The HPScast (HPS Investment Partners, LLC)

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Paul Knollmeyer, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at HPS Investment Partners. Paul breaks down how he was able to leverage the expertise that he acquired at Pricewaterhouse in the late 80s into a position as CFO for Griffin Group, the family office of media and entertainment mogul Merv Griffin. He shares how that role broadened his experience deploying capital, including his first exposure to distress investing in real estate coming out of the savings and loan crisis. Then, we discuss Paul’s tenure as COO at Ortelius Capital Partners through the 2008 financial crisis, and his decision to join HPS, then Highbridge Principal Strategies, as its CFO and Chief Risk Officer. He shares how he helped to navigate the successful buyout of Highbridge Principal Strategies from JP Morgan in 2016. And we look ahead to the risks and opportunities that lay ahead in the current macro environment. 

Learn more about Paul Knollmeyer’s role at HPS Investment Partners here. You can find our guest’s Best Idea, the novel Die with Zero by Bill Perkins, here. Discover the novelTalk by Michael Smerconish, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon looks at key takeaways from The HPScast's third season. We'll be back in the fall with more great interviews, but we encourage you to enjoy these last days of summer by checking out all of the Best Ideas from our guests.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Chris Stainton, a Managing Director in HPS’ London office focused on direct lending and special situations investing. We talk about Chris’s early career at Bain Capital and how sitting across the negotiation table with HPS led to his eventual decision to join the firm. We also do a deep dive into the evolution of the global distressed credit market to today.

Watch Chris’s Best Idea for this week, the television series Night Manager here. Read Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the fantasy novel trilogy His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Francesco Martorana, Group Chief Investment Officer at Generali, a global insurance and asset management provider. We discuss Francesco’s time at J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank and Allianz before joining Generali, where he oversees an approximately €400 billion global portfolio. Francesco shares Generali’s stance on private credit and the qualities he looks for in a portfolio manager. 

Learn more about Francesco and his role at Generali here. Check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the book The Great Texas Banking Crash by Joseph Grant here. 

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Mark Rubenstein, Head of Strategic Investment Partners North America at HPS. We talk about Mark’s early days at Citigroup’s leveraged finance division and his transition to the bank’s Special Situations Group. He then recounts the pivotal moments that led him to join HPS and the evolution of the firm during his tenure.

Learn more about Mark Rubenstein and his role at HPS here. Check out his Best Idea, the book Am I Being Too Subtle? by Sam Zell  here. Learn more about Magog, Quebec, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

We’ve reached the end of Season 9 of The HPScast. Join host Colbert Cannon for a listen back to some of our best moments this season. 

We heard from thought leaders across industries, from entrepreneurs turned VC backers to organizational psychologists, as well as chief investment officers of leading pensions and global insurers. Their stories reinforced the ethos of The HPScast — that success does not happen in a vacuum. 

Thank you to all of our listeners for your continued support. We’ll be back at the top of 2024 with all new conversations. Until then, listen back to any episodes you might have missed, and check out our show notes to find links to all of the Best Ideas shared so far.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Salim Ismail, Co-Founder and Chairman of OpenExO, a global community that connects professionals with organizations, institutions and people who want to build a better future through cutting-edge ideas and actionable methodologies. We talk about how Salim works with global organizations to navigate disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). He shares his thoughts on how AI will impact society and his best advice on how to prepare for the rapidly changing future.

Learn more about Salim and his role at OpenExO here. Watch Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the film Ex Machina, directed by Alex Garland, here.

In this episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Tracy Blackwell, CEO of U.K.-based Pension Insurance Corporation. We learn about her transition from Goldman Sachs to helping start PIC, a U.K.-based defined benefits scheme liabilities insurer. We gain insights on the two trillion pounds market and its trajectory. We also hear how Tracy led her fast-growing team through the global pandemic and beyond.

Check out Colbert's Best Idea, Tony Kushner's Angels in America here, now streaming on HBO Max.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with John Amaechi OBE, founder of APS Intelligence, an organizational consulting firm that helps businesses create ethical workplace cultures, and drive productivity, growth, retention, and success. John explains how he coaches businesses to find practical solutions that work for their specific type of organization and distinct needs. We also talk about how John leveraged his time in the NBA to carve out a unique lane in psychology with broad and scalable impact. 

Learn more about John Amaechi and APS Intelligence here. Learn more about Colbert’s Best Idea for the week, the Apple Plus TV show Hijack, here.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Sebastian Schroff, the Global Head of Private Debt at Allianz. We’ll hear how Sebastian transitioned from academia to lead Allianz’s charge into private credit, and how alternative asset classes are paying off in today’s low yield market. We’ll also learn how the pandemic is pushing direct lending further into the mainstream.

Visit Allianz’s website to learn more about the firm here. 

You can order Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann here.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Aldo Mazzocco, the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Generali Real Estate SpA for a discussion full of lessons for business and life. 

Aldo shares his path to real estate investment as he moved from general manager of a construction company to eventually run Beni Stabili SpA. There, he more than doubled the Italian real estate company's portfolio before overseeing its merger with Foncière des Régions to create what is now Covivio. Then, Aldo discusses his move to Generali Real Estate, where he was tasked with modernizing the business and creating a viable third party asset management strategy. He talks about the challenges of building something new in a business more than 190 years old. Aldo also shares how he managed his team during the Covid-19 crisis as it roiled the commercial real estate industry, drawing deeply from his past handlings of the Lehman Brother crisis, the European sovereign debt crisis and Italy’s triple dip recession. And he offers up one incredibly sound piece of advice sourced from the Dolomites in northeast Italy that still guides him today.           

Learn more about Aldo Mazzocco’s tenure at Generali Real Estate here. You can find out more about Generali’s philanthropic housing initiative, The Human Safety Net, here.

The HPScast is taking a quick midseason break, but we’ll be back with all new episodes starting Wednesday, November 15th. Until then, listen back to our growing catalog of conversations. Or, take a moment to check out one of our many Best Ideas shared so far. You can find links to fantastic books, podcasts, movies and TV shows, all in our show notes.

In this episode, Colbert speaks with one of HPS’s own Governing Partners, Purnima Puri. We’ll hear about how struggling in organic chemistry led to a BA in Math at Northwestern, the best takeaways from Harvard Business School, and what made her drop everything to join CEO Scott Kapnick in building HPS into the leading global investment firm it is today.

