The Firm

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms with $450 billion Assets Under Management (as of March 31, 2018). Mr. Schwarzman has been involved in all phases of Blackstone’s development since its founding in 1985. The firm has established leading investing businesses across asset classes, including private equity, where it is a global leader in traditional buyout, growth equity, special situations and secondary investing; real estate, where it is currently the largest owner of property in the world; hedge fund solutions, where it is the world’s largest discretionary hedge fund investor; and credit, where it is a global leader and major provider of credit for small, middle-market and other companies. Blackstone has also recently launched major new businesses dedicated to infrastructure investing and delivering the firm’s investment management expertise and products to insurance companies.

Mr. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education and schools. Whether in business or in philanthropy, he has always attempted to tackle big problems and find transformative solutions. Earlier this year, he donated $25 million to his alma mater Abington High School to facilitate a full-scale renovation and curriculum changes that better prepare students for today’s workforce. With this gift - the largest ever to an individual public school - Mr. Schwarzman is advocating for a paradigm shift in how schools and donors approach private support for public education. In 2015, Mr. Schwarzman donated $150 million to Yale University to establish the Schwarzman Center, a first-of-its-kind campus center in Yale’s historic “Commons” building. In 2013, he founded an international scholarship program, “Schwarzman Scholars,” at Tsinghua University in Beijing to educate future leaders about China. At $550 million, the program is modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship and is the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history coming largely from international donors. Mr. Schwarzman currently maintains his position as Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Schwarzman Scholars. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman donated $100 million to the New York Public Library on whose board he serves.

Mr. Schwarzman is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, The Business Roundtable, and The International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is a former co-chair of the Partnership for New York City and serves on the boards of The Asia Society and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, as well as on The Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is a Trustee of The Frick Collection in New York City and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman was included in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” In 2016, he topped Forbes Magazine’s list of the most influential people in finance. The Republic of France has awarded Mr. Schwarzman both the Légion d'Honneur and the Ordre des Arts et des Letters at the Commandeur level. Mr. Schwarzman is one of the only Americans to receive both awards recognizing significant contributions to France.

He is also the Former Chairman of the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, which was charged with providing direct input to the President of the United States from business leaders through a non-partisan, non-bureaucratic exchange of ideas.

Mr. Schwarzman holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management and on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors.

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Jonathan (“Jon”) Gray is President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, and is a member of Blackstone’s Board of Directors. He sits on its Management Committee and most of its investment committees, including serving as Chairman of the Real Estate group’s investment committee. Mr. Gray previously served as the firm’s Global Head of Real Estate, which he helped to build into the largest real estate platform in the world with $120 billion of investor capital under management. He joined Blackstone in 1992.

Mr. Gray currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. He also serves on the board of Harlem Village Academies and Trinity School. Mr. Gray and his wife, Mindy, established the Basser Center for BRCA at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine focused on the prevention and treatment of BRCA related cancers. They also established NYC Kids RISE in partnership with the City of New York to accelerate college savings for low income children.

Mr. Gray received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, as well as a BA in English from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Hamilton (“Tony”) E. James is Executive Vice Chairman of Blackstone, and a member of the board of directors of its general partner, Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. He is also a member of Blackstone’s Management Committee and sits on each of the firm’s investment committees.  Mr. James previously served as the firm’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2002, Mr. James was Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Private Equity at Credit Suisse First Boston and a member of the Executive Board. Prior to the acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2000, Mr. James was the Chairman of DLJ’s Banking Group, responsible for all the firm’s investment banking and merchant banking activities. Mr. James joined DLJ in 1975 as an Investment Banking associate. He became head of DLJ’s global M&A group in 1982, founded DLJ Merchant Banking, Inc. in 1985, and was named Chairman of the Banking Group in 1995.

Mr. James is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Costco Wholesale Corporation and has served on a number of other corporate Boards.  Mr. James is a Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, member of The Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System, member of the Center for American Progress Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of Trout Unlimited’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wildlife Conservation Society, Advisory Board member of The Montana Land Reliance, and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of American Ballet Theatre. He is also a former member of the President’s Export Council and a former Commissioner of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

In 2018, Mr. James co-authored the second edition of Rescuing Retirement, a book proposing a solution to America’s looming retirement crisis.  The first edition was published in 2016. 

Mr. James graduated magna cum laude with a BA from Harvard College in 1973 and was a John Harvard Scholar. He earned an MBA with high distinction from the Harvard Business School and graduated as a Baker Scholar in 1975.

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J. Tomilson Hill is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hedge Fund Solutions group, Vice Chairman of Blackstone and a member of the board of directors of our general partner. Mr. Hill was elected to the board of directors of our general partner effective March 20, 2007. He also sits on the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Hill previously served as Co-Head of the Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory group before assuming his role as Chief Executive Officer of BAAM. In his current capacity, Mr. Hill is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the group, including investment management, client relationships, product development, marketing, operations and administration. He is a member of the board of directors of Patria Investment Limited.

Before joining Blackstone in 1993, Mr. Hill began his career at First Boston, later becoming one of the Co-Founders of its Mergers & Acquisitions Department. After running the Mergers & Acquisitions Department at Smith Barney, he joined Lehman Brothers as a partner in 1982, serving as Co-Head and subsequently Head of Investment Banking. Later, he served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Lehman Brothers and Co-President and Co-COO of Shearson Lehman Brothers Holding Inc.

Mr. Hill is a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Business School. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations where he is Chairman Emeritus of the Investment Committee and serves on the Council’s board of directors, and is a member of the board of directors of Lincoln Center Theater, where he is Chairman Emeritus. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. He serves on the Investment Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. He currently serves on the board of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Telluride Foundation, the Advantage Testing Foundation, the Friends of the High Line, and of Our Lady Queen of Angels School, a parochial school (K-8th grade) in Spanish Harlem. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Christie’s and a member of the board of directors of First Eagle Investment Management, Hamilton Insurance Group, Limited and Advantage Testing, Inc.

