The HPScast

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...

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...

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’...

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...

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...

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 b...

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 less 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 affa...

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 p...

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...

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 mo...

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 Univers...

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 b...

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 re...

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...

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 custo...

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 a...

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....

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.  Visit Ankura's website here . Listen to Colbert's Best Idea - Bruce Springsteen's al...

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. Paul Weiss website: https://www.paulweiss.c...