HPS Bio page: https://www.hpspartners.com/en/team/purnima-puri/

Best Idea - Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com/

Best Idea - Context Tours: https://www.contexttravel.com/

We’re back with Season 7 of The HPScast. This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Jessica Gelman, Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Analytics Group and co-founder of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Jessica discusses how data is being used to redefine the sports industry, from helping us better understand how we consume sports media to spotlighting gaps in equality to shape a more just future. Jessica shares her winding path into sports and entertainment, which included a stint of professional basketball in Europe and consulting work before heading back to business school, where she merged her love for the game with an appetite for intellectual rigor to carve the unique path she walks today. And find out how the renowned MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference was started over a quick drink.

Learn more about Jessica Gelman and her role at Kraft Analytics Group here, and check out the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference here. Find out more about Jessica’s Best Idea, the autobiography All In by Billie Jean King, here. You can also read Colbert’s Best Idea, the book Dream Team by Jack McCallum, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon looks back at the key takeaways of Season 2 so far as The HPScast heads into its midseason break. We wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season, and we'll be back in the New Year with all new episodes. 

Join host Colbert Cannon in conversation with Jae S. Yoon, Chief Investment Officer of New York Life Investment Management and Chairman of New York Life Investment Asia. Jae shares how he turned a proclivity for mathematics into quantitative analysis roles in risk management for the Asia offices of firms like Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan. We hear how he navigated turbulent times such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis. We then pivot to discuss Jae’s role as a macro manager for New York Life Investment Management, the asset management business of New York Life Insurance. He shares how he uses everything from historical events like the Great Inflation of the 1970s to conversations with cab drivers to build a robust understanding of the local markets that shape our global economy.    

Learn more about Jae S. Yoon’s role at New York Life Investment Management here. Check out the menu at Oiji MI, Colbert’s Best Idea for the week, here.

In this episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with David Ross, Chief Executive Officer at the Ardonagh Group. We’ll hear about David’s first steps into the insurance business and how he creates a culture of accountability and trust in his firm. We also learn how he applied those lessons to the difficult task of turning around Towergate.
 

You can find out more about Patrick Radden Keefe and his book Say Nothing here.

This week marks the end of Season 7 of The HPScast. Join host Colbert Cannon as he looks back at some key moments from the season. We hear key insights from titans across industries – from commercial real estate to English football, plus more than a few masters of analytics working to enhance everything from risk assessment to global literacy. 

We’ll be back in the second half of 2023 with all new episodes. Until then, catch up on any conversations you might have missed. Or try out one of the many Best Ideas shared in each episode. You can find links to those in the show notes of each episode.

In this episode, Colbert speaks with Andy Hovancik, the President & CEO of Sovos Compliance. We’ll learn how Andy leveraged his experience in industries from manufacturing to software to plot his own course, and how he pushed past his comfort zone to navigate a tricky carveout. We’ll also get insights into how Sovos applies a global perspective to local taxes and maintains one of the highest customer retention rates in the business.

Visit Sovos Compliance’s website to learn more about Andy here.

Check out Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl here, and A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe here.

In the season premiere of The HPS Cast, join host Colbert Cannon as he speaks with Bryan Marsal, co-CEO of the consulting firm, Alvarez & Marsal. We’ll hear important rules to successfully maintain a 35-year business partnership, how problem loans get worked out, and what it took to administer the largest bankruptcy of all time in the wake of a global financial crisis.

Alvarez & Marsal website: https://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/

“Don’t Let The Old Man In” by Toby Keith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE

The Callaway Epic Flash Driver: https://bit.ly/3a5HC0X

Join host Colbert Cannon for a conversation with Geetha Murali, the CEO of Room to Read, a global non-profit organization that focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to improve literacy and gender equality in education. Geetha shares how she’s used her biostatistics background to help grow the organization's reach to now serve 32 million children across 21 countries. She discusses how the global pandemic pushed her team to find new ways of reaching communities both online and offline amid shutdowns that cut off their primary channel of distribution - schools. She also delves into how the binary between for-profit and nonprofit organizations is becoming a thing of the past with the increase in impact investing and ESG frameworks across the board.

Learn more about Geetha Murali’s tenure at Room to Read here. Learn more about Room to Read and how to donate here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, here. Read Circe by Madeline Miller, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

On this week’s episode of HPS, host Colbert Cannon is joined by Carsten Quitter, Allianz Group CIO. Carsten, who graduated from Dortmund with a degree in computer science, shares with Colbert why he made a switch to risk capital management and all that came to follow after his successful career change.  He also discusses what its like to manage risk and make investments in different geographies and what we can learn from different regions business cultures.

To learn more about Allianz's impact in more than 70 countries, click here. 

Colbert’s Best Idea is to check out the German science fiction series, Dark. Click here to watch the show, available to stream on Netflix. 

Join host Colbert Cannon in conversation with one of HPS’ Governing Partners Scot French. We’ll hear about the growth & evolution of the mezzanine market, financing entrepreneurs and getting pitched to join HPS.

Learn more about Scot French’s role in HPS here. Find out more about Colbert’s Best Idea, the English Premier League, here.

Host Colbert Cannon speaks with Gary Stead, a Managing Director at HPS based in Australia. In this episode, we’ll hear about Gary’s various M&A roles spanning the globe from Sydney to Singapore, and his evolution from being a banker to being an investor. We also get into the role of direct lending in the bank-dominated Australian market and what Gary sees on its horizon.

Try out Colbert’s go-to recipe for his Aussie-inspired dessert, the Pavlova, here.

On this week's episode of The HPScast, Colbert Cannon sits down with Managing Director at HPS, Anders Fisher. The Harvard undergrad and Stanford postgrad shares how he started his career at private equity firm Hicks Muse in their London office and later moved to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in San Francisco.  Fisher also describes what it was like starting his own firm, Tålamod Asset Management in 2008, before joining HPS in 2018 where he and his team continue to grow their investing strategy.

Check out Anders's Best Idea, The Cicero Trilogy, written by Robert Harris here. Also be sure to check out Colbert's Best Idea, the Coen brothers Academy Award winning film, No Country For Old Men here. 
 

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with James “Jamie” Sprayregen, Vice Chairman at Hilco Global, a financial services firm focused on asset valuations, monetization, and disposition services. We discuss Jamie’s 31-year tenure growing Kirkland & Ellis’ restructuring and bankruptcy law practices globally. He shares insights on some of the most complicated bankruptcies in history. Then, we pivot to learn about his transition to Hilco Global.

Learn more about James and his work at Hilco Global, here. Find out where to watch Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the play, The Lehman Trilogy, here.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Bill Stephenson, the Chief Executive Officer of HPS’s Global Leasing platform. We do a deep dive into the vendor finance industry and gain insight into that $1 trillion market. Bill shares key lessons learned from his over three decades long tenure at DLL and how he helped grow that business into the world's largest global leasing company. He also discusses how he is bringing that expertise and experience to HPS. 

