Best Mike McGrail Podcasts (2025)

1
Reena Jashnani-Slusarz, COO & GC – Juniper Hill Capital Management (EP.53) 42:53

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11d ago42:53

42:53

Reena Jashnani-Slusarz is the chief operating officer and General Counsel at Juniper Hill, a multifamily office based in Menlo Park, California. I had fun sitting down with Reena to talk about her non-linear career arc to find herself in a GC and COO role. This was a wide-ranging conversation touching upon some of the legal and operational complexi…

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Letti de Little, CCO – Grain Management (EP.52) 45:01

25d ago45:01

45:01

Letti de Little is the Chief Compliance Officer for Grain Management, a private equity firm that invests in telecom, infrastructure, and wireless spectrum assets. Today’s LP is focused on finding uncorrelated assets more than ever. But doing so often requires an understanding of the operational nuances which are different from buying traditional, t…

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John Fitzpatrick, Sr. Managing Director & CTO AAMT – Blackstone (EP.51) 40:47

1M ago40:47

40:47

John Fitzpatrick is a Senior Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer of Alternative Asset Management Technology at Blackstone. These are exciting times in technology with a lot of moving parts so I was excited to sit down with John to get his perspective on where we are today and where we’re going. John shares his thoughts on the big picture…

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Melissa Dickerson, MD Operations & CFO – Genstar Capital (EP.50) 43:47

2M ago43:47

43:47

Melissa Dickerson is the Managing Director of Operations and CFO at Genstar Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco and founded in 1988. In today’s competitive market, a common road map to revenue diversification is product expansion or adding a new office overseas. This conversation is a case study on having one strategy and one offi…

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Scott Farden, COO – Nonantum Capital (EP.49) 48:05

2M ago48:05

48:05

Scott Farden is the COO of Nonantum Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm that spun out of Charlesbank Capital Partners in 2018. Launching a first-time private equity fund has a myriad of challenges from leaving your old firm, raising capital, finding talent and activating operations, so I turned to Scott to share his experience. We …

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Kathleen Servidea, GC & CCO – Gallatin Point Capital (EP.48) 46:53

3M ago46:53

46:53

We can’t ignore the fact that AI is playing an increasing role in our day-to-day lives. But the question is how do we do it properly? So I turned to Kathleen to get her insights on bringing AI in house. We cover a range of topics like how to develop an AI policy, how do we identify and assess the growing list of AI service providers. Once selected,…

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Rob McGrail, GC and CCO – DUMAC (EP.47) 32:12

4M ago32:12

32:12

Rob McGrail is General Counsel and CCO for DUMAC, the management company for Duke University As one of the world’s leading endowment managers, Rob shares his career evolution from being the first lawyer at DUMAC, how to create strong team dynamics when closing deals and how the operational investment process has evolved over time. We cover best pra…

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Emi Larson, COO – UCLA Investment Company (EP.46) 43:48

5M ago43:48

43:48

Emi Larson is the COO of UCLA‘s endowment. Emi shares what it’s like going from an ops role at an emerging market manager to a hedge fund of funds and how it led to a COO role of a well-known university. We cover how to make that leap from Director of Operations to the COO seat and the key skills needed for that position. We tackle how non-profits …

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Eric Wortman, COO & CCO – Stable (EP.45) 34:31

6M ago34:31

34:31

Eric Wortman is the COO and CCO of Stable, a GP stakes firm with over $4.5B in assets. If you are an emerging manager or thinking about spinning out, this is the episode for you. As people will tell you, building your own firm and team is vastly different than managing a portfolio. We cover the fuzzy topic of what it means to be “institutional”, ho…

1
Mike Peltier, COO – VCIMCO (EP.44) 30:32

6M ago30:32

30:32

Mike Peltier is the COO of VCU Investment Management Company, supporting Virginia Commonwealth University and its related entities in Richmond, Virginia. Virginia Commonwealth University is pioneering what it means to be a public research university while remaining focused on innovation, diversity, and access in the Commonwealth and beyond. Mike sh…