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Joseph Baratta is Global Head of Private Equity and a member of the firm's Management Committee. He also serves on many of the firm’s investment committees.

Mr. Baratta joined Blackstone in 1998 and in 2001 he moved to London to help establish Blackstone’s corporate private equity business in Europe. Since 2012, Mr. Baratta has served as the firm’s Global Head of Private Equity and is located in New York.

Mr. Baratta has served on the boards of many past Blackstone portfolio companies and currently serves on the boards of First Eagle Investment Management, Penn Engineering and SESAC. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Georgetown University; is a trustee of the Tate Foundation; and serves on the board of Year Up, an organization focused on youth employment.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Baratta was with Tinicum Incorporated and McCown De Leeuw & Company. Mr. Baratta also worked at Morgan Stanley in its mergers and acquisitions department. Mr. Baratta graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University.

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David S. Blitzer is a Senior Managing Director & Head of the Tactical Opportunities group.  Mr. Blitzer is based in New York, having established Blackstone’s corporate private equity investment efforts in Europe.

Since joining Blackstone in 1991, Mr. Blitzer has been involved in the execution of Blackstone’s investments in Spirit Group, SULO, Allied Waste, Aspen Insurance Holdings, Houghton Mifflin, Universal Orlando, Centerplate, Cadillac Fairview, Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, Southern Cross, NHP, Orangina, and United Biscuits.

Mr. Blitzer graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Blitzer serves as a Director of United Biscuits and Jack Wolfskin.

David L. Calhoun is a Senior Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Portfolio Operations of Blackstone and a Member of Blackstone’s Management Committee.

Mr. Calhoun joined Blackstone in January of 2014 and oversees a team within the portfolio operations group focused on creating and driving added value initiatives with Blackstone portfolio company CEOs. 

Since the beginning of 2014, Mr. Calhoun serves as Executive Chairman of the Board for Nielsen, a company he joined in 2006 as Chief Executive Officer, shortly after it was acquired by a consortium of private equity investors including Blackstone. Throughout his seven years’ tenure, Mr. Calhoun led Nielsen’s transformation into a leading global information and measurement company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NLSN) and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Before Nielsen, Mr. Calhoun served as Vice Chairman of The General Electric Company and President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Infrastructure, the company’s largest business unit. During his distinguished twenty-six year tenure at GE, Mr. Calhoun ran multiple business units, including GE Lighting, GE Employers Reinsurance Co., GE Aircraft Engines, and GE Transportation (Aircraft and Rail).  Earlier in his career at GE, he held a wide range of operating, finance, and marketing roles across the company, including within GE Plastics and GE Capital.

In addition to Nielsen, Mr. Calhoun also serves on the Board of Directors of The Boeing Company and Caterpillar. He is the co-author with Rick Kash of the book “How Companies Win.”  Mr. Calhoun is a 1979 graduate of Virginia Tech, and is a member of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin Advisory Council, which advises the university on student and alumni issues.

Kenneth A. Caplan is a Senior Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone has the largest real estate platform in the world with $120 billion in investor capital under management. Blackstone Real Estate is the industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across the US, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Caplan most recently served as Global Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone Real Estate and prior to that as Head of Real Estate Europe. Since joining the firm in 1997, Mr. Caplan has been involved in over $100 billion of real estate acquisitions and initiatives in the United States, Europe and Asia. These include major acquisitions such as Equity Office Properties, Hilton Hotels, Logicor and GE Real Estate. Before joining Blackstone, he was at Lazard Frères & Co. in the real estate investment banking group.

Mr. Caplan received an AB in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a John Harvard Scholar. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Prep for Prep.

Michael S. Chae is Blackstone’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Chae has management responsibility over the firm’s global finance, treasury, technology and corporate development functions.

Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Mr. Chae has served in a broad range of leadership roles including Head of International Private Equity, from 2012 through 2015, Head of Private Equity for Asia/Pacific, from 2011 through 2015, and overseeing Private Equity investments in various sectors and the investment process for Tactical Opportunities. Mr. Chae led or was involved in numerous Blackstone investments over that time period.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Chae worked at The Carlyle Group, L.P. and prior to that with Dillon, Read & Co.

Mr. Chae received an AB from Harvard College, an MPhil. in International Relations from Cambridge University and a JD from Yale Law School. He has served on numerous boards of private and publicly traded portfolio companies.

Mr. Chae is President of the Board of Trustees of the Lawrenceville School and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society and the St. Bernard’s School.

Bennett Goodman is a Co-Founder of GSO Capital Partners (“GSO”) and Senior Managing Director of Blackstone. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Blackstone and sits on the firm’s Management Committee.

Since joining Blackstone in 2008, Mr. Goodman focuses on the management of GSO, which is Blackstone’s credit investment platform with over $70 billion of assets under management in various direct lending strategies, leveraged loan vehicles and distressed investment funds.

Before co-founding GSO in 2005, Mr. Goodman was the Managing Partner of the Alternative Capital Division of Credit Suisse. Mr. Goodman joined Credit Suisse in November 2000 when they acquired Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") where he was Global Head of Leveraged Finance. Mr. Goodman joined DLJ in February of 1988 as the founder of the High Yield Capital Markets Group. Prior to joining DLJ, Mr. Goodman worked in the high yield business at Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1984 to 1988.

Mr. Goodman graduated from Lafayette College and the Harvard Business School. He currently sits on the board of Lincoln Center and the Central Park Conservancy. He received Institutional Investor’s 2012 Money Manager of The Year Award and the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from Euromoney Magazine for his career achievements in the global capital markets.

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John G. Finley, a Senior Managing Director, is the firm’s Chief Legal Officer.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Finley had been a partner with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett for 22 years where he was most recently a member of that law firm's Executive Committee and Head of Global M&A.

Mr. Finley is a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance and a Trustee of the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services. He is also a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School. He has served on the Committee of Securities Regulation of the New York State Bar Association and the Board of Advisors of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University. He has also served as Chairman of the Annual International Mergers & Acquisitions Conference of the International Bar Association.

