Hi, my name is Giovanni Petronelli and I am an Intermediary Sales Consultant at T. Rowe Price. Starting my tenure at T. Rowe as a summer intern in 2017, I returned to work full time after graduating from the University of Georgia with degrees in Finance, Risk Management, and International Business. Eager to return to my hometown of Baltimore and work for a global asset manager with a broad investment solution offering, T. Rowe Price was the perfect fit for me. Everyday I have the pleasure to work with Defined Contribution plan consultants to help them grow their businesses through partnerships ingrained beyond investments. I understand the competitive landscape of breaking into finance & I am happy to offer advice or my experience as I navigated the recruitment process.

I am currently a private equity associate at Comvest Partners in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to joining Comvest Partners, I was an analyst at Deloitte Consulting where I focused on private equity due diligence engagements. I began my career at a consumer goods startup in China called Laiba Beverages. At Indiana University, I studied finance and Chinese. I grew up on the southside of Indianapolis.

While in college, I explored a wide range of career options including consulting, investment banking, private equity, and startups. I ultimately chose consulting for its interesting work, fun culture, and exit opportunities to private equity (as well as a myriad of other roles). I am happy to discuss the challenges of choosing a career field, recruiting for consulting, and breaking into private equity from a non-banking background. Feel free to reach out to the PFF general email or shoot me a note directly!

I currently work as a private equity associate at H.I.G. Capital in the Boston office. Prior to joining H.I.G., I was an investment banking analyst at Bank of America in the New York office, where I worked in the M&A and FIG groups. I studied Economics with a Minor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago, where I was also President of the Club Tennis team. 

I pursued a career in finance as I was intrigued by the "macro" view that it provides on how businesses interact with the economy and society as a whole, and I also wanted to be in a role where I could develop both my technical and soft skills. I can provide insights on my experiences in banking (coverage vs. product group), private equity, all stages of recruiting (internship, full-time, lateral, PE, etc.), interviewing, and broader career advice. Always happy to chat so don't hesitate to reach out!

My name is Rafael Payano, and I’m currently a Management Consultant at Deloitte. I originally hail from the Dominican Republic and grew up in the South Bronx before moving to Western New York to attend SUNY Buffalo, where I majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. In my current role, I help our financial services clients address their most complex challenges around Finance Transformation, M&A Integration, and overall Performance Improvement. Outside of work, I dedicate my time to my family and being a mentor to students and junior colleagues. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions regarding consulting, the finance industry, or the overall recruiting process

Hello, my name is Kiran Patel and I am currently a senior investment analyst at KrisDan Management, Inc., a single-family office, based in Naples, FL focused on evaluating public and private companies along with money managers. Prior to joining KrisDan, I worked as an investment analyst at another single-family office called Windancer Holdings, LLC in Dayton, OH and worked as a sales & trading associate (interest rates and foreign exchange derivatives) at Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, NC. I graduated from Wake Forest University in 2018 with a major in economics and a minor in entrepreneurship & social enterprise. Through mentorship, cold-emailing, and internships I was able to attain a robust base of knowledge amongst many finance career path opportunities, so I am happy to help from anything such as mock interviews, informational interviews, networking introductions, market questions, career path opportunities, opinions on firms, etc. I have experience interning in financial advising, asset management, outsourced-CIO/endowment management, coverage + product investment banking, equity research, and wealth management.

My name is Love Patel, and I am currently a Senior Investment Banking Analyst in the Diversified Industrials group at D.A. Davidson, based in Boston, MA. In this role, I assist clients on both buy-side and sell-side transactions, focusing on valuations, due diligence, marketing materials, and transaction structuring. Prior to this, I was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) group at Canaccord Genuity in New York, where I worked on high-profile deals, including sell-side processes and carve-outs, and collaborated closely with lean deal teams to deliver strategic solutions for clients.

I hold a Master of Science in Finance from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Kansas. I pursued a career in investment banking to build the technical and strategic expertise needed to advise on complex transactions and drive value creation. I am always happy to discuss insights on navigating investment banking recruiting, day-to-day responsibilities, and transitioning from academic foundations to professional success, as well as sharing my experiences working in dynamic team environments.

