Tom Shapiro is the President and Founder of GTIS. In addition, Mr. Shapiro is the Chief Investment Officer responsible for overseeing all investment activity and strategy of the firm. Mr. Shapiro is also Chairman of the General Partner's Investment Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of Brazil Hospitality Group, one of the largest owners and managers of hotels in Brazil.

Mr. Shapiro's experience in the real estate industry began in 1988. Prior to starting GTIS, Mr. Shapiro was a Senior Managing Director at Tishman Speyer and a member of the firm's Investment and Management Committees. Most recently, Mr. Shapiro was responsible for Tishman Speyer's global equity capital markets and dispositions groups. Previously, Mr. Shapiro ran GTS Properties, an acquisitions joint venture between Tishman Speyer and Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Shapiro serves on the Undergraduate Executive Board and the Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Review's Private Sector Advisory Board for The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from which Mr. Shapiro received a B.S. and graduated magna cum laude.

ADVICE THAT LASTS DECADES

Every May since 2018, I've released an annual montage focused on advice for college students and young professionals interested in private equity, investment banking, and the investing world

This year's version marks Episode 200 of Private Equity Fast Pitch!

Over the last 12 months I asked founders, CEOs and managing partners from Private Equity firms, Investment Banks and LPs the same question:

What advice would you give to young professionals trying to build a meaningful career in this business?

What makes this episode special is not just the milestone, it's how often the same themes continue to surface...

Different firms

Different backgrounds

Different paths

But the themes are remarkably consistent

⚾️ Find work that gives you energy

⚾️ Build real relationships

⚾️ Do the hard things early

⚾️ Learn from people who are better than you

⚾️ Stay curious

⚾️ Understand that careers are built over decades, not quarters

What stands out after 200 episodes is this...

The foundational elements of long-term success are timeless

And while this episode is designed for young professionals and graduating students, I think the advice applies at every stage of a career

I'm incredibly grateful for all of my guests who have shared their sage advice over the years!

Featured Guests:

Michael Psaros - KPS Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000739675082

Omar Jaffrey - Palistar Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000758837812

Rob Brown - Lincoln International

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000711726279

Tim Meyer - Angeles Equity Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000735555551

Chris Rozzell - Cresta Fund Management

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000721947245

Parker Weil - TD Securities

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000737590933

Sean MacIver - KeyBanc Capital Markets

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000728454456

Matthew Sparks - Northleaf Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000723925489

Suzanne Yoon - Kinzie Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000753377248

Eric Wiklendt - Speyside Equity

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000748373295

Michelle Noon - Clearhaven Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000733152917

Paul Raphael - Auréa Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000717775898

Daphne Dufresne - Awani Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000756128214

Russ Roenick - Transom Capital Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000731004463

Neda Vakilian - Actis

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000713638680

Sam Gaynor - Altamont Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000746205883

Eliot Kerlin - Broadwing Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000741835818

Andy Unanue - AUA Private Equity Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000750484838

Kristin Johnson - Altamont Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000726285319

Scott Sperling - THL Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000720142324

THE ADVICE THAT ACTUALLY HOLDS UP

There is no shortage of advice in this industry

Most of it sounds good...

Not all of it lasts

With graduation season here, I wanted to do something a little different on Private Equity Fast Pitch.

These clips come from guests who share a common university. What they don't share is how they got there:

Different paths

Different careers

Different firms

What stood out to me was not where they went. It was how consistent the advice was

⚾️ Play the long game

Careers are built over decades, not quarters

⚾️ Protect your reputation

Your word and how you show up compound over time

⚾️ Do the hard things early

That's where real confidence and capability are built

⚾️ Be intentional

Who you work for and what you learn matters more than title

These are not theories. They are patterns from people who have built across multiple cycles and environments.

The fundamentals are simple.

They're just not easy.

And they don't change.

If you're early in your career or even if you're not, this is a valuable episode to listen too.