Mr. Finley has a BS in Economics, summa cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1978), a BA in History, summa cum laude, from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania (1978), and a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School (1981).

Kathleen McCarthy is a Senior Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone has the largest real estate platform in the world with $120 billion in investor capital under management. Blackstone Real Estate is the industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across the US, Europe and Asia.

Ms. McCarthy most recently served as Global Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Real Estate where she was responsible for its day-to-day operations with a particular focus on its investors, capital raising and business development efforts across new investment products. Before joining Blackstone in 2010, Ms. McCarthy worked at Goldman Sachs, where she was a Vice President focused on investments for the Real Estate Principal Investment Area. Ms. McCarthy began her career at Goldman Sachs in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Ms. McCarthy received a BA with Distinction from Yale University.

Ms. McCarthy serves on the Board of City Harvest, which exists to end hunger in New York City through food rescue and distribution, education and other practical, innovative solutions. In 2017, Ms. McCarthy was honored for her work to support Reading Partners New York, a not-for-profit that provides one-on-one volunteer tutoring to help students master foundational reading skills by grade four.

Joan Solotar is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, Head of Private Wealth Solutions and External Relations and serves on the Management Committee. Ms. Solotar oversees the firm’s Private Wealth Solutions business, which delivers solutions to institutional and high net worth clients. Additionally, she manages global shareholder relations and public affairs.

Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Ms. Solotar was with Bank of America Securities where she was a Managing Director and Head of Equity Research. Prior to joining Bank of America, she was a consistently highly ranked Institutional Investor “All-America Research Team” financial services analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse as a Managing Director.

Ms. Solotar Chairs the Board of Directors of Blackstone’s Charitable Foundation. She is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the East Harlem Tutorial Program and the East Harlem Scholars Academies. She is the author of a Harvard Business Review article entitled “Truths for our Daughters,” as well as “Truths from My Daughter.” 

Ms. Solotar received a BS in Management Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA in Finance from New York University.

James W. Breyer is a member of the board of directors of our general partner. Mr. Breyer is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Breyer Capital, a global venture capital fund. Mr. Breyer has been an investor in over 30 public and private consumer internet, media and technology companies, many of which have completed public offerings or successful mergers. He served as Partner at Accel Partners from 1990 to 2016 and Managing Partner from 1995 to 2011. Mr. Breyer has been an active investor in China for over a decade and is lead outside sponsor, partner and investor in IDG China Capital Funds.

Mr. Breyer currently serves on the board of directors of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. and Circle Internet Financial, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Facebook, Inc. from 2005 to 2013, Dell, Inc. from 2009 to 2013, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. from 2001 to 2013, as well as a number of other prominent technology and media companies.

Mr. Breyer has been ranked #1 on Forbes’ Midas List of top technology investors multiple times and is former Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association and former President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists. Mr. Breyer is a fellow of the Harvard Corporation, member of the Advisory Board of Stanford University School of Engineering, Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, and in 2005 was named an Honorary Professor at the 1,000 year-old Yuelu Academy at Hunan University.

Mr. Breyer graduated from Stanford University with a BS degree and from Harvard University with an MBA, where he was named a Baker Scholar.

Sir John Hood is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Robertson Foundation and Chair of the Rhodes Trust. He also serves as a director of WPP plc and Aurora Energy Research and as Chairman of BMT Group and Study Group Limited. In addition to these appointments, Sir John serves on the boards of the Fletcher Trust, the Mandela Rhodes Foundation and the Said Business School Foundation, and he also serves on the advisory board for the African Leadership Academy.

From 2004 to 2009, Sir John served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. He served as Vice-Chancellor of The University of Auckland from 1999 to 2004. Sir John earned a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Auckland. Upon completing his doctorate, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. There he read for an MPhil in Management Studies and was a member of Worcester College. 

Sir John has been appointed a Knight Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Rochelle B. Lazarus is a member of the board of directors of our general partner. Ms. Lazarus is Chairman Emeritus and former Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, a global marketing communications company.

She joined Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in 1971, becoming president of its U.S. direct marketing business in 1989. She then became president of Ogilvy & Mather New York and president of Ogilvy & Mather North America before becoming President and Chief Operating Officer of the worldwide agency in 1995; Chief Executive Officer in 1996, which position she held to 2008; and Chairman from 1997 until her retirement in June 2012.

Ms. Lazarus also serves on the boards of Merck & Co., Inc., General Electric (where she chairs the Nominating, Corporate Governance and Public Responsibility Committee), the World Wildlife Fund, Partnership for New York City and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; is a trustee of the New York Presbyterian Hospital; and is a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, and Women's Forum, Inc.

A graduate of Smith College, Ms. Lazarus also holds an MBA from Columbia University.

Jay O. Light is a member of the board of directors of our general partner.

As Dean of Harvard Business School, Mr. Light is currently leading innovations in the School’s core educational programs and plays an active role in the University’s planning for Allston. Prior to becoming Dean, Professor Light was Senior Associate Dean, Chairman of the Finance Area, and a Professor teaching Investment Management, Capital Markets, and Entrepreneurial Finance for 30 years.

Mr. Light is a director of the Harvard Management Company, a director of Partners HealthCare (the Mass General and Brigham & Women’s Hospitals) and chairman of its Investment Committee, a member of the Investment Committee of several endowments, a director of several private firms, and an advisor/trustee to several corporate and institutional pools of capital.

The Right Honerable Brian Mulroney is a member of the board of directors of our general partner. Mr. Mulroney is a senior partner and international business consultant for the Montreal law firm, Ogilvy Renault LLP/ S.E.N.C.R.C., s.r.l.

Prior to joining Ogilvy Renault, Mr. Mulroney was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 and 1993. He served as the Executive Vice President of the Iron Ore Company of Canada and President beginning in 1977. Prior to that, Mr. Mulroney served on the Clich'e Commission of Inquiry in 1974.