To learn more about Colbert's Best Idea, the HBO Max series Station Eleven, visit the show’s website here.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Payne Brown, President of THINK450, the marketing and licensing arm of the NBA Players Association. We hear about his transition from local government to helping broker Comcast’s acquisition of NBC, and his ambitions for the iconic NBA brand. We discuss the need for proactive change in diversity and inclusion efforts and what we stand to lose if we fail to do so. 

Visit THINK450’s website here to learn more. 

Read “Letter From a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. -- Payne’s Best Idea -- here. You can stream "The Last Dance", Colbert’s Best Idea, now on Netflix.

In this episode, Colbert talks with Todd Siegel, CEO of cxLoyalty. We’ll hear about the operations behind the scenes when you cash in on credit card rewards points, why the carrot-and-stick approach to management is outdated, and what it’s like to serve as the General Counsel, CFO, and CEO of one of the world’s top travel agencies that you’ve never heard of.  

cxLoyalty website: https://www.cxloyalty.com/

Best Idea - Drive by Daniel Pink: https://amzn.to/2P2UGMw

Best Idea - Thinking In Bets by Annie Duke: https://amzn.to/324xD9w

We’re back for Season 2 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon speaks with Kevin Lavin, CEO of Ankura, a global consulting firm focused on corporate restructuring. We’ll hear how Ankura stepped in to pull Atlantic City out of its financial straits and how the firm helped to restructure Puerto Rico’s heavy debt load. 

Visit Ankura's website here.

Listen to Colbert's Best Idea - Bruce Springsteen's album, Nebraska, here.

Welcome back to Season 9 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Alexa von Tobel, a dynamic entrepreneur, NYT-bestselling author, and venture capitalist. Alexa is the founder of Inspired Capital, an early stage venture capital firm committed to nurturing the next generation of exceptional entrepreneurs. We delve into Alexa’s remarkable journey, from her early career at Morgan Stanley to founding LearnVest, a pioneering financial literacy company that was later acquired by Northwestern Mutual. Then, we discuss her latest venture, Inspired Capital — and why she’s embracing more volatile economic conditions, including rising interest rates,  to build better businesses and teams. Throughout, Alexa shares her keys to success at every juncture and vital lessons learned along the way. Learn more about Alexa von Tobel and her VC firm, Inspired Capital here. Watch “The Social Network,” Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

In this episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Megan Colligan, President of IMAX Corporation. We hear about Megan’s career path from Wall Street, to political campaigns, to the film industry. We also consider the future of theaters post-pandemic. And for horror film buffs, we learn about the unique strategy Megan used to promote the most profitable movie of all time, Paranormal Activity.

You can watch Colbert’s Best Idea, Edge of Tomorrow, on Amazon, YouTube, or other streaming platforms.

This week, host Colbert Cannon is joined by iconic restaurateur Danny Meyer, the founder and Executive Chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group behind notable dining concepts including Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern. Danny shares how a series of people and events, from a discerning uncle who turned Danny away from pursuing law school to a close friend who connected him to his first restaurant job, led him to the business of good food – and even better hospitality. We hear how Danny brings that ethos to every team he leads and shares his tips for creating a company culture of belonging that extends to the customer. We also find out how his groundbreaking, global fast-casual concept Shake Shake started as a hotdog cart in Madison Square Park as part of a broader revitalization plan for the public green space – plus, why fast-casual and Michelin-star restaurants aren’t that different. 

Learn more about Danny Meyer’s tenure at Union Square Hospitality Group here. Watch The Bear, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here. And check out Danny’s impromptu recommendation, the Swedish TV seriesThe Restaurant, here.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Artie Starrs, the CEO of TopGolf. Artie shares how his team is democratizing the game of golf and how TopGolf is staying relevant through constant innovation. He also gives insights into his time helming one of the world’s largest restaurant concepts, Pizza Hut, including through the pandemic. We also discuss his decision to transition out of banking to the operations side early in his career as he left boutique banking firm Wasserstein Perella to serve as the CFO of Rave Cinemas. 

To learn more about Artie’s role at TopGolf, see his full bio here. To plan a visit to Colbert’s top rec, Five Iron Golf, visit their website here. Find a link to purchase Artie’s Best Idea, the book Factfulness by Hans Rosling, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Janet Marie Smith, Executive Vice President of Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Janet discusses her role in reimagining such legendary baseball stadiums as Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Orioles, and Fenway Park, the baseball park for the Boston Red Sox. Janet shares how she works with a variety of stakeholders in each city to renovate their stadiums to be highly functional for modern-day sports audiences’ while maintaining their historic integrity in order to create a stadium that feels truly bespoke to the city it represents. She discusses how she’s brought this “preservationist streak” to her latest project, Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. Janet shares how she’s putting the stadium’s communal spirit at the forefront with each decision as she works to rebuild the iconic ballpark for the multicultural community that is Los Angeles.

Learn more about Janet Marie Smith’s tenure at the Los Angeles Dodgers here. Watch the ESPN documentary, Once Upon A Time In Queens, Colbert’s son’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon speaks with John Ridding, the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Times Group. John breaks down his transition from being a globe-trotting business journalist for the Financial Times to stewarding it for the past 16 years. We hear how John made the tough decision to cross over to the business side of the organization. He also opens up about the pressures he faced while pushing the legacy publication into the digital era, including a controversial decision to pivot to a digital subscription model that now boasts over one million paid subscribers – and how that model has allowed the Financial Times to maintain its place amongst the most trusted business news organizations in an era of media polarization.

Learn more about John Ridding’s tenure at Financial Times here. Read ROGUES: True Stories of Grifters, Killers Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

We’re back with Season 6 of the HPScast. To kick it off, Colbert sits down with Michael Davies, who was recently named the Executive Producer of Jeopardy!. We talk about how he plans to honor the legacy of the iconic game show brand while still pushing it forward and keeping it fresh. We also hear stories from Michael’s early television days and how he helped reshape American television by introducing popular British game shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. And he discusses his lifelong passion for soccer, which he’s turned into the successful podcast and digital brand Men in Blazers – and how he’s using his sports coverage to inform his approach to game shows.

Learn more about Michael Davies and his production company, Embassy Row, here. Watch Slow Horses, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here. Or listen to our earlier interview with Michael’s Men in Blazers co-host, Roger Bennett, here.