Featured Harvard Graduate Guests:

Adam Blumenthal - Blue Wolf Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000419683769

Bob Grady - Summit Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000466305412

Nik Shah - Cohere Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000492548668

Brandon Bethea - Aterian Investment Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000512756706

Steve Lebowitz - Brand Velocity Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000544474759

Alex Western - Terminus Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000588352120

Arthur Hollingsworth - Lone Star Investment Advisors

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000606603038

Clay Hunter - Broadview Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000407597189

David Iverson - Iverson Consulting Services

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000409078405

Ralph Manning - Coltala Holdings

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000434156484

Jerry Johnson - Ariel Alternatives

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000455717611

Victor Vescovo - Caladan Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000424858176

Brett Hickey - Star Mountain Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000467637362

Brad Brennerman - Breck Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000490948771

Brent Humphries - AB Private Credit Investors

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000506913145

Dr. Chris Kersey - Havencrest Capital Management

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000531859885

Scott Kolbrenner - GISI

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000533229587

Doug McCormick - Oridian Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000575024701

Tom O'Rourke - BayPine

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000590284296

Mark Sotir - Equity Group Investments

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000618757742

Pardis Nasseri - Palm Tree

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000630324818

Devon Kirk - Portage Capital Solutions

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000658066071

Bogdan Gogulan - NewSpace Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000681019854

Erik Brooks - Ethos Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000684256262

Ignacio Jayanti is the Chief Executive Officer of Corsair and serves as Chairman of the Buyouts Investment Committee and as a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee. He joined Corsair in 1993 when the first Corsair fund was launched and is based in New York. Ignacio is a director of Corsair portfolio companies IDnow and ZEDRA.

Prior to spinning off Corsair as an independent business from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2006, Ignacio played a key role as a senior member of the investment team of the predecessor Corsair funds and also was responsible for managing the operations of the Corsair business from 1994 onwards. From 1994 to 1999, Ignacio was also a senior member of the Investment Banking Department of J.P. Morgan, where he headed the Emerging Markets Financial Institutions group. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Ignacio worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in the Financial Institutions group both in New York and London. His investment banking experience includes complex advisory assignments in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Ignacio holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in Economics from Queens' College, Cambridge University. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Ignacio is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hotchkiss School, a member of the RAND Global and Emerging Risks Advisory Board, and a member of the International Advisory Board of British American Business.

Omar Jaffrey has been involved in technology, media and telecommunications ("TMT") investments, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, public and private capital raises, restructuring and bankruptcies for over 30 years.

Mr. Jaffrey founded Palistar Capital (formerly, Melody Investment Advisers, "Palistar") in 2019 as a specialist digital infrastructure investor as his go-forward investment platform and created Symphony Wireless, an affiliated easements origination platform ("Symphony"). The team successfully raised a $2 billion dedicated digital infrastructure fund at the end of 2021, has built out a specialist team with deep investment and operating expertise and has invested in a number of macro tower investments including Harmoni Towers, Parallel Infrastructure, CTI Towers, and an easements and tower portfolio originated by Symphony.

Prior to Palistar, Mr. Jaffrey co-founded Melody Capital Partners ("Melody") in 2012 where he was also a Managing Partner. The team at Melody raised two fund families – a Structured Credit platform with $1 billion assets under management ("AUM") and a digital infrastructure platform with $700 million AUM ("Melody Wireless Infrastructure"). Mr. Jaffrey crafted the strategy, built Melody Wireless Infrastructure as its CEO and successfully exited Melody Wireless Infrastructure in 2021. Melody is now actively harvesting its remaining investments and is no longer making new investments or fundraising.

Prior to Melody, Mr. Jaffrey was a Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank, most recently serving as Americas Co-head of the Special Situations Group. Mr. Jaffrey was an advisor to some of the leading telecommunications and technology companies globally covering over 50 global clients in the TMT space for their strategic and financing needs. Mr. Jaffrey also helped build UBS's Telecommunications Media and Technology Investment Banking practice and was Global Head of Satellite Investment Banking while specializing in the convergence of TMT sectors between 2003 and 2009. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Jaffrey was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch where he built the Global Satellite Investment Banking practice. In the early 1990s, Mr. Jaffrey helped build Bear Stearns' Investment Bank in Asia, and was a founding member of Bear Stearns' Telecommunications sector Investment Banking practice.

Mr. Jaffrey holds a BS magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University, and is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies.

Daphne Dufresne is the Founder and Managing Partner of Awani Capital. She leads the firm's strategic direction, investment decisions, and value creation initiatives across the portfolio. With over 25 years of private equity experience, Daphne has a long-standing track record of building scalable businesses in the business and industrial services sectors. She plays an active role in all phases of the investment process—from deal sourcing and thesis development to portfolio company growth and exit strategy.

Before founding Awani, Daphne was a Managing Partner at GenNx360, a $2.2 billion middle-market private equity firm based in New York. She served on the investment, valuation, and exit committees, and led direct investments in GenServe, Precision Aviation Group, Aero 3, and Whitsons Culinary Group, completing 31 add-on acquisitions across these platforms.

