Adi Bhoopathy, Managing Principal & Head of Capital Markets, Noble Investment Group, interviewed by Lan Elliott

Adi’s career demonstrates that lasting success comes from deliberate choices, not shortcuts. He calls us to reinvent ourselves from within, advocate for our value with facts and preparation, and invest in relationships that deepen over time. His advice to seek honest mentors — people who tell you the truth and challenge your blind spots — is a reminder that growth requires honest counsel. Play the long game, because the compounding side of it is very hard to replicate.

Transcript

Lan Elliott 0:01

Hello and welcome to It's Personal Stories, the podcast dedicated to empowering personal success. My name is Layan Elliot on behalf of It's Personal Stories, and today I am delighted to have my friend Addy Bupti on with us. Welcome, Addy.

Adi Bhoopathy 0:19

Thank you for having me. Thank you for everything you do for the the industry and for the kind invitation.

Lan Elliott 0:26

Absolutely. I'm excited to have you on. Addy, I know you've had a really interesting career, which is a little bit different than I think a lot of other people in our industry. Would you share your career journey, maybe some of the inflection points in your successful career, and if you think there was a particular factor that contributed to your success?

Adi Bhoopathy 0:52

Yeah, reflecting back, I've been in the business for over 25 years. Don't wanna give the exact number, but it's certainly been a long period of time. I would say looking back at kind of key points in time I... To point to, I would say the early days when I chose the career to be in the hospitality path, growing up in India, choosing to pursue something other than the traditional the doctorate, doctor or engineer was already a new point to, to pursue. So I, I had the privilege of my parents giving me the opportunity to pursue that career and started off with schooling in Switzerland and which the Swiss schools are traditionally have- been known to be in the operations and culinary F&B pr- side of it. And, after I went through the initial year of schooling and and while I took some other classes that were more finance and k- real estate-centric intro classes, I quickly realized that my in the words of one of my professors that said,"You have two left feet," I was trying to double-click on that, that said,"You're probably not as focused on operations and F&B. You probably are a little more focused on other aspects of the industry." And I quickly took that to, to to, to heart and pursued a a change to real estate and finance and did did a transfer to to pursue the remaining schooling at at Cornell to with that focus. And I did not prolong that learning whether I am fit or will I have more liking towards F&B and operations for a prolonged period of time and made that choice early. And my parents were taking a large student loan at a very expensive cost, so just adding a couple of years to, to learn where I wanna be wasn't really an option. So I would say early on that was something to think through. But in also being at Noble, being at at this or- one organization for my entire career, the inflection points, while others may have had it as a new job or a new company when they move, that's typically or easier to point to those inflection points. I would say when you're in the same company for so long you're reinventing yourself o- on the ongoing and inflection points come within the organization from learning the business to executing and, then leading the capital markets, o- over the course of time, as the strategic, Vision for the company continued to expand and grow. If you had the opportunity to do the same thing you were doing earlier on, or take the opportunity to create a different facet of the business and own that side. And, cap- capital markets was a area that didn't have a dedicated view in the early days, and we created that and as a important value driver for the company. So that inflection point, I would say was a, another point over the, a long period of time that I could point to. Now ul- ultimately, the honest truth is, you have to keep reinventing yourself and staying is a choice, because it, that is in itself an inflection point as you go through the career and growth.

Lan Elliott 4:31

Yeah. And I love the call out of staying is a choice. And if you're in the right company, it can give you many more opportunities to reinvent yourself and grow and take on different things, which I do wanna touch on. But I wanted to start with developing a network, because I always think of you, Adi, whenever I see you at a conference or at an event, you're not the loudest person in the room. But you have the kindest smile always, and I think that's very unique in capital markets people, to find someone who is so genuinely kind and exudes that in the way they connect with people. And I'm curious how you've developed your network, because you know a lot of people in the industry. But this idea of networking can sound super intimidating. How have you developed your network in a way that's authentic to you?

