Our People

Stephen A. Schwarzman*

Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms with $991 billion Assets Under Management (as of March 31, 2023). 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 commercial 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 also has major businesses dedicated to infrastructure and life sciences investing, as well as delivering the firm’s investment management expertise and products to insurance companies.

Mr. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education, as well as culture and the arts, among other things. In 2020, he signed The Giving Pledge, committing to give the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. In both business and philanthropy, Mr. Schwarzman has dedicated himself to tackling big problems with transformative solutions. In June 2019, he donated £150 million to the University of Oxford to help redefine the study of the humanities for the 21st century. His gift – the largest single donation to Oxford since the renaissance – will create a new Centre for the Humanities which unites all humanities faculties under one roof for the first time in Oxford’s history, and will offer new performing arts and exhibition venues as well as a new Institute for Ethics in AI. In October 2018, he announced a foundational $350 million gift to establish the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, an interdisciplinary hub which will reorient MIT to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence, including critical ethical and policy considerations to ensure that the technologies are employed for the common good. 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, and also gave a founding gift of $40 million to the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance to underprivileged children attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York. In 2013, he founded an international scholarship program, “Schwarzman Scholars,” at Tsinghua University in Beijing to educate future leaders about China. At over $575 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 is 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.

In 2019, Schwarzman published his first book What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, a New York Times Best Seller which draws from his experiences in business, philanthropy and public service.

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 and in 2018 was ranked in the Top 50 on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Powerful People.” 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 was also awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest honor for foreigners, for his work on behalf of the U.S. in support of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2018. Also, at the University of Oxford, Mr. Schwarzman was elected a Wykeham Fellow at New College in 2021 and a Waynflete Fellow at Magdalen College in 2023.

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.

Follow Mr. Schwarzman on LinkedIn.

Jonathan Gray*

President & Chief Operating Officer

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. 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. He joined Blackstone in 1992.

Mr. Gray currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. He also serves on the board of Corebridge and Harlem Village Academies. 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.

Michael Chae

Chief Financial Officer

Michael S. Chae is the Chief Financial Officer of Blackstone. He is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and investment committees across most of the firm’s businesses. Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Mr. Chae has served in a broad range of leadership roles including Head of International Private Equity, Head of Private Equity for Asia Pacific, and as a senior partner in the U.S. Private Equity business, where he led numerous Blackstone investments and served on the boards of many private and publicly traded portfolio companies.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Chae previously worked at The Carlyle Group and 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 been active in the non-profit world with a focus on education and policy. Mr. Chae served as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Lawrenceville School, and remains a Trustee Emeritus and co-chair of its capital campaign. He serves on the boards of the Robin Hood Foundation, the St. Bernard’s School, and the Asia Society. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and recently founded the Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership at Yale Law School.

John G. Finley

Chief Legal Officer

John G. Finley is the firm’s Chief Legal Officer and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Before joining Blackstone in 2010, Mr. Finley was a partner at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he co-headed the global mergers and acquisitions group. Mr. Finley has a BS in Economics, summa cum laude, from The Wharton School, a BA summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD cum laude from the Harvard Law School.

Christine Anderson

Global Head of Corporate Affairs

Christine Anderson is the Global Head of Corporate Affairs, overseeing Blackstone’s Public Affairs, Marketing, and ESG functions.

She leads Blackstone’s efforts related to Environmental, Social and Governance issues and she serves as the primary spokesperson for the firm, advising Blackstone’s senior leaders and business groups, as well as companies across Blackstone’s portfolio.

Before joining Blackstone in 2009, Ms. Anderson served as Communications Director and Director of Marketing to the former Governor of New York as well as Communications Director on the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Before working in state government, Ms. Anderson was an Associate Director of Corporate Communications at UBS AG supporting U.S. media relations and serving as a spokesperson for the company’s Wealth Management division. During the 2004 U.S. Presidential election cycle, she served as a Deputy Press Secretary on the Kerry-Edwards campaign. Ms. Anderson also previously worked as an Account Director at the public relations firm Brunswick and as a Segment Producer for ABC News’ “Good Morning America” after starting her career in the Press Office of the Clinton White House.

