Law’s loss was Perry Capital’s gain. When Jamie Parrot was in high school, her family moved from Wisconsin to Philadelphia. Parrot attended Pennsylvania State University, where she excelled at lacrosse, a popular East Coast sport. She majored in finance but also considered a career in law, taking the LSAT. In 2001, however, Parrot interviewed with Lehman Brothers Holdings, which was looking to recruit college athletes, and headed to New York to join the investment bank. Interested in the fledgling hedge fund business, she found her way into prime brokerage and capital introduction. In 2004 a colleague mentioned that Richard Perry’s New York–based multistrategy firm, Perry Capital, was looking for a business development and investor relations professional. Since getting the job, Parrot, 35, hasn’t looked back. Last year $10.6 billion Perry celebrated its 25th anniversary. The firm’s business development and investor relations team, with Parrot a key member, has been instrumental to its success in recent years.