My name is Ahan Patel and I am a private equity analyst at NewSpring Capital just outside of Philadelphia, PA. I graduated from Villanova University in the Fall of 2020 with a BBA in finance and economics. I pursued a career in finance for two reasons a) because I wanted to work in a field where I could work with, analyze, and invest in different businesses; b) I wanted to be surrounded by driven and ambitious people who wanted a career path with more involvement than the traditional 9-5, like myself. I’m happy to help out with any questions anyone may have regarding investment banking or private equity, as I recruited for and interned in both fields. Many people choose to enter finance through investment banking; given that I took a slightly different path, I’d love to be a resource for anyone looking to enter private equity directly from undergrad.

My name is June Park, and I am currently an analyst in the Software and Services group at Intrepid, a boutique investment banking firm based in Los Angeles, California. Intrepid primarily focuses on middle-market sell-side M&A for founder-owned and sponsor-backed businesses and I have had the pleasure working in this dynamic and rewarding environment. I previously interned at Cowen's M&A group based in San Francisco, but decided to join Intrepid for full-time after graduating from UC Berkeley with a B.A. degree in Economics. I started my career in Finance, because I wanted exposure to the intersection of technology and businesses. I have a passion for technology companies and my current role exposes me to new businesses and innovative founders everyday. I am more than happy to discuss my journey and all things related to recruiting for Finance.

I am currently an investment banking analyst at CIBC, as a part of the EIT (Energy, Infrastructure and Transition) coverage group in New York. I studied Economics and Political Science at UCLA, and grew up in Abu Dhabi. I always knew I wanted a career in finance, but was unsure about my path so I tried out different internships, including working at a startup, a boutique investment bank, and a private equity firm. Ultimately, I pursued banking because I wanted a career that would challenge me, help me develop soft and technical skills, and offer a wide variety of opportunities. I'd be happy to discuss anything related to the recruiting process, finding internships, networking, and navigating an untraditional path to investment banking.

My name is Tyler Montoya and I'm currently a business development associate with GoldenTree Asset Management. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2018 with a BA in finance and leadership studies. I pursued a career in finance because I believe that working in a field that requires you to be skilled quantitatively, qualitatively, and interpersonally is extremely valuable and rewarding. In contrast to many of the other team members at Pro Forma Futures, I work in a business development role. If you think you might be more inclined to a position that is focused on sales and relationship management within the asset management industry, feel free to reach out!

Hello! My name is Kenny Mleko and I am a private equity associate at Waud Capital Partners. Previously, I was an analyst in the regional M&A group at J.P. Morgan in New York City. Prior to banking, I spent just over a year at Wells Fargo Securities and graduated from both Vanderbilt’s M.S. Finance program and Loyola University Chicago. It was not until the end of my junior year at Loyola that I first heard the words investment banking. It was still several months after that when I began to realize what it takes to break into the industry. If you have made it to this website, you probably have a better understanding of Wall Street recruiting than I ever did, but please shoot me a note if you are looking for guidance on your ‘path’. Through a combination of luck, graciousness, and a lot of cold emails, I had more people than I can remember share with me their journeys into banking, and I owe it to them to pay it forward.

My name is Robert Mitchell and I am currently a private equity senior associate at GTCR, a private equity firm based in Chicago, IL. GTCR focuses on leveraged buyouts of middle and upper middle market businesses in the Business & Consumer Services, Healthcare, Financial Services & Technology, and Technology Media & Telecommunications industries. I started my career as an analyst at GTCR in the Business & Consumer Services group. I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and graduated with highest honors in 2020 with a B.S. in Finance. I'm happy to discuss any questions related to recruiting, day-to-day responsibilities, technical knowledge needed, or personal navigation of all things Private Equity. 

Hello! My name is Mike Mikkelsen and I am currently an Investment Banking Associate at Jefferies in the Global Industrials Group in New York. I grew up on Long Island and graduated from Boston College in 2017 double majoring in mathematics and economics. I started my career in Operations at Barclays, and from there switched to the Equity Capital Markets group at Jefferies as a lateral hire. Most recently I internally transferred at Jefferies into the Global Industrials Group. It has taken me a few years of research and networking to reach the position I am in today, and that is largely due to the lack of publicly available resources about the many different paths you can take within finance. I’m more than happy to share my path and chat with anyone about networking, interview prep, life, etc.

