Upcoming Events

During this session I will be discussing my experiences as the Chief Operating Officer of Sun Products, a private equity portfolio company that was owned by Vestar Capital Partners. We monetized the Sun investment in 2016 for $3.6 billion.  Most of the discussions at Columbia about private equity are from the perspective of the sponsor, i.e. the private equity firm that has invested in the company. In my session I will be talking about private equity from the perspective of the management of the portfolio company, a very different lens from that of the sponsor. I have led this Lunch and Learn in previous semesters and found that students who are interested in careers in P.E., even if it is working for the sponsor, find the sessions very valuable. 

Toos N. Daruvala is co-CEO of MIO Partners, the in house asset management arm of McKinsey & Company

Frequently, students at Columbia wonder if they should set a career goal of being a senior partner with a consulting firm and come to me with broad questions on this topic. 

In this session, we will have a free-flowing discussion about: 

1. What it’s like to be a senior partner 
2. The career path to getting there 
3. The profile of skills and experiences needed for success
               -  The differences and similarities between being a senior partner at a private firm and being a C-suite executive 
               -Good (and bad) times to exit from a  consulting career and the external opportunities at each stage
 

Most equity portfolio managers with successful long-term track records have one thing in common – they have outperformed during bear markets.  This talk will provide advice on how to prepare for future recessions and bear markets.

Topics addressed will include:
•    Past recessions and bear markets
•    Investment vs. Speculation:  Lawrence Chamberlain and Ben Graham
•    Importance of being objective, disciplined, and decisive
•    Investment criteria for selecting the right businesses
•    How expensive are U.S. equities today?
•    The impact of private equity on today’s equity markets
•    Where does value still exist today?
•    International small caps are out-of-favor and inexpensive

Building, investing in, and maintaining strong relationships is crucial for long-term success, in any field. 

The discussion will cover:

• Developing meaningful connections
• Strategies for nurturing and sustaining relationships
• Leveraging relationships for mutual benefit
• Lessons learned from real-world experiences

Frequently, students at Columbia wonder if they should set a career goal of being a C-Suite Executive with a public company and come to me with questions on this topic. 

In this session, we will have a free-flowing discussion about:

• What it’s like to be in the C-Suite
• The career path to getting there
• The profile of skills and experiences needed for success
• Plus any other topics of discussion raised by the group!