1
Ron Landen, CAO & GC – HighVista Strategies (EP.43) 37:09

7M ago37:09

37:09

Ron Lanen is a Partner, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel at HighVista Strategies, an alternative asset manager with approximately $11 billion in assets. Given the uptick in M&A activity, I was interested in getting Ron’s input following their acquisition of abrdn’s US private markets business. Ron’s background makes him uniquely po…

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Troy Pospisil, CEO – Ontra (EP.42) 43:49

7M ago43:49

43:49

This Sponsored Insight features Troy Pospisil, CEO of Ontra, a legaltech firm created for the private markets industry. It was great sitting down with Troy to talk about the evolution of how legal and compliance workflows are going digital. We cover his career from management consulting to the investment team at H.I.G. Capital where he saw a glarin…

1
Richey Reneberg, Co-Head of Investor Relations – Taconic Capital (EP.41) 30:10

8M ago30:10

30:10

Richey Reneberg is the Global Co-Head of Investor Relations and Marketing at Taconic Capital, a global event driven alternatives manager founded in 1999 by former Goldman Sachs Partners, Frank Brosens and Ken Brody. Richey’s career path into the industry is atypical so I was excited to share his story. Prior to joining Taconic in 2000, Richey spent…

1
Neal Pawar, COO – Enfusion (EP.40) 54:01

8M ago54:01

54:01

This Sponsored Insight features Neal Pawar, the COO of Enfusion, a SaaS platform that combines front, middle and back office in a unified trading system. We cover Neal’s time at some of the world’s top hedge funds and how it informed his decision to build technology for the industry. We talk about the tradeoffs of working for both big and small fir…

1
Kevin Moran, COO – AlTi Tiedemann Global (EP.39) 38:48

9M ago38:48

38:48

Kevin Moran is the COO of AlTi Tiedemann Global, a publicly traded multi-family office and alternatives firm with over $72B in assets. Kevin shares his insights on how AlTi has grown over time creating a UHNW service offering to meet the growing and evolving needs of its clients. He shares his thoughts on M&A as a function of organic growth, unique…

1
Dan Ricci, Head of Information Systems – Prime Buchholz (EP.38) 35:41

9M ago35:41

35:41

Dan Ricci is the Head of Information Systems at Prime Buchholz, an independent investment consultant and OCIO founded in 1988. If you are building or buying software, this is the episode. Dan shares how they built Prime Plus, an investment analytics tool that is used by their investment consultants and their clients. Dan shares his thoughts on a wi…

1
Hal Liebes, COO – Alger (EP.37) 49:07

9M ago49:07

49:07

Hal Liebes is the COO of Alger, an investment firm known for its bottom-up fundamental research process that was founded in 1964. Hal joined Alger in 2005 as they were rebuilding the firm after losing 35 of its 55 employees on 9/11. Hal shares how curiosity and knowing how you work is crucial for finding the right type of role for career happiness.…

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Jim La Creta, CTO – Brandeis University (EP.36) 33:22

10M ago33:22

33:22

Jim La Creta is the Chief Technology and Information Officer for Brandeis University. Jim shares a fascinating and different perspective on technology for an investment office and university broadly. We discuss his career path at Brandeis which started at the help desk 21 years ago to the CTO seat. He shares how he partners with the investment comm…

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Adam Weinstein, COO & CFO – New Mountain Capital (EP.35) 50:27

10M ago50:27

50:27

Adam Weinstein is a Managing Director, COO, and CFO of New Mountain Capital, a $50 billion private equity firm focused on middle market buyout, credit, and net lease strategies. I really enjoyed this conversation because we focused on two critical elements of building investment firms: people and process. Adam discusses their investment committee g…

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Steven Schwab, GC and CCO – Thoma Bravo (EP.34) 37:41

11M ago37:41

37:41

Steven Schwab is the GC and CCO for Thoma Bravo, a $142 billion private equity firm that invests in growing software and technology companies. Prior to joining Thoma Bravo in 2015, Steven practiced law at Winston and Strawn and Katten Munchin. Steven shares how to make best use of your legal resources. He shares his thoughts on when to bring legal …

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Nicole Adrien, Chief Product Officer & Global Head of Client Relations – Oaktree Capital Management (EP.33) 44:09

