Mala Gopal Gaonkar (born November 1969) is an American businesswoman, former portfolio manager at investment firm Lone Pine Capital, and the head of hedge fund SurgoCap Partners.[1][2]
Mala Gaonkar | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1969 (age 55) United States |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Business School |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Title | Investor, SurgoCap Partners LP |
| Spouse | Oliver Haarmann (divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editGaonkar was born in November 1969[3] in the U.S. and mostly raised in Bengaluru, India.[4][2] She earned a degree from Harvard College in 1991, then an MBA from Harvard Business School[1] in 1996.[5]
Career
editGaonkar was a founding partner of investment firm Lone Pine Capital, where she worked for 23 years and was a portfolio manager.[2] After graduating from Harvard College, she worked for Boston Consulting Group and completed her MBA at Harvard Business School before Lone Pine's inception in 1998.
In 2015, Gaonkar along with co founder Sema Sgaier founded the Surgo Foundation, with the aim of using data science to solve public health problems. In 2020, Gaonkar co founded the nonprofit Surgo Ventures to further the same cause.[2][6]
In 2022, she left Lone Pine Capital and started SurgoCap Partners, a hedge fund which was launched on January 3, 2023, managing $1.8 billion. This was the largest-ever debut of a hedge fund run by a woman.[2] By 2024, SurgoCap had grown its assets to over $3 billion, achieving a return exceeding 25% for the year. The fund’s diverse portfolio includes major tech stocks like Nvidia, along with significant holdings in companies such as healthcare conglomerate McKesson and energy firm GE Vernova. Additionally, SurgoCap participated in Figma's fundraising round in 2024, following the collapse of Figma's acquisition by Adobe in late 2023.[7]
As an author, she collaborated with David Byrne in 2016 to create a guided immersive theater performance, "Theater of the Mind".[8][9]
She is a published short story writer and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.[10][11]
She is a member of the boards of directors of Surgo Ventures and Surgo Health and a trustee of Tate Foundation and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. She previously served as a trustee of Ariadne Labs, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), RAND, and as a member of Harvard’s Global Advisory Council.[12][1]
Personal life
editGaonkar was formerly married to businessman Oliver Haarmann.[10] They have two sons.[4][13] Gaonkar has taken the Giving Pledge.[2] She is currently in a relationship with David Byrne, frontman of the band Talking Heads, with whom she has collaborated on several artistic projects.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Tate - Board of Trustees - Mala Gaonkar". Tate. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hedge Fund Debuts With $1.8 Billion in Biggest Female-Led Launch". Bloomberg.com. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Mala Gopal Gaonkar - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ a b Comita, Jenny (24 May 2017). "Meet Mala Gaonkar and Sema Sgaier, the Women Troubleshooting the World's Crises". W Magazine.
- ^ "ALUMNA LEADS BIGGEST EVER DEBUT FOR A WOMAN-LED HEDGE FUND". Harvard Business School. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Getting to know Mala Gaonkar, the woman behind the biggest launch of a hedge fund". lifestyleasia.com. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ a b Bradley Saacks (10 October 2024). "Alums of $16 billion Tiger Cub Lone Pine have struggled to hack it on their own — with one notable exception". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "David Byrne Will Debut New Immersive Theatrical Experience, Neurosociety". 5 October 2016.
- ^ Take a Trip Through David Byrne’s Mind Smithsonian Magazine. Access February 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Getting to know Mala Gaonkar, the woman behind the biggest launch of a hedge fund Lifestyle Asia. Access February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Contributors". American Short Fiction. 24 (74). Fall 2021.
- ^ "Mala Gaonkar - Trustee". Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ "Tate: Appointment of Mala Gaonkar" (PDF). Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 8 March 2010.