Mr. Mulroney is a member of the Board of Directors of Archer Daniels Midland Company, Barrick Gold Corporation, Quebecor Inc., Quebecor World Inc., the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation.

William G. Parrett is a member of the board of directors of our general partner.

Mr. Parrett was elected to the board of directors of our general partner effective November 9, 2007. Until May 31, 2007, Mr. Parrett served as the Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Certain of the member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu or their subsidiaries and affiliates provide professional services to The Blackstone Group L.P. or its affiliates. Mr. Parrett co-founded the Global Financial Services Industry practice of Deloitte and served as its first Chairman.

Currently, Mr. Parrett is Senior Trustee of the United States Council for International Business. Mr. Parrett is a member of the board of directors of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Eastman Kodak Company and UBS AG, and is Chairman of the audit committee of each of these companies as well as the Corporate Responsibility Committee of UBS and the Strategy and Finance Committee of Thermo Fisher. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Conduent. Mr. Parrett is a member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Hall and a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of United Way Worldwide. Mr. Parrett is a Certified Public Accountant with an active license.

Michael Adams is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Infrastructure group.

Previously Mr. Adams held a number of senior leadership positions at Bechtel including Chief Financial Officer, President of Bechtel’s global Civil business, President of Bechtel Rail, Senior Vice President of Strategic Projects and many others.  He joined Bechtel in 1989 and was a member of its Board of Directors from 2008-2016.   

Mr. Adams is a Board Member of Egis Rail, a leading light rail engineering company headquartered in Lyon, France.  He holds bachelor’s degree in Engineering and French from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Mimi Alemayehou is an Executive Advisor and Chair of Blackstone Africa Infrastructure L.P. 

Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Alemayehou was the Executive Vice President of The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the development finance agency of the U.S. government, in the Obama Administration.

During Ms. Alemayehou’s tenure from 2010 to 2014, OPIC’s portfolio grew by more than 24 percent to $18 billion. Her leadership was instrumental in tripling the corporation’s Africa portfolio to nearly $4 billion. Ms. Alemayehou was one of the architects of President Obama’s Power Africa initiative to increase energy access across the continent.  

Previously, Ms. Alemayehou was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the United States Executive Director on the board of the African Development Bank (AfDB).  As the senior Treasury official in Africa, Ms. Alemayehou represented the U.S. on Treasury and development issues and was instrumental in pushing the AfDB to increase its lending to the private sector in support of infrastructure projects.   

Prior to AfDB, Ms. Alemayehou was Founder and Managing Partner of Trade Links, LLC, a development consulting firm.  Ms. Alemayehou also managed a multi-country trade project in Africa for the International Executive Service Corps, and was Director of International Regulatory Affairs for WorldSpace Corporation, a satellite telecommunications company. She started her career in the U.S. Congress, working for U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry. 

Ms. Alemayehou holds a Masters degree in International Business and International Law and Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Jarrett Appleby is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone Tactical Opportunities group. Mr. Appleby has been involved in evaluating investments in Global Infrastructure in the data center platform and fiber space and the emerging edge services ecosystem.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Appleby worked in the Data Center and Network Telecom Industry for over 30 years most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Digital Realty Trust, a leading REIT & global data center operator. Prior to that he had several other leadership roles including Chief Operator Officer for CoreSite Realty Corporation, Chief Marketing Officer for Equinix, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Reliance Communications (Flag Telecom), and executive leadership positions at MCI Communications, Qwest Communications and AT&T. In addition, Mr. Appleby is currently CEO for Appleby Strategy Group LLC , CEO for Digital Infrastructure and an independent Board of Director member for Unitas Global, an enterprise IT & managed hybrid cloud services business.

Mr. Appleby received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics and MBA from Lehigh University.

Claudio Boada is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone, focused on advising Blackstone on investment opportunities in Spain and Portugal.  He is also involved with facilitating introductions and performing due diligence on prospective partners, as well as helping Blackstone understand key dynamics in Spain and Portugal.

Mr. Boada is currently Honorary Chairman of Círculo de Empresarios (similar to the U.S. Business Roundtable), Chairman of Atlas Capital Private Equity, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Abantia Ticsa, Member of the Board of Directors of Abantia Empresarial and Aegon España, S.A., Member of the European Advisory Board of HSBC and Senior Advisor of HSBC for Spain & Portugal and Member of the Board of Asociación para el Progreso de la Dirección “APD” (similar to the American Management Association).

Mr. Boada is the former Chairman of Holcim España, S.A., Chairman of the Advisory Board of AON Gil y Carvajal, Member of the Board of Directors of Areas, S.A., Non-Executive Chairman of Lehman Brothers Spain & Portugal, General Manager of Banco de Progreso, and was involved with international financing and mergers and acquisitions for Dillon, Read Overseas Corporation for Spain & Portugal.

Mr. Boada received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Madrid Polytechnic University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.  He was distinguished in 2005 by the Madrid Official Association of Industrial Engineers as “Engineer of the Year.”

Guy Buckley is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Infrastructure group.

Mr. Buckley’s experience in energy includes natural gas, crude, NGLs, commodities and services for the electric industry.  He is the former Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Spectra Energy where he held various executive positions at the company over the course of his career.  As CDO of Spectra Energy, Mr. Buckley oversaw financial, technical and strategic responsibilities, including project execution and management, strategy, mergers and acquisitions, liquids business segment and economic evaluation.  Before joining Spectra Energy, he worked as an engineer in various capacities.

Mr. Buckley holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from Boston University.  He is active in several community organizations in Houston including Theater Under the Stars (TUTS), Rebuilding Together Houston and The Avondale House.

Derek Cheng is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity group focusing on investments in Greater China. He is the former Assistant CEO of China Resources Capital Holdings Co., and before that held numerous positions within the company.

Mr. Cheng received an MBA degree from University of Louisville and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics, China.

Roy Chestnutt is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities group.  Mr. Chestnutt is involved in evaluating investments in the telecommunications and technology sectors.

