The HPScast

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Jay Goffman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Smith Goffman Partners, a restructuring advisory firm with a merchant bank component. We talk about Jay’s early start in bankruptcy law, his journey to becoming partner at Skadden and the origin of Smith Goffman Partners. Learn more about Jay’s Best Idea for this week, Third Option Foundation here. Read Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the book Table for Two, by Amor Towles, 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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, 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.