An SFU First: Alumnus named one of Forbes 30 Under 30

So much was going right for Pablo Medina in the fall of 2017. He had graduated summa cum laude from Saint Francis University just the year before, and was now working in Investment Banking at Bank of America’s Tech, Media & Telecom group in New York. He was top of his class and had worked in high-profile transactions such as AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. The last hurdle in his path towards building a career and life in the United States was getting the approval for the H1-B visa, which BofA had sponsored him for. He met all the criteria, completed all the necessary paperwork, and every sign was pointing towards him getting his visa extended, so much so his office threw him a party to celebrate his imminent stay.

Just elected to the University’s Alumni Association Board of Directors, Pablo was in Loretto for Homecoming 2017 when he received a surprising call from BofA’s human resources department. “They just told me my visa had been denied,” he says.

“It was totally unexpected,” he continues. “I couldn’t believe it. There was a big feeling of frustration and sadness because I had built a life in the US, after having lived there for 10 years. All of my closest friends, both from high school and college, were in the US. My family was also living in Houston, at the time. All I wanted was to be able to stay in the country, keep doing my job, and work towards getting my residency, which was something I had dreamed of ever since I first entered the country. The worst thing about it all, was the fact that I was given no concrete explanation for why my visa was denied. I went through all the right channels, jumped all the necessary hoops and met all the requirements but, instead, I was simply told I had to go, or risk being denied future entry into the country.”

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Pablo was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, in what he describes as a middle-class family. His mother, Silvia, is a life-long school teacher who worked hard to provide Pablo and his siblings, Miguel and Ana, access to a great education in the schools where she taught. His father, who is one of fourteen kids and started working at the age of fourteen, worked his way through the ranks to become a Senior Vice President at Banco Santander, “I was very fortunate in that regard,” says Pablo. “My mother always nurtured in us a desire to learn, to be curious, and to keep an open mind

– very much pushing us to exercise the right side of our brains. While my dad instilled in us an incredible work ethic and a desire to always put our best foot forward, as well as a love for soccer and numbers, in my case. Both of my parents worked tirelessly to make sure we had access to a good education and the best opportunities they could offer us.”

While Pablo managed to excel both in the classroom and on the soccer field growing up, it was his passion for the latter that ultimately led to what would end up being a life-changing opportunity for him. “Unfortunately, in Mexico, pursuing your dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and staying in school to get a high school/university degree are often mutually exclusive, rarely do you get the chance to do both. In my case, I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to move to the US, where I could pursue both at the highest level possible. Getting an amazing high school & college education while chasing my life-long dream of becoming a professional soccer player.”

The summer leading up to his first year of high school, Pablo and his older brother, Miquel, were offered a spot to attend a summer camp at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. “What’s funny is that most people at the summer camp were there to have a good time. They were having fun at practice, eating pizza and burgers for lunch, going out to the dances at night, etc. Meanwhile, I felt like I was there on a mission, like I was at some sort of tryout and that the only way I would ever be able to go there full-time was if I managed to impress someone enough to get a scholarship. So, I was focused. I made sure I ate well during the day, got my hours of sleep at night, and did everything in my power to make the most out of the opportunity at hand.”

This focus and commitment paid off—Pablo and his brother were offered a full-time spot and a scholarship to attend IMG’s Soccer Academy. But with this achievement a new set of challenges were introduced. “So now I am thirteen years old, still learning through the Pittsburgh tunnel and seeing the city in front of me I thought to myself ‘this is great! We’re probably almost there’ but, instead, we just kept driving and driving. At one point, I started thinking ‘what did I get myself into’. Eventually, after a two-plushour drive we finally got to Loretto, where I had the chance to meet the soccer team and some professors during my visit. It was fall and it wasn’t even snowing yet, but I recall having to go back to the locker room during one of the practices I got to watch since I couldn’t feel my hands. I definitely didn’t pick Loretto because of the weather but rather because of the people I met on that trip. Everyone was so nice and welcoming.” how to speak English, living on my own in a whole new country far away from my parents. It was not easy, but it was an invaluable and formative experience. It helped me build a lot of character and resilience, and pushed me to become independent from an early age. My time there also allowed me to make some incredible connections and learn from people from all over the world, which is something that has truly shaped the way I think about things today. To this day, some of my closest friends are people who I met during my first year at IMG and, more often than not, no matter what country or city I travel to, I end up knowing someone from the network I built when I was there, which is great.”

