Latest Interviews

Private Equity Delivering Value | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

John Bowman, Chris Emanuel, Martin Escobari, Jacob Kotzubei, Collin Roche, Bridget Walsh

Driven by a surge to $22 trillion in assets and a prolonged IPO drought, the private capital sector is undergoing a structural shift from financial engineering to intensive operational transformation. Leading firms like Platinum Equity, GTCR, and GIC are deploying specialized teams to execute immediate CEO changes, leverage GenAI for due diligence, and prioritize distributions over returns, while simultaneously navigating a market bifurcation that threatens non-adaptive players. This evolving landscape forces a consolidation of the 10,000 existing general partners as asset managers adopt interventionist strategies to maximize value in a high-interest-rate environment where traditional holding periods are being redefined.

What's Trending in MedTech? | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Conor Hale, Kelvin Baggett, Andrew Fish, Nada Hanafi, Ryan Lakin, Michelle Tarver

Facing a constrained 2023 investment climate, the industry is pivoting from speculative hype to value-driven innovations in women's health, AI, and genomic technologies that prioritize clear patient outcomes. Regulatory frameworks like the FDA's TAP and new real-world evidence protocols are accelerating approvals while shifting focus toward patient-integrated design and equitable access. Leaders such as Abbott and J&J are now embedding affordability and diversity into R&D, ensuring devices function as intuitive, home-based solutions that address systemic provider shortages and health inequities.

Banks Stepping Out, Private Credit Stepping In | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

John Bowman, Jeffrey Aronson, Marianna Fassinotti, Gregory Geiling, Peter Gleysteen, Drew McKnight

The private credit market has evolved from a niche financing tool into a $2.2 trillion "big tent" asset class, driven primarily by regulatory pressures like the Basel Endgame that force banks to offload capital requirements while retaining origination roles. This structural shift has fostered a complementary partnership model where global banks leverage private capital for risk transfer and flexibility, resulting in robust credit quality despite a temporary pause in corporate activity due to high interest rates. As the industry navigates the next economic cycle, focus is shifting toward downside protection, specialized asset management, and the emerging secondary market to address the sector's lack of full stress testing since the Global Financial Crisis.

A Conversation with Snoop Dogg and Larry Jackson | Milken Institute Global Conference 2023

Snoop Dogg, Larry Jackson, Shirley Halperin

Co-chaired by Larry Jackson and Snoop Dogg, Gamma Distribution distinguishes itself by bridging artistic vision with enterprise execution through a proprietary financial dashboard that facilitates monthly artist payouts and rapid vinyl manufacturing. The company recently appointed Saipu Delamini and Naomi Campbell to lead its expansion in Africa and the Middle East while reporting a 5 billion monthly stream volume that generated 80% growth in its first seven weeks. Despite celebrating the sell-out of limited edition Snoop Dogg vinyls and upcoming film projects, the leadership strongly criticized YouTube Shorts for generating negligible revenue relative to stream counts, underscoring their strategic pivot toward a curated, high-value roster of 15,000 artists.

Canva CEO Melanie Perkins on growing an idea into a multibillion-dollar design company

Melanie Perkins, Ryan Nolan

Canva, led by co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, has scaled to serve 165 million users and 90% of Fortune 500 companies by leveraging a bottom-up adoption strategy and its proprietary Magic Studio for AI-driven design automation. The company recently pivoted toward "wall-to-wall" enterprise deployment while maintaining profitability, a trajectory supported by its strategic acquisition of visual AI firm Collido and a dedicated trust and safety framework. Guided by a dual mission of commercial growth and social impact, Canva plans to expand its ecosystem to one billion monthly active users by donating equity and profits to eradicate extreme poverty.

A Conversation with Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan | Global Conference 2024

Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Kevin Herglotz, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Ali Velshi

Queen Rania addresses the global humanitarian crisis by warning that "us vs. them" polarization and unsustainable military operations in Rafah are driving toward large-scale civilian deaths and eroding prospects for peace. She rejects the narrative that the two-state solution is dead, instead attributing stagnation to a deficit of political will and explicitly condemning any forced transfer of Palestinians as a "second Nakba." Urging the United States to enforce international law rather than offering unconditional support, she argues that long-term Israeli security remains impossible without ending the illegal occupation and addressing the systematic injustices facing both populations.

Transformative Philanthropy and Innovation | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Melissa Stevens, Pablo Legorreta, Strive Masiyiwa, Louise Richardson, Mark Walter

CEO Mark Walter, Strive Masiwa, Dame Louise Richardson, and Pablo Legareta convened to define transformative philanthropy as high-risk capital that drives systemic change in healthcare, education, and conservation. The panel detailed specific strategies such as Legareta's medical therapies for transplant patients, Walter's vocational schools in Chicago, and community-integrated conservation models in Zimbabwe that successfully reduced rhino poaching. Ultimately, the leaders agreed that effective philanthropy must prioritize sustainable governance and local resource mobilization to mitigate polarization and create a self-sustaining future.

Conversation with Senator Joe Manchin, Jigar Shah, & Chevron CEO Michael Wirth | Global Conference

Joe Manchin, Jigar Shah, Michael Wirth, David Westin, Mike

Debate leaders, including Senator Manchin and LPO Director Jigar Shah, examined the $500 billion federal energy investment framework while clashing over the pace of EV subsidies, hydrogen regulation, and the necessity of government loans to de-risk private capital. Key figures emphasized that despite rapid solar deployment, permitting bottlenecks and conflicting agency signals threaten grid stability and the timely retirement of fossil assets. The discussion concluded by highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive permitting reform to align domestic economic incentives with global net-zero trajectories before the current funding authority expires.