Adi Bhoopathy 5:36

Yeah, I think hospitality industry is obviously such a a close net community in general. And, you have to have the knowledge and of the space, but also have the patience to let it compound and allow you to grow many... in many ways, whether it's knowledge, institutional knowledge side, or also developing the type of network as you mentioned. And it's built in, in a way that, suits your personality but doesn't mean that you can't develop your personality as well to suit the growth and focus that, that comes with the with the breadth. So my view would be to sh- focus on a a s- a more on the smaller number of trusted relationships than in, I guess in, in an example how big is your LinkedIn shared count, that versus a more genuine centric group, and then let those re- relationships be formed over a body of time, and there's not one quick click that you now are the best position on any relationship. So it is something that you follow through and, a- and you follow through every introduction in the best next steps and not just,"Hey, I saw you the last time. I'll see you at the next conference." How do you have a substance from there, whether it's sharing an article, whether you're, introducing two people, even if they're in the same business. If you take two bankers who compete for the same business, but you're putting them together and making another introduction and, doing things together, even though it could be competing and sharing someone's milestones. So it's a small gestures over a body of time that build all these, this good, goodwill. And as I mentioned, the industry is small, so it's a l- treat, I would say treat every interaction with a long-term view because, it is the long long game ultimately that allows you to have sustained, sustain, relationships and successes and network,

Lan Elliott 7:45

Yeah, I agree. I think this idea of treating the connections as long-term relationships that compound over time, I love that concept because you don't have to have it be all at once. It can be over years. And one of the beautiful things about hospitality is people stay in the industry for a long time. So the relationships you make early in your career, they're people you see again and again. And if you continue to build that relationship, not just someone as a contact, but build that relationship, when you see people again, it just makes it easier the next time and the time after that. So that's really wonderful advice to go more deep volume, right?

Adi Bhoopathy 8:28

Yeah.

Lan Elliott 8:30

I wanted to move over to advocating for ourselves, and this is maybe something you've had to do when you were in the company and wanted to reinvent yourself and do new things. But I think for a lot of people, it can be really hard to know how to use their voice in an appropriate way to advocate for themselves. I think people think I'm boasting or I'm bragging. Can one advocate for the things they want, maybe a raise or a promotion? What's the right way to do that?

Adi Bhoopathy 9:03

The right way, ultimately is the one that gets you the yes. But I would say, just the discomfort of potentially asking, I would remind people it's pretty temporary. But the cost of not asking, I would say, is- Probably it compounds over a body of time. You do want to find it in any way you, you can to actually get through that. And certainly easier said than done for some people than others, but it is a very important part. A- and, in isolation, one particular thing may not be important, but over a course of time, it does get get to a place that's a disservice to yourself, right? Framing the ask a- around the value and contribution you are creating and not just in concept of a tenure of time- or just fairness, like the value contribution is the better side of it to pursue and questioning it in a way that is, is building and growth to the company and and not just what I deserve, right? It's a wholesome way to, to approach it, and then highlight and come prepared to, to that ask. It's, go through your knowledge, your contributions, your market market understanding and, present the best fact pattern. And the right leaders will respect the ask. The, even if the answer may be no at that point in time, it's the way you go about it will come to bear at maybe the next juncture of time. But there is there is a way to go about that ask that allows you the best chance at success, right? And sometimes you gotta be a little more direct and specific on what that is than, the vagueness maybe of the question. The... A, a vague question gives you a vague answer, right? So you just wanna, be deliberate and specific about what the process is and be well prepared and and, have a real dialogue around, around that matter. And just approach it more sequentially and it's not a negotiation. It's, you're not trying to win the negotiation. You're trying to have a productive conversation with the fact patterns,

Lan Elliott 11:21

yeah. There was so much in there that you said that I really thought was fantastic from thinking about it as doing my research, how am I providing value to the company? Because I have seen the arguments of,"I've been here X years," or,"I deserve it," or,"This is fair." That's not always a winning argument. Creating value for the company is the winning argument more and I also agree that sometimes the answer is no, or the answer is"I can't do it yet. Give me X amount of time." But I think even if you don't get what you want, I do agree that there is a respect for asking for it, and it might not have been in their mind that this is something that you want, but even if they can't give it to you in that moment, it means that hopefully the next time when there is an opportunity that maybe you don't even know about yet, then you're top of mind for that next opportunity that might be even better than the one that you asked for. You don't know.