12M ago44:09

44:09

Nicole Adrien is the Chief Product Officer and Global Head of Client Relations at Oaktree Capital. If you work directly with clients and prospects, this is the conversation for you. Nicole discusses her career path beginnings at Goldman Sachs, and how she turned a summer internship during business school into a career at Oaktree. Working with clien…

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Taimur Hyat, COO – PGIM (EP.32) 48:58

1y ago48:58

48:58

Taimur Hyat is the Chief Operating Officer for PGIM. PGIM manages over 1.3 trillion in equity, fixed income, real estate, alternatives, and multi-asset solutions. Being a “strategic COO” is the wave of the future, and Taimur provides some great insight on how he does it. He shares his evolution from doing development economic research to consulting…

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Hank Boughner, CEO – Dynamo Software (EP.31) 45:56

1y ago45:56

45:56

This Sponsored Insight features Hank Boughner, the CEO of Dynamo Software – an end-to-end platform for the alternative investment industry. Hank has been the CEO of Dynamo Software since 2017. His unique career path as an engineer, investment banker, and private equity investor gives him a unique perspective on what the future holds for investment …

1
Darshan Desai, COO – Beach Point Capital Management (EP.30) 48:22

1y ago48:22

48:22

Darshan Desai is the COO and Head of Risk at Beach Point Capital, a $15 billion credit shop based in Santa Monica, CA. Darshan and I discuss his career path, which began at York Capital, his move to Kansas City to works for BATS, and then finding his way to Beach Point in 2010. Darshan shares his experience and learnings from seeing two firms ramp …

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Amy Knapp, COO – Corsair Capital (EP.29) 37:11

1y ago37:11

37:11

Amy Knapp is the COO of Corsair Capital, a private equity firm that is focused on buyouts and infrastructure. When we started the podcast, the goal was to share best practices among investment operations professionals, and my conversation with Amy fires on all cylinders. Amy discusses her career path from public accounting to an unexpected opportun…

1
Nasdaq Solovis at Verger Capital (EP.28) 33:59

1y ago33:59

33:59

This Sponsored Insight highlights Nasdaq’s Solovis, a multi-asset class portfolio, data, and risk management system for asset owners. We spoke with Jeff Manning of Verger Capital Management, a $2.8 billion OCIO that was created out of the Wake Forest University Office of Investments. Verger’s CIO, Jim Dunn, was an early guest on Capital Allocators,…

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[REPLAY] Jim Dunn – Protect, Perform, Provide (Capital Allocators, EP.24) 1:03:55

1y ago1:03:55

1:03:55

Jim Dunn is the CEO and CIO of Verger Capital Management, an Outsourced CIO business whose anchor client is Wake Forest University. Prior to forming Verger, he served as CIO of Wake Forest for five years. That transition from a sole client to an OCIO business, is a fascinating part of our conversation. Before joining Wake, Jim traveled the world as…

1
Karl Sprules, COO – AllianceBernstein (EP.27) 45:41

1y ago45:41

45:41

Karl Sprules is the COO at Alliance Bernstein, a global asset manager with $725 billion in assets and over 4,700 employees. I really enjoyed speaking with Karl as he shows how you can be nimble at scale. We cover a lot of territory from his beginnings at Alliance Capital in the technology group, navigating the merger that created AB, and his evolut…

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Michael Lukasek, Managing Director – University of Pennsylvania (EP.26) 40:14

1y ago40:14

40:14

Mike Lukasek is a Managing Director and the COO for the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Investments. Mike has been the COO of Penn’s Endowment for over 14 years. Prior to that, he was a VP at Goldman Sachs for their private equity fund of funds business and a VP of Finance at Summit Partners. Given his tenure at Penn, Mike brings perspective…

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Lawrence Miller, CTO – Wilshire (EP.25) 45:55

1y ago45:55

45:55

Lawrence Miller is the CTO of Wilshire, an independent investment management firm that offers consulting services, analytical products, and manages funds for a global client base. For many of us owning and understanding technology is critical for our business. However, many of us have come up through the ranks without hands-on training. This is whe…