Daphne was also a founding Managing Director at RLJ Equity Partners. Earlier in her career, she also held senior roles at Parish Capital Advisors, Weston Presidio, and the Bank of Scotland's Structured Finance group, and began her career at Accenture.

Daphne is on the board of directors of NYSE (UNFI) where she chairs the Compensation Committee.

Daphne earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

In recognition of International Women's Month, I'm releasing a montage of advice from some of the most accomplished women in our industry.

These remarkable leaders have navigated one of the most demanding and historically male-dominated corners of business and have done it with conviction, resilience, and extraordinary leadership.

If you're a young professional, a student considering this industry, or a leader developing the next generation of talent, this episode is worth your time.

Sunaina Sinha - Global Head, Private Capital Advisory, and Senior Managing Director, Raymond James

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000667167867

Shannon Zoller - Founder, Tephra Advisors

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000552841977

Neha Markle - Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000633494095

Caroline Stevens - Investor, MPK Equity Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000597747344

Chrisanne Corbett - Managing Director, KPMG

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000432826264

Deborah Smith - Co-Founder and CEO, The CenterCap Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000557619821

Devon Kirk - General Partner, Portage Capital Solutions

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000658066071

Franny Jones - Partner, Investor Relations, The Sterling Group

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000452341799

Gina Luna - Partner, GP Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000555838972

Gretchen Perkins - Partner(Origination), Avance Investment Management

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000453890941

Kristin Johnson - Managing Director, Altamont Capital Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000726285319

Lauren Moohalland - Waypoint Ridge Capital

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000468986627

Lucy Heintz - Partner, Head of Energy Infrastructure, Actis

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000701104377

Michelle Noon - Founder and Managing Partner, Clearhaven Partners

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000733152917

Neda Vakilian - Partner, Actis

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000713638680

Suzanne Yoon is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-

based private equity firm redefining the lower middle market. With over 25 years of

experience, Suzanne founded Kinzie on the conviction that sustainable value is unlocked

by integrating people and operational innovation with technology.

Under her leadership, Kinzie specializes in founder transitions across the manufacturing,

business services, and consumer sectors. Suzanne and her team move beyond traditional

oversight to serve as hands-on partners, utilizing tech-driven efficiencies to scale

established businesses while honoring their heritage.

A recognized industry trailblazer, Suzanne has been honored by The Wall Street Journal as a

Top Female Deal Maker and by Mergers & Acquisitions as a leading voice in Mid-Market

M&A. Beyond the firm, she serves on the board of NYSE-listed ADT and the Chicago Bears

Women's Advisory Board. An avid outdoorswoman and proud University of Iowa alumna,

Suzanne enjoys golfing and fishing with her husband and three children.

Andy Unanue is the founder and Managing Partner of AUA Private Equity Partners, an operationally-focused, lower middle market investment firm with expertise in supporting and growing family-owned and demographic-driven businesses. Andy is a member of AUA Private Equity's Investment Committee, and under his leadership, AUA has deployed over $800 million of capital to date.

AUA's business model is driven by Andy's own family background – he is a member of the Unanue family, which owns and runs Goya Foods, the largest producer of Spanish- and Latin-American foods in the United States. Andy's grandfather, Prudencio, founded the company in 1936, and Andy's father, Joe, was a legendary CEO of the company himself. Andy was a leader of Goya for many years, ultimately serving as its Chief Operating Officer before founding AUA.

Andy currently serves on the boards of Tropical Cheese Industries and Westminster Pet Products, and previously served on the board of Goya Foods. Additionally, he serves on several not-for-profit boards including his family's charitable foundation, The C&J Unanue Foundation. Andy is a member of the University of Miami's Dean's Advisory Committee, the New America Alliance and is on the Columbia University Medical Center's Board of Advisors.

Andy received his M.B.A from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and his B.B.A. from the University of Miami.

Eric Wiklendt is a Managing Director at Speyside Equity, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting investments. Eric has previously held senior leadership and operational roles, and he currently serves on the Boards of several portfolio companies.

Before joining Speyside Equity, Eric was President & CEO of Kelix Heat Transfer Systems. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at Eaton and Hilti Corporation, where he oversaw M&A activities, established a manufacturing plant in Mexico, managed a large marketing team, and directed industrial sales operations.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Eric obtained his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.