Global Head of Equities, Jefferies  | SSP Mentor & Sponsor

Peter Forlenza is Global Head of Equities at Jefferies and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, with more than three decades of leadership and innovation in global financial markets. Since joining Jefferies in 2013, Pete has overseen the firm’s worldwide equities platform, building on a distinguished career that began at Salomon Brothers in 1988, where he was a pioneer of program trading. He later served as Global Head of Equities at Bank of America, a member of the Global Markets Leadership Team, and a member of the Global Risk Committee. Prior to Jefferies, Pete was Regional Head of Equities for the Americas at UBS and Founder and CEO of Outpost Investment Group, a global macro hedge fund.

Equally central to Pete’s career is his longstanding commitment to Student Sponsor Partners. His relationship with SSP began in the late 1990s, when he sponsored and mentored his first two students. Over the years, Pete has sponsored dozens of SSP scholars and personally mentored five students through their entire high school journeys, forming meaningful, lasting relationships that have helped shape their academic and personal growth.

What began as an individual commitment grew into a powerful institutional partnership. In 2018, Pete introduced SSP to Jefferies, inviting SSP leadership to present the organization’s mission and impact to his colleagues. That initial meeting sparked immediate action, with dozens of Jefferies employees signing on as mentors, sponsors, or both — supported by the firm’s matching contributions.

Today, more than 100 Jefferies employees have engaged with SSP as sponsors, mentors, donors, and volunteers, supported by regular workshops and career-focused programming for students. Rooted in Pete’s leadership and example, the Jefferies–SSP partnership continues to grow, creating opportunity, expanding horizons, and changing lives for generations of students.

The Team at Jefferies is being honored for its deep and growing commitment to Student Sponsor Partners and to expanding educational access, mentorship, and opportunity for young people in New York City. What began as one leader’s personal involvement has spread across the firm, becoming a powerful expression of Jefferies’ culture of community, service, and long-term investment in people.

Jefferies’ partnership with SSP formally took shape in 2018, when Peter Forlenza introduced his colleagues to SSP’s mission and impact. The response was immediate: dozens of employees stepped forward to serve as mentors, sponsors, or both, supported by Jefferies’ matching gift program. Today, more than 100 Jefferies employees are actively engaged with SSP as mentors, sponsors, donors, and volunteers — and that number continues to grow, year after year.

Beyond individual commitments, Jefferies has opened its doors to SSP students, hosting receptions and hands-on programming designed to prepare them for college and career success. These include speed-interviewing workshops, college and career panels, and essay workshops for Flanigan Scholarship candidates — giving students real-world exposure, confidence, and practical tools as they plan their futures.

This partnership reflects Jefferies’ broader dedication to education and mentorship. For more than 45 years, the Jefferies Family Scholarship has supported the children of employees, while internal initiatives such as the JReturns and the Women in Research mentoring programs reinforce the firm’s belief in guidance, access, and long-term support. Employee Resource Groups further strengthen a culture rooted in inclusion, connection, and giving back.

Together, the Team at Jefferies exemplifies how institutional commitment — grounded in mentorship and education — can create lasting impact for generations of students.

Dee & Kevin Conway
The Forlenza Family
Jefferies
Katherine & Peter Lyon*
Kate & Bob Niehaus

Kimberley & William Anderson, Jr.
Rob & Carolyn Brennan
Amy & Jim Healy
Lori & Chris Niehaus

Megan Flanigan & Rick Swift
Amy & Andrew Horrocks
The Levitt Family
Lynne & Tommy Mercein
Henry W. Mulholland
Rafferty Holdings
Valerie & Jack Rowe

Ed Cox
Bob & Teresa Heitsenrether
Linda Hsu
Katherine & Rob Huntington
Denise & Al Hurley
Innisfree M&A Incorporated
Drin & Rialda Kukaj
Elizabeth O’Brien & Stephen Schiller
Michael Psaros, KPS Capital Partners, LP
Nick & Melina Sophinos
Natasha & Ricardo Watson