Who We Are

The Small Business Partnership Initiative (SBPI) is a program of the HBS Club of New York that was founded in Spring 2020 by Bruce R. Bockmann (MBA ’67) and Richard Kane (MBA ’68) to help support small businesses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The mission of the Small Business Partnership Initiative is to support the development and growth of New York Metro small businesses. It connects New York Metro small business with Harvard Business School alumni providing pro bono, virtual business coaching sessions conducted with one or more Harvard Business School graduates. Target clients are established small businesses generating sales revenue, with aspirations to grow.

The SBPI Leadership Team

The Small Business Partnership Initiative is managed by a Leadership Team of alumni-members committed to leveraging alumni public service and volunteerism in order to benefit small businesses in the Greater New York area and the neighborhoods in which they operate.

Volunteer Leadership

Leadership

  • Doreen CollinsMBA '85

    Doreen spent her career across a wide variety of functions at General Electric, including Sales, Marketing, Human Resources and Global Operations. Currently, she is involved in providing pro-bono consulting help to nonprofits and small businesses.

  • Yasmin IbrahimMBA '07

    Yasmin is a strategic advisor to startups and small businesses, in addition to serving on nonprofit Boards. Her career experience lies at the intersection of strategy, operations and entrepreneurship, including starting her own business and leading a corporate strategy team at American Express.

  • Richard KaneMBA '68

    Richard’s career in financial services included senior positions at Citicorp, Bank Leumi, and Marsh & McLennon. He then retired as Chief Administrative Officer of the American Red Cross in New York. Richard was CEO of an insurance-related startup, and chair of a finance information company with a very successful exit. Currently, Richard is involved in investing and providing advice to early-stage companies.

  • Vineet KumarAMP 187

    Vineet is a tech entrepreneur and current CEO of tech company, Intellyk. Vineet currently serves as the Chief Information Officer of the HBS Club of New York.

  • William J. MeurerMBA '90
    Bill has worked with small businesses for the last 20+ years. Bill’s career includes strategy consulting at Boston Consulting Group, venture capital investing, and scaling up early-stage application software businesses.
  • Bentley RitterMBA '96

    Bentley is the founder of BeneFit Personal Training, an at-home personal fitness training company serving clients throughout the US. As a small business owner, franchisor, and graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Bentley has a passion for helping other entrepreneurs achieve their aspirations.

  • Randal V. StephensonMBA '90

    Randal’s career spans law, investment banking, and private equity investing, with senior positions at Wolfensohn/Deutsche Bank, Jefferies & Company, and currently GLC Advisors & Co. His transaction experience advising entrepreneurs, companies, and investors has involved most industries in over 30 countries, and includes mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and venture investing. Randal is also admitted to practice law in New York.

Volunteers The Leadership Team thanks and commemorates the founding alumni volunteers who helped establish the Small Business Partnership Initiative in the spring of 2020:

Alumni Volunteers

  • Laura ArtigasMBA '09
  • Sarah BarnesMBA '93
  • Jim BernsMBA '69
  • David BogoradMBA '16
  • Ben BrombergMBA '01
  • Kristin BurrowsMBA '02
  • Doreen CollinsMBA '85
  • Maria Ines CraviottoMBA '01
  • Elena CrespoMBA '93
  • Theo DotsonMBA '00
  • Glenn EvansMBA '91
  • Deborah FarringtonMBA '76
  • Robert GoldmanMBA '84
  • Antoinette GovanMBA '79
  • Eden HammondMBA '14
  • Kerin HempelMBA '07
  • Harris HermanMBA '63
  • Catherine HigginsMBA '16
  • Anne HogartyMBA '10
  • Yasmin IbrahimMBA '07
  • Sharon JosephGMP 20
  • Camilla KalvariaMBA '18
  • Kiara KaminskiMBA '19
  • Alanna Kaplan-MunozMBA '96
  • Allison KeanMBA '12
  • Stephen KlincewiczPLDA 22
  • Fadzi MakandaMBA '12
  • Rufaro MakandaMBA '16
  • Vijit MalikGMP 3
  • Steve MendelsohnMBA '84
  • Kathy MurrayAMP 112
  • Chitra NawbattGMP 6
  • Arndt NicklischMBA '04
  • Angela Pan MBA '01
  • Nish ParikhOPM 49
  • Richard QianMBA '17
  • Lucas RamirezGMP 23
  • Craig RobinsonMBA '02
  • Marleta RossMBA '02
  • Puneet SapraMBA '06
  • Niko StahlMBA '19
  • Richard StrasserMBA '87
  • Jinny UppalMBA '12
  • Xanthos VrachasMBA '08
  • Eric WeismanMBA '06
  • Sanjian (Michael) YanPLDA 30
  • Jingping ZhangMBA '15

Acknowledgments