The HPScast

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.