The HPScast

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...

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 ju...

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...

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...

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 do...

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 marke...

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...

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 e...

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...

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...

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...

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 face...

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 introdu...

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 th...

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 we...

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...

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 Cal...

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 acquir...

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 disc...

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 opera...

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...

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 co...

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.