Join Canadian Club Toronto on November 3 for an engaging discussion with Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. Robert will sit down with Claudette McGowan, CEO of Protexxa, to discuss his path to founding Vista, how today’s global events and economic environment are generating unique conditions for enterprise software companies and their investors, and why integrating ESG and DE&I considerations in the culture of both your firm and portfolio is paramount.
Please note that there will be NO live stream or recording available for this event.
Robert F. Smith
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners
Robert F. Smith is a businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist and the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm that specializes exclusively in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled companies. Vista currently oversees a portfolio of over 80 enterprise software, data and technology-enabled companies that have more than 400 million users and employ over 90,000 people worldwide. The firm leverages private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies to build better businesses and drive digital innovation.
Smith serves on the Board of Directors for the Business Roundtable, the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School and the Cornell Engineering College Council and is a Founding Member of the World Economic Forum EDISON Alliance. He is Chairman of Carnegie Hall and a Founding Partner of the REFORM Alliance.
Smith is deeply committed to several philanthropic efforts. In 2017, Smith was the first Black American to sign the Giving Pledge, committing to donate a majority of his wealth throughout his lifetime to charitable causes. Smith is also the founding director and President of Fund II Foundation, a grant-making organization that contributes to improving equity for minorities in the United States. In 2019, Smith famously pledged to pay off the student loans of the graduating class of Morehouse College during his commencement speech, a gift that totalled approximately $34 million. This level of support inspired the formation of Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit of which Smith is Chairman.
Claudette McGowan
CEO, Protexxa
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 20 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service and cybersecurity experiences. She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations, such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank. At BMO, Claudette served as the CIO, of Enterprise Technology Employee Experience, and at TD she was the Global Executive Officer for Protect Fusion & Cyber Experience. Claudette is currently the Chief Executive Officer for Protexxa, a Canadian-based cybersecurity software and services company.
