Name: Beau Lescott
Class Year: 1995
Title: COO, Public Investing
Organization Name: Silver Point Capital
1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?
I help out with all facets of running a large investment organization active in global credit markets, including strategy, talent management, and operations.
2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
In 1995 the career services office was much less developed and pre-business did not exist. My process was self-directed and conducted primarily through the mail. My interest in banking and finance stemmed from independent reading about the field and my perception that the field would prepare me for a number of different paths. What is as true now as it was then is that HC alumni love to help. I did a number of informational interviews with alumni, and those really prepared me for the real thing. My first job was with an American outpost of a Japanese bank where the department head had also been a philosophy major. Ironically, philosophy is what got me my first job in finance. When you begin your career I believe that what matters most is whether you feel challenged and intellectually stimulated by the people around you. In that respect, I loved my work right away.
3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?
I was involved in various service activities like SPUD. I recall working for a displaced womens’ shelter that was particularly rewarding. I was also fascinated by computers and my roommate had a job in the computer lab. I have great memories of staying up all night and connecting to the very early internet through the college’s VAX computer system. I loved theater, but I came to it late. I wish I had gotten involved earlier.
4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
I was a philosophy major and will go to the mat insisting that unless you are pursuing a specialized engineering path, major does not matter to career path. What matters is that you develop a love of learning, and you have the best chance of doing that by choosing a subject area that genuinely interests you. Success in any field is largely a function of continuous learning and keeping an open mind.
5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
Two of my favorite classes were logic, taught by philosophy professor Karsten Stueber, and a philosophy of mind class that was offered jointly by the philosophy and psychology departments. These classes taught me the power of a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving. As an investor, there is nothing more important than to be able to evaluate a puzzle from multiple angles. This ability grows in relative importance the further you are in your career.
6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?
While in school, study what interests you. You will be a more interesting interviewee if you can teach your interviewer something new. After school, two things: first, work really, really hard and strive for excellence. Opportunity is the intersection of luck and preparedness, Second, invest in relationships at all stages. Lift people up when you can; there will come a time when you need people who can lift you up.
