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Conor McKiernan
Associate, Merchant Banking Division at Goldman Sachs
Professional Background
Conor McKiernan is a dedicated finance professional with an impressive background in investment banking and financial services. Currently, he is an Associate in the Merchant Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, where he utilizes his expertise in finance and economics to help clients navigate complex financial landscapes. With a solid foundation built during his formative years at Wagner College, Conor has proven himself to be an invaluable asset in the financial sector.
Before joining Goldman Sachs, Conor honed his analytical skills as an Analyst in the Merchant Banking Division at the same prestigious firm. His commitment to excellence and keen insight into market dynamics led him to secure a position as an Investment Banking Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance LLC. Here, he played a critical role in advising clients on their investment strategies, helping to craft solutions that drive growth and profitability.
Conor’s journey in the finance industry also includes earlier roles as an Investment Banking Analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance LLC and as an Associate in Financial Process Management at PwC. Each position provided him with the opportunity to deepen his understanding of corporate finance while fostering a collaborative environment focused on delivering top-tier service to clients.
In addition to his corporate finance experience, Conor has a diverse background that includes his initial foray into the nonprofit sector as an Analyst at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here, he enhanced his analytical skills by working on financial issues pertinent to fundraising initiatives, allowing him to blend his finance acumen with a passion for making a positive impact on society.
Conor also seized an opportunity as a Summer Analyst at Ancora Advisors, where he gained exposure to the investment advisory side of finance. This experience, in conjunction with his stellar academic performance, has fortified his professional profile and prepared him for the multifaceted challenges within the financial environment.
Education and Achievements
Conor McKiernan graduated from Wagner College, where he studied for a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Economics. His educational path provided him with a comprehensive understanding of financial principles as well as the economic factors influencing them. Attending Wagner College not only equipped Conor with the theoretical knowledge necessary for a successful career in finance but also offered him valuable networking opportunities and practical experiences that would later inform his professional pursuits.
Beyond his academic achievements, Conor demonstrated his leadership abilities by serving as Captain of the Wagner College Men's Golf Team. This role allowed him to strengthen his teamwork and communication skills while developing the discipline and competitive spirit that characterize high-performing individuals in the finance industry.
Conor maintains a strong desire to continuously learn and grow within his field, understanding that the finance and investment sectors are ever-evolving. He actively participates in professional development and industry forums to stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Conor has garnered a wealth of achievements that underscore his commitment to excellence in finance. Working at Goldman Sachs stands as a testament to his capabilities, given the firm's rigorous selection process and high standards for performance. His track record in the Merchant Banking Division exhibits not only technical proficiency but also a deep understanding of client needs, leading to successful investment outcomes.
During his tenure at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Conor played a pivotal role in managing complex transactions, where he effectively communicated strategic insights to clients and assisted in formulating robust financial strategies. This experience has molded him into a strategic thinker, skilled in analyzing and interpreting financial data to facilitate informed decisions.
Conor's solid foundation in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors reflects a well-rounded professional who is intent on leveraging finance as a tool for growth—as seen in his contributions to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. His varied experiences reflect his adaptive nature and readiness to tackle diverse challenges in the financial realm.
Embodying the spirit of determination and excellence, Conor continues to make strides in his professional journey, forging ahead with enthusiasm and a strong work ethic. His ambition and existing expertise position him uniquely as a rising star in the finance community, consistently looking for opportunities to advance both personally and professionally.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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