Exiled: Marlon Smith, JLC Infrastructure
Today’s Exile is Marlon Smith, Managing Partner at JLC Infrastructure. As well as heading up Magic Johnson’s infrastructure fund, Marlon is a keen musician and propounder of joy - in his Exile, Marlon wants to create a joyous, musical community that’s built to last.
Welcome to Exiled, the podcast where we ‘strand’ a guest on a desert island and ask them who from their professional past, present, and future they’d choose to be Exiled with.
From his past
Marlon took his first inspiration from his musical training, inviting Professor Dr Wiliam Kaylor to join him on the island. Dr Kaylor’s long-term thinking, sense of resilience, discipline, and creativity don’t just make for a fantastic music teacher, but are necessary skills for island life.
From his present
This one was harder to pin down. Marlon couldn’t pick just one member of the fantastic team at JLC Infrastructure, so opted for someone who helped the company break into the infrastructure world. Kent Rowey, Global Co-Head of Energy, Infrastructure, & Natural Resources at A&O Shearman has been foundational in JLC’s success, building bridges and helping to establish the firm in the infrastructure space. He’s creative, thoughtful, commercial - and of course, he’s a musician too.
From his future
Although he’s no longer with us, Miles Davis is the innovative leader that Marlon would most like to be Exiled with. Thinking of someone who embodies that today, Marlon turned to Pharrell Williams. Not only does Pharrell have a long-term cultural legacy, like Davis, but his philosophy of joy would turn any Exile into a celebration. Marlon is looking to build something long-term on the island, and where better to start than with a culture of music and joy?
Tune in next week, when we’ll be speaking to Ayodeji Olaifa, Vice President at KfW IPEX Bank.
