Speakers

Kenneth A. Caplan is the Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone. As Co-CIO, he works in conjunction with business unit CIOs and Group Heads to provide additional firm-level investment oversight, primarily across Real Estate and Credit & Insurance (BXCI).

Mr. Caplan previously served as Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate and an industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across North America, Europe and Asia.

Prior to becoming Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate, Mr. Caplan served as Global Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone Real Estate and Head of Real Estate Europe. Since joining the firm in 1997, Mr. Caplan has been involved in over $100 billion of real estate acquisitions and initiatives in the United States, Europe and Asia. These include major acquisitions such as Equity Office Properties, Hilton Hotels, Logicor and GE Real Estate.

Before joining Blackstone, he was at Lazard Freres & Co. in the real estate investment banking group. Mr. Caplan received an AB in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a John Harvard Scholar. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Prep for Prep.

Mark Carney is the Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Head of Transition Investing. In this role, he is focused on the development of products for investors that will combine positive social and environmental outcomes with strong risk-adjusted returns.

Mr. Carney served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, and prior to that as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013. He was Chairman of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to2018. Prior to his governorships, Mr. Carney worked at Goldman Sachs as well as the Canadian Department of Finance.

He is currently the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and Co-Chair for the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero. 

He is also Chair of the Group of Thirty and Bloomberg LP’sBoard of Directors, as well as the Board of Stripe, a member of the GlobalAdvisory Board of PIMCO, the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, and the boards of The Rideau Hall Foundation, the Peterson Institute for InternationalEconomics, the Blavatnik School at Oxford, and the Hoffman Institute at INSEAD; as well as Senior counsellor of the MacroAdvisory Partners, and President ofChatham House.

Mr. Carney holds doctorate and master’s degrees from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University

As Co-CEO, Mellody is responsible for the management, strategic planning and growth for all areas of Ariel Investments outside of research and portfolio management. Additionally, she serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ariel Investment Trust—the company’s publicly traded mutual funds. Prior to being named Co-CEO, Mellody spent nearly two decades as the firm’s President.

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Outside of Ariel, Mellody is a nationally recognized voice on financial literacy. Her leadership has also been invaluable to corporate boardrooms across the nation. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Starbucks Corporation. She is also a director of JPMorgan Chase. She previously served as Chairman of the Board of DreamWorks Animation until the company’s sale and was also a long-standing board member of the Estée Lauder Companies. Mellody’s community outreach includes her role as Chairman of After School Matters, a Chicago non-profit that provides area teens with high-quality after school and summer programs. Additionally, she is vice chair of World Business Chicago; co-chair of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art; and a board member of the George Lucas Education Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. She also serves on the board of trustees of the Center for Strategic & International Studies, and of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Mellody is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees, and serves on the executive committee of the Investment Company Institute.

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Mellody earned her AB from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Relations and Public Policy. In 2019, she was awarded the University’s highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, presented annually to a Princeton graduate whose career embodies a commitment to national service. She has also received honorary doctorate degrees from Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, St. Mary’s College, and the University of Southern California. In 2015, Time Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential People” in the world.

Justin is the Founder and Managing Partner of one of the nation’s best performing private equity firms, Shore Capital Partners (“Shore”). Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Justin and the team have grown Shore from 4 to over 140 team members managing over $6 billion in Regulatory Assets Under Management across more than 60 platforms representing 800+ acquired companies. Shore has helped “micro-cap” companies grow bigger, stronger, and faster through thoughtful investments in people, process, and systems. Shore’s portfolio companies now span across over 1,500 locations representing more than 33,000 employees. As of the end of 2023, Shore has been recognized each of the last four years as one of Inc. Magazine’s Top Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms. Shore is also one of the most active private equity firm in the world by deal volume according to PitchBook while continuing to achieve return profiles that rank Shore among the top 1% of private equity firms.

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Outside of the office, Justin is a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, Museum of Science and Industry Board, and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).  Justin is an avid sports fan/investor and is the Alternate Governor for the Phoenix Suns (NBA), Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) and Nashville SC (MLS).  Justin received his Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School. Justin earned a Certificate of Law and Business from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management and a B.A. in Accounting from Michigan State University. Justin is a member of the State Bar of Illinois and a Certified Public Accountant.

Salim has been building disruptive digital companies as a serial entrepreneur since the early 2000s.

He is a best-selling author of Exponential Organizations – required reading at the world’s top Organizations. Salim is a sought-after strategist and a renowned technology entrepreneur who built and sold his company to Google. He was the Founding Executive Director at Singularity University and continues to be their Global Ambassador. Salim shares jaw-dropping insight on how companies can leverage technology and strategy to grow 10 times faster than their peers. He turns cutting-edge ideas into thriving startups and applies leading-edge thinking to invigorate industries.

As a prolific speaker, Salim gives more than 150 talks a year to audiences of all sizes around the world. He has been profiled across a vast array of media outlets including The New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, WIRED, Vogue, and the BBC.

Joe Lonsdale is the Founder and Managing Partner at 8VC, an early-stage venture capital firm managing over $6 billion in capital. He has founded over a dozen companies, including Palantir, a leading data analytics company; Addepar, a wealth management platform; and OpenGov, the largest cloud software provider for local governments. He continues to create and scale companies through the 8VC Build program.