This week, we have a special episode from the Milken Institute’s 2023 Global Conference in Los Angeles. Listen in as our investment leaders break down how current economic and market conditions are creating opportunities for private credit, as the asset class potentially enters a new growth stage.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Irwin Gold, Executive Chairman of Houlihan Lokey. We’ll hear how Irwin and team built Houlihan Lokey’s restructuring business into the global industry leader it is today. We’ll also go behind-the-scenes for some of the largest and most complicated restructuring deals led by Irwin over the last three decades.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Nicholas Gartside, Chief Investment Officer and member of the Board of Management at Munich RE. Nicholas breaks down what it was like to sit in an investing seat as the Head of Global Fixed Income at Schroder Investment Management during the global financial crisis in 2008. Then, we hear about Nicholas’ transition to manage a €250 billion insurance portfolio at Munich RE. He shares how he maneuvers a multi-asset portfolio anchored heavily in long-duration fixed income assets through turbulent markets. And Nicholas lends his perspective on how Munich RE, as a member of the United Nations’ Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, is engaging meaningfully with companies to make ESG initiatives integral to corporate culture.  

Learn more about Nicholas Gartside’s tenure at Munich RE here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, the novel A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, here. Read the novel Munich by Robert Harris, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Host Colbert Cannon is joined by founder and managing partner of Brewer Lane Ventures, John Kim. We’ll hear about how he went from earning an MBA at University of Connecticut to leading Cigna’s Retirement and Investment services business all the way through Prudential’s acquisition of the company in 2004. John speaks about joining New York Life as CEO in the midst of a global financial crisis. We’ll also hear about what led him to launch Brewer Lane Capital, an early stage venture capital firm, in 2019.

To learn more about Brewer Lane Ventures, visit the website here.

Check out John’s Best Idea, Stephen Covey's book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People here. Learn more about Colbert’s Best Idea, the book Cod, by writer Mark Kurlansky here.

In this special episode, Colbert Cannon and HPS CEO Scott Kapnick sit down with Dr. Wayne Frederick, President of Howard University. We’ll hear how Dr. Frederick applies his problem solving techniques in the operating room to navigate challenging times more broadly, and the importance of building real relationships in the fight for economic and social parity.  We’ll also learn about Howard University’s new partnership with HPS to help students better prepare for careers in business and finance.

You can find out more about the HPS Center for Financial Excellence at Howard University School of Business here. Take a listen to the BBC's podcast In Our Time that we discussed here.

We’re back for Season 3 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon speaks with Richard Fisher, the former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. We’ll hear about his role in shaping economic policy under President Carter and as the U.S. Trade representative to President Clinton’s administration. We also discuss his decade-long tenure at the helm of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.  

Learn more about Richard’s term at the Dallas Fed here. You can check out Richard’s podcast, Coffee with the Greats, here. Listen to musician Robert Earl Keen, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Kent Collier, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reorg, a provider of data and analysis around bankruptcy, distressed debt and leveraged finance in the U.S, Europe and Asia. Kent discusses his early career on the buy side of high yield and distressed credit investing, where he had a front row seat to market-shaping events from the collapse of Lehman Brothers to Parmalat’s fraudulent bankruptcy. He shares how he navigated a steep learning curve to understand the bankruptcy landscape, including countless hours spent sifting through PACER, the electronic court records for every federal court case in the country. He describes how the unwieldy ways of sourcing that information ultimately led him to found Reorg with the mission to democratize access to information. Then, we hear how Kent transitioned to become a product-driven founder, and the simple, “15 minute” question he uses to keep his company as relevant as ever.   

Learn more about Kent and his company, Reorg, here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the podcast Whistlestop with John Dickerson here.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Patrick McGinnis, a venture capitalist, podcast host and international best-selling author who, in 2004, coined the popular term FOMO, or fear of missing out. We hear the origin story of the phrase, which Patrick first started using amongst friends at Harvard Business School after suffering from an extreme bout of it in the choice-rich environment. He tells us how that mentality led him to reevaluate how we make decisions more effectively. We also hear how Patrick weathered the 2008 financial crisis at AIG before joining its investing arm spinoff PineBridge Investments, and eventually starting his own investment and advisory firm, Dirigo Advisors, working with fast growing companies, corporations and international organizations. 

Learn more about what Patrick McGinnis is working on here. Listen to his podcast FOMO Sapiens here.

In this episode, Colbert speaks with one of HPS’s own Governing Partners, Michael Patterson. We’ll hear how an earthquake in the Middle East upended international smuggling routes, the costly hiring mistakes that most managers are making, a business plan that didn’t go as expected, and how he navigated safely through it all.

HPS Bio page: https://www.hpspartners.com/en/team/michael-patterson/

Best Idea - The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow: https://amzn.to/2TSSWat

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Steven Silverstein, Chief Executive Officer at Spencer Spirit Holdings, Inc, which operates two distinct experiential lifestyle brands, Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween. We discuss what pushed Steven to pursue a career in brick-and-mortar retail, his foundational lessons in crafting memorable in-person shopping experiences in the digital age, and how these early learnings helped him scale Spirit Halloween’s one-of-a-kind pop-up retail business model.

Learn more about The Heart Of Spirit Halloween: Spirit Of Children charity and how to donate, Steven’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Welcome back to Season 10 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Kristin Kallergis Rowland, Global Head of Alternative Investments for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. Kristin’s team oversees $140 billion in assets under management with private equity, private credit, real estate and hedge fund firms globally. We talk about Kristin’s early career learnings, from starting at J.P. Morgan in its mortgage center business during the 2008 housing crisis to the culture shift of managing alternatives in the EMEA region from the firm’s London offices. Then, we discuss her transition to lead the firm's global alternatives business and what’s next for the group.   

Learn more about Kristin and her role at J.P. Morgan here. Read The Golf Courses of Seth Rayner from Back Nine Press, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Jonathan Stromseth, Professor of the Practice at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Jonathan teaches and researches globalization, foreign aid and governance reform work in Asia. We talk about Jonathan’s time spent across Asia working for the U.S. international development organization, the Asia Foundation, his transition to lead China and Southeast Asia policy planning for the U.S. State Department and his most recent role at the Brookings Institution. We also discuss his latest focus: climate change and innovations.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy here. Read his book, China’s Governance Puzzle, here. Find out how to visit Hai Duong restaurant, Jonathan’s Best Idea for this week, here. Watch Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the film Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon-ho, here.

This week host Colbert Cannon sits down with Mike Levin, the Chief Executive Officer of Harlem Lacrosse, a nonprofit organization which provides academic support, mentorship, and lacrosse programming to students in low income urban schools in Boston, New York, Philly, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. Mike shares how mentorship and team building through sports can be an extremely effective vehicle for improving educational outcomes that cuts across socioeconomic and class divides. We discuss Mike’s own journey to get involved in education reform and how playing lacrosse in his youth through to the collegiate level at Brown University was foundational to forming his perspective. Mike shares how he has learned to navigate the world of nonprofits and fundraising to help scale and grow Harlem Lacrosse’s programming in cities across the U.S. Then, we look ahead to the strategic vision that he is working to implement, and how companies and corporations can participate.    