Mr. Chestnutt was previously the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Verizon where he was responsible for development and implementation of Verizon’s overall corporate strategy including business development, joint ventures, strategic investments, acquisitions and divestitures.  He has over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, holding executive positions at Motorola Networks, Grande Communications and Sprint-Nextel.  He served on the Board of Directors, as well as was the Chairman of the Chief Strategy Group, for the GSMA, a group of global strategists from the world’s leading wireless carriers. 

Mr. Chestnutt earned an MBA from the University of San Francisco and a BS from San Jose State University.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC.

Mary Anne Citrino is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone.

Ms. Citrino is a former Senior Managing Director in the Blackstone Advisory Partners group and advised a broad range of clients in the consumer products industry including Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and Nestlé. Notable transactions include advising P&G on numerous assignments, including the split-off of Folger's Coffee in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction to Smuckers, the purchase of Ambi-Pur from Sara Lee, the sale of its European tissue/towel business (Bounty, Charmin and Tempo) to SCA, its minority investment in MDVIP and the acquisition of Doctor's Dermatologic Formula. She advised Kraft on its Reverse Morris Trust transaction with Ralcorp of Kraft's Post cereal business, Stiefel on the sale of the company to GSK, Albertson's on the sale of the company, Nestlé on the purchase of Kraft’s frozen pizza business, Coty on its acquisition of philosophy, North Castle on the sale of Avalon Natural Products to Hain Celestial, and the board of Atkins Nutritionals on the sale of the company.

Before joining Blackstone in 2004, Ms. Citrino was Global Head of Consumer Products Investment Banking Group at Morgan Stanley. Prior to running the Consumer Products group, Ms. Citrino was Co-Head of Health Care Services Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. Ms. Citrino spent more than 20 years advising clients at Morgan Stanley. Notable transactions at Morgan Stanley include advising Unilever on its acquisitions of Ben & Jerry's, Slim-Fast and Helene Curtis as well as selling its Diversey Lever business to SC Johnson. She also advised Pfizer on its sale of Schick to Energizer, Hershey Trust on its attempted sale of Hershey to Wrigley, and structured and advised on Heinz's Reverse Morris Trust spin-off assets to Del Monte. In December 2009, the Blackstone consumer advisory team was recognized by the M&A Advisor with the awards for Deal of the Year in the Americas” (P&G’s divestiture of its Folgers coffee business to J.M. Smucker) and “Dealmaker of the Year” (Mary Anne Citrino).

Ms. Citrino received a BA in Economics from Princeton University, Phi Beta Kappa, and received her MBA from Harvard Business School as a George F. Baker scholar. She is a Director of Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., Health Net, Inc., and Hewlett Packard, Inc., and serves on the Advisory Council for the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University.

General Wesley K. Clark is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone with a focus on the firm’s private equity activities in the energy sector.

General Clark serves as Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic consulting firm; Co-Chairman of Growth Energy; senior fellow at UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations; Director of International Crisis Group; Chairman of City Year Little Rock; as well as numerous corporate boards. General Clark has authored three books and serves as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative's Energy & Climate Change Advisory Board, and ACORE's Advisory Board.

General Clark retired a four star general after 38 years in the United States Army. He graduated first in his class at West Point and completed degrees in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University (B.A. and M.A.) as a Rhodes Scholar.

His awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Defense Distinguished Service Medal (five awards), Silver star, bronze star, purple heart, honorary knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments, and numerous other awards from other governments, including award of Commander of the Legion of Honor (France). 

Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities group focusing on investment opportunities in the cybersecurity sector.

Mr. Coviello is a Venture Partner at Rally Ventures, an early stage investor in business technologies, and an adviser to Clear Sky Security.  He also serves as a Senior Adviser to McKinsey’s Cyber Security practice.  Previously, he was the CEO of RSA and prior to that, held executive management positions in several technology companies.

Mr. Coviello graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts with a BBA.

Theodore (Ted) Craver, Jr., is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Infrastructure group.

Previously, Mr. Craver was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Edison International, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities companies, since 2008. Before joining Edison in 1996, Mr. Craver served as Executive Vice President and Corporate Treasurer of First Interstate Bancorp, where he led the integration of this multi-bank company’s funding, risk management, investment, and insurance activities. Throughout much of his 23 years in banking, he served in various capital markets sales and trading positions at Security Pacific National Bank, Bankers Trust Company of New York, and First Interstate Bancorp.

Mr. Craver is currently a non-executive director at Duke Energy. He is also a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank’s 12th District, and serves on the Board of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is the Vice Chair of the Autry Museum of the American West. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of Health Net and Edison International.

Mr. Craver earned an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations from the University of Southern California.

John D. Dionne is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone and a Lecturer in the Finance Unit at the Harvard Business School.

Until he retired from his position as a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone in 2013, Mr. Dionne was most recently its Global Head of the Private Equity Business Development and Investor Relations Groups, and also served as a member of its Private Equity Investment and Valuation Committees. During his tenure in this position, Mr. Dionne led global fundraising efforts of over $25 billion for three new private equity investment vehicles in the period immediately following the financial crisis.

Mr. Dionne originally joined Blackstone in 2004 as the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of the Blackstone Distressed Securities Fund, the firm's initial entry into the single-manager hedge fund business, with peak assets under management of over $2 billion. During this period, he also served on the Investment Committees of Blackstone’s GSO and Kalix investment businesses.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Dionne was for several years a Partner and Portfolio Manager for Bennett Restructuring Funds, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund specializing in financially troubled companies, during which time he also served on several official and ad-hoc creditor committees.

Previously, Mr. Dionne was a Partner at Saugatuck Capital where he invested in middle-market buyouts and restructured troubled portfolio companies. From 1991 through 1996, he was Director of Corporate Development for a predecessor of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Mr. Dionne began his career at Price Waterhouse as a public accountant.

