HBS PLD class: PLD16, 2013
Current Employers / Positions:
- Semper8 Capital / Managing Director
Primary Location: Toronto, Canada
Social Media accounts:
Bio:
Boris is an advisor to companies and ultra-high-net-worth individuals on M&A, strategy, and growth; private equity and venture capital investor; and speaker. He is the Managing Director of Semper8 Capital. Boris is a member of the planning team of the Global HBS PLD Summit, the annual global conference for graduates of the HBS Alternative to an Executive MBA, and was its Co-Chair in 2016.
Boris has completed over 40 successful M&A, Private Equity and Financing transactions in addition to Venture Capital fund restructuring, Leadership and Operations assignments. He has experience with transactions in healthcare, technology, food & consumer products, industrials, renewables, business services, education, financial services, building products, and oil & gas services sectors. Boris has experience with domestic, cross-border and cross-continental assignments.
Boris holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with High Distinction and a focus on finance, quantitative economics and math from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He completed PLD, Harvard Business School’s Alternative to an Executive MBA and is a PLDA alumnus of HBS. Boris holds a Global Professional Master of Laws (GP LLM) degree from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law with a focus on global business law, policy and regulatory risk management. He is also a CFA Charterholder.
1. How has the HBS PLD Program changed you?
HBS PLD, the Harvard Business School Executive MBA alternative, was a life changing experience. The program was enlightening, humbling and rejuvenating. I came away a far better person and professional. Interestingly, I became both much more rounded and more focused at the same time.
It was outstanding to learn from some of the World’s best instructors leading class discussions and some of the World’s most successful high potential executives participating in the class discussions. I felt renewed by the chance to step back, re-consider my path and I enjoyed immensely the intellectual and fun conversations about opportunities ahead. My opinion of myself as a worldly person was challenged and I was humbled by the breadth of my class-mates, quality of the participants and new learnings about the ways of doing business in other cultures.
HBS PLD, the Harvard Business School Executive MBA alternative, was a life changing experience. It was outstanding to learn from some of the World’s best instructors leading class discussions and some of the World’s most successful high potential executives participating in the class discussions.
The program helped me become better rounded from the perspective of subject matter knowledge and learnings from classmates. My living group advised me (and continues to keep me on track) in focusing on my key targets and objectives.
2. What are your chief takeaways from the program?
There are so many, given the multitude of the courses and the length of the program. The following high level takeaways come to mind:
- Listening more and listening better. Being concise.
- Even greater confidence in my thinking, decisions and actions. Even greater openness to new challenges. Even greater optimism about the future.
- Applying many concepts of business management, strategy and marketing towards planning my personal career, growth and development.
3. How do you exert your leadership in the role you have today?
I have my core values including: honesty, persistence and respect. I make sure these are not compromised. I tailor the communication approach to the other party — acquisition targets, customers or employees — 1) understanding their needs, 2) building proper incentives, providing support or setting groundwork for collaboration and 3) making sure my message is properly interpreted to achieve results.
I have my core values including: honesty, persistence and respect. I make sure these are not compromised.
4. What motivates you most as a leader?
I am motivated by the overall success and results of my team. I’m also motivated by their personal progress, growth and rewards they receive. Additionally, I am stimulated by my own learnings, development, productive collaborations with others, and winning!
5. Think of a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader — maybe someone who was a mentor to you. Why and how did this person impact your life?
You never know who might have a profound influence on you next!
My parents shaped my core values, early education and initial outlook on the world. My younger sister has helped me become a much more caring person. My mom, sisters and grandmothers have made me a strong believer in the equal potential of women and men to achieve, inspire and lead.
Many friends and colleagues (including PLDers in general, my living group, the Global PLD Summit planning team and Lisa Hughes of HBS PLD) have helped me refine my approach, grow my knowledge and improve my level of emotional intelligence.
I have learned a lot from my former bosses, clients and team members — you never know who might have a profound influence on you next!
6. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Empathy — being able to consider the situation from another person’s perspective.
This ability is innate to some individuals and can be developed by others. Some people can literally feel others’ predicaments and emotions. Some can analyze and assess the other person’s situation and consider what their reactions would be in the same setting.
Regardless of the approach, empathy is crucial for leaders to understand their teams, motivate employees and achieve excellent results. This characteristic is key in negotiations, sales meetings and making tough decisions.
Empathy is crucial for leaders to understand their teams, motivate employees and achieve excellent results.
7. What is the best piece of advice you have been given, and why?
One of my mentors once told me: “Give the best of yourself to inspire the best in others.”
“Teams are motivated by leaders’ performance.”
“Education spawns more knowledge and elevates the playing field.”
“Givers finish on top.” See Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant.
8. What is one thing we’d never have guessed about you, even after reading your LinkedIn or Facebook profile?
Some of the English pronunciation I learned before coming from Russia to Canada, to continue my undergraduate studies, came from watching Star Trek, Friends and… Disney movies…
Live Long & Prosper…I’ll Be There for You…Happily Ever After!!
9. What is it the HBS PLD community can do for you or help you with, in terms of your challenges, goals or needs?
Please see below.
10. What is it you can give or how can you contribute to the PLD community?
My professional experience involves complex transactions: helping buy or sell businesses. It includes making private equity and venture capital investments, raising funding and helping improve and grow businesses. If you or your company are looking to buy, sell, invest, receive investment or if you are aware of possible targets, I would be glad to hear from you and see if there is an opportunity to be helpful or for us to collaborate.
We on the Global HBS PLD Summit Planning Team are always open to connecting and being helpful to PLDers from any jurisdiction and any cohort. Our collective experience is enriched through our connections, open dialog and constant learning from each other. I seek and welcome building and strengthening relationships with my HBS PLD colleagues and friends.
Finally, since my primary base of operations is Toronto, Canada (roughly one hour of flight away from each of New York and Boston), I would love to see PLDers traveling to Toronto or passing through it.
This interview was originally published on pldx.org.