His next big opportunity came during his junior year in high school when Pablo was invited to play up with the senior U-18 team at a national soccer showcase. “In hindsight, this was another one of those life-changing moments and decisions for me. I had been called up to play with the older (U-18) team but had also been invited to attend a soccer trip in Italy with my current (U-17) team. While the idea of traveling to Europe, somewhere I had never been, to play soccer with my friends and teammates was really exciting, I also knew that I would probably never have the chance to play in that showcase again if I passed up on the opportunity. So I decided to stay and try to earn a starting spot on the older team.”

It was at this summer showcase where Pablo was spotted by then-Red Flash Head Men’s Soccer Coach, Michael Casper. “I only started one match during that entire showcase, where I played around 60 minutes. That was it. I guess I was lucky that Coach Casper happened to be at that game that day.” Following the tournament, a number of college coaches including Coach Casper reached out to Pablo to pitch him on their visions for their respective programs. However, Pablo felt Coach Casper’s was the most compelling vision of them all and one where he thought he could play an important role to help build the team.

Pablo accepted an invitation to visit Saint Francis University to see the campus and team for himself firsthand. “I did a handful of college visits, and this was, by far, the most complex one I ever did,” Pablo remembers with a laugh. “Coach Casper picked me up at the airport in Pittsburgh and we just started driving. After going

Pablo cites SFU’s small setting for allowing him to fully pursue soccer and academic success. “People are able and encouraged to explore a bunch of different interests. When I came to SFU, I only did so to play soccer at a D1 program with the goal of entering the MLS draft my senior year. School was a secondary thought back then and it wasn’t until after my first accounting class with Dr. [James] Logue that I decided to pursue a major in accounting. Dr. [Margaret] Kealey then convinced me to double major in finance. Eventually, my interest in finance and fascination with technology and entrepreneurship was what led me to pick up a third major in Management Information Systems. I knew it’d be too hard to pull off a triple major with Computer Science, even though that’s what I really wanted, so I felt like the next best option was to do something at the intersection of business and technology which is when Dr. [John] Miko encouraged me to go with MIS.”

There was one experience, though, far outside the confines of the classroom that would first open Pablo’s eyes to the world of banking and investing: “I went on the School of Business’s study abroad trip to London, where I got my first glimpse of what the finance industry looked like in one of the biggest cities in the world. Seeing the pace of life in the city and the people on the trading floor is what put that initial itch in me to pursue a career in banking. I figured I’d love to live and work in a city like that.” However, that journey to break into investment banking proved to be anything but easy. With less than 2% of accepted applicants, it is well-known to be particularly tough for “non-target” school students to break into the industry. “It was crazy, no matter how many applications I submitted, how many cover letters & emails

I wrote, I never got any traction. I was a triple major student with a 3.9 GPA, playing a Division I sport, co-founder of a chapter for one of the largest fraternities in the country (Sigma Chi), President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, etc. and yet I couldn’t manage to get one single response! I didn’t understand it.”

Faced with a ton of resistance, Pablo decided to start tapping into any warm leads he could find within the SFU network. “I basically reached out to our alumni relations team and asked them for access to our alumni database. It took me a few days to sift through it (my MIS major finally came in handy) but, after that, I had an Excel sheet with a list of >100 relevant names. I spent the next couple of months cold emailing and cold calling all of them. Some replied, others didn’t. However, those who did, such as Tony Evangelista ’81, were really helpful in facilitating intros to other relevant people in the industry. I felt like every conversation I had only made me more determined to break into the industry.” All these efforts eventually led Pablo to apply to the SEO Career Program which, after a rigorous interview process and prep program, invited him to be part of their Investment Banking Program 2016 cohort which opened the door for him to join Bank of America’s TMT group in New York.

