For many first and second year associates in private equity, the question of whether or not to attend business school is top of mind during the fall quarter. The managing partners of Ratio Advisors, Vedica Qalbani (HBS 2007), Jessica Wu (HBS 2007), and Lindsey Mead (HBS 2000), hosted a breakfast for the Synergist Network to discuss the topic in detail! They shared perspectives on the decision to pursue an MBA and talked about what they see in terms of clients hiring candidates with private equity backgrounds, both with and without MBAs. Ratio works with a number of clients in both the public markets and private equity, and they provided valuable information about searches they've done recently and the searches they're already working on for 2019.

After a successful event in NYC, Executive Coach Cathy Boeckmann has generously agreed to host a similar session for the SF group. Cathy’s workshop is focused on developing 1) skills to share your point of view clearly and confidently, and 2) skills to effectively listen to the other point of view, both of which are core building blocks to effectively resolve difficult situations and move negotiations forward in mutually beneficial ways. The goal of the session is to help you identify and learn important skills, figure out what may be going on when you struggle to use your skills successfully in high stakes situations and understand how working with an executive coach can support your career growth.  

Jessica Wu, Managing Partner of Ratio Advisors, will be sharing her insights into the job market and her observations on career choices women in private equity are making.

Join Synergist SF for a breakfast with Katherine Boyle, Principal at General Catalyst Ventures, as she shares her unique story of transitioning from a reporter for the Washington Post to a career in investing, after graduating from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford.

Connect with Jessica Lee and Lizzie Agnew, founders of Modern Citizen (an affordable women-run fashion label launched in 2014), over Hors d’oeuvres and an intimate shopping event, as they walk us through their experience as one of the few female founders in the Bay Area.

Please join the Synergist Network for a panel discussion focused on executive hiring, and the characteristics of successful management teams. Whether you're an investor, aspiring CEO or general business enthusiast, you will walk away with tremendous insight!

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creating-alpha-through-talent-executive-hiring-panel-tickets-44499090979

Given the developing trend toward firm-sponsored executive coaching, we were excited to meet with Cathy Boeckmann, a highly-regarded executive coach who works with rising leaders at all levels in a variety of industries. During an interactive workshop on interpersonal communications, we learned how to identify and practice effective communication skills AND understand why we might struggle to use our skills successfully in high stakes situations. It was such a hit with our NY Chapter that we’re working with Cathy to setup a similar workshop with our SF Chapter!

The session was extremely practical because the learning was based on role-play for several hypothetical scenarios. In each scenario, we were given a prompt and asked to write or act out our responses. The exercise was interesting because we realized how varied our responses were from person to person. None of us had any formal communication training, so the responses were merely reflections of people’s personalities and emotions. In most cases, the responses were deficient in specificity and were reflexive as opposed to reflective (not that we had thought about the difference between reflexive and reflective at the time), which made them weak and unlikely to induce the kind of response-in-turn that we hoped for. After talking through Cathy’s frameworks and guiding principles, we reframed the issues raised in the prompts and redesigned responses that were definitively stronger and more likely to accomplish what we wanted.

We’d like to share a BIG thank you to Nichole Wagner and East Rock Capital for sponsoring and hosting the career-changing event!

If you’d like to get in touch with Cathy, please contact us.

On April 25th, the boards of Exponent and Synergist came together over dinner and drinks to discuss how we could tap into our networks and experiences to create exciting opportunities for our members. A network of women deal-makers whose mission is to “raise women to a new power,” Exponent shares many of Synergist’s values and ambitions. We look forward to working together in the future, starting with attending the Marquee Exponent Exchange in JulyA special thanks goes to Nanette Heide for hosting us at the offices of Duane Morris (and supplying the wine!)

Synergist SF hosted a breakfast with Justina Lai, Director of Impact Investing at Wetherby Asset Management. Over a few cups of coffee and scrambled eggs, Justina and the Synergist Board chatted about the evolution of impact investing and navigating the challenges of working as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Justina’s passion for driving meaningful change through her work was palpable and truly inspiring. Having made the transition from more traditional private equity to now leading investments across multiple asset classes with an impact investing thesis, Justina’s perspective was invaluable to all of us aiming to combine our professional ambition and desire to make a real difference in the world into a meaningful career.

Synergist Network and Wildflower Collective are bringing together three women at the forefront of the media, healthcare, and wellness industries to share how they lead with both business acumen and a creative spirit. Our panel discussion will focus on what keeps them inspired as they build their businesses and influence future trends. Whether you're a writer, a businesswoman, a painter, an investment banker, a techie, or a foodie, you're bound to walk away feeling inspired.

Drinks and small bites will be served! RSVP soon as space is limited!

NOTE: Address will be sent to confirmed attendees three days prior to the date of the event.

On November 3, members of the Synergist board had lunch with Erika Karp, Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Capital, a firm dedicated to bringing the discipline of sustainable finance to mainstream capital markets. With analysis of ESG factors in the investment process, Cornerstone Capital advises both investors and corporations on how to optimize their financial and business decision-making processes. Erika talked to us about her experience transitioning from a traditional Wall Street management role at UBS to launching her own startup with Cornerstone (“It’s like jumping out of an airplane and building the parachute on the way down!”) and some of the valuable lessons she learned along the way. We also had a chance to ask her some more practical questions about sustainable investing, and came away with some great ideas about how to integrate concepts of sustainability into our day to day investing mindset.

When board member Sarika Ramakrishnan relocated to San Francisco to work at Genstar Capital, she was disappointed to leave the Synergist community in New York behind. On October 22nd, Sarika hosted an introductory brunch with women from a handful of investment banks and private equity firms, as the first step in creating a San Francisco chapter. We are very excited for the events they have in the pipeline including – a Sur La Table cooking class, an introduction to PE recruiting, and an overview of the business school application process with current students and recent graduates! Please use the contact us page to indicate your interest in joining our new SF chapter!

Exclusive Networking Event for Women in Finance