Learn more about Mike’s work with Harlem Lacrosse here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, Season 1 of the podcast CrimeTown by Gimlet Media, here.

Join host, Colbert Cannon, as he speaks with cable and media legend, Leo Hindery, to discuss his newly-formed SPAC, Trine Acquisition Corp. We’ll hear his take on the macro challenges of today’s streaming platforms, why politics and philanthropy are integral to his lifestyle, and how he managed to win his class racing at the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans.

Trine website: http://trineacquisitioncorp.com/

Leo’s op-ed for The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/437464-the-nation-is-ready-for-a-third-bill-of-rights

Best Idea - Room To Grow NYC: https://www.roomtogrow.org/

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett, a self-described American trapped in an Englishman's body who’s become one of the most prominent football (read: soccer, for our less Anglocentric listeners) commentators in the U.S. We hear how he and co-host Michael Davis turned a niche football podcast into a primetime show scooped up by ESPN. We also hear about Roger’s love affair with the America that he dreamed of while growing up in Liverpool in the 80s, and his path to becoming a U.S. citizen.

Roger's new book, (Re)born in the USA, is now available wherever books are sold. Learn more about the  book here. Listen to Roger's podcast, Men in Blazers, here.

Check out Roger's Best Idea, music programming from Australian radio station triple j here. You can find more on Colbert's Best Idea, the beloved New York local bookstore, The Strand, here. 

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Gareth Mee, Chief Investment Officer of Private Markets at Legal & General Capital, the investing arm of one of the UK's largest insurance and asset management businesses. We talk about Gareth’s early career working as a consultant and eventual partner at Ernst & Young and his transition to join Legal & General Capital’s executive team. We also discuss his perspective on private credit and how it fits into Legal & General Capital’s portfolio.

Learn more about Gareth and his firm here. Find out more about Bootcamp Marbella, Gareth’s Best Idea for this week, here. Watch Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the television series,The Gold, here.

This week, Colbert sits down with Amor Towles, the author of several New York Times bestselling novels including A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility. We hear about Amor’s long road back to writing, after spending two decades as a finance executive at Select Equity. Amor offers a look into his writing process and shares practical advice about how to carve out time for passion projects that could turn into a new career chapter. We also discuss how Amor’s business background helped him navigate the publishing industry.

Learn more about Amor and his writing here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, Union Square Cafe, and how to order items to ship nationally here.

Colbert Cannon sits down with Anthony Wilbon, the Dean of Howard University's School of Business. We hear about his experience as a consultant for everything from Westinghouse and Booz Allen and Hamilton to the Fed, all while pursuing an MBA at Howard University in the evenings. Anthony speaks to the enriching experience he had at Howard University, which catalyzed his eventual pivot into academia to become a mentor to up-and-coming generations. We also discuss the ongoing partnership between HPS and Howard University to help the latter's students find their way into careers in private investment and investment banking.

To learn more about the partnership, visit the website here.

Check out Colbert's Best Idea, the book Greed and Glory on Wall Street by Ken Auletta here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Robert Carlock, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer best known for his work as showrunner on Tina Fey's acclaimed sitcom, 30 Rock. We hear how Robert cut his teeth producing Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” and first met Tina. Robert discusses the professional partnership and friendship that he and Tina have built over nearly three decades. We also talk about his transition from being a writer to running a show. And Robert shares his insights on the future of the making and business of television.

Learn more about Robert’s work here. Watch Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the television series SAS Rogue Heroes here.

This week, we have a special episode recorded recently from HPS’s Investor Symposium. Colbert hands over his hosting duties to Hugh Lawson, a Managing Director at HPS, who sits down with Maud Texier, the Global Director of Clean Energy and Decarbonization Solutions at Google. Maud shares Google’s experience in its plan to become carbon free by 2030 while giving perspective on energy transition efforts, globally.

We’re back with Season 8 of The HPScast. Join us as host Colbert Cannon sits down with Hugo Nathan, a Founding Partner of Beaumont Nathan, an art advisory firm based in London and New York. Hugo shares how he found his way into the alluring world of international art trading, and his formative early years at Simon Dickinson. Hugo shares stories from his 15-year tenure at the firm as he rose through its ranks, eventually being named President. Then, we discuss his decision to strike out on his own, alongside now partner, Wentworth Beaumont, to form their international art advisory and market intelligence firm, Beaumont Nathan. Hugo offers keen insights into entrepreneurship and how to do well in an industry built on relationships. He also shares his recent work with HPS Investment Partners' to help build out its diverse, and highly thoughtful art collection, including some of his favorites by both accomplished artists such as Alexander Calder and McArthur Binion — and emerging artists like Jordan Nassar.

Learn more about what Hugo Nathan is working on at Beaumont Nathan here. Check out Hugo’s Best Idea, The European Fine Art Fair, here. And discover works by British painter Cecily Brown, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.
 

The HPScast is on a midseason break, but we’ll be back with all new episodes starting Wednesday, May 1st. We encourage you to take a listen back to any conversations you might have missed. Or, check out our Best Ideas shared so far. You'll find links to books, podcasts, movies and TV shows in our show notes.

We’re closing out Season 2 of the HPScast with a look back. Host Colbert Cannon remembers some of the best moments from his conversations with all of our guests in the second half. We’ll be back with all new episodes coming Summer 2021.

Welcome to Season 11 of the HPScast. To kick us off, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Franklin Leonard, the founder & CEO of The Black List, an online marketplace that connects writers and their scripts to television & filmmakers looking to develop their next project. We discuss how Franklin navigated the “whisper network” to break into Hollywood — and how he’s now using his platform to reshape the entire television & film industry by broadening access to diverse talent to create a more robust and profitable creative space for all to play in.

Learn more about Franklin Leonard and The Black List, here. You can watch the movie They Cloned Tyrone, Colbert’s Best Idea this week, here.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Mark Machin, the former President & CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), one of the world’s largest investment funds with over $500 billion in assets under management. Mark shares his path to join the CPPIB after two decades at Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong. And he discusses how he navigated the transition to working within the Canadian pension system. We also hear about Mark’s earlier days at Goldman Sachs in their global finance division and how he acclimated to the business culture in Asia. And Mark shares his latest venture as co-founder & CEO of investment startup Opto Investments alongside Joe Lonsdale.

