This spring, Pennington alumni, students, parents, and friends convened in New York City for two exciting nights of professional networking with members of the Pennington community who work in the Finance and Technology fields! The events featured expert panelists and newcomers in both industries to offer a range of perspectives on hot topics as well as a breadth of career advice.

Finance Night attendees heard industry insights on artificial intelligence, networking, the future of the industry, and were offered career advice from Obi Ezeife ‘05, vice president of US Wealth, BlackRock, Inc.; Casey Ramirez ‘08, head of growth, USA SGGG Fund Services; Stuart Spodek P’25, managing director and CIO, The Obsidian Hedge Funds, BlackRock, Inc.; Philip Vasan P’19, managing director, deputy head, Portfolio Management Group, BlackRock, Inc.; and moderator Gillian Kemmerer ’07, former anchor, Asset TV. Special thanks to panelest Philip Vasan P’19, who graciously hosted the event at BlackRock’s offices.

Ezeife, who serves as vice president of US Wealth at BlackRock, Inc., emphasized the importance of community networking and leveraging alumni resources. He recommended that Pennington young alumni and students should “just go for it”and be bold about contacting fellow alumni about mentoring and internship opportunities.

The evening concluded with a young alumni panel featuring: Sydney Faber ’18, institutional equity sales trading analyst at Morgan Stanley; Nicolas Herrerias ’19, analyst at Blackstone; and Jared Panson ’18, associate at  Strategy& (division of PwC). 

Tech Night featured an equally impressive lineup, with panelists Patrick Janson ’02, product and technology lead, Hines Global Ventures; Caroline Chubb Calderon P’26, founder and CEO, Hello Humanity; and Walter Loh P’26 ‘27, chief financial officer and global IT, Stratus Technologies. The panelists shared expertise on professional and career development, qualities of a successful employee, and advice for those interested in pursuing a career in tech. 

Pennington alumnus Janson offered advice on strengthening communication skills, stressing the importance of listening, thoughtful sharing, and having the courage to raise your hand and speak up when you have something to offer. 

Tech night concluded with another insightful young alumni panel, featuring: Lillian Childrey ’18, XIG technology analyst at Goldman Sachs; Brian Keating ’18, commissioning specialist supervisor at AVI-SPL;  Rahul Kumar ’16, software engineer at MarketAxess; Alex Saltstein ’17, core software engineer at Art Blocks, Inc.; and Austin Shah ’19, consultant at FTI Consulting. 

For more information on these events or to learn more about opportunities to work with students and young alumni through the Horizon Program, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ’89 at jane.childrey@pennington.org.