Marla Mayer is an investor and human capital leader whose career reflects a consistent focus on building strong institutions and supporting talented people.
She's lived around the globe in Helena, AR; Baton Rouge, LA; Durham, NC; Paris, France; New York, NY; London, England; Moscow, Russia; and now calls Los Angeles home.
After graduating from Duke University, she spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs in New York, London, and Moscow, where she began in Investment Banking and later served as CFO of the Principal Investment Area in the Merchant Banking Division. In her final role at the firm, she co-led Experienced Hire Recruiting for the revenue-producing divisions, building an in-house executive recruiting function that strengthened leadership pipelines and reduced reliance on outside search firms.
After Goldman Sachs, Marla became Lead Investor and a Board Director of Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, helping guide the company through acquisition, recapitalization, restructuring, relaunch, and sale. She has since held senior interim leadership roles, including Executive Leader of the People Team at DreamBox Learning, a TPG RISE Fund portfolio company, and Head of Talent at Beach Point Capital Management, and continues to invest through Shashlik Capital.
Marla is deeply engaged in the nonprofit world (specifically, the arts, education, and global hunger.) She served as President of the Board of The Kitchen in New York and as President of the Executive Producer Council at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance in LA. She has also held leadership roles with Action Against Hunger, Her Justice, Ready to Succeed, Beth Morrison Productions, New Music USA, and New Roads School, focusing on governance, finance, executive recruitment, and fundraising to ensure long-term sustainability.
Marla is the mother to two terrific grown children: a son teaching elementary school and a daughter in public relations and marketing. Her golden-doodle, Shashi, is her third child, and husband, Chris, is her best friend and partner.
When Marla isn't working, she spends her free time with friends and family. She enjoys being active, traveling, including going on culinary adventures with her husband and grown children around Los Angeles and the globe, using her fearless, if imperfect, language skills (French, Spanish, and Russian).
Marla is drawn to R360 as a place for thoughtful dialogue, shared learning, and meaningful impact among leaders who care about both performance and purpose.