Mr. Dionne has served on the board of directors of many companies and not-for-profit institutions. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Mr. Dionne received academic honors while earning an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Scranton, where he is a past Chair of its' Board of Trustees.

Ambassador Gérard Errera is Chairman of the Blackstone Group in France.

Prior to this, Mr. Errera, a career diplomat, was Secretary General of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007-2009), Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2002-2007), to NATO (1995-1998) and Director General for Political Affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-2002). He also served as Director for International Affairs at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and Governor for France at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He was on the Board of AREVA and EDF. Mr. Errera is a regular contributor to the Financial Times. He is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA). He is Officier of the Légion d’Honneur and Commander of the Victorian Order (C.V.O.).

Robert L. Friedman is a Senior Advisor of The Blackstone Group L.P.

Mr. Friedman joined Blackstone in 1999 as a Senior Managing Director, working primarily in Blackstone’s Private Equity Group and also participating in the work of its Financial Advisory Group.  He served as Chief Legal Officer of the firm from 2003 through 2010, continuing for most of that period to also participate in some of the work of the firm’s Private Equity Group and its Financial Advisory Group.  He also served as the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer from 2003 through 2007. In 2012 he retired as a Senior Managing Director and became a Senior Advisor of the firm.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Friedman had been a partner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett for 25 years, where he was a senior member of that New York City law firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice. 

Mr. Friedman has served on 12 different boards of directors of public and private companies over the past 20 years. He currently serves as a director of Axis Capital Holdings Limited and YRC Worldwide Inc. and is Chairman of the Board of Harrington Reinsurance Holdings Ltd. He is also a member of the boards of directors of three charitable organizations - United Way of New York City, Nantucket Land Council and New Alternatives for Children.

Mr. Friedman graduated from Columbia College in 1964 and received a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1967.

Ambassador Dan Gillerman is Senior Advisor to Blackstone Israel and is a member of Blackstone's International Advisory Board. 

Ambassador Gillerman is chairman of Gillerman Global Ltd, a global strategic consulting firm. He served as Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations from 2003-2008 and was elected Vice President of the General Assembly in 2005.

Prior to his appointment to the UN, Ambassador Gillerman was Chairman of the Israel Chamber of Commerce from 1985 till 2002. He served on the Boards of several Israeli companies and major banks,including Bank Leumi,The First International Bank,and Israel's Central Bank.

Ambassador Gillerman is Chairman of the Board of the Israel Opera, Co-Chairman of the AIFL (the America-Israel Friendship League), a member of the Executive Board of the Weizman Institute of Science, and a member of the Boards of Governors of The Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University and the Jewish Agency. He is a trustee of The Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Cameri theater.

Ambassador Gillerman studied Political Science and Economics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Law at Tel Aviv University. He received Honorary Doctorates (Honorus Causa) from Bar Ilan University and the Academic College, Netanya.

Jill A. Greenthal is a Senior Advisor in the Private Equity Group. Prior to September 2007, Ms. Greenthal was a Senior Managing Director in the Advisory Group. She is based in Boston. 

Before joining Blackstone in 2003, Ms. Greenthal was Co-Head of the Global Media Group, Co-Head of the Boston Office and a member of the Executive Board of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston. Ms. Greenthal was also Co-Head of the Boston office of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, before its acquisition by CSFB. Prior to joining DLJ, she was Head of the Media Group at Lehman Brothers.  

Ms. Greenthal has advised and financed media companies for over 30 years, having worked in all sectors of the business. As a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity group, Ms. Greenthal works closely with the global media and technology teams to assist in investments in those sectors.  

Ms. Greenthal graduated as a member of The Academy from Simmons College and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Greenthal is on the Board of Directors of Akamai Technologies, Michaels Stores, Inc., The Weather Channel Companies and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  Ms. Greenthal is also a Trustee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The James Beard Foundation, Simmons College and is an Overseer of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Axel Herberg is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone. 

Before joining The Blackstone Group in 2010, Dr. Herberg worked at Gerresheimer AG for 18 years. He spent the last ten years as Chief Executive Officer, during which time Gerresheimer was the subject of two successful LBOs (the second of which was led by Blackstone) and a public offering. Prior to that, Dr. Herberg worked at McKinsey & Company as a Consultant and at Krupp Industrietechnik as Director of Strategic Planning. Dr. Herberg received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Aachen and a degree in Economics from the University of Hamburg.

Dr. Herberg serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Gerresheimer Group, member of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, member of the Advisory Board of Vetter Pharma-Fertigung, and is on the Board of Trustees of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

David Johnson advises all Blackstone business units  on their technology investments. 

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Johnson was Senior Vice President of Strategy at Dell Corporation, where he was responsible for software, corporate strategy, corporate development, and acquisition integration.  Prior to joining Dell, Mr. Johnson held a number of positions at International Business Machines, including Vice President of Corporate Development, responsible for the company’s acquisitions, divestitures, minority investments, and acquisition integration.  Dave serves as a Blackstone member of the Optiv and Pactera Board of Directors.

Mr. Johnson received a B.A. in English and an M.B.A. from Boston College.

Kemal Kaya is a Senior Advisor based in Turkey. Mr. Kaya focuses on developing business initiatives and advising Blackstone on potential transactions as well as helping to identify potential advisory opportunities in the region. Mr Kaya also serves as Chairman of the Board of Multi Turkey.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Kaya was the CEO of Yapi Kredi Bank, one of the leading financial groups in Turkey. He assumed this position after leading Turkey’s first privately owned bank merger, the combination of Yapi Kredi Bank and Kocbank. Before the merger of the two banks, Mr. Kaya served as General Manager of Kocbank and CEO of Koc Financial Services, a financial holding company owned by Koc Holding, and UniCredit. Mr. Kaya played a leading role in the formation of the Koc Holding -UniCredit partnership in 2002. Earlier in his career, he also held various senior positions in financial institutions and investor relations management at Yapi Kredi Bank.

Mr. Kaya was educated in the United States and received his BS in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.