Learn more about Mark Machin’s career here. Watch HBO Max series Tokyo Vice, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

In this episode, Colbert speaks with Morton Schapiro, the President of Northwestern University. We’ll hear how a self-described college underachiever became the leader at a top research university, the ins and outs of helming the board of the Big Ten Conference, navigating welcoming back students in the time of Covid, and the best class at Northwestern.

Visit Northwestern’s website to learn more about Morton Schapiro here. 

Pre-order Minds Wide Shut: How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us, here.

The HPScast is taking a brief midseason break, but we'll be back in two weeks with all new episodes. If you’ve missed any of our earlier episodes, we highly encourage you to take a listen to those. Or, take a page from our Best Ideas and check out any one of the many great books or TV shows shared so far. You can find links to all of our Best Ideas in our show notes for every episode.

This week marks the end of Season 5 of The HPScast. Join host Colbert Cannon as he looks back at some of the season’s most memorable moments – from guest playbooks’ on how to navigate unprecedented situations to some tried and true career advice. 

We’ll be back in the second half of 2022 with all new episodes, but until then, make sure to catch up on any conversations you might have missed from this season and beyond. Or try out one of the many Best Ideas shared at the end of every episode. You can find links to those in the show notes of each episode. 

Today marks the end of Season 10 of The HPScast. Join host Colbert Cannon for a listen back to some of our best moments this season. We had the great pleasure of hearing from insightful voices across health care, law, media and finance — including some of our own colleagues here at HPS.

The HPScast team is grateful to all of our guests for taking the time to share their knowledge and stories with us. And thanks to you, dear listener, for tuning in. We’re taking a quick break, but Season 11 is coming soon.

Join host Colbert Cannon in conversation with Will Mesdag, a Senior Advisor to HPS. We’ll hear about his 21-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he spanned various locations from New York to Frankfurt, and caught the eye of former US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. We discuss his transition to founding Red Mountain Capital Partners in 2005. We also learn about his work with the Equity Alliance to invest in diverse fund managers.    

To learn more about Equity Alliance, visit the website here.

Check out Will’s Best Idea, the book Wilmington's Lie by Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino, here. Learn more about Colbert’s Best Idea, the book The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, here.

The HPScast is taking a short break this week, but if you’ve missed any of our earlier episodes, we encourage you to listen back to one of those. Or, check out our show notes to find links to hand-picked books, TV shows and more that are worth your while.

We’ll be back next week with all new conversations.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Vikas Keswani, Managing Director at HPS Investment Partners and Head of North American Specialty Lending. He walks us through the evolution of the direct lending industry and how he found his way to it. He explains the nuances of a direct lending solution and where the private credit business is going. He also shares his early career path at BlackRock, where he first found his footing in the credit investing industry. 

Learn more about Vikas Keswani’s tenure at HPS Investment Partners here. Read The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

On this week’s episode, Colbert sits down with Sheldon Kimber, CEO and Founder of Intersect Power. We learn how Sheldon plans to grow and scale low-carbon technology at Intersect Power to propel the future of the clean energy industry forward. He also shares his personal journey into the energy sector, from working on smaller scale utilities projects at Accenture to critical reliable power for Calpine – and his short-lived attempt to exit the space in business school before rejoining with Recurrent Energy. We discuss his efforts to build an innovative portfolio as COO of the solar developer before eventually leaving to start his own clean energy company. 

Learn more about Sheldon Kimber’s tenure at Intersect Power here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, reading his work for The Intersection Blog, here. Watch the Apple TV seriesTehran, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Colbert Cannon sits down with Dick Parsons, Senior Advisor at Providence Equity and former CEO of TimeWarner. We hear about his work as legal counsel to President Gerald Ford, and his eventual transition out of the courtroom and into the boardroom as CEO of Dime Savings Bank and later TimeWarner. We discuss how he navigated Citigroup as their Board Chair through the calamitous financial industry post-2008 and talk about leading under duress. We also learn about Dick’s efforts with Equity Alliance to help level the playing field regarding access to capital.

To learn more about Equity Alliance, visit the website here. 

Check out Dick's Best Idea, the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson here. And be sure to stream David Byrne's American Utopia on HBO Max here.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Paul Taubman, CEO of PJT Partners, a global advisory-focused investment bank, Paul started in 2014 which has now grown into a $3 billion market cap public company. We discuss how Paul started the firm against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis, and how clients emerged from that period more open to leaving traditional bulge bracket banking than ever before. We also hear about Paul’s own departure from big banking when he stepped down from Morgan Stanley in 2012 after 30 years spanning several key leadership roles. He also shares insights into how the evolution of private credit over the last decade has impacted the traditional banking business.

Learn more about Paul Taubman’s career here. Read Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

In this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon is joined by world renowned former professional poker player, Annie Duke. Having studied at Columbia and pursuing a PhD at Penn State University, today, Duke is a philanthropist, a public speaker and bestselling author. Her book, Thinking in Bets, was actually a Best Idea Colbert offered in a past season of the show. In her book she combines her poker acumen with her behavioral and psych background to give insights into making decisions on limited information. 

To learn more from a true master of decision making, you can check out Annie's books here. 

Annie Duke left us with a great piece of advice for her Best Idea - boldly say when you do not understand something that was said. You can listen to Colbert’s Best Idea here, which is his sister’s T.C. podcast, TC After Dark here.

Join host, Colbert Cannon, as he speaks with investment banker extraordinaire, Dan Aronson, who is the Senior Managing Director of the Restructuring and Debt Advisory Group at Evercore. We’ll hear about the value of emotional intelligence in business, why the most important person in your office is not your boss, and the unexpected lifestyle tip that keeps him effective both at the office and at home.

Best Idea - Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria: https://www.loumalnatis.com

Best Idea - Transcendental Meditation: https://www.tm.org/

This week, we’re doing a deep dive into the global shipping business. Join host Colbert Cannon in conversation with George Pasha, CEO of The Pasha Group. George shares his learnings from almost 40 years in the family-owned and operated business – from its beginnings as an asset-lite brokerage to expanding into fleet ownership both organically and through industry-shaping acquisitions. We also hear how George navigated the pandemic as an essential business with frontline workers. And we discuss how the company is currently weathering a historically tight labor market and rising fuel prices.
 

Learn more about George Pasha’s tenure at The Pasha Group here. Watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week host Colbert Cannon sits down with Matt Brown, founder and CEO of CAIS, a fintech platform that connects independent financial advisors with experienced alternative asset managers. We talk about Matt’s career evolution, from his early days at Shearson Lehman Brothers to founding private equity firm Brown Simpson, to spending over 20 years mentoring high impact entrepreneurs at Endeavor. Then, Matt shares how he built CAIS from the ground up to now serve 30,000 financial advisors representing roughly $4 trillion in investable capital. And we hear how CAIS is leveraging its data to build more robust insights for users to manage their assets long term.

