Hartford Business Journal

24 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 7, 2025 Meet Connecticut's 2025 Power Players H artford Business Journal this week unveils its 2025 Power Players list, a section that highlights private- and public-sector, nonprofit, higher education, real estate and other professionals in Connecticut who are not only top leaders within their organizations but also of the broader business community. Power comes in a variety of forms. You can be a CEO, govern- ment leader, college president, run a nonprofit, regulate an industry, or be an important cog in a highly visible project, issue or trend. HBJ's sixth annual Power 50 class was chosen and ranked by our editorial staff. This is not an awards section. We identified newsmakers and movers and shakers who are having a broad impact within the state. In each profile, we explain who the individuals are and why they are influential. The rankings include a mix of estab- lished players and some fresh faces to our region. Also, in order to keep the Power Players issue fresh, we change at least 50% of the list annually. Some deserving individuals may have dropped off the list this year after being on it for consecutive years. Our Power Players issue has become a must-read, so if you have ideas for who should be on next year's list, please let us know. We don't accept nominations, but we certainly welcome outside input. Greg Bordonaro Editor gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com G ov. Ned Lamont has been the state's top political power player for six years, but it's not clear how much longer he will hold onto that mantle. Lamont, in his seventh year in office, said he will make a decision after the 2025 legislative session, which ends in June, about whether he will run for a third, four-year term. The Democratic governor is relatively popular, having enjoyed the fruits of overseeing six consecutive budget surpluses. But Connecticut's fiscal cushion is beginning to erode, especially as federal pandemic-era aid dries up. In February, Lamont proposed a two-year, $55.2 billion budget that eases one of the state's key fiscal guardrails and raises corporate taxes by nearly $348 million over the next two years. That's raised concerns from the business community, which Lamont has had a relatively strong relation- ship with during his tenure. The former business- man-turned-politico said his main priorities this session include launching a major early childhood development initiative, providing a small income tax cut and boosting Medicaid rates for caregivers. On the economic development front, he's proposed spending $50 million over the coming two years to help finance the conversion of empty commercial buildings into new uses; $35 million annually for brownfield remediation projects; and $150 million over two years to recapi- talize the Manufacturing Assistance Act fund. Annie Lamont is a successful healthcare venture capitalist and informal adviser to the governor. She is co-founder and managing partner of Stamford-based venture capital firm Oak HC/FT, where she focuses on growth equity and early- stage investments in healthcare and fintech companies. She has significant influence in the venture capital industry and is often quoted in major financial news outlets, including Bloomberg, Forbes and Barron's. She also sits on Bloomberg's board of directors. In 2023, Oak HC/FT was named one of the 10 best-performing growth equity firms in the world. She's received numerous other accolades, including being named to Forbes' Midas List multiple times as the top-ranking investor in health care. Prior to founding Oak HC/FT, Lamont spent 28 years at Oak Invest- ment Partners, where she served as managing partner and led the health- care and fintech practices. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER 1 Ned & Annie Lamont

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