Badgers in Finance

There are hundreds of UW–Madison alumni working in financial services in cities around the world — especially NYC! Badgers in Finance is a professional network created just for alumni like you.

Please join fellow Badgers in Finance in NYC for an intimate, moderated discussion on investing in the private markets.  You’ll hear from experts in Private Equity and Venture Capital as they discuss current trends in the marketplace and their approach to the investment process. Featured speakers include:

• Tom Formolo ’86 – Partner, New Harbor Capital
• Michael Steinberg ’94 — General Partner, Reciprocal Ventures
• Colin Welch ’92 — Managing Director and Head of New York and London offices, TSG Consumer Partners

You’ll also hear from Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, the Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business and Erwan Quintin, Department Chair, Finance, Investment and Banking and US Bank Professor in Banking, as they share the vision for WSB and the strategic plans and key initiatives being taken to strengthen the finance program.

Discussions to be moderated by Ricky Sandler ’91, the founder, CEO and chief investment officer of Eminence Capital.

This is your opportunity to connect with fellow Badgers working in the New York finance community. Don’t miss it!

Register Today

RSVP by March 13.

Schedule

ABOUT THE FEATURED SPEAKERS

– Tom Formolo ’86 — Tom Formolo founded New Harbor Capital in 2013. He has spent his entire career working in the private equity industry, having most recently spent 25 years at CHS Capital where he has been a Partner, and the Head of the Business Services, Healthcare and Education team. At CHS, he has also been a long-time member of the Investment and Management Committees. Prior to joining CHS, Tom worked at Heller Financial in the Leveraged Funding Group. Tom holds a BBA from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from Northwestern University.

– Michael Steinberg ’94 — Michael Steinberg is the managing partner of Reciprocal Ventures. He served as a Portfolio Manager at SAC Capital Management (now Point 72) from 1996-2012. At SAC, he managed a portfolio of publicly traded technology companies within the hardware, enterprise software and communication sectors, generating 15 consecutive years of positive returns. His focus shifted to FinTech in 2012, where he led the firm’s first investment in the private markets. From 1994-1996, he worked at nascent hedge fund Argo Explorer and boutique asset manager Sanford C. Bernstein. Michael received a B.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Michael concentrates on the Capital Markets, Asset Management and on the breakthrough technologies and systems that are powering blockchains and machine intelligence.

– Colin S.A. Welch ’92 — Colin Welch is a Partner and Managing Director, Head of New York and London Offices of TSG Consumer Partners, a leading private equity firm with $9 billion of assets under management. He focuses on transactions in the consumer and retail sectors, and is responsible for generating new investment opportunities, structuring transactions, and working with TSG partner companies. Representative past and present partner companies include vitaminwater, thinkThin, popchips, Yard House, Stumptown, Pabst, Planet Fitness, REVOLVE Clothing, Smashbox Cosmetics, Pureology, Sexy Hair, e.l.f. Cosmetics, I.T. Cosmetics, Duckhorn Vineyards, BrewDog, SweetWater Brewing Company, Paige Denim, Alexis Bittar, Backcountry.com, Huda Beauty, Revolution Beauty, nuun, Zoeva, Lucky Vitamin and Canyon Cycles.

Mr. Welch is a Board Director of Revolution Beauty, a UK-based “fast beauty” company whose brand portfolio includes Make-Up Revolution, ZOEVA, a German-based makeup brush and cosmetics company and CorePower Yoga, the leading yoga studio chain in America. He is also a member of TSG’s Investment Committee.  In addition, he oversees and manages TSG’s offices in New York and London.

Previously, Colin served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Financo, a leading independent financial advisory boutique specializing in the global consumer and retail sectors, and Chief Executive Officer of the firm’s London-based European operation.