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Kenneth Onorio, CFO/COO – Eagle Point Credit Company (EP.24) 34:54

1y ago34:54

34:54

Ken Onorio is the Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer of Eagle Point Credit, a $9 billion credit-oriented investment firm. At some level, this is an interview about the softer skills in our space. Having spent time in hedge funds and a tour in fund administration, Ken shares his unique perspective with some key takeaways. Ken then discusses…

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Terry Thompson, COO – Berkshire Partners (EP.23) 37:39

1+ y ago37:39

37:39

Terry Thompson is the Chief Operating Officer of Berkshire Partners, Boston-based private equity firm started in the 1980s before adding public equity capabilities in 2007. Terry shares how his background across 8 different industries helped him land the role at Berkshire. We talk about how to quickly transition into a new industry, how to assess a…

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Jason Ment, COO - StepStone Group (EP.22) 53:37

1+ y ago53:37

53:37

Jason Ment is the president and Co-COO of StepStone Group, a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions, advisory and data services on behalf of clients representing $659B. I really enjoyed this wide-ranging discussion on what is just around the corner in private markets. We cover his career path fro…

1
Intelligo at Stonehaven Partners (EP.21) 49:20

1+ y ago49:20

49:20

Today Sponsored Insight highlights Intelligo, a risk intelligence and background check platform that blends human analysis with cutting-edge AI to uncover facts in a fraction of the time. I sat down with Brian Gaffney of Stonehaven Partners to discuss the common challenges with background checks and how Intelligo helps his team streamline and scale…

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Stephen Baranowski, Head of Client Ops – Adams Street Partners (EP.20) 41:06

1+ y ago41:06

41:06

Steve Baranowski is a Partner and Head of Client Operations at Adams Street Partners, a private investment manager with $58B in assets. Steve discusses his early career in public accounting and the nuances of transitioning to a client. He then shares what makes Adams Street unique and how their operations has evolved over time while striving to kee…

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Stephanie Withers, Senior Manager Investment Operations – W.K. Kellogg Foundation (EP.19) 46:43

1+ y ago46:43

46:43

Stephanie Withers is the Head of Investment Operations at the WK Kellogg Foundation Investment Office, an $8 billion private foundation. I really enjoyed Stephanie’s authenticity to make the world and her investment office a better place. We cover their initiatives on DEI in what they call their Expanding Equity Program. This program is unique in t…

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Beth Gilje, Founder – Union Park Consulting (EP.18) 55:23

1+ y ago55:23

55:23

Today’s Sponsored Insight features Beth Gilje, the founder of Union Park Consulting, a leading investment operations consulting firm that provides operational and technical consulting to some of the world’s leading institutions and family offices. Prior to founding Union Park, Beth worked at the investment office of the University of Pennsylvania f…

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Shaun Ng, COO – Cleveland Clinic Investment Office (EP.17) 47:25

1+ y ago47:25

47:25

Shaun Ng is the Managing Director of Risk, Analytics, and Investment Operations at the Cleveland Clinic Investment Office. Shaun joined Cleveland Clinic in 2016 after working over 10 years at the World Bank. He shares how they created their investment office from scratch after the board opted to insource their investments from an OCIO. We later tur…

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Frank Perez, MD, Head of ODD – Makena Capital (EP.16) 1:12:02

1+ y ago1:12:02

1:12:02

Frank Perez is a Managing Director and Head of Operational Due Diligence at Makena Capital, an OCIO whose roots emanate from Stanford’s Endowment. Prior to joining Makena in 2015, Frank was engaged in ODD efforts at Saguenay Strathmore Capital, Morgan Stanley and UBP where he focused on private equity, real estate, and hedge fund investments. Frank…

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Dan Houlihan, CEO – STP Investment Services (EP.15) 39:48

1+ y ago39:48

39:48

Today’s Sponsored Insight features Dan Houlihan, the CEO of STP Investment Services, a global investment operations firm that provides complete front, middle, and back office services for investment managers. Dan joined STP in August 2022 after spending 11 years at Northern Trust as the EVP and Head of Asset Servicing. Prior to Northern Trust he wa…

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Ashok Raju, COO – VR Capital Group (EP.14) 48:31