Ms. Anderson received a BA from The College of the Holy Cross, and serves on the boards of Bumble Inc., Diligent, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Joseph Baratta*

Global Head of Private Equity

Joseph Baratta is the Global Head of Private Equity and a member of Blackstone’s Board of Directors. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee and 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 as a member or observer on the boards of Ancestry, Candle Media, First Eagle Investment Management, Medline and Merlin Entertainments Group. 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.

Wayne Berman

Global Head of Government Relations

Wayne Berman is the Global Head of Government Relations for Blackstone. He manages political and legislative risk for the firm and its portfolio companies, overseeing a global team of political risk specialists.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Berman was Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and Mather. Previously, Mr. Berman served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce, appointed by George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Mr. Berman’s political experience includes a variety of positions in nine Presidential campaigns: he served as Chairman of the Rubio for President campaign (2016), Senior Advisor to Romney for President and Romney-Ryan (2012), National Finance Chairman for McCain for President (2008), Senior Advisor to the Bush-Cheney Transition (2001), Vice Presidential Campaign Director for Dole-Kemp (1996), Deputy Director and Executive Producer of the 1992 Republican National Convention, Director of Congressional Relations during the Bush/Quayle Campaign (1988), Deputy Director of the Reagan-Bush Transition Team (1981), and staff of Bush for President and Reagan-Bush campaigns (1980).

In addition, Mr. Berman has had an extensive career in the insurance brokerage business; and he was Senior Advisor to AON; Vice Chairman of Jardine Lloyd Thompson, and Co-Founder of Lane McVicker, a U.S.-based personal property broker.

Mr. Berman is on the board of directors of several Blackstone portfolio companies.

Mr. Berman received a B.A. from the University of Buffalo.

David Blitzer

Global Head of Tactical Opportunities

David Blitzer is the Global Head of Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities group (Tac Opps), and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He is also involved in the Tac Opps Investment Committee. Tac Opps is Blackstone’s opportunistic investment business which invests globally across asset classes and industries and seeks to identify and execute on attractive, differentiated investment opportunities.

Prior to launching Tac Opps, Mr. Blitzer had been involved in the execution of Blackstone investments across a variety of asset classes, including establishing and leading Blackstone’s European private equity business. He joined the firm in 1991.

Mr. Blitzer is based in New York and graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Blitzer currently serves on the Boards of Dream, a youth development organization servicing over 2,200 inner city children, and the Riverdale Country School, the Advisory Board of the Mount Sinai Surgical Department, the Board of Overseers at the Wharton School and the Board of Trustees at the University of Pennsylvania.

Martin Brand

Head of North America Private Equity and Global Co-Head of Technology Investing

Martin Brand is Head of North America Private Equity and Global Co-Head of Technology Investing. He also serves as a member of several of the firm’s investment committees.

Mr. Brand was involved in Blackstone’s investments in Sphera, Ellucian, Renaissance Learning, Simpli.Fi, Refinitiv, Bumble, IntraFi, Paysafe, Vungle, Ultimate Software, Liftoff, Blue Yonder, Optiv, Kronos, Ipreo, Knight Capital Group, Lendmark, Exeter Finance, Viva, NCR, First Eagle, BankUnited, PBF Energy, Performance Food Group, Travelport, New Skies, Cine UK, NHP, Kabel BW, Kabelnetz NRW, Primacom, and Sulo.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Brand worked as a derivatives trader with Goldman Sachs in New York and Tokyo, and with McKinsey & Company in London.

Mr. Brand received a BA/MA in Mathematics and Computation, First Class Honors, from Oxford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a director of London Stock Exchange Group, UKG Software, Liftoff Mobile, and First Eagle. He is a Trustee of the American Academy Berlin.

Kenneth Caplan

Global Co-Head of Real Estate

Kenneth A. Caplan is the Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally with a $585 billion real estate portfolio and $332 billion in investor capital under management (as of March 31, 2023). Blackstone Real Estate is an industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across North America, 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 Freres & 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.

Gilles Dellaert

Global Head of Blackstone Insurance Solutions

Gilles Dellaert is the Global Head of Blackstone Insurance Solutions (BIS).  Prior to joining Blackstone in April 2020, Mr. Dellaert served as Co-President and Chief Investment Officer of Global Atlantic Financial Group.  He previously worked at Goldman Sachs in its Reinsurance Group which became Global Atlantic upon its separation in 2013.  Prior to that he was with Goldman Sachs in its Credit Trading business and with JP Morgan.

