305: Rich Byrne of Benefit Street Partners: When your Opponent is your Teacher and Ego is the Enemy – lessons from Jiu Jitsu for finance and life

Rich Byrne is President and CEO of Benefit Street Partners as well as a decorated Brailian Jiu Jitsu champion. In this fascinating podcast we discus his journey from a fine arts major to a leading figure in finance and the many twists and turns in between. ...
Read more

303. Erik Hirsch of Hamilton Lane: Self-awareness at a firm and personal level as a key to driving meaningful change in private markets

Erik Hirsch is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Lane, where he is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and operations. The firm currently has over $900 billion in assets under management and supervision and is committed to driving meaningful change in private markets for the institutions and other clients that it serves.  ...
Read more

304. Sonali Pier of PIMCO: The intersection of Career, Credit and Culture

Sonali Pier is a Managing Director at PIMCO in Newport Beach, with a particular focus on Multi-Sector Credit.  She previously worked as a credit trader and was named recently to the Marketwatch 50 most influential people in markets.  Our conversation starts with her education, and a stock picking competition at the tender stage of sixth grade, wh...
Read more

302. Beverley Gower-Jones, OBE FEI of The Clean Growth Fund: Limiting Carbon for Cleaner Growth – The Investment Opportunity

Beverley Gower-Jones, OBE FEI is Managing Partner at The Clean Growth Fund and Chief Executive Officer at Carbon Limiting Technologies. She is an independent member on Governments Net Zero Innovation Board (NZIB). The Board provides strategic oversight of government funding of net zero innovation programs....
Read more

Series 1 of 2025 – Trailer: Why the Devil is in the Detail.

This summary is less a trailer than a highlight reel. The year started with a new administration in the US and an explosion of the culture wars and backlash against DEI and ESG labelling. Even engagement has become more cumbersome and some may feel the hard won policies of years ago are going into reverse.  Because we had lined up a list of indust...
Read more

301: Hunter Somerville of Stepstone Group: Venture Capital Investing – the Return of Big Swing Innovation

Hunter Somerville, a partner at Stepstone Group, where he focuses on venture capital investing with a particular specialty of digital assets and micro venture capital. Based in the Baltimore area, we reflect on what made him stay in and return to that area and the path he took to get to venture capital. ...
Read more

300. Chelsea Smith of Bernstein Private Wealth Management: Why Good Things Come in Threes

Chelsea Smith is Senior National Director, Family Office Services at Bernstein Private Wealth Management, based in Chicago. She started her career as an equity trader, and in recent years has been heavily involved in diversity initiatives designed to attract a more diverse pipeline into the finance industry.  ...
Read more

299. Denise Le Gal – Independent Chair at Brightwell – Why the Future is Bright in the World of Pensions

Denise Le Gal is Independent Chair at Brightwell as well as a Chair and Trustee Director of JP Morgan Chase Retirement Plan among other portfolio roles  She was Chair of the Brunel Pension Partnership Limited for close to 8 years...
Read more

Fiftyfaces Podcast/Dakota Live mash-up – Podcasting in Investment and Where Do We Go From Here?

In this special episode we are thrilled to share the stage with Robert Morier, host of the Dakota Live Podcast and Professor of Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital at Drexel University.  We reflect on what podcasting has taught us, how our respective platforms have evolved, how diversity factors in to our guest list and our approach, and what ...
Read more

298. Abdiel Santiago – CIO of the Panama Sovereign Wealth Fund – Governance and Government in a changing world

Abdiel Santiago is Secretary (CIO) of the Fondo de Ahorro de Panama, a role he has held for over 11 years. He holds a number of board roles in addition – including Advisory Committee Member of the Export-Import Bank of the US, a Board Advisory Committee Member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and a Committee Member of the Milk...
Read more