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Joe was an early investor in many companies, including Anduril, Oculus, Guardant, Oscar, Illumio, Blend, Qualia, Joby, Orca Bio, and Flexport.

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Joe and his wife Tayler are active in many philanthropic and institutional pursuits: they founded the non-partisan Cicero Institute to promote accountable governance, and in 2021 Joe became the founding chairman of the University of Austin.

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Joe, Tayler, and their four daughters live in Austin, TX.

Eli Manning joined Brand Velocity Group (“BVG”) – a private equity company focused on disrupting and improving the industry’s traditional approach to building and growing consumer-facing businesses – as a Partner in 2021. A proven leader on the field and a savvy investor and brand-builder off it, Eli is involved in all aspects of the firm, including supporting its growth, sourcing new investment opportunities, and enhancing the value of its portfolio companies.

Throughout his 16-year career with the New York Giants, Eli was regarded as one of the NFL’s most elite quarterbacks. Known for his incredible work ethic, iron-man mentality and natural leadership skills – he led his team to Super Bowl wins in both 2008 and 2012, earning Super Bowl MVP honors each time.

The former number one selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli’s accomplishments extend well beyond the field, as he was recognized as the co-recipient of the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work in the community. He lends his time to numerous charitable efforts, including Tackle Kids Cancer with the Hackensack University Medical Center, March of Dimes, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and the American Red Cross. He also has raised millions for The Eli and Abby ManningChildren’s Clinics and the Manning Family Fund – launched in partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Eli attended the University of Mississippi, where he received numerous academic and athletic honors. He and his wife Abby reside in New Jersey with their four young children.

Ken Mehlman (New York) has spent 25 years working at the highest levels in government, politics, business, and philanthropy. He is a Partner, Global Head of Public Affairs & Co-Head Global Impact at KKR. Since joining KKR in 2008, Mr. Mehlman has architected KKR’s responsible investment efforts that seek to create shared value for KKR investors and other stakeholders. He has also worked to identify investment opportunities by leveraging geopolitical, public policy & sustainability trends. KKR Global Impact is the Firm’s private market investing platform focused on businesses that promote commercial solutions to global challenges associated with economic development, environmental management, next generation energy, agricultural and food production, responsible land use and education & learning. He is currently a member of the board of directors of FGS Global, Graduation Alliance and Lightcast. Mr. Mehlman spent a dozen years in national politics and government service, including as 62nd Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Campaign Manager of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, the only Republican presidential campaign in 30 years to win the popular vote. Mr. Mehlman also served in high level positions in Congress and the White House. Mr. Mehlman, who currently lives in New York City, graduated with a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College, and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a trustee of Mt. Sinai Hospital of New York, Franklin & Marshall College, Teach for America, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Sponsors of Educational Opportunity (SEO). Mr. Mehlman was active in the successful effort for marriage equality and is currently co-Chair of The Nantucket Project and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Bayo Ogunlesi is a Founding Partner, and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GIP. He is based in New York.

Prior to the formation of GIP in 2006, Mr. Ogunlesi spent 23years at Credit Suisse, where he held several senior positions including Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of the Investment Banking Division. From 2002 to 2004, he was Head of the Global Investment Banking Division and a Member of the Executive Board and Management Committee.

Previously, Mr. Ogunlesi was an attorney with the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He also served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Thurgood Marshall, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He has been a Lecturer at the Harvard and Yale Law Schools and the Yale School of Management where he taught courses on Transnational Investment Projects.

Mr. Ogunlesi holds a B.A. (First Class Honors) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, a J.D. (magna cum laude) from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is the Lead Director of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and a member of the Boards of Directors of Callaway Golf Company, Kosmos Energy Holdings, Terminal Investment Limited and Freeport LNG. He is a Member of the Dean’s Advisory Boards of the Harvard Law and Business Schools and the Harvard University Global Advisory Council.

Over25 years, L.T. has established a career as a distinctive operator, serialentrepreneur and forward-looking investor. As an operator, L.T. has served inexecutive-level roles at leading, global institutions Airbnb (CFO, Head ofPayments, Customer Experience & Corporate Development), Blackstone (CFO,Management and Risk Committee Member, Head of the Innovations Fund andBlackstone Treasury Solutions Fund), and Merrill Lynch (COO, CFO, RiskCommittee, Head of Corp. Dev. and eCommerce).

As an entrepreneur, L.T. was a founding partner or early investor behindseveral tech-enabled, disruptive businesses across e-commerce, private marketstechnology and cyber-security. As a founder and investor, L.T. created industrychanging platforms Ipreo, TMC Bonds, TheMarkets.com, iLevel and CNBC.com, andwas an early investor in Addepar, Airbnb, Flip, FLYR, GoodLeap, Hopper,iCapital, Point, Skillz and StubHub. L.T. is the Managing Partner and Founderof WestCap, an operating equity investor in technology companies that heoriginally formed in 1997 as Weston Capital Partners, and now has $6B in assetsunder management and 38 portfolio companies.

L.T. earned a B.A., MBA, and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University, where heserves on the Board of Directors and on the Endowment Committee, and has been aconsistent supporter of scholarships through his family foundation.

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