Mr. Dellaert holds a bachelor’s degree from Ghent University in Belgium.

Joe Dowling

Global Head of BAAM

Joe Dowling is a Senior Managing Director and the Global Head of BAAM, where he oversees and leads all of BAAM’s investment activities.

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2021, Mr. Dowling led Brown University’s endowment, including as Chief Executive Officer from July 2018 to July 2020 and Chief Investment Officer from June 2013 to July 2018. Mr. Dowling also served as interim Chief Financial Officer of the University from May 2019 until January 2020, leading all finance and treasury functions as well as cash and debt management.

Before joining Brown University, he was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Narragansett Asset Management, where he managed funds for institutions, pension funds, and endowments. Mr. Dowling has also worked for First Boston and Tudor Investments.

Mr. Dowling has a B.A. from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Nicholas Galakatos

Global Head of Life Sciences

Nicholas Galakatos is the Global Head of Life Sciences and is the Chairman of its Investment Committee, having joined Blackstone as part of its acquisition of Clarus in December 2018.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Dr. Galakatos was a co-Founder and Managing Director of Clarus since the firm’s inception in 2005. Dr. Galakatos has over 30 years of industry and investment experience in the healthcare sector and has led investments in biotechnology, pharmaceutical company partnerships, and diagnostics, from startups to commercial-stage companies. Before Clarus, Dr. Galakatos was a General Partner at MPM Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm. From 1997 to 2000 he was Vice President of New Business at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (presently Takeda) and a member of the Management Team. He is a founder of Millennium Predictive Medicine and TransForm Pharmaceuticals, where he was the Chairman and founding CEO. Dr. Galakatos is the Chairman of Anthos Therapeutics and a member of the Board of Directors of Talaris, Inc (NASDAQ:  TALS) and BioMed Realty. He is a member of the Director’s Council of the Koch Institute at MIT and a member of the Board of Trustees at Reed College.

Dr. Galakatos earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry from MIT and performed his post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. He earned his undergraduate degree at Reed College.

Sean Klimczak

Global Head of Infrastructure

Sean Klimczak is the Global Head of Infrastructure and a Senior Managing Director. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including Applegreen, Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), Carrix, Cheniere Energy Partners, FirstEnergy, Hotwire Communications, Invenergy Renewables, Phoenix Tower International, QTS Realty Trust, Signature Aviation, Tallgrass Energy, Sithe Global, Fisterra, Custom Truck One Source, Meerwind, GridLiance, and Transmission Developers.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division.

Mr. Klimczak received a BBA in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar. Mr. Klimczak serves as a director of Cheniere Energy, Inc., Transmission Developers and The Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He also serves as a member of the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, the Board of Trustees of Saint David’s School and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Advisory Council. Mr. Klimczak was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2015.

Jon Korngold

Global Co-Head of Technology Investing and Head of Blackstone Growth

Jon Korngold is the Global Co-Head of Technology Investing and Head of Blackstone Growth (BXG), which is focused on providing capital to companies seeking to manage the execution risks associated with high-growth environments. Jon is a member of both the BXG and Tactical Opportunities Investment Committees.

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2019, Jon was head of General Atlantic’s Global Financial Services and Healthcare sectors, Chairman of the firm’s Portfolio Committee, and was a member of the firm’s Management and Investment Committees. Jon also previously worked at Goldman Sachs in the Principal Investment Area and in the Mergers & Acquisitions groups in London and New York, respectively. Jon has spent extensive time in China, where he studied Mandarin Chinese at Peking University and did pro bono work for the U.S. Embassy’s Foreign Commercial Service in Beijing.

Jon is active with Harvard University, where he is a member of the Harvard College Fund’s Executive Committee and where he Co-Chairs fundraising for his College class. In addition, he is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, has been an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, a member of the Rockefeller University Council, a member of the New York Weill Cornell Council, a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a Commissioned Kentucky Colonel, and a member of the American Museum of Natural History’s Advisory Council. Jon has also served as a Trustee of the Cleveland Clinic, of The Dalton School, of The Central Park Conservancy and of the 92nd Street Y, among other institutions.

Jon has also been recognized for his efforts in the financial services sector, including having been ranked #1 in Institutional Investor’s list of global Financial Technology dealmakers on multiple occasions.

