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2027 New York Cohort
The Inner Circle is a curated community for high-potential investment banking VPs and Directors preparing for Managing Director.
Built around candid senior access, trusted peers and practical development.
Join Waitlist70+ Hours
of interviews with VPs, Directors and senior leaders
15+
investment banking firms represented in the research
50+
senior leaders interviewed through the IB Leaders platform
50%
of the VP & Director community trust the newsletter and podcast with 64,000+ downloads
"The elephant in the room for every VP is: how do you become a great originator?"
VP, Moelis
"There are plenty of resources for career mobility, but nothing for upward mobility in the industry."
VP, Citi
"No VP or Director peer-to-peer community supporting the transition to MD exists today; the Inner Circle is one of a kind"
Director, UBS
Execution remains essential, but progression increasingly depends on origination, leadership, judgement and external credibility.
VPs and Directors must make four critical shifts:
Executor to Originator
Individual Expert to Team Leader
Technical Banker to Trusted Adviser
Internal Performer to External Future MD
Promotion to MD requires a shift from execution to origination.
Internal feedback can be constrained by politics and competition.
Existing training is often generic and transactional.
Many future MDs lack a trusted external peer network and mentors.
VPs and Directors want greater support around networking and relationship building, time management and prioritisation, and developing confidence and an authentic leadership identity.
“The VP role used to be largely about execution. Now there is a major focus on winning work, but very little coaching or training to support the shift. It is sink or swim.”
VP, Goldman Sachs
Not a classroom course. Not another networking event. A private environment designed around the real challenges VPs and Directors face as their role becomes commercial, external and leadership-led.
Ask The MD
Anonymous questions answered candidly by respected senior leaders.
The Client's Chair
Hear how PE leaders and clients select, evaluate and trust advisers.
Your Inner Circle Cohort
The same 20 peers throughout the year, outside your internal promotion politics.
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In Practice
Pressure-test relationship habits, client plans and commercial judgement.
A Community Built Around Connection
200 VPs & Directors
Each year, up to 200 of the industry’s rising leaders will join the Inner Circle.
Leadership Council
The Inner Circle is guided by an esteemed group of 15 senior leaders who help shape its direction, standards and member experience.
In-person Connection
Four private events hosted in New York each year.
Access to Senior Leaders
Learn from and connect with those at the very top of investment banking.
Always-on Network
Continue the conversation through virtual events, online platforms and coordinated peer groups.
The 2027 Member Year
The Inner Circle delivers value VPs & Directors rarely get together: a confidential external environment, investment-banking specificity, senior-level access and peer connection across banks.
Four in-person Midtown New York sessions, four virtual sessions and ongoing connection with your permanent peer cohort.
Q1: Making the Step to MD
Readiness, expectations, promotion and identity.
Q2: From Execution to Origination
A repeatable, authentic business development process.
Q3: Building a Network Beyond the Bank
Trusted relationships across clients, peers and the wider market.
Q4: Becoming the Trusted Adviser
Client trust, commercial judgement and relevance.
The IB Leaders Club connects aspiring and established investment banking leaders through its newsletter, podcast, content and events.
The Inner Circle adds a deeper, selective membership layer for VPs and Directors moving toward MD.
Recent Club content focuses directly on the challenges future MDs face: origination, managing up, relationship equity, leadership, networking and the transition from execution to commercial leadership.
2027 members will be curated for quality, contribution and fit, with only 200 seats.
Designed for investment banking VPs and Directors.
Up to 200 members in the founding cohort.
Maximum 10 places from any one institution.
Four in-person sessions in Midtown Manhattan.
Four virtual meetings with anonymous Q&A.
Annual membership is $4,000 if selected.
Priority-list applicants will hear about applications before wider launch.
