Investing in the Future with Patrick Gregory

Babson is a school known around the world for excellence in entrepreneurship. But did you know Babson’s largest alumni population actually works in the financial industry?

Patrick Gregory, senior lecturer and managing director of the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, uses his experience working in the finance industry and in the classroom to create a more dynamic student experience.

Investing in Both Worlds

Gregory started his teaching career as a finance faculty member at Bentley University in 1998. After eight years of teaching, he decided to go back into the industry. He spent eight years as an institutional portfolio manager, getting hands-on experience that he would later bring into the classroom at Babson.

As Gregory transitioned back into academia, he knew Babson was the right fit. “I was really impressed by the practical approach taken by the Finance Division at Babson,” he says. In his career, he always married the two worlds of industry work and academia, from consulting while teaching, to participating in reviews for CFA programs while he was working full time in finance.

“I always had my feet in both worlds,” says Gregory. “I was happy to see that my colleagues at Babson did the same.”

Bringing Experience to Babson

Gregory teaches in the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs at Babson. After beginning as a lecturer, Gregory was asked to be the faculty director for the Cutler Center. He was later named its managing director and also faculty director of the Babson College Fund, a course where both undergraduates and graduates manage $2.5 million of the College’s endowment in a long-short equity fund.

Gregory brings his experience as an institutional portfolio manager into all of the classes he teaches. “I routinely integrate examples from my work into my lectures,” says Gregory. This gives the students a greater understanding of how they can apply what they are learning directly to their current or future careers.

Throughout his extensive career of consulting, working full time in finance, and teaching, he has grown an impressive and large network. He now leverages that network to provide unique opportunities for his students.

For example, Gregory brought Ross Klein ’10, an equity analyst at Boston Partners’ long-short fund, to attend class as a guest speaker. Klein was so impressed with the caliber of the questions and feedback he heard in class that he offered to mentor a few of the students.

“This is an opportunity the students wouldn’t get otherwise,” says Gregory.

Through this mentorship, the students were able to attend OppenheimerFunds’ consumer and technology conference where they attended the general sessions and participated in management meetings with the CEOs, CFOs, and directors of investor relations of the companies presenting.

At the Forefront of Finance

“My vision for the Cutler Center is to create a world-class finance center right here at Babson College,” says Gregory.

In Babson’s second century, the Cutler Center is getting a major expansion. As a part of the new Babson Commons at Horn Library, the Cutler Center will be expanding to include a new high-tech facility with 42 workstations equipped with the data and analytical tools used by finance professionals. Gregory believes the expansion will raise the visibility of finance at Babson. It will serve as a focal point for cross-disciplinary activity in areas such as FinTech, and improve the skill set and marketability of Babson students.

Gregory also is planning to use the new space to extend the Cutler Center’s thought leadership activities in an effort to solidify Babson as a leader in finance education. “The unique combination of analytical tools, experiential learning programs, and thought leadership offered through the Center provide Babson students with an edge in the job market,” says Gregory.

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