The HPScast

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.

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.

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.

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.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Faith Rosenfeld, Chief Administrative Officer at HPS Investment Partners. Faith recounts the many roles she took on during her 15-year tenure at Goldman Sachs and how one of those roles led her to taking a “blank sheet of paper” approach. Then, Faith discusses her leap into entrepreneurship as a Founding Partner of The Beacon Group, a private equity and advisory firm later acquired by JP Morgan Chase. She shares how business ownership further broadened her unique set of skills and prepared her to join HPS, then Highbridge Principal Strategies, as one of its first-ever employees. We talk about the evolution of the firm to today – and look ahead to how it is integrating ESG strategies from a private credit perspective and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in its talent.Learn more about Faith Rosenfeld's tenure at HPS here. Find a link to order Faith’s first Best Idea, the memoir Lost and Found by Kathryn Schutz here. And watch her second Best Idea, 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible here. You can find Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, Michael Lewis’ Liar's Poker, here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This week, host Colbert Cannon sits down with friend and colleague Michael Fenstermacher, a Managing Director and the Co-Head of North American Core Senior Lending at HPS Investment Partners. We talk about his early days at Bank One, where he got his start in credit lending. He walks us through Bank One’s eventual merger with J.P. Morgan and how he decided to make the move to the latter’s New York City office during that transition. We discuss the diversity of learning opportunities and exposure to investment banking that Michael steeped himself in during that time before coming to HPS in 2008. He shares what it was like to join the firm’s direct lending arm amid the global financial crisis. Then, he offers a look into the evolution of the direct lending landscape in relation to the broadly syndicated market and how current market volatility is impacting the space.Learn more about Michael Fenstermacher’s tenure at HPS Investment Partners here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, The Cook Political Report, here. Watch The League, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

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, 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.

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.

On this week’s episode, host Colbert Cannon sits down with Chris Halpin, the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of IAC, or InterActiveCorp, the holding company behind digital consumer brands like Angie’s List, Dotdash Meredith and Care.com. Chris launched his career at Goldman Sachs’ real estate investment principal investing arm before pivoting to private equity at Providence Equity Partners. There, he had the opportunity to establish the firm’s China business from Hong Kong – and a front row seat to the 2008 global financial crisis. Upon returning stateside, Chris tackled a new and humbling challenge with the NFL. He shares how he navigated the complexities of building consensus among 32 teams and steered the league into international markets before exiting to explore a new frontier in digital media tech.Learn more about Chris Halpin’s role at IAC here. You can check out our guest’s Best Idea, the book Black-and-White Thinking: The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World by Kevin Dutton, here. Or read The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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 seriesTehran, 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. 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 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 Richard'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.