Careers / Our People / Spotlight: Ashley MacNeill

Ashley MacNeill

Head of Equity Capital Markets, Managing Director

"I’ve never seen this level of pursuit and dedication to finding the best and most efficient solutions as I have at Vista."

Hometown

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Major

Mechanical Engineering and Business

Favorite Book

"Let the Great World Spin" by Colum McCann

Favorite Hobby

Running, Fitness, Sports

Vista's Culture in One Word

Encompassing

Favorite Part of Vista

Working with smart and diverse colleagues on idea generation and implementation

Seeking a Better Way

Prior to joining Vista, I had multiple interactions with the firm as I was the primary ECM banker during several Vista owned Initial Public Offerings. I was fortunate to work with several private equity team members in this capacity and I had the opportunity to watch their collaboration and thoughtfulness as we navigated the Equity markets.

These conversations and the subsequent deals led to a broader discussion about how Vista could be more strategic with its relationship with the public markets. I knew this was an area I could implement tangible change and enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity to join the Vista team.

A Role With Purpose

My path to Vista is really indicative of Vista’s ethos of always looking for a better way. I identified a chasm between private companies and portfolio companies and together we created a role that allows me to bridge this divide. Not only was I joining a new firm and serving in a new role, but it was a role I helped identify the need for and built from the ground up. The firm encourages employees to chart new career paths where there’s a need, and I have been fortunate to experience this unique opportunity.

Vista has empowered me to shape a role where I can make an impact and work with purpose. Every person I work with – throughout the firm as well as in our portfolio – shares this purpose driven approach to our work.

A Love for Problem-Solving

I actually ended up in investment banking by accident. I could have won the vote for “Least Likely to Be a Banker” in school.

What drew me to a career in Finance was my passion for solving problems. Looking back, this pursuit of analyzing, fixing and improving has really been a guiding light throughout my career. For me, the biggest draw to Vista was that I recognized the same zest for creative and innovative solutions.

Over my career, I’ve learned that progress means focusing more on the journey and less on the bumps in the road. Vista encourages and enables every employee to identify challenges and use them as fuel to find solutions that will have the biggest impact.