Posts in Private Equity
Welcome To ParkerGale Ops, Cass

Guest host, Cici, interviews Cass Ziebel on her return to ParkerGale after two years at Chicago Booth. Cass talks about her background prior to working with ParkerGale as an Associate, what she learned before business school, how she felt about going, and what she ultimately got out of it. Cici and Cass also discuss her transition from the deal team role as an Associate into an operating role as a Principal, and why she decided to make the switch over to the light side.

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Why aren’t there more women in Private Equity?

It’s no secret that there are not very women in private equity. According to a recent Preqin study, women account for just 19.4% of total private equity employees. In this episode, Cici and Kristina are joined by Ann Kraftson, Managing Director from the recruiting firm The Oxbridge Group. We discuss why there aren’t more women in PE, why we care about it as a private equity firm and why we think it’s a compelling industry for women to explore, especially those at the pre-MBA level. We share some of the myths vs. realities about the scary reputation of PE and shed some light on the general PE recruiting process (including the differences between on-cycle and off-cycle recruiting).

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Leadership, Culture, and Private Equity with AlixPartners

Leadership, culture, and their impact on investments are growing trends across the private equity industry. In this episode, Jimmy and Devin are joined by Ted Bililies, Managing Director at AlixPartners and founder of the consultancy's Transformative Leadership Practice. We discuss the findings from AlixPartners’ 5th Annual Private Equity Leadership Survey which reveal just how critical human capital is to value creation and how culture is an often overlooked source of value by investors. We also discuss why these topics are so important today given the volatility and uncertainty we are all experiencing in 2020.

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How We Do Leadership Development

Leaders shape culture, and in turn, culture shapes an organization. In this episode, Jimmy and Devin are joined by Katrina Calihan and Amanda Cutright, creators and facilitators of the L6 Program – the Leadership Development Program we roll-out at our portfolio companies. We discuss the six-month, transformational program that helps develop evolved, mindful, and skillful leaders at our companies and how those leaders help to create and shape cultures that last.

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The Managerial Scouting Report

No serious athlete steps on the field without a scouting report. No serious professional should lead without one either. In this episode of the Funcast's Leadership Series, Paul and Jim discuss a simple document that can help you clarify working styles and create a high-performing team. This episode references our recently published article, which can be found at parkergale.com/scoutingreport.

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The Valley of Anguish

Jim talks with Kelley Powell, Alan Williamson and Jim Headley from the MacLaurin Group about tackling large-scale technology projects in a private-equity-backed company.   All four of us worked together on a very complicated project some years ago. We focus our discussions on the Valley of Anguish, the deep hole between the initial enthusiasm and the finished project.

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March Madness 2020 – Slightly Delayed

Weeks ago, before we were all focused on the coronavirus pandemic, Jim and Jimmy recorded our (mostly) annual March Madness episode. We hit pause on posting this one for a while, but on what would have been the finals of the men’s college basketball tournament, we thought a little levity would be something listeners could use.  In this episode, the months of the year face off in a battle for supremacy.

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The Second City, “Yes AND,” and Private Equity

Jim and Jimmy are joined by Marla Caceres and Nelson Velazquez, improvisors at Chicago’s famous Second City Theatre. They discuss how ParkerGale has leveraged the Second City Works to provide professional development for senior executives in addition to the concepts that underpin the Second City philosophy and why they are so important to fostering growth, teamwork, and innovation. Oh – and don’t miss the end when the crew improvises a song entitled “The Ugly Burning House.”

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