A podcast dedicated to the people and ideas of the Middle Market, hosted by Andy Greenberg and Charlie Gifford.
John Connaughton, Bain Capital
John Connaughton is chair of Bain Capital, the Boston-based private equity firm with roughly $225 billion in assets under management. Discussion begins with John’s childhood in Baltimore and the pace set by his Irish emigre parents. College at UVA and business school at Harvard followed. John joined Bain in 1989, an early employee in the private equity effort that spun out of the Bain & Co. management consulting firm. He and the hosts take a fast-paced tour through early days at Bain Capital, the mindset of Mitt Romney and other leaders, his ascent in the practice, John’s own tenure in leadership, and Bain’s determination to remain private even as its peers entered the public market. One constant theme: the pursuit of extraordinary returns on every deal.

For the past 15 years, I’ve been an investment banker and a publisher of M&A data. This combination has afforded access to a lot of information on deals. But information alone is not insight. The tagline for this podcast is “people and ideas of the middle market.” Each time out, we ask our guests to share a fresh perspective, to reflect on issues beyond what is on their schedule for the day, and to be good sports with two guys who—as my kids say, “think they are funny.” We hope you find these interviews worth your time.

I’ve worked in the Middle Market for more than twenty years. Over that time I have met some extraordinary people, each with a unique story to tell. While we all know that the world doesn’t need another podcast, Andy and I are hopeful that you’ll enjoy listening and learning about each individual profiled. Half business, half human interest, half insightful, half irreverent. Yes, that’s lots of halves to cover. And aiming to do so in around 30 minutes of time. We hope you will give it a listen, and let us know what you think.