Jennifer Oppold (Alpine Peaks) "Intellectual Honesty"

Successful Investors

While working for McKinsey & Company, Jennifer Oppold developed a passion for discovering what makes companies tick. At the same time, she grew frustrated at not being able to ever stay with a problem long enough to see it through, as consultants are required to quickly move on from one assignment to the next. With a newly discovered professional calling very clear in her mind, Jennifer left McKinsey to enter a dual J.D./M.B.A. program at Harvard. While there, she spent a summer with Select Equity, a firm investing in small- and mid-cap companies with a value tilt. It was love at first sight. At Select Equity, Jennifer started working with George Loening, the firm’s founder, who would become her most influential mentor. Under George, Jennifer learned the art of shorting, as well as how to wait for the “value moment.” About two years ago, Jennifer launched her own firm, Alpine Peaks, where Select Equity’s legacy of intellectual honestly and personal mentorship lives on—now with Jennifer’s touch. Hearing Jennifer’s story, we get to witness firsthand how the power of intellectual honesty creates an investment edge. Key to her success, she says, is diligence in writing down her assumptions. Anyone can talk about intellectual honesty, but Jennifer lives and breathes it. Those who seek to make a career on the buy side (and truly, investors of all stripes) can learn much from Jennifer Oppold’s journey.