Scene Last Night: Ackman, Robbins, Taubman, Shleifer, Samberg
What a spread -- sushi and more sushi -- and what a dais.
More than 30 people arrayed in tiers at the front of the New York Hilton ballroom last night included Alan “Ace” Greenberg, former Bear Stearns chief; William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management LP, Daniel Och of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (OZM) and Lawrence Robbins of Glenview Capital Management.
The occasion was the UJA-Federation of New York Wall Street Dinner, organized by the group’s Wall Street and Financial Services Division. A tradition for almost 50 years, this installment drew 1,200 guests and raised $22 million for the philanthropy, which serves needy Jews and non-Jews in New York, Israel and around the world.
Highlights: Comedian Susie Essman’s liberal dropping of the F-bomb; an Occupy Wall Street moment when an uninvited woman began speaking her mind at the dais (security guards escorted her out, with Essman joking that the woman was her mother); and plenty of networking by the likes of Gary Cohn of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Greg Mondre of Silver Lake Management LLC, Robert Kapito of BlackRock Inc. (BLK), and Arthur Samberg, formerly of Pequot Capital Management Inc., who is now managing his own money.
The honorees were Paul Taubman, co-president of institutional securities at Morgan Stanley (MS), who received the Gustave L. Levy Award; and Scott Shleifer, a managing director at Tiger Global Management LLC, who received the Wall Street Young Leadership Award.
SPAM Champ
Shleifer won a SPAM-eating contest at the University of Pennsylvania, according to Jonathan Harris, president of Alternative Investment Management LLC, who introduced him.
Scott’s mother, Susan Shleifer, said he loved playing Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit growing up in Portland, Oregon. He also learned a lot by working in the family’s business, a furniture store started by his great grandfather.
“I brought my son up to have a merchant mentality,” said Scott’s dad, Stuart Shleifer. “That means, keep your eyes on it closely, whatever ‘it’ is.”
Shleifer told a story about JDate, the dating website. After he researched the company, Tiger Management Group invested in parent Spark Networks and he joined the board.
One day Laura Lauder, a fellow board member, asked him if he gave back to the Jewish community. She then made introductions for him at the UJA-Federation of New York.
Matchmaker
“So JDate made a match, but not the kind it intended,” said Shleifer, who is married.
Taubman’s UJA mentor was Peter W. May, president and founding partner of Trian Fund Management LP.
“He helped me realize that if we all keep to ourselves, not everyone’s going to give or know how to give,” Taubman said.
The evening ended with casino games and candy. Taubman filled his miniature Chinese take-out container with Swedish Fish.
(Amanda Gordon is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net or on Twitter at @amandagordon.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Wall Street Dinner
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Scott Shleifer, honoree and managing director, Tiger Global Management, and Elena Shleifer.
Scott Shleifer, honoree and managing director, Tiger Global Management, and Elena Shleifer. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Paul Taubman, honoree and co-president of institutional securities at Morgan Stanley, with Alan "Ace" Greenberg.
Paul Taubman, honoree and co-president of institutional securities at Morgan Stanley, with Alan "Ace" Greenberg. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management and Daniel Och of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group.
Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management and Daniel Och of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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John M. Shapiro and Susie Essman.
John M. Shapiro and Susie Essman. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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Nicole Shevins, Zachary Buchbeister and Halley Goodman work at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Nicole Shevins, Zachary Buchbeister and Halley Goodman work at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Greg Mondre of Silver Lake Management LLC and Gary Cohn, president, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Greg Mondre of Silver Lake Management LLC and Gary Cohn, president, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Lawrence Robbins of Glenview Capital Management is senior chairman of the Wall Street Division of UJA-Federation of New York.
Lawrence Robbins of Glenview Capital Management is senior chairman of the Wall Street Division of UJA-Federation of New York. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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Arthur Samberg.
Arthur Samberg. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Josh Lookstein of UJA-Federation of New York, Mark Gerson, chairman and co-founder of Gerson Lehrman Group Inc., and David Solomon.
Josh Lookstein of UJA-Federation of New York, Mark Gerson, chairman and co-founder of Gerson Lehrman Group Inc., and David Solomon. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Jaclyn Weinman, Rachel Stern and Lauren Burrick, of JPMorgan Chase, with Lesley Goldwasser of Credit Suisse.
Jaclyn Weinman, Rachel Stern and Lauren Burrick, of JPMorgan Chase, with Lesley Goldwasser of Credit Suisse. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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Ali Reza of Morgan Stanley and Jonathan Harris, president, Alternative Investment Management.
Ali Reza of Morgan Stanley and Jonathan Harris, president, Alternative Investment Management. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Abigail S. Gold and Michael Olshan, chairmen, Young Wall Street.
Abigail S. Gold and Michael Olshan, chairmen, Young Wall Street. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Alexander Navab, co-head, North American private-equity unit, KKR & Co.
Alexander Navab, co-head, North American private-equity unit, KKR & Co. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Alex Ehrlich, global head of prime brokerage, Morgan Stanley.
Alex Ehrlich, global head of prime brokerage, Morgan Stanley. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Antoine Chiche, who works in equities strategy at KKR & Co, said his involvement with UJA-Federation of New York goes beyond the parties and fundraising. He is a member of a task force on Jewish day schools.
Antoine Chiche, who works in equities strategy at KKR & Co, said his involvement with UJA-Federation of New York goes beyond the parties and fundraising. He is a member of a task force on Jewish day schools. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Elisia Abrams, a lawyer at Skadden, honoree Scott Shleifer and Eran Penini, managing partner, Inle Capital Management.
Elisia Abrams, a lawyer at Skadden, honoree Scott Shleifer and Eran Penini, managing partner, Inle Capital Management. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Wall Street Dinner
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Candy at the Wall Street Dinner after-party.
Candy at the Wall Street Dinner after-party. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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