Hi, my name is Stephanie Michas, and I currently work as a Credit and Asset Management Financial Analyst at Trimont Real Estate Advisers in London. Prior to joining Trimont, I was a Sales and Trading Analyst at BNP Paribas in New York. I graduated from Colgate University in 2019 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Studio Art. I chose to work in Finance after school because growing up I was always interested in the markets. I would hear the hype around upcoming IPOs or share buybacks, and found it fascinating. After relocating to the UK I pivoted within the industry, now working within Commercial Real Estate Credit and Asset Management, after looking for work with more tangibility, which I’ve found in Commercial Real Estate. As a woman coming from a small Liberal Arts school, I can help you navigate the application and interview process. I can also help you to think about where in finance you can see yourself succeeding - as someone who has moved within the industry, I can help you think about where your skillset lies, and how to best utilize it. I have been lucky to have fantastic mentors thus far in my career, and hope that I can provide that same level of mentorship on to others.

I am research analyst at Point72 and was previously an investment banking analyst in the healthcare group at Jefferies. I studied finance, economics, math, and physics at the University of Richmond. I pursued a career in investment banking because I have always been fascinated by the physics of financial markets, and decided investment banking was the best way to gain valuable exposure to a wide variety of different aspects of these markets. If you want to learn more about the hedge fund space, please feel free to contact me!

My name is Max Meyer, and I am currently and MBA student at Wharton. Prior to Wharton, I was a Private Equity Associate at TH Lee. Previously, I was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in NYC and in investment banking at Stifel in the TMT M&A practice. I graduated from Tulane University in 2019 with a B.S.M. in Finance. I did my summer internship at J.P. Morgan in the middle market banking group. I took a bit of a circuitous route to land my current role and have learned valuable lessons along the way. My impetus for working in investment banking was largely shaped by my deep passion for learning and desire to excel in intense environments. Finance has always intrigued me, and I took my time to figure out where exactly I wanted to drive my professional endeavors. Throughout my career, I have participated in summer analyst recruiting, full-time recruiting, and lateral recruiting. If you need advice on any of these areas, please reach out to me!

Hi! My name is Shubhang Mehta and I am currently a real estate private equity analyst at Northwood Investors based in New York City. Prior to my time at Northwood, I was an investment banking analyst in the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging group at Jefferies in NYC. I grew up in Melbourne, Australia before graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. I pursued finance because I wanted to work in a challenging, collegial environment that always presented the opportunity to learn. I am more than happy to help anyone that wants to break into the IB or PE industry, and I can be of particular help if anyone is interested in real estate.

I am currently a private equity associate at Littlejohn & Co in Greenwich, CT. Prior to my current role, I was an investment banking analyst in the Energy, Power & Infrastructure Group at Harris Williams. I am originally from the Minneapolis, MN area and graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics while playing on the NCAA Division 1 lacrosse team. After graduating from Colgate, I received my Master's in Finance from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. I pursued a career in finance because I enjoyed the fast-paced and team-oriented environment that was similar to my experience as a student-athlete. I'm happy to be a resource and answer questions on recruiting, the interview process, networking, or anything else you might find helpful. In particular, I can provide insight on grad school, moving to new locations, and leveraging a background in athletics.

My name is Daniel Markowitz and I am an associate at Citadel. Previously, I was an equity research associate at Evercore ISI, based in NYC, where I covered the Health Care sector, with specific focus on Life Science Tools, Diagnostics & Medtech. Prior to this, I worked as an analyst at a start-up Healthcare hedge fund and as a Summer Analyst (internship) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Equity Capital Markets (ECM). I chose to study Finance at the University of Richmond given the competitive nature of the industry, along with the opportunity to make a significant impact. I am happy to help out however I can, whether you want to chat on IB vs Equity Research vs S&T, the Healthcare sector, or interview / internship prep.

My name is Sam Margolis, and I am a Consultant at Deloitte in the Human Capital Practice. I have experience developing Workforce Strategy solutions, across industries including financial services, consumer products, life sciences, and industrials. I began my journey with Deloitte as an intern in 2019, and returned full-time in 2022. Upon my graduation from Vanderbilt University in 2020, I co-founded BrightPath Tutors, a non-profit that provides free, tailored virtual tutoring to K-12 students in Nashville and NYC. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I'm happy to chat more about navigating the consulting recruitment process, the day-to-day life of a consultant, and my experiences in both the non-profit sector and consulting!