He received an AB in Economics from Harvard College, graduating with Honors, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Kathleen McCarthy

Global Co-Head of Real Estate

Kathleen McCarthy is the Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally with a $585 billion real estate portfolio and $332 billion in investor capital under management (as of March 31, 2023). Blackstone Real Estate is an industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across North America, Europe and Asia. Ms. McCarthy focuses on driving performance and growth for Blackstone’s Real Estate business.

Ms. McCarthy previously served as Global Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Real Estate. Before joining Blackstone in 2010, Ms. McCarthy worked at Goldman Sachs, where she 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. She serves on the Boards of City Harvest, the Real Estate Roundtable, the PREA Foundation, and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, and is the President of the Board of Trustees of The Nightingale-Bamford School.

Jennifer Morgan

Global Head of Portfolio Operations

Jennifer Morgan is the Global Head of Portfolio Operations at Blackstone.

She leads the firm’s operating executives and advisors, who partner closely with Blackstone’s portfolio companies to accelerate, create and safeguard value. Since joining the firm, Ms. Morgan has expanded the caliber and breadth of capabilities it offers the portfolio. This includes industry expertise and experience across many key disciplines critical for successful businesses today, including leadership & talent development, ESG, brand strategy, data science, sales and marketing, operations, technology and product. She has also further grown programs that leverage Blackstone’s scale for the benefit of portfolio companies and their employees in areas like healthcare and spend management.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Morgan served as Co-Chief Executive Officer at SAP – becoming the first female CEO of a DAX company. She also held various, additional leadership roles at SAP over 16 years – including serving on its executive board between 2017 and 2020 and overseeing many of the company’s largest and most important strategic growth initiatives.

Ms. Morgan holds a BA in Business Administration from James Madison University and is a board member at Candle Media, Bumble, UKG, the National Academy Foundation, and is on the Board of Advisors at James Madison University’s College of Business. She has been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune and Most Powerful Women in the World and Technology by Forbes.

Verdun Perry

Global Head of Strategic Partners

Verdun S. Perry is the Global Head of Blackstone Strategic Partners (“Strategic Partners”), having joined the business in 2000, the year it was founded. Mr. Perry chairs the Investment Committee for each of the Strategic Partners funds and is currently an advisory board member of multiple third-party funds.

Prior to joining Strategic Partners, Mr. Perry worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), as an Associate in the Investment Banking Division. Prior to joining DLJ, he worked in the strategic acquisitions group at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co. as a Financial Analyst.

In 2013, Mr. Perry joined the board of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which is an organization focused on narrowing the opportunity gap for minority high school and college students, as well as increasing diversity in the financial services industry. Mr. Perry founded Blackstone’s Diverse Professionals Network (“DPN”) in 2014 and chaired the network for its first 6 years. Mr. Perry serves on the boards of Morehouse College and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Mr. Perry was a member of the David Rockefeller Fellows Class of 2016. In 2021, Mr. Perry was selected as a Fellow of the fifth class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Mr. Perry received a B.A. magna cum laude in Business Administration from Morehouse College in 1994, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2000, where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow.

Paige Ross

Global Head of Human Resources

Paige Ross is the Global Head of Human Resources at Blackstone. In this role she oversees human resource management globally for the firm. Ms. Ross brings more than 30 years of experience in talent development and strategic planning across a multitude of industries and geographies.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Ross served as the Managing Director of Talent Management at Centerbridge Partners, with a focus on leading Talent Management across the portfolio companies. She has also held senior human resources leadership positions at Pfizer, Avon and PepsiCo.

Ms. Ross earned her BA at Stony Brook University and PhD in Applied Organizational Psychology at Hofstra University.

Vik Sawhney

Chief Administrative Officer

Vik Sawhney is Blackstone’s Chief Administrative Officer, Global Head of Institutional Client Solutions, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Since joining Blackstone in 2007, Mr. Sawhney started Blackstone Capital Markets and also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Private Equity group.  Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Sawhney worked as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, and prior to that at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Mr. Sawhney represented Blackstone as a Rockefeller Fellow during 2010-2011, and currently sits on the board of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He is also the Board Chair of Dream, an east Harlem-based educational and social services organization. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Dwight Scott

Global Head of Credit

