Molly Breen got her first finance job by inviting a room of bankers to a White Russian party during a D.C. snowstorm. The interview answers didn't land her the offer. The invitation did. Molly, Head of Capital Markets at Permira, joins Jenny Bain on the very first episode of People You Should Know, season two. She walks through the rotational program that taught her to learn fast (04:34), the senior woman who took one look at her and said "you belong on a syndicate desk" (05:59), and the cliff-jump from equity syndicate into leveraged finance that almost broke her (10:48). She also gets into raising the debt that helped acquire Octus, the boardroom seat she now holds, and why she still picks up calls at 3 a.m. (24:20). A first guest worth starting with.

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Hosted by Jenny Bain.

• (00:00) - Cold open