courses and doing applied learning related to their specialization from very first semester Center Directors running Wisconsin's 10 specializations play a big role in admissions, curriculum design and career advising, as they connect students to alumni, recruiters and thought leaders in the space Wisconsin offers a tailored and customized approach to 80 students Wisconsin was one of 3 founding members of the Consortium in 1966 Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/wisconsin-mba-program-admissions-interview-betsy-kacizak-brad-chandler 

Betsy Kacizak, Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment, and Brad Chandler, Director, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business of University Wisconsin-Madison, discuss what makes the Wisconsin MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more. Program Highlights (10:45) | Admissions (29:56) | Scholarships (45:32) | Careers (49:08 About Our Guests Betsy Kacizakis the Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Betsy excels at walking you through the admissions process, including helping guide you toward the specialization that best fits your passions and career aspirations. She has expertise as a leader in the field of graduate admissions. She has worked for the Wisconsin School of Business for 11 years and worked for seven years at Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Brad Chandleris the Director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking at the Wisconsin School of Business. At the Nicholas Center, Brad is responsible for both administering the Center's specialized programming focused on MBA and undergraduate students and teaching a number of its core courses. Prior to joining the Nicholas Center in 2017, Brad was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley in New York City. While at Morgan Stanley, Brad advised corporate and private equity clients on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism and defense, leveraged buyouts, debt and equity financings, restructurings, and fund-level financings. Brad successfully executed over 55 transactions representing over $225 billion in transaction value. Representative transactions include advising Dow on its merger with DuPont, advising Axiall on its hostile defense against Westlake Corporation, advising Agrium on its proxy contest victory over JANA Partners, advising Dresser Rand on its sale to Siemens AG, the Trinseo and Sensata IPOs, and numerous financings for Bain Capital, Advent Capital Management, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, CF Industries, and Eastman Chemical. What is unique about the Wisconsin MBA? What are its key advantages? The Wisconsin MBA asks applicants to select from 10 career specializations at the time they apply: Brand and Product Management, Marketing Research, Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, Applied Security Analysis, Real Estate and Risk Management and Insurance, Operations and Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Arts Administration Wisconsin MBAs start taking courses and doing applied learning related to their specialization from very first semester Center Directors running Wisconsin's 10 specializations play a big role in admissions, curriculum design and career advising, as they connect students to alumni, recruiters and thought leaders in the space Wisconsin offers a tailored and customized approach to 80 students Wisconsin was one of 3 founding members of the Consortium in 1966 Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/wisconsin-mba-program-admissions-interview-betsy-kacizak-brad-chandler 

Jeff Leathers (WG ’19) interviews Lowell Putnam, the co-founder and CEO of Quovo, a financial data platform that provides companies with connectivity and insights for millions of consumer financial accounts across more than 14,000 different institutions. In January 2019, Quovo was acquired by Plaid. In this podcast, Lowell covers the recent acquisition, the current and future use cases for account connectivity, the regulatory environment, and his takeaways from his journey as a technology entrepreneur. Prior to founding Quovo, Lowell worked in the Investment Banking Division of Lehman Brothers/Barclays. At Lehman Brothers, Lowell worked in the Financial Institutions Group, specializing in consumer credit companies and structured finance transactions. Lowell has been named to the InvestmentNews 40 under 40 and WealthManagement.com Top Ten to Watch in 2016 lists. He serves on several advisory boards for technology companies and non-profits. Lowell attended Harvard College and lives in New York City with his wife, Brynn, and son, George.

We are joined this week by Chris Buddin (@cbuddin), Global Head of Clean Technology Renewables Group and the Internet of Things in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. This week’s conversations focuses on technology, where clean energy has come and where it’s going. We also talk about how the evolution of technology development is affecting the market, specifically as it relates to the Internet of Things. Experts Only is made possible by CleanCapital. Learn more: http://www.cleancapital.com Follow on Twitter: @CleanCapital_

Doug McCormick is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of HCI Equity Partners. Mr. McCormick has been an active investor in numerous markets to include aerospace, defense, distribution, food services, packaging, manufacturing and outsourced business services. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for AmercareRoyal and Summit Interconnect and as a board member of Naumann/Hobbs Material Handling, Inc. and Quadel Consulting Corporation. Before founding HCI Equity, Mr. McCormick worked at Thayer Hidden Creek,Thayer Capital and the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division. As author of Family Inc., Mr. McCormick is committed to empowering others through financial literacy with a focus on the veteran community. His writing on financial literacy and veteran economic empowerment have been covered by leading media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The NY Times, USA Today, PBS, Time, Fast Company and The Motley Fool. Mr. McCormick serves as the Chairman of the Board for Bunker Labs and a member of the Board of Directors for Team RWB. He is a 2011 Henry Crown Fellow, and a Founding Member of Capital For Children. Mr. McCormick received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Support the podcast!