Learn more about Matt Brown and CAIS here. Read his Best Idea of the week – the book Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness, by Tim S. Grover with Shari Lesser Wenk here. Watch Jury Duty, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Bill Raftery, a living legend in the world of sports broadcasting, is Colbert Cannon’s guest on this week’s episode of HPS. Bill takes Colbert back to his early days of playing basketball in his neighborhood and how that led to his career playing and coaching ball at the collegiate level. Bill shares stories about the many people who impacted his life along the way and lessons learned from a life in the broadcast booth.

Listen to some of Bill’s broadcasting highlights here. 

Check out Bill’s Best Idea, the book, Miracles on the Hardwood by John Gasaway, here. Also be sure to check out Colbert’s Best Idea - John Banville's murder mystery novel, Snow, available for purchase here. 

Colbert’s guest on this week's episode is CEO of Rayus Radiology Kim Tzoumakas. Having received her undergraduate degree from Northwood University and her law degree from Western Michigan, Tzoumakas has had a nearly 20 year long career at Hall Render, a prominent law firm focused on the healthcare industry. Kim and Colbert discuss her time at Hall Render, other positions she has held as a leading healthcare executive, and the challenges she overcame in those roles. 

To learn more about Rayus Radiology, formerly known as the Center for Digital Imaging, visit their website here. 

Check out Colbert's Best idea, supporting pediatric cancer research through the organization Cookies for Kids Cancer, here.

This week, we welcome Lotfi Karoui, Chief Credit Strategist and Head of Credit and Mortgage Strategy Research at Goldman Sachs. Lotfi shares his macro and credit market outlook on the HPScast with host Colbert Cannon.

This week marks the end of Season 6 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon shares key moments from a season full of diverse perspectives and insights across industries – from restaurants to global logistics and credit lending to making television. 

We’ll be back soon with all new episodes, but in the interim, check out the over 50 conversations of The HPScast available now in your feed. You can also try some of the Best Ideas featured in each episode – they’re meant to be recommendations that are well worth your time. You can find links to those in the show notes of each episode.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Emilia Wiener, Chief Investment Officer at TIAA, an asset management firm that specializes in retirement investing for educators. We talk about Emilia’s time at The MONY Group, AllianceBernstein, Genworth, and AXA, before moving on to TIAA. Emilia also shares her perspective on the value of private credit, properly documented transactions and the ability to proactively reposition a portfolio.

This week, Colbert sits down with Tom Wasserman, Managing Director at HPS Investment Partners. Tom breaks down the world of SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies and HPS’s position in the space. We also hear about Tom’s foray in tech at telecommunications startup, 360 Networks, where he rode the rise and burst of the Dot-com bubble before joining Bear Stearns, which would later be acquired by J.P. Morgan amid the 2008 financial crisis. Tom shares what it was like meeting with CEOs and negotiating contracts early in his career and imparts advice to young professionals looking to follow in his footsteps.

Learn more about Tom Wasserman’s tenure here. Find a link to order  Rock Me On The Water by Ron Brownstein, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with David Lehman, Managing Director for HPS Investment Partners. David manages HPS's real estate finance practice. We discuss David’s early career learnings while trading structured products at Morgan Stanley and later Deutsche Bank before joining Goldman Sachs, where he eventually led the firm’s global real estate finance group. We also hear about David’s transition to public service as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development before joining HPS. 

Learn more about David Lehman and his work with HPS here. You can read his Best Idea of the week — the book Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin, here. And find out more about Colbert’s Best Idea of the week, the biography Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow, here.

Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Al Alaimo, who oversees credit for the Arizona State Retirement System, on behalf of half a million retirees and current employees. We speak about building ASRS’s private debt portfolio, the most overrated markets in credit today and moving out West. 

This week, host Colbert speaks with Priscilla Sims Brown, the President and CEO of Amalgamated Bank, the largest – and one of the only – union-owned banks in the U.S. We hear how Priscilla is using her position to push forward socially responsible initiatives such as its recently approved petition to create a new merchant category code to better track gun and ammunition sales. She explains how doing good and doing well are not mutually exclusive and offers a look into how she’s moved toward mission-focused work with every step of her career. We hear how Priscilla made her way into the financial industry through her insatiable curiosity as a young producer reporting on business. And she walks us through her varied experiences since making the leap into finance, including an 18-year stint at multiline insurance company Lincoln Financial Group and trying to start an annuities business during the Great Recession. 

Learn more about Priscilla’s tenure at Amalgamated Bank here. Check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the 1984 film classic The Killing Floor directed by Bill Duke, here.

Join host Colbert Cannon as he sits down with Lydia Fenet, a charity auctioneer, author, and ambassador for the iconic Christie’s auction house. Lydia offers up some tried-and-true career advice about building confidence in the form of personal stories from her own journey to feel successful on and off the auction block. We hear how she fumbled her first-ever auction, and has since built a career on helping others own their own mistakes and embrace failure as an essential part of any success story. We also discuss her motivations for her most recent book, Claim Your Confidence – plus, her tips for getting really comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Learn more about Lydia Fenet’s career as an auctioneer at Christie’s, and check out her books, here. Listen to her podcast, Claim Your Confidence, here. You can find out more about Lydia’s Best Idea, the book Financially Fearless by Alexa Von Tobel, here. Watch the limited series ZeroZeroZero from Prime Video, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, Colbert sits down with Adam Miller, Managing Director and Global Head of Talent and Professional Development at HPS Investment Partners. Adam shares how the scope and perception of human resources has evolved into high-value add talent management, and he shares insights into how employee’s addressable needs will continue to grow and change in the post-pandemic work environment. He also discusses his early career at First Reserve and private equity firm The Riverside Company before forming his own human capital consulting company, Hygge Capital Partners. Lastly, he shares how his path has led him to HPS – and how he plans to grow a corporate culture here that is “entrepreneurial, down to earth and intellectually gifted”.

Learn more about Adam Miller tenure at HPS Investment Partners here. Watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Sitting down with host Colbert Cannon this week is President of Corporate Banking at Capital One, Darren Alcus. We’ll hear about his education at Dartmouth and earning his MBA at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Darren walks us through his time at Bankers Trust in Atlanta before spending two decades at GE, resulting in him becoming President and CEO of GE’s health care financial services business unit. We’ll also hear how Capital One came to purchase the branch Alcus ran at GE and why he’s stayed with Capital One to this day.   

Learn more about Darren's role at Capital One here. 

Take a look at Darren's Best Idea, the book The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, here. Colbert’s Best Idea this week is to take a trip to New Orleans - check out one of his favorite NOLA restaurants, August, here.