Leading in the Generative AI Revolution | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Sara Eisen, Greg Brown, Arvind Krishna, Thomas Kurian, Janet Truncale, Sharmini Peries, Janet Napolitanovich, Thomas Kaplan, Nicole Sullivan, Arvind K.

Prominent industry leaders including Arvind Krishna, Thomas Kurian, and Greg Clark characterize the AI sector as being in its early developmental stage, emphasizing a strategic pivot from immediate productivity gains to scalable deployment across public safety, healthcare, and enterprise operations. These executives detail a multi-cloud infrastructure approach where organizations like Motorola Solutions and EY leverage edge AI and "human-in-the-loop" frameworks to address data sovereignty, bias, and trust barriers while augmenting workforce capabilities rather than displacing them. The panel concludes that future growth depends on navigating light-touch regulatory environments and combating misinformation through rigorous data management and open-source collaboration.

Why Startup Founders Should Launch Companies Sooner Than They Think

This presentation dismantles the myth of the single-shot launch, arguing that founders should immediately release imperfect MVPs to gather critical data rather than delaying for perfection. It highlights Y Combinator's peer-pressure strategy and case studies like Airbnb and Brex to demonstrate that early failure provides essential learning while the market rarely remembers product stumbles. By redefining launch goals from revenue generation to information gathering, founders can overcome psychological barriers to build products that deeply serve a small, urgent user base.

A Conversation with Deepak Chopra and Seth Rogen | Milken Institute Global Conference 2023

Deepak Chopra, Seth Rogen, Alex Witt

Deepak Chopra and Seth Rogen discuss a holistic approach to extending health span over mere lifespan, emphasizing that lifestyle factors outweigh genetic predispositions in preventing Alzheimer's disease. They outline actionable strategies ranging from epigenetic regulation through emotional states to specific daily protocols involving meditation, exercise, and nutritional adjustments. The dialogue concludes by highlighting the work of Hilarity for Charity in educating youth about brain health while challenging conventional definitions of success in favor of joy and timeless awareness.

Credit Markets Forging Ahead | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Will Caiger-Smith, Ashley Baum, Michael Buchanan, Lee Kruter, Michael Patterson

A panel of investors analyzed the post-tightening fixed income landscape, highlighting how rising Treasury yields severely impacted duration-sensitive assets while high-yield and bank loan sectors demonstrated resilience through credit risk isolation. The Texas Teachers Retirement System outlined its opportunistic credit strategy, deploying $7.5 billion into asset-based financing and real estate loans while navigating a market where private credit's dominance is receding amid a sharp rebound in syndicated loan issuance. Furthermore, the discussion addressed the evolution of distress dynamics, noting that while modern covenants masked default rates, a wave of coercive liability management exercises and covenant erosion now signals an impending cycle of stricter documentation and reduced recovery rates.

The Future of Corporate Governance | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Andy Serwer, Betsy Atkins, Jarvis V. Hollingsworth, Dambisa Moyo, Ronald Sugar, Mark A. Weinberger

Prominent governance leaders including Betsy Atkins, Ron Sugar, and Mark Weinberger address the imperative for boards to navigate rapid generative AI adoption and geopolitical fissures by embracing ambiguity and shifting from short-term survival to long-term value creation. The discussion highlights critical board evolution strategies, such as confidential peer assessments, the integration of digital upskilling roles, and the necessity of balancing stakeholder interests with rigorous capital allocation across diverse sectors from tech to sovereign wealth funds. By contrasting the governance models of public companies, state institutions like the Texas Teachers Retirement System, and global entities like Saudi Aramco, the speakers conclude that effective oversight requires a tailored approach that aligns board composition and risk tolerance with specific CEO archetypes and industry-specific assets.

Lunch Program | Part 1: Well-being in the Digital Era

Louise Tabbiner, Deepak Chopra, Paris Hilton

Deepak Chopra and Paris Hilton explore the intersection of narrative psychology, business strategy, and holistic health, arguing that human perception is a constructed story and that chronic disease is largely driven by anxiety rather than genetics. The dialogue challenges the notion that rigid ambition guarantees success, proposing instead that aligning with one's higher purpose through the "Happiness Formula" and the "STOPS" meditation method yields greater fulfillment than mere hard work. Through this exchange, they illustrate how Hilton leveraged a 70-million-person social ecosystem to evolve from a celebrity persona into a $3 billion enterprise while advocating for compassion to counteract the loneliness of a hyper-connected society.

Oil’s extended reign? Adapting to a new era in oil markets

Daan Struyven, Nikhil Bhandari, Alison Nathan, Dan Stroivin

Goldman Sachs projects global oil demand will peak around 2034 rather than 2024, driven by emerging market growth in India and China where jet fuel and petrochemical consumption continue to rise despite stagnating EV sales in developed economies. The bank forecasts Brent crude to trade between $75 and $90 per barrel through 2026, supported by OPEC spare capacity, before supply risks intensify in the latter half of the decade due to underinvestment in long-cycle projects and structural tightness in the refining sector. Political outcomes in the 2024 US election may further influence prices through potential sanctions on Iran or changes to EV incentives, with the firm recommending gold over oil as a primary hedge against policy-driven inflation.