Ep #9 - Creating global impact | Katharine (Kitty) Cushing

Katharine "Kitty" Cushing is a finance veteran with deep Wall Street roots who transformed her career from high-stakes investment banking to visionary nonprofit leadership. The granddaughter of HC Wainwright's legendary chairman and step-granddaughter of Brewster Jennings (chairman of Socony Vacuum, later Mobil Oil, and founding partner of ARAMCO's predecessor), Kitty carved her own path through decades at major firms including HC Wainwright and Neuberger Berman. During her time at Neuberger Berman following the Lehman Brothers acquisition, she built critical bridges between U.S. and Middle Eastern business communities, serving on the board of ABANA (Arab Bankers Association) from 2007-2014 (*not 2005 as mentioned in the podcast), first by appointment in 2007, then elected to two three-year terms by the organization's 600 global members. Now, as founder of the Newport Global Summit—recently granted 501(c)(3) status—she's leveraging her extensive network and cross-cultural expertise to convene influential voices around entrepreneurship, world affairs, and cultural legacy. In this deeply personal conversation, Kitty opens up about navigating Wall Street as a working mother with minimal support, the ethical evolution she's witnessed in finance, and how personal tragedy reshaped her understanding of success. We explore her unique position bridging historic family ties to the oil industry with modern Middle Eastern partnerships, the transformation of Newport Global Summit into a force for meaningful collaboration, and her vision for bringing together wisdom and young entrepreneurial spirit. Key Topics Discussed: Growing up in a family of wealth but having to make it on her own Learning business from her grandfather at H.C. Wainwright investment firm The shift in business ethics from collaboration to predatory practices Creating the Newport Global Summit to bring together global leaders Building bridges between US and Middle East business communities The importance of family, mentorship, and giving back How fitness, meditation, and staying physically strong helped her survive business pressures Transitioning the Summit to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Kitty's story shows how struggle can become privilege, how vulnerability can be a strength, and why bringing people together in informal settings creates the most meaningful business relationships. Her approach to the Newport Global Summit reflects her belief that "out of chaos comes creativity" and that the best business happens when people connect as human beings first. Show notes Newport Global Summit Credits Thank The Team: To all those who help me. Gwendolyn Christian for the scheduling and Oliver Kiker for the theme music. Chapters (00:00:14) - Pushing the Pressures of Privilege(00:01:14) - Kitty Cushing on Living on a Limb(00:08:40) - The Importance of Family(00:09:57) - Newport Global Summit: The Journey(00:16:30) - The Unscripted Toast: Celebrating Newport(00:18:38) - The Help of Exercise for Problem Kids(00:21:25) - The Life of Howard Gardner Cushing(00:24:47) - Playing for the Boston Celtics in a Men's World(00:26:15) - Mentoring the Next Generation(00:27:12) - The Need to Restore Trust in Families(00:30:32) - The Forbes Foundation's New Direction(00:35:07) - Relationships: The Search for Meaning