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Back in 2017, Bank of America Merrill Lynch discussed relocation options with Pablo. They wanted him to remain with the company so they offered him three different options in their international offices: Hong Kong, Madrid, and London.

“Hong Kong was an interesting option and actually my first choice. However, after some conversations with a couple of senior colleagues at the firm, I realized that the change would probably be challenging for someone at my level, given that I didn’t speak Mandarin. Then there was London. I thought London was the most comparable opportunity to New York and I always had the itch of living there ever since I took that business school trip my sophomore year, so I thought, ‘Why not? At least I’ve been there.’” Once again, Pablo was moving from what he called “home” and starting life in a new country.

Before committing to the move to London, Pablo was approached by Dr. Logue, who had heard about his relocation predicament and told him there was someone he should meet.

Pablo met Dr. Logue and Dr. Randy Frye, Dean of the Shields School of Business, at a pub and was introduced to another alumnus at the table: Paul Malloy ’04. Born and raised in Pennsylvania,

Paul’s career with the Vanguard Group, an investment management company, had taken him to London, where he routinely hosted visiting students to talk about his career in finance. “We had a great conversation,” recalls Pablo. “I picked his brain on career advice, career progression, and my impending move to London. It really helped me feel confident that it was the decision at the time. It also felt good knowing that I’d have a bit of a network to support me along the way.”

After that conversation, Pablo took to this new challenge with the same enthusiasm as he had the ones in his past. During his time in London, he managed to secure an early promotion to Associate and was working in transactions with tech companies across Europe. His time in London and desire to continue working with tech companies, eventually led him to join EQT as an investor. EQT is one of Europe’s largest private capital firms in the world with more than $100 billion in assets under management. In 2019, Pablo was extended an offer to help build out the private equity team in Madrid, Spain, with Carlos Santana and Friedrich Reich. It’s something Pablo never saw coming, but “it was a very unique opportunity to join such a fast-growing organization and learn the investor role in an incredibly entrepreneurial setting. It also offered me the opportunity to work on my ‘business Spanish’ skills, which is something I always felt could come in handy if I ever decided to move back to Mexico. When I look back on it, it was clearly a no-brainer and people who know me also know how I feel about Madrid – the quality of life is amazing there. It’s a sunny place, the food is great, and the people are generally nice, so what else was there to consider?”

During his time in Spain, Pablo managed to play an active role in building one of the most successful private equity franchises in the region through landmark transactions such as the acquisition of Idealista by EQT (which was the largest tech buyout in Spanish history), or the firm’s majority investment into Freepik. Deals such as these, or his participation in investments such as Igenomix and Adamo, allowed him to build a strong investment acumen and an increased desire to work with high-growth tech companies. “The truth is, it has never really felt like a job,” he says. “I know that sounds cliché, but I’ve always been genuinely drawn to the different aspects of the investment role. From the qualitative research of sector trends to the commercial and financial due diligence we conduct on companies, to building relationships with the Founders and management teams of these companies and eventually supporting them in their journeys. There are many opportunities and so much to be excited about. However, I think you have to be genuinely passionate about what you do, and curious to learn and have your mental frameworks be challenged in order to be a good investor and find the right companies you want to back and partner with. It is hard work, but I personally find it to be intellectually stimulating and rewarding.”

Pablo’s passion for technology and investing in high-growth businesses took him to become a founding member of EQT’s Growth team, where, over the course of the last couple of years, Pablo has helped launch a $2.4 billion fund focused on investing in tech and tech-enabled business around the world. Since the inception the fund has played an active role investing in a number of Europe’s most exciting growth companies. These include Vinted, the leading global online marketplaces for secondhand fashion, or Mambu, a core banking software company that provides core infrastructure for banks and financial service providers around the world.