On a very special episode of The HPScast, host Colbert Cannon is this week’s guest. He sits down with longtime colleague and former HPSCast guest, Jeff Fitts, to discuss his path to joining HPS and his current role as a Managing Director of the firm. We hear about how Colbert has navigated macroeconomic events like long-term zero interest rates, tech bubbles and now the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as his long term view on how these factors will affect markets and the HPS portfolio. Colbert also shares insights about his formative years as a banker at Goldman Sachs before deciding to move to the principal side of investing. 
 

Learn more about Colbert and his work with HPS here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the cookbooks’ Dining In and Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman, here. Or, give her cooking a trial run by first making her legendary caramelized shallot pasta recipe here.
 

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Jackie Hernández, the CEO and co-founder of New Majority Ready. Jackie is a media executive with a storied career at iconic companies like TIME, People en Español and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo. She shares how she rose through the ranks to help shape Spanish-language television and expand the industry’s understanding of the rapidly growing Hispanic market. We also hear about Jackie’s latest venture, New Majority Ready, a marketing strategy consulting company that helps companies to attract and retain Hispanic audiences through more nuanced marketing strategies that meet these consumers where they’re at. 

Learn more about Jackie Hernández tenure at New Majority Ready here. You can read our guest’s Best Idea, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take by Paul Polman & Andrew Winston, here. Watch Money Heist, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Welcome back to Season 5 of the HPScast. Today, host Colbert Cannon sits with two special guests: CEO of the Equity Alliance, Claude Grunitzky, and board member, Julia Paliare, who also serves as Managing Director at RSL Investments. We hear how they're leading the charge for a more diverse asset management industry through the Equity Alliance. We see how Claude’s education in London and at MIT contributed to his success as an entrepreneur, launching diverse companies like Trace, a leading music and fashion magazine. Julia shares her journey as an investment banker at Scotiabank, a private equity investor at Providence, and how she made her way to a single family office at RSL Investments. 

To learn more about Equity Alliance, a fund of funds focused on investing in diverse emerging venture capital fund managers with a focus on managers of color and women, and a partner of HPS, visit here. For more context on the founding on Equity Alliance, please check out our HPScast interview with legendary executive Dick Parsons here. And catch Dick's CNBC Closing Bell interview where he talks about the Equity Alliance here.

Check out Claude's Best Idea, the book Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, here -- and Julia's Best Idea, her dance running “Equity Alliance” playlist on Spotify here. You can find out more about Colbert's Best Idea, the french show The Bureau, here.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Jared Solomon, Co-Founder and CEO of Five Iron Golf, an indoor golf simulator and events & entertainment business catering to urban centers. We talk about Jared’s first foray into entrepreneurship with Flux Stables, a poker staking business he started in law school. And he shares how he’s continued to merge his passion for business and recreation through Five Iron Golf — and what’s on the horizon for the business. Learn more about Jared’s role at Five Iron Golf here. Read Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the biography The Catcher Was a Spy, by Nicholas Dawidoff, here.

This week, we’re sharing host Colbert Cannon’s conversation with Grishma Parekh, Managing Director at HPS Investment Partners and Co-Head of North American Core Senior Lending. Grishma offers key insights into the direct lending market and discusses how it has grown and evolved over her years in the industry. She also shares how she made the decision to join HPS at a turning point in her own career — and how the firm’s culture continues to align with her ways of working.

Learn more about Grishma Parekh’s role at HPS Investment Partners here. Read The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

Host Colbert Cannon speaks with Deji Davies, Head of European Loan Trading at J.P. Morgan. We discuss his experience managing J.P. Morgan’s par and stressed trading operation through market volatility. He shares how he balances a foundational understanding of corporate credits against a commitment to remaining nimble as markets evolve in the short term. Deji also shares his background as a semi-professional soccer player, or footballer for our international audience, at clubs including Boreham Wood and Slough Town. Then, we discuss his most recent appointment as Chair of the Inclusion Advisory Board at The Football Association and how he plans to lead the charge for greater representation and more accessibility in the sport.

Learn more about Deji Davies tenure at JP Morgan here and his new position Chair of the Football Association Inclusion Advisory Board here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. John Sarno, here. Or read Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Dr. Brendan Carr, Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Carr became the head of the Emergency Department of Mount Sinai in 2020 — just one month before the hospital reported New York City’s first case of COVID-19. He shares his takeaways from the frontlines of a global pandemic as a new leader. We also discuss Dr. Carr’s diverse career background, which spans clinical care to healthcare policy and research — and how this vast experience has helped him in his transition to lead the entire Mount Sinai Health System earlier this year.

Learn more about Dr. Brendan Carr and his work at Mount Sinai Health System here. You can watch Colbert’s Best Idea of the week, the show Mare of Easttown, here.

On this episode of The HPScast, Colbert Cannon sits with the CEO of one of the great auction houses in the world, Laura Doyle of Doyle Auctions. Laura joined after graduating undergrad from Pennsylvania University. Colbert discusses all of her noteworthy successes, including expanding the auction presence to a digital platform and how that effort has been incredibly important in the auction world during the pandemic.

Click here to view the Doyle digital presence. 

Laura's Best Idea was a piece of advice we might tend to take for granted -- remember to self preserve during this time. For Laura, she says that can be as simple as masking up or taking a walk at lunchtime. Colbert's Best Idea can be found here. It's Lin Manuel Miranda's hit musical made movie, In the Heights.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon speaks with Erik Hirsch, the Vice Chairman and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Hamilton Lane. We hear about the evolution of the firm as it transitioned from solely advisory to one that now oversees just over $800 billion in assets under management and supervision. He speaks about his role in advancing the firm’s evolution by not only adopting, but also investing in, new technologies. 

To learn more about the Montage Palmetto Bluff, Colbert's Best Idea, and how to stay, visit the hotel property’s website here.

We’ve reached the end of Season 8 of The HPScast. Host Colbert Cannon shares some of the best moments from our varied slate of conversations this season. We heard from bona fide voices in the art world, a luminary in the Black media landscape, and more than a few colleagues from across HPS – some of whom you might have recognized from our previous seasons. 

We’ll be back in Fall 2023 with all new episodes. Until then, catch up on any conversations you might have missed. Or try out one of the many Best Ideas shared in each episode. You can find links to those in the show notes of each episode.

This week’s episode features a discussion of current credit market trends with HPS Governing Partners Purnima Puri and Mike Patterson joining host Colbert Cannon.

Becoming a leading global investment firm doesn't happen in a vacuum.  Join us for conversations with some of HPS’s closest partners and clients about how they got to where they are today, and how those experiences help them drive value creation on a day to day basis.