Adi Bhoopathy 12:22

Yeah. Absolutely.

Lan Elliott 12:23

Yeah. I wanted to move over to mentors and champions, because this is such an important part of career growth that I think I mostly didn't understand for most of my career. But I think one of the best things that people can ask for is identifying and asking for champions and mentors. But I think one of the most important things is- How do you select your champions and mentors? I see a lot of people going,"There's the person with the title that I wanna have one day. I'm gonna go ask that person to be my mentor." But it's not always the best approach, and I'm curious your advice on how to select champions and mentors, them being two different things,

Adi Bhoopathy 13:13

Yeah, I think you, you hit the natural side of the concept of kind of not just the titles. That's, i- in a nutshell is one of the key pieces. So if I, think about mentors as the first part, you're looking for people that have done something specific, the areas that you are trying to find future success, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a title. It doesn't have to be a I, I wanna be a CFO, so I'm gonna use the CFO as my mentor. It's the skill sets that make up that, that next, that, that title and the progress. So you wanna match the people and how their qualities are irrespective of titles to get the most useful guidance that you y- that will be helpful in your life. Prioritize the people that are gonna not just give you time, but people that'll tell you t- the truth and how you go about it and not just make you feel good as an answer because there's, there's only so much you get good with half-baked feedback, right? So you wanna be able to find somebody that has not only the time but the and the skill set, but the truth and a honest counsel, but at the same time, words of encouragement and the like. So it's the body of how they conduct themselves is who you want to gravitate towards. And gene- you know, generosity of time, but generosity of thinking is just as important for accomplished people, accomplished people, that w- you want to be mentored by, they're not just hoarders of knowledge. They do want to share it with others and, help grow. And especially in this industry, it's very much more apt given the closeness of the community and how those rela- relationships are built over time and genuine. I would say champions are people in my mind are, it's less about selection of who you choose. I would say it's, in my perspective, it's kinda more of a earned. How do you build champions for you that they emerge as people that, that seen your work up close and trust your execution and thought process. You demonstrate your way to them and you seek- You know, people at different stages. I don't think it's just a recruited part of it, it's people that talk about you based on your body of work over long periods of time. I would say, they help you look through see things that are blind spots and, and someone that re- you know, that you cross paths that approach, and how you approach those things. People remember that exactly how it took place. So it's a body of work that's built over, over a body of... I would say over time, and not just somebody that you go I would say, recruit to be your champion, right? And I would say those relationships are built o- you know, again, over a body of time and and those folks and mentors and champions you want, you wanna be able to have direct and specific conversations and, be precise in how you connect with them and, making an example of exactly what parts of their, success, whether it's a paper they wrote or a speech they gave or the next M&A deal that they... Kind of be very specific about what about their pieces is resonating to you. And one, it it shows them that you are doing your homework in the approach, but there's more specificity to that approach and not just a a vague"Hey, I would like to be mentored," in it. I've had the privilege of having a few over my period of time and some directly here at Noble. The founder he's he's been exceptionally generous with his time and and support. So I- that's a very big piece of everybody's career and go- you know, one should be very intentional about surrounding themselves with with both, both these types of people.

Lan Elliott 17:20

Yeah. I really like selecting people who you admire, who have the qualities that you like. I like that part. I also like your advice to make sure when you approach them, that you're specific, that there's something, that you really like that they did, maybe a piece of work or something that they did recently that you can really point to, rather than, again, just going back to someone's title. And I do think mentors can come from different places. You had mentioned finding mentors that are in your area, and hopefully you can find a mentor that checks all the boxes in your area. But maybe you don't. Maybe you need several mentors, one that's more in your area that can give you more technical advice, or how do you handle this situation, but there might be others that can give you advice on leadership, and give you other advice. So I really like the way you think about how you select the mentors and also being really intentional about reaching out to

Adi Bhoopathy 18:24

them. Yeah, you don't wanna have group think, right? You wanna have a diversity of- of thought, skills. You know- th- there's other industries that are maybe a little more cutting edge on certain facets of- of the business, and you can glean from their experiences, and their growth matters, and allows you to get prepped for a couple of steps ahead of where, you might be seeing, or maybe allows you to see around the blind spot that you might not otherwise see just in, in your specific industry. As you pointed out, it would be great to just have everything in one person. It's very unlikely to, to have that. Or I would say you should make the assumption that it's not in one person and surround yourself with more than one, and collectively they become a body of work. Yeah.