Yuji Kage is a Senior Advisor in the Investor Relations & Business Development group and is based in Tokyo.

Before joining Blackstone in 2009, Mr. Kage was the MD-CIO of Pension Fund Association of Japan for four years. Prior to that, he led LTCB Investment Management, UBS Asset Management Japan, and Shinkin Asset Management as CEO. Mr. Kage has 23 years of experience in Corporate Finance, including a ten-year assignment in London, as Executive Vice-President, and in New York, as Chief Executive Officer, of an LTCB subsidiary.

Mr. Kage served as a member of the advisory committees of FSA, MHLW, Government Pension Investment Fund, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and a few major institutions. Currently, he is a member of the board of Securities Analyst Association of Japan, and he serves as a member of the advisory boards of several government-related bodies and institutions.

Mr. Kage received a B.A. in Economics from Tokyo University. He also attended the Corporate Finance Program at Harvard Business School.

John A. Magliano is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone. Prior to his retirement at the end of 2016, Mr. Magliano was most recently a Managing Director and head of Blackstone’s Tax Group.

Mr. Magliano joined Blackstone in 2002 and held a number of key leadership positions in the firm’s Finance group including responsibility for the firm’s global tax initiatives including strategic planning, tax compliance and reporting. He previously was the CFO of Blackstone’s Private Equity Group and oversaw the accounting, tax and financial reporting and administration of the Group. Prior to that, Mr. Magliano oversaw Blackstone's partnership finance and accounting team. Mr. Magliano was also involved in other strategic planning projects for the firm.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Magliano was the owner of a consulting firm, where he worked with a large state pension fund, corporations, partnerships, and high net worth individuals. Prior to establishing his firm, Mr. Magliano was a partner with Arthur Andersen, where he spent approximately 20 years in the firm's tax division.

Mr. Magliano received a BS in Accounting from St. John's University, where he graduated cum laude. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the AICPA and NYSSCPA.

Philippe Meyer is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity group, focused primarily on the industrials sector.  

Before becoming a Senior Advisor for Blackstone, Mr. Meyer was President of Tyco Flow Control, a manufacturing and distribution business with over 13,000 employees, operating in 130 locations worldwide.  During his tenure, Tyco Flow Control grew from $40 million to an over $3 billion global business, which is considered a world leader in its industry.  Prior to joining Tyco in 1991, Mr. Meyer held various management positions, the most recent being Directeur de Marché, at Pont-A-Mousson S.A., a division of the Saint-Gobain group in France.  

Mr. Meyer has served on the boards of several current and former Blackstone portfolio companies, including Gerresheimer and Klöckner Pentaplast.  He also serves as Executive Chairman of Cala Capital, a small-cap private equity firm based in Belgium.

James Quella serves as an advisor focusing on strategy and operational performance of Blackstone’s private equity portfolio companies. Mr. Quella currently serves on the boards of Catalent, DJO, Freescale and Michaels Stores.

Previously, Mr. Quella was a Senior Managing Director and the Head of Portfolio Operations at Blackstone between 2004 and 2013, where he led the performance improvement initiatives across all businesses and functions at the portfolio companies. Prior to that, Mr. Quella was a Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Merchant Banking Partners-CSFB Private Equity.

Before that, Mr. Quella worked at Mercer Management Consulting and Strategic Planning Associates, its predecessor firm, where he served as a Senior Consultant to Chief Executive Officers and senior management teams and was Co-Vice Chairman. He is also the co-author of “Profit Patterns: 30 Ways to Anticipate and Profit from the Strategic Forces Reshaping Your Business”.

Mr. Quella received a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago & University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA with dean’s honors from the University of Chicago.

Peter Rose is a Senior Advisor for Public Affairs.

Prior to becoming a Senior Advisor, Mr. Rose was a Senior Managing Director, heading Blackstone’s Public Affairs Group. Mr. Rose was responsible for media relations and government relations, as well as communications to a broad range of public and other constituencies.

Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Mr. Rose was at Goldman Sachs for 20 years. He was a lobbyist and political analyst in their Washington office and in 1996 moved to New York to open Goldman Sachs first ever media relations office as it began the transition from a private to a public company. In 1998 he moved to Asia to set up a corporate communications function for Goldman Sachs there, returning in 2003 to head the media relations function for the firm in the Americas. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he was Chief of Staff for Congressman Mike Synar (D Okla) and a partner with a Washington DC law firm. Mr. Rose has a BA from the George Washington University and received a JD from Yale Law School. He is a member of the national board of the NAACP.

Steven Saslow serves as a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Alternatives Asset Management Group (BAAM).  In this capacity, Mr. Saslow advises the company’s investment committee, mentors and trains analysts and associates, and maintains relationships with hedge funds.

Prior to his appointment as Senior Advisor, Mr. Saslow served as  the Chief Investment Officer of the Blackstone Relative Value Fund from 2002-2005, a Managing Director in BAAM from 2006-2007, and most recently as a consultant to the firm from 2007 -2016.

Mr. Saslow began his career at the Bank of New York after receiving a BA from Rutgers College. He later became a Partner and Senior Executive for Carroll McEntee & McGinley, Senior Executive and Trading Desk Manager for Marine Midland Bank, and Executive Managing Director at HSBC.

Mr. Saslow also serves as a mentor for Rutgers University Road to Wall Street Program, designed to boost the preparation skills for a select group of students who demonstrate strong interest in and knowledge of financial markets.

Timothy Schifter is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone, focusing on the apparel, accessories, beauty, and footwear industries globally.

Prior to his appointment as a Senior Advisor, Mr. Schifter was a consultant to the firm from May 2012 to May 2013 and has participated in the firm’s analysis of a number of investment opportunities in the fashion, apparel and luxury industries and was involved in the execution of the firm's investment in Simone. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Schifter was Chief Executive Officer of Schifter + Partners LLC and prior to that he was Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of LeSportsac, Inc.