Mr. Welch brings over 25 years of experience in the retail and consumer sectors, both domestically, and in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. During his investment banking career, he has closed over 100 transactions across a wide range of consumer and retail industry sub-sectors and transaction types, including private and public company sales and buy-side acquisitions, initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, leveraged buy-outs, public and private debt capital raisings in both the investment-grade and high-yield markets. He has acted on behalf of many of the leading brands and retailers in the world, including, among others, Adidas, Dollar Tree, Ethan Allen, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, L Brands, Mothercare, Neiman Marcus, Poundland, Puma, PVH, The Home Depot, TJX Companies, Tommy Hilfiger, Walmart, Warnaco and Waterstones.

Mr. Welch was a founding member of J.P. Morgan’s dedicated retail sector coverage effort. During his tenure, this group consistently achieved #1 market share for investment banking deal volumes in the North American retail sector. In 2006, Mr. Welch relocated to London to lead the European retail sector investment banking coverage effort at Lehman Brothers, culminating with his role as a Managing Director and Co-Head of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Retail and Consumer Investment Banking. Mr. Welch also previously held the position of Managing Director and Head of EMEA Retail and Luxury Goods Investment Banking at Credit Suisse Securities Europe. During his tenure at Credit Suisse, he built a practice that achieved #1 market share status in Europe in the retail and luxury goods sectors.

Mr. Welch currently serves as a Member of The Dean’s Advisory Board of The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business.

Prior to embarking on his career in investment banking, Mr. Welch held various roles at Neiman Marcus Stores. He is a past board member of The Educational Foundation of the Fashion Institute of Technology. He has authored a guest column for Retail Week Magazine and Harvard Business School Case Study #9-698-098, “Merchandising at Nine West Retail Stores.”

Mr. Welch received his Master’s in Business Administration from the Harvard University Business School and his Bachelor of Business Administration, with distinction, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has been a member of the Parsons Board of Governors since 2014.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Ricky Sandler ’91 — As the CIO of Eminence, Ricky is responsible for managing the investment team and a diversified portfolio across all sectors of the market.  Prior to launching Eminence in 1999, Ricky was co-founder and co-general partner of Fusion Capital Management, LLC.  Prior to that he was a research analyst covering a wide range of industries and companies for Mark Asset Management, where he began his investing career in 1991.  Ricky received a BBA in Accounting and Finance graduating with honors from the University of Wisconsin where he currently serves as a board member for the University of Wisconsin Foundation and as a member of its Development Committee and Investment Committee.

ABOUT THE DEAN

Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy — Dr. Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy is a leading expert on how businesses compete in the digital economy. His work has been featured in leading academic journals. Several Fortune 500 firms have engaged him as a consultant. Working with executive clients and academic colleagues in China, Taiwan, Singapore, India, and Hong Kong, Sambamurthy has focused on digital business transformations, strategic alignment, governance, and innovation. He has co-authored several books on digital transformation. He has served on the editorial boards of premier academic journals, including two terms as editor-in-chief of Information Systems Research and leadership roles in professional associations.

Prior to his arrival at the Wisconsin School of Business, he served as the Eli Broad Professor at the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, in addition to leadership roles, including the associate dean of the MBA and professional master’s programs, associate dean for outreach and engagement, and chair of the accounting and information systems department.  He was instrumental in the launch of the top-10 MS program in business analytics and curricular innovations in the MBA programs. Additionally, he held faculty appointments at the University of Maryland and Florida State University.

Sambamurthy has garnered several recognitions for contributions to teaching, research, outreach, and mentoring. The Association of Information Systems honored him with the LEO Lifetime Achievement award. He was selected as a distinguished fellow of the Information Systems Society at INFORMS, and he received the William Beal Distinguished Faculty Award—the highest honor accorded by Michigan State University.

Sambamurthy received his PhD from the University of Minnesota, his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and his B.E. from the National Institute of Technology (Tiruchirappalli, India).

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Erwan Quintin — Erwan Quintin is a professor in and chair of the Department of Finance, Investment, and Banking. He came to Wisconsin in 2010 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he had worked as a senior economist and policy advisor since 2000. His research lies at the intersection of Financial Economics and Macroeconomics. Quintin earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota.

Questions? Contact Jennie Casavant at [email protected] or call 1-608-308-5512.