Lan Elliott 19:17

I love that. Thank you for sharing that. It was really great advice. Moving on to public speaking, because I know you speak on a num- number of panels, speak at conferences. I'm curious if you could share your thoughts on how important the skill of public speaking is in elevating one's career, and people think public speaking is being on stage at a conference, but it could be anything. It could be presenting your deal to investment committee, presenting your project to your boss in the most effective way, or to a group of people. Important is that skill? Is it enough to just know your stuff, or is knowing how to present it important? If so, how do you go about developing it and- Are you naturally confident in speaking, or do you use certain tools to boost your confidence?

Adi Bhoopathy 20:17

All of the above. But I would say, public speaking i-in just in any business, certainly in ours with such a, interaction with in the hospitality side, I would say it's disproportionately important for elevating your career. It's people that don't place that kind of emphasis on it I feel are not being are not adequately recognizing the importance of it. So the ability to communicate conviction directly, I would say shapes how, people perceive the firm, people perceive you. And I would say and ultimately it's a multiplier, right? It, it-- you have your skills, but if you can't show it in, in, in a succinct way and, show visibility and communicate that it's only half the battle. And it's not just in to, to the senior folks, it's, up and down the business side, whether it's internal or external it is a, a very big part of it. And some people have a natural grav-gravit-gravitation towards it, but others may need, true effort to build it over over time. But ultimately, you do want to make it a one of your core competencies. In the world of, in, in business. Preparedness is obviously, one of the key pieces. You can't underestimate that. The more prepared you are, the more natural the communication becomes. In the early days, you might have to, use other tools. You might have to record yourself. You might have to be cr-critical about how you're approaching these things. Have a start, finish a-and middle thought out. Have the try to get to, a way of intentionally trying to make progress, even if it's uncomfortable in the early stages. And, put yourself in a situation as if you are a-approaching it with how people may want to hear you approach it. So putting the audience in mind, whatever that is, whether it's a larger group, a small boardroom, s- catering and kind of all, you know- Adapting to the situation and personalizing with them on,"Hey, how did your last travel impact?" And, versus what you are seeing from reading Wall Street Journal. So it's like how do you make that an intentional way of approaching it? And it gets it, it gets naturally better o- over time. But I would say these are the few g- areas, preparedness, leaning in, putting the effort to get good at it, and recognizing that it is a very important part of, your success and business success and how you're representing your firm and yourself is is highly required,

Lan Elliott 23:13

thank you. Really wonderful. And I love the call out at the beginning you said of recording yourself and watching it. And I know you've already requested to watch this video before we put it up live, and I applaud you for... it takes courage to watch yourself, I think- on video, but it's also the best way to learn, right? Because I've watched myself when I first started to focus on public speaking. I would watch myself, and I got a coach and the whole thing, and she said,"I want you to watch this recording." And in the first two and a half seconds I said,"Oh, I'm doing this really annoying thing," and I had no idea I was doing it. And I think having the courage to do that and to continue to improve, it's like most things, you get better at it as you do it, and it's so important. And to keep doing it and being intentional about preparing and always trying to get a little bit better. Sure. Thank you. Something I wanted to ask you about was what does it take to distinguish oneself? Let's say for a young person, what advice do you have for someone early-ish in their career who wants to distinguish themselves in advance?

