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.
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.
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.
On this week’s episode Colbert sits down with Grishma Parekh, Managing Director at HPS Investment Partners and Co-Head of North American Core Senior Lending. Grishma shares her insights on the direct lending market and its evolution over her years in the industry. We also discuss Grishma’s role co-leading HPS’s Core Senior Lending efforts in North America. She explains what her division does and shares more about their most recent initiative, HLEND, HPS’s first private business development company (BDC) structure.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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, 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.
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.
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 series Tehran, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 special recap episode, host Colbert Cannon rounds up the best bits from The HPScast's fourth season. We'll return in the new year with more great interviews, but in the meantime, be sure to revisit recent episodes and enjoy some of the Best Ideas from our guests.
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.
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.
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.
On this week's episode of the HPScast, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Hg Capital former partner, Richard Donner. After a series of roles in finance in London, Donner eventually landed at Hg Capital and spent nearly 20 years with the company, notably driving the success of their capital markets business. He recently retired, and is focusing his time on the Hg Foundation, a non profit focused on developing skills for employment in the tech industry.
Find out more about Richard and Hg Capital here.
Click here to check out Eric’s Best Idea of the week, Robert A. Caro’s biography of Lyndon B Johnson, The Passage of Power.
On this episode of HPS Colbert Cannon is joined by Eric Kinariwala. Eric is the CEO of Capsule, an online delivery pharmacy dedicated to removing friction around prescription drug distribution for patients, doctors, and drug companies alike. Eric, a Wharton and Stanford Business School graduate, discusses how he founded his successful healthcare business and how his time working at Bain Capital and Perry County has contributed to his performance as a CEO.
Find out more about Eric and Capsule here.
Click here to check out Eric’s Best Idea of the week, the non-fiction thriller On Wings of Eagles, written by Ken Follett.
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.
This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with friend and Managing Director at HPS, Jeff Fitts. After graduating with a BS in Finance from the University of Delaware, Jeff spent years working his way up the ranks at Citicorp to become the leader of their restructuring group. From there, he went spent six years as a Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal. In 2014, Fitts joined HPS, where he’s lead workouts and restructuring for the firm for the past seven years.
Find out more about Jeff’s Best Idea, Tonal, a digital weight lifting system, here. Also be sure to check out Colbert’s Best Idea, the 2016 Japanese Kaiju film, Shin Godzilla, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 more 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 orderTyll by Daniel Kehlmann here.
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.
Host Colbert Cannon sits down with Dan Goor, the co-creator of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. We’ll learn about the dynamics of the writer’s room, the importance of setting time horizons for creators, and why clown school is the right first step for any good comedian. We’ll also throw it back to Dan’s college days as Colbert’s roommate.
You can stream Season 6 of History Channel’s Alone on Netflix now.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
In our Season 1 finale, Colbert talks with one of the country’s leading litigators and corporate advisors, Brad Karp, Chairman of Paul Weiss. We’ll hear about the importance of good workplace culture, the mentors that shaped him both personally and professionally, and what it’s like working for a company that prioritizes public service and pro bono work.
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.
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.
Join host, Colbert Cannon, as he speaks with Robert Thompson, who invests capital to provide retirement benefits to over 400,000 plan participants as Senior Portfolio Manager at UPS Group Trust. We’ll take a deep dive into the evolution of the credit landscape over the last decade, get an inside look into the typical day of an allocator, and hear the lessons learned while investing in the midst of the most volatile markets during the global financial crisis.
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.
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.
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.
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.