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Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.  Upcoming Events & Announcements Nov 30 - Synergist SF | Bloomberg Women's Buyside Network & Synergist SF: Speed Networking and Mentoring Session (In Person) Join BWBN California co-founders Pooja Malik, Jerilyn Castillo McAniff, and Bonnie Wongtrakool and their experienced industry guests for an in-person networking and mentoring session in San Francisco. BWBN is proud to partner with Synergist to bring together an exceptional group of mentors and mentees. Each participant will have the opportunity to speak with at least 3 different experienced mentors. These sessions will be followed by open networking with drinks and bites. Register here. Nov 30 - Synergist LA | Acing Annual Reviews and Negotiating Salary (In Person) Join Synergist LA and a panel of senior female investors for an interactive discussion on year-end conversations and negotiating with tact. The chat will last for an hour, with drinks and appetizers to follow. Register here. Dec 10 - Synergist NY | Cocoa & Cookies (In Person) Join Synergist NY for a fun afternoon of cookie decorating, hot chocolate sipping, and Synergist socializing to ring in the holiday season! Register here.   Dec 14 - Synergist Boston | Synergist Boston x Ropes & Gray | The Lawyer-Investor Relationship (In Person) Join Synergist Boston and Ropes & Gray for a fireside chat focused on the Lawyer-Investor relationship. The discussion will cover an overview of the legal diligence process and how deal teams and legal teams work together throughout a transaction. The fireside chat will last for an hour, with cocktails and appetizers to follow. Register here.    Synergist Senior Sound Bites - November 2023 Anne Womack Kolton Chief Sustainability Officer at SK Capital Partners Please tell us about your background and path towards your current role I began my career in Washington DC in government working on political campaigns and in political appointed positions.  Through one of my roles at The Department of Energy supporting the Secretary of Energy, I gained an interest in the broader science community which ultimately led me to work at the American Chemistry Council, most recently as the Executive Vice President of the organization. During my time there, I learned about and enjoyed the challenges and puzzles of finding new ways to do chemistry in a cleaner, better, and more responsible way. Given my passion for sustainability, I wanted to help the industry transform and transition out of its legacy, and believe it is important to reeducate consumers, the value chain, and policymakers about what chemistry is and how it can be different from what people think. After a mutual acquaintance made the connection, I found an opportunity to do just that in an even more direct way through joining SK Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on the specialty materials, ingredients, and life sciences sectors, and a firm I felt was serious about investing in companies and helping them get better. In my latest role at SK Capital as Chief Sustainability Officer, I am able to continue to be a part of the transformation of the chemical industry and gain exposure to different areas, like life sciences and specialty ingredients. You recently transitioned from a role as Executive Vice President of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) to Chief Sustainability Officer at SK Capital Partners. What inspired you to make the switch to private equity and what drew you to SKCP? When I was introduced to SK Capital, I was focused on my next opportunity being one that would allow me to continue to focus on sectors I like, but to operate in more of a driver seat. SK Capital's sector focus aligned incredibly well with my background and the role allowed me to engage, interact, support, and work with multiple portfolio companies which is really a sweet spot for my skillset. I also love learning new things, and am a naturally curious person, so coming into this new role with a different environment and working with colleagues who have different professional backgrounds than my previous roles was a really exciting opportunity. As I learned more about different types of investing, I also think the stability and maturity of the businesses we invest in and the strategic thinking with a deep bench of experienced individuals through SK Capital's operational focus was attractive to me and aligned with how I think we can help make our portfolio better.  What have you found rewarding about this role? I have really enjoyed working with the portfolio company team members. Working with the portco teams to find solutions, and through leadership's support, investing in resources to improve our portfolio companies from a sustainability and performance standpoint has been very rewarding. And through the use of metrics we have an opportunity to drive further positive change and I am excited to be reaching a point where we will be able to analyze this great data we have gathered and pull out opportunities and build strategies to change the story the data tells. What have you found challenging? Coming into an organization where the function you fill did not exist before you has been a unique challenge in my latest role. I have really had to define my role and isolate what is most valuable and what is not as impactful as I initially thought it would be. You quickly learn some things work and some do not and I have focused on trying to strike the balance between piercing the veil and giving advice and support. You have had several different roles throughout your career. What are some skills or lessons learned that help you today? Two skills I have found important throughout my career are being resilient and being resourceful. You will inevitably run into obstacles in your professional life, so it is important to develop these skills. Being resilient pushes you to not give up when you hit a wall and feel discouraged or frustrated. Relatedly, when you hit these walls or face new challenges, being resourceful and channeling a mindset of “how can I get over, under or around this wall” will help you to find a creative solution and push through the obstacle. Lastly, having great mentors and people who are willing to invest in you is really important and helped me get to and be prepared for the role I am in today. A great mentor will teach you and help give you the confidence that you are ready and prepared for that next role as you progress in your career.   What is a skill that you think others would be surprised to hear is an important aspect of your job? The ability to fail. You have to have the confidence to fail and get back up again, recognizing that not everything will always go exactly to plan and when it doesn’t, go try it another way. Having the opportunity to work in an environment where you can be creative and try new things, that if well-conceived and executed but ultimately do not work out is okay, is important. Anything else you would like to share or highlight to our readers? While the PE industry today is still primarily men, especially at the senior levels, the time and environment are ripe for change. The current generation of women, including the Synergist community, has a real opportunity to drive this change and progress towards gender parity in the industry. I am excited to see what is to come and would encourage this community to really take advantage of the opportunity to lead this change! Thank you for your time, Anne! To learn more about SK Capital Partners, click here. November 2023, Synergist Network Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list