Adi Bhoopathy 24:32

I'd say a lot of things come to mind. Some of the-- some of them are basic, say yes to doing things that not everybody's willing to do. That's already puts you on the, starting point of for a young person's career in a in the fast lane that you are. And the, some of the natural things are, being prepared and always follow through. I would say attention to detail is that's always, visible to to everyone, even to yourself. Y- you will know when you didn't fully, look at something with the right amount of detail and work product. You are your best critique more than just others, right? So it-- and it's a, it's an, it's a compounding matter and o- and over, over a body of time. The- these are all while it's very basic in, in notion it does add up. And eventually things get easier for people to do it as a natural natural course of process. And I would say just also anticipating what's needed, not just giving the the answer to the question. It is the next steps, pull the string a little further, double-click on something. What, what is the solve potential to the problem, not just here's the problem, so how do you go through and anticipate the next next likely step and coming up with some solutions or at least identifying a potential way to address address the situation, develop a point of view, and not just have a you asked for this Excel, and here's the answer, right? So that career growth happens when you are able to look through and do above and beyond some of the basic asked and answered kind of steps and show up, something as simple as, you gotta show up consistently at all times and recognize that reputation is built Over a body of time, it just doesn't happen. You you're not a rock star the one time and the next three times you're, you were a mediocre, quiet spot just, going through the motions, right? You have to build it over time. And it happens... It's not just the presentation periods of time, it's in ordinary moments. It's everyday steps. It's like how do you have that attention to detail, not just in the boardroom making that investment committee presentation time periods, right? So it's, it's to build that trust over a body and, commit to it and focus on it. And, ultimately you wanna also lean in on your peers. It doesn't have to be peers within your company. You have to... One has to create a body of work of peers in the industry in general and be curious and use, use knowledge from other folks and allow you to build a wholesome conclusion of an answer and not just what may be things that are happening in your company, right? So allow yourself the the ability to lean in on peer groups and, again, mentors and others so you have a wholesome answer to a potential question that needs a solution. Not everything is a problem, and some of them is pretty straightforward asked, answered, and prepared, but some are, you're being asked because there is a likely matter and you wanna be wholesome in your response.

Lan Elliott 28:02

You were right. There was a lot. And it was so good. I loved the idea of showing up consistently. It's not a one and done sort of thing. Becoming dependable and credible and also being more thoughtful. Don't just answer the question, go beyond. Use your network. Even if you're super young, you've got other people in your network that might be at your level. Ask them, get their point of view,"What am I missing?" And as you get mentors, you can ask them to help you with,"What am I not seeing? What are my blind spots?" And I do think going the extra mile makes a big difference. The one thing you did not say was be quick. And when I work with young people, they tend to wanna be really fast and have the answer, but taking a bit more time to be thoughtful, thinking it through, and then saying,"Okay, if this is the answer, what's the next question? And what point of view do I have in that?" So I thought that was very powerful. Thank you for that. Adi, you have provided a lot of really amazing advice in our discussion. I am curious if you have one final bit of advice for our audience, keeping in mind that our mission is around empowering personal success. Is there one final nugget of advice you would offer?

Adi Bhoopathy 29:24

I would say this industry rewards people as I mentioned earlier, that play- truly understand it's a long game, and the relationships you invest in, the reputation you build. The, they develop over over a very long body of time. It's not just, one quarter, one year. They compound and they're very hard-- the compounding side of it is very hard to replicate, right? So it just, it hap- has to happen in a natural progression. The temptation for a younger career, it's early sometimes you wanna optimize your growth and you're ready to go to the next opportunity and, there is many examples of success, but there are a lot more examples of success kind of people doing it in a systematic, thoughtful methodology as opposed to jumping from location to location and, follow the instincts and the... and stand up for what you believe is the is the detail of your body of work. And again, in simple words, play the long game,

Lan Elliott 30:26

that's incredible advice and very on point, especially within the hospitality industry. Thank you so much, Adi, for being on and sharing your wisdom with our audience. So appreciate you.

Adi Bhoopathy 30:38

Thank you again for for having me and this is wonderful and, sometimes just going through the reflection points over a body of time is is a good way to capture the growth. I'm very happy to participate on this show,

Lan Elliott 30:51

Thank you. Thank you so much. And for our audience, if you've enjoyed this conversation with Adi, I hope you'll go to our website where you can find many more interviews with incredible hospitality industry leaders, and the website is itspersonalstories.com.