Mr. Schifter graduated with a BA degree from Pitzer College. Mr. Schifter serves as a member of the Board of Directors of J.W. Hulme Co, Serena & Lily, Cuyana, R.G. Barry as well as Simone.

Kathleen Skero is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Finance group. Previously, she was a Senior Managing Director, and the firm’s Finance Director and Principal Accounting Officer.

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2009, Ms. Skero worked at Merrill Lynch for 29 years in a variety of positions, including CFO of its Global Wealth Management division and Global Controller, where her responsibilities included oversight of the firm's books and records, SEC reporting, accounting policy, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

Ms. Skero received a BA and an MBA from Rutgers University and a JD from Fordham University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

James R. Socas is an Executive Advisor to Tactical Opportunities at Blackstone.  Mr. Socas has invested in, advised and financed software and technology companies for over twenty years, having worked in all sectors of the industry as a senior executive, board member, growth capital investor, and strategic advisor. 

Before joining Blackstone in 2017, Mr. Socas was General Partner at Updata Partners, a technology growth equity firm, and co-managed the firm.  Earlier, Mr. Socas served on the global leadership team of Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), as head of corporate development, leading Symantec’s mergers & acquisitions, corporate venture investing, and strategic, financial and technology alliances. He conceived, negotiated and executed Symantec’s highly publicized international joint venture with Huawei Technologies, one of China’s leading technology companies, and drove the successful billion dollar acquisition of systems management leader Altiris, as well as several other major corporate acquisitions. Prior to Symantec, Mr. Socas was a Managing Director with Credit Suisse First Boston and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, executing over $20 billion in M&A transactions and $15 billion in capital raising for technology industry clients.  

Mr. Socas  has served on numerous public and non-profit boards and also served two terms on Virginia’s Board of Corrections.  He  is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Harvard Business School. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife and three sons. 

Peder Sondergaard is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Infrastructure group focused on evaluating opportunities in the ports and transportation sector.

He is the former Chief Portfolio Officer of APM Terminals with the Maersk group, overseeing 32 business units across the globe, and for the company’s investment and divestment activities.  Previously, he was the regional CEO for APM Terminals overseeing Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Mr. Sondergaard received a MA in the Merchant Marine.  He has served on the Boards of APM Terminals and Global Ports among others.

Jamie Welch is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity Group focusing on the evaluation of potential investment opportunities in the energy sector.

Mr. Welch is the former Head of the EMEA Investment Banking Department and the Global Energy Group at Credit Suisse. He also served as the Group CFO and Head of Business Development for Energy Transfer Group. Mr. Welch is currently on the Board of Directors of Lonestar Generation LLC and Cheniere Energy Partners, and is a Managing Member of AW Energy Partners. He also serves on the Board of Trustees with the Washington Square Park Conservatory and Madison Square Park Conservatory.

Maggie Wilderotter is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone, focused on providing due diligence on potential telecom and technology investment opportunities for Blackstone’s Private Equity group and GSO Capital Partners LP.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Mrs. Wilderotter was Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Communications from November 2004 to April 2015 and then Executive Chairman of the company until April 2016. During her tenure with Frontier, the company grew from a regional telephone company with customer revenues of less than $1 billion to a national broadband, voice and video provider with operations in 29 states and annualized revenues in excess of $10 billion.

Previously, Mrs. Wilderotter was Senior Vice President of Global Business Strategy and ran the Worldwide Public Sector at Microsoft. Before this, she was President and CEO of Wink Communications Inc., Executive Vice President of National Operations for AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Chief Executive Officer of AT&T's Aviation Communications Division, and a Senior Vice President of McCaw Cellular Communications Inc.

Mrs. Wilderotter serves on the boards of Costco Wholesale Corporation, Dream Works Animation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Juno Therapeutics, Inc. as well as a number of private and non-profit organizations. Mrs. Wilderotter served on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). From October 2010 to October 2012 she was Vice Chairman of NSTAC, and from October 2012 to November 2014 she served as Chairman of NSTAC.  Currently Mrs. Wilderotter is a Commissioner on the Presidents Cyber Security Policy Commission.

Mrs. Wilderotter is a member of the Board of Directors of The Conference Board; a member of the Executive Committee of the Catalyst Board of Directors; a member of the Board of Women in America; and a member of the Business Council and the Committee of 200. In 2014, she chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee on Board Strategy for NACD and is a member of WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD).

Mrs. Wilderotter holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the College of the Holy Cross. In 2014, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree, honoris causa, from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Melford Yuan is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Private Equity group focusing on investments in Greater China. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Yuan was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley since 2007. He later became the Chief Representative of Morgan Stanley’s Beijing Office.

Mr. Yuan received a BS in Economics from the State University of New York. He also studied Accounting at the Bernard Baruch College and Business Law at the Capital University of Economics and Trade.

Mike Zafirovski is an Executive Advisor to Blackstone, and serves on the board of directors of three  of Blackstone’s portfolio companies: non-executive chairman of DJO Global and PGI and independent director of Apria Healthcare Services. Since 2004, he has also served on the board of directors of Boeing, and since  2012, on the board of Stericycle.

Mr. Zafirovski is a founder and president of The Zaf Group, a management consulting and investment firm. Previously, Mr. Zafirovski served as President and CEO of Nortel, a global communications technology company; President and COO of Motorola; and during a 25-year career at GE, served as President and CEO of five GE businesses in the consumer, industrial and financial services arenas.

Among his education, civic and philanthropic activities, he is Vice Chairman of AUSL, the organization that helps turn around the most challenged public schools in Chicago. He is a visiting lecturer at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. A Macedonia native, he is a founding director and chairman of Macedonia 2025, an organization aiming to improve the country’s economic and democracy developments. He is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Council of Global Affairs.

From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zafirovski was a presidential appointee to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). NSTAC provides analytics and recommendations to the President on a wide range of policy and technical issues related to telecommunications, information systems, information assurance, infrastructure protection, and other national security and emergency preparedness concerns.

Mr. Zafirovski holds a B.A. in mathematics from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.