Building off his time at EQT and an impressive track record, one day Pablo received an email from Forbes saying he had been identified as a potential candidate for the magazine’s annual 30 Under 30 Europe List. “I was excited but didn’t make much of it since I was simply asked to respond to a list of questions covering my background, education, work history, provide a couple of references, and complete a series of prompts which I figured would then go through a panel of judges. But, if I’m being honest, I didn’t think much was ultimately going to come out of it.”

Then one morning Pablo woke to numerous emails and messages, all with the same Forbes link and essentially the same message: “Have you seen this?!” Pablo had been named to Forbes Europe’s prestigious 30 Under 30 List.

The most that can be coaxed out of Pablo to celebrate his achievement is a very humble statement: “It caught me a little off guard, but it’s certainly a nice recognition.” Instead, he talks more about the people in his life who helped him along the way, saying “it’s not an individual recognition. There are a lot of people who have made this possible. I personally think this is a testament and a recognition to the people who have constantly been around me, and those who have given me a chance to prove myself and supported me along the way. I wish I could share this with all of them. From my parents, siblings and friends, who have supported unconditionally along the way and instilled in me a strong set of values and the grit to continue pushing forward even when things are tough, to people like Coach Casper, from SFU, and/or Albert Cruz & Menna Samaha, from the SEO Career Program who took a chance on me when it wasn’t totally obvious. There are also countless professors, such as Dr. Logue, Dr. Miko, and Dr. Frye, and mentors/colleagues, such as Victor Englesson, Carlos Santana, and Friedrich Reick who have always pushed me to make sure I reach my full potential and have supported me to make a lot of this possible. At the end of the day, these kinds of recognitions are just a great opportunity to take a second to say, hey, this is all because of you. Thank you.” u u

Beyond viewing the recognition as a testament to his support network, Pablo sees the 30 Under 30 achievement as a platform to help others in pursuing their passions. “In the future, my hope is to continue making a difference by challenging the status quo. Not only in Finance, by inspiring and creating opportunities for other people from underrepresented or unconventional backgrounds, but more generally in all walks of life by empowering others to push the boundaries of what is possible. At a high level and in isolation, my background probably looks very conventional. I speak English like I’m an American, I went to an ‘elite’ boarding school in the US, graduated from a 4-year college in Pennsylvania, started working in investment banking in New York City, only to transition to a buyside role. But, the truth is that the journey has been anything but straightforward. Up until I was thirteen, I was still living in Mexico with my family and I had no idea what life could be beyond that. No one in my family had ever lived or studied in a university in the US, let alone had any of the opportunities that I’ve been very fortunate to have. But like myself, there are countless others with similar (underrepresented & unconventional) backgrounds and stories who, unfortunately, simply never get those chances – and that’s what I hope to be able to change.”

First, Pablo wants Saint Francis students to know they can compete with graduates from any other universities and succeed in whatever field they choose. “That’s probably my biggest message to the [business] students I talk to at SFU,” he says. “No matter the background of the person next to you, or the school they went to, once you get on the job it really all comes down to how bad you want to be the best at what you do. How passionate you are about the role, how hard you’re willing to work to create the right opportunities for yourself, and how curious/hungry you are to continue to learn along the way. At the end of the day, it’s really all about what you’re willing to put into it. Sometimes, the hardest thing is to get that initial opportunity, but when you do, you just have to make sure you are prepared to make the most out of it – then, I truly believe you can compete against anyone out there.

The second thing Pablo would want to convey to other young students and people reading this is to, above all else, always “pay it forward”.

“I genuinely believe that paying it forward is the best way to lead by example and show appreciation for what others have done for you in the past. The only reason I’m here doing this ‘interview’ is because other people have believed in me along the way and have provided me with the opportunities to become that someone. I would like to do the same for others to come.”

“In other words,” he laughs, “I’d like to make sure that I’m not the last alumnus to appear on the 30 Under 30 list. If I can help someone else achieve their own personal or professional goals, which would be a lot more special and fulfilling to me than any recognition I can ever get.”