1+ y ago48:31

48:31

Ashok Raju is the Chief Operating Officer of VR Group, an alternative asset manager focused on distressed securities and special situations investments in emerging markets. Ashok joined VR Group in 2010 initially to create the firm’s client facing efforts before becoming the COO, where he now oversees operations, analytics, and business development…

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Danielle Roseman, COO – Lazard Family Office Services (EP.13) 1:02:20

1+ y ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Danielle Roseman is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Lazard Family Office Services, a multifamily office that started managing capital for some of the world’s most sophisticated families over 175 years ago. Danielle started her career at Goldman Sachs where she worked on the mortgage desk during the Great Financial Crisis. Danielle joined Lazard …

1
Bryan Corbett, CEO – Managed Funds Association (EP.12) 38:38

1+ y ago38:38

38:38

Bryan Corbett is the president and CEO of the Managed Funds Association, which represents the global alternative asset management industry. With offices in Washington DC, New York, Brussels, and London, MFA has over 170 members, including hedge funds, credit funds, and crossover funds that collectively manage over 3 trillion in AUM. Bryan joined th…

1
Maarika Paul, CFO & COO – CDPQ (EP.11) 42:15

1+ y ago42:15

42:15

Maarika Paul is the Chief Financial & Operations Officer at CDPQ, a global investment firm that manages Quebec’s pension and insurance assets overseeing $424b billion Canadian in AUM. Prior to joining CDPQ in 2011, Maarika worked for Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) for almost two decades overseeing various functions across investor relations, M&A, an…

1
Gordon Barnes, EVP Portfolio Strategies – Bain Capital (EP.10) 42:25

1+ y ago42:25

42:25

Gordon Barnes is the Executive Vice President and the Head of Portfolio Group on the Bain Capital Partnership Strategies team, a group that manages assets primarily for Bain Capital’s partners in strategies that diversify away from the equity-orientation of the firm’s core. Colin Campbell, the group’s co-head, was a previous guest on Capital Alloca…

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[REPLAY] Colin Campbell – The Case for Environmental Markets (Climate Solutions EP.3, Capital Allocators EP.302) 59:54

1+ y ago59:54

59:54

Colin Campbell is a Partner at Bain Capital and co-head of the Partnership Strategies team that manages assets primarily for Bain Capital’s partners in strategies that diversify away from the equity-orientation of the firm’s core. In its search for attractive, uncorrelated assets, the Partnership Strategies team became an early mover in environment…

1
Sean Arp, COO – University of Wisconsin Foundation (EP.09) 33:46

1+ y ago33:46

33:46

Sean Arp is the Chief Operating Officer of the University of Wisconsin Foundation. He oversees all investment operations, analytics, reporting, technology, personnel, and strategic initiatives. Prior to joining UWF in 2022, Sean spent eight years at Washington University in St. Louis Investment Management Company (WUIMC) where he served as Chief Op…

1
Byron Pavano, Fund Strategy and Counsel – Audax Group (EP.08) 54:38

2y ago54:38

54:38

Byron Pavano is a Managing Director of Fund Strategy and Counsel for Audax Group, one of the most active private equity firms in North America with $36B in assets under management. Our conversation covers Byron’s path from outside counsel for private funds to inside counsel at Audax, insourcing vs outsourcing, the regulatory landscape across countr…

1
Ken Meister, COO – Evanston Capital Management (EP.07) 41:55

2y ago41:55

41:55

Ken Meister is a Founding Partner, President, and COO at Evanston Capital Management – a $4.3 billion hedge fund of funds focused on early-stage investment managers in complex, innovative strategy areas. Ken co-founded Evanston in 2002, and today oversees all business and operations of the firm plus operational due diligence. Before Evanston, Ken s…

1
Bipsync at UVIMCO (EP.06) 44:29

2y ago44:29

44:29

Today’s Sponsored Insight highlights Bipsync, the research management software that helps asset owners and managers optimize pre- and post-investment decision making. We spoke with Annie Kerns and Blake Fischer from the University of Virginia Investment Management Company, known as UVIMCO. Annie leads investment operations and Blake oversees techno…