Private Equity’s Philosopher Robert F. Smith ’94, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, p. 10 SPRING 2015 THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL 14 THE NEW CFO: As head SPRING 2015 of finance at Estée Lauder, Tracey Travis ’86 has a dynamic role. FROM THE DEAN’S DESK Connections That Last a Lifetime I am excited to welcome many of you back to campus this month for Reunion Weekend. Our strong and vibrant community is one of the hallmarks of the Columbia Business School experience. This issue of Columbia Business celebrates our community and demonstrates just how enriching and valuable it can be. For example, in “The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship,” Michael Coleman ’05 and Tom Heller ’05 describe how they met on their first day of orientation and forged not only a successful business relationship but a lasting friendship. Coleman had a great story for IN BRIEF IDEAS AT WORK a screenplay; Heller was already a screenwriter’s agent and producer with industry connections. Together, they 3 LAUNCH 21 would embark on a decade-long collaboration to pro- The High Cost of duce the award-winning film Foxcatcher—and a close, An Rx for Information Climate Uncertainty inspirational friendship that continues to this day. Overload Stock markets suggest low carbon prices are too big a gamble on the risk Coleman and Heller’s story—and so many others Visiting a physician friend with stacks of global disaster. like it—captures the involvement and interconnected- of medical journals and no time to ness of our worldwide community. It also highlights read them inspired Sachin Nanavati ’10 24 the transcendence of the Columbia bond, which to create a mobile platform that Up in Smoke streamlines access to breaking stretches well beyond the classroom and shapes our As countries around the world roll medical research. out climate change policies, carbon personal and professional worlds. divestment moves from moral high 4 BIG APPLE ground to financial imperative. Glenn Hubbard Engineering Smarter Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor CLASS NOTES of Finance and Economics Schools Samantha Brenner ’08 is empowering New York City’s public schools with 36 ALUMNI IN THE NEWS technology. 38 at THE CENTER OF SUPPORT 8 YOUR CAREER Every gift counts in helping the School reach its alumni participation goal. JOIN THE CONVERSATION How Do You Make Stay connected to the Columbia Business School a Memorable First 40 FACES & NAMES community by viewing and sharing videos, photos, and Impression? updates. Learn more at gsb.columbia.edu/about-us/ Tony and Sandy Tamer joined Dean Julia McNamara ’96 offers techniques social-media. Hubbard and others to celebrate the for projecting confidence and self- opening of the new Tamer Center DIGITAL EDITION assurance. for Social Enterprise at Columbia Now you can experience Columbia Business with Business School. integrated videos, photos, and links. Search for “Columbia Business” at Google Play or in the App Store to download 42 THE Fast TRacK the Columbia Business app for Android and iOS devices. Recently announced promotions and new positions. 45 GIVING BACK Susan Alexion ’79 25 THE BUSINESS CASE FOR GOING GREEN: By getting eco- friendly, businesses can ease their budgets while attracting THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL customers. FRIENDSHIP: Noha Waibsnaider ’02, founder of Peeled Snacks, enlisted Dawn 28 Techow ’02 to run marketing and events. FEATURES 10 Private Equity’s Philosopher 25 The Business Case by Benjamin Reeves for Going Green Robert F. Smith ’94, founder and CEO of Vista by Jen Kitses Equity Partners, finds value in the people and Companies find that doing good for the places that are most often ignored. environment is also good for the bottom line. 14 The New CFO 28 The Beginning of a by Benjamin Reeves Today’s CFOs aren’t just about the numbers: they Beautiful Friendship by Abigail Beshkin juggle everything from analyzing macroeconomic trends to overseeing IT. The Columbia connection doesn’t end with graduation. These three sets of business partners met at the School and forged lasting relationships both in and out of the classroom. Columbia Business School Contributors Peter Arkle, Abigail Design Taylor Design Address changes can be submitted Columbia Business, Columbia Beshkin, Amanda Chalifoux, Carmen on the alumni website at gsb. Business School’s alumni magazine, Dean Glenn Hubbard Editorial Office Chan, Alexandra Dreyer, Agatha columbia.edu/alumni or directed is published twice a year by Columbia Columbia Business School Associate Dean for Marketing and Gilmore, Don Hamerman, Jacob to the Alumni Relations Office at Business School, Columbia 33 West 60th Street, 10th Floor Communications Kepler, Jen Kitses, Shannon May, 212-854-8815. University. New York, New York 10023 Iris Henries Benjamin Reeves, Brittany Scott, Phone: 212-854-8567 Columbia Business welcomes letters Opinions expressed are those of Matthew Septimus, James Steinberg, [email protected] to the editor and class notes updates the authors and editors and do not Senior Director of Communications Ellen Thorn, Peter Wiegand Tori Fullard submitted on the alumni website reflect official positions of Columbia © 2015 by The Trustees of Columbia Senior Associate Dean for External or sent by mail or e-mail to the Business School or Columbia University in the City of New York Senior Editor Simone Silverbush Relations and Development Lisa Yeh editorial office. University. gsb.columbia.edu/magazine 1 News from around the School IN BRIEF Gift Establishes the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise expand the School’s offer additional financial support to social existing Social entrepreneurs who are participating in the Enterprise Program Columbia Startup Lab and who receive back- and help develop a ing from the Tamer Fund. Additionally, the cross-disciplinary center will develop a Social Entrepreneurs epicenter of social Network, leveraging the existing Social enterprise and Enterprise Leadership Forum while forging social entrepre- new partnerships with similarly focused and neurship activities established advisory networks. From left: Dean Glenn Hubbard, Tony Tamer, Sandra at Columbia. “The Tamer Center will play a signifi- Tamer, Sandra Navalli, Professor Ray Horton, and The new center cant role in furthering social enterprise and Professor Bruce Usher during the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise Annual Reception on February 9. will create the Tamer social entrepreneurship activities not just See more photos on page 40. Fund for Social across Columbia University, but in New York, Ventures, which the United States, and the world,” said Dean A transformative endowment gift from Sandra will provide seed grants of up to $25,000 to Glenn Hubbard. and Tony Tamer enabled Columbia Business selected nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid early- School to establish the Tamer Center for Social stage social ventures that demonstrate notable Learn more: gsb.columbia.edu/socialenterprise Enterprise on January 28. The center will innovation and impact. The center will also Azita Raji ’91 Nominated to Serve as Ambassador to Sweden In October, President Barack Obama nominated Azita Raji ’91 to serve as ambassador to Sweden. If con- firmed, Raji will be the first female US ambassador to Sweden and the first Iranian-American to serve as a US ambassador. A former investment banker and a member of the Institute for Chartered Financial Analysts for nearly 25 years, Raji is a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and was the national finance vice chair for Obama for America in 2012. Raji is also a director of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a member of the Bretton Woods committee, and an advisory board member of the economic advisory council at the Center for American Progress. She served as an advisory More than 500 alumni gathered in Singapore October board member of the School’s Social Enterprise Program since 2011. Raji will suspend her board activities once she assumes the role of ambassador. 9–12 for a two-day reunion and symposium focused Speaking of Raji and other newly nominated peers, President Obama on investment, innovation, and impact in Asia. said: “These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremen- dous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with See more photos of the event: bit.ly/panasiaphotos them in the months and years to come.” 2 Columbia Business / Spring 2015 IN BRIEF Launch CompanY ProFILE Founders: Sachin Nanavati ’10, Derek Juang, MD, and Mitesh Patel, MD Industry: Digital Health An Rx for Years in Business: 3 years Number of Employees: 6 Information Visiting a physician friend with stacks of medical journals and no time to read them inspired Sachin Nanavati ’10 to create Docphin, a mobile platform Overload that streamlines access to breaking medical research. Sachin Nanavati ’10 A Facebook Feed for Medical Research My co-founders and I set out to solve a universal problem for doctors: information overload. There is about 10 times more medical research disseminated today than there was 10 years ago. Doctors in clinical settings are very pressed for time, and they often have to log in to several different publications and sites to search for relevant journal articles. The “phin” in “Docphin” stands for Personalized Health Information Network, which is sort of like a Facebook feed for doctors. Our app gives doctors access to more than 5,000 journals and recommends research that is relevant to their interests and trending among their peers. Instead of having to log in to each journal, we affiliate everyone’s account with their institutional subscription so they can access articles with one tap. Better Clinical Care It can take more than a decade for established research to become standard of care; our vision is to close that gap so that doctors can practice evidence-based medicine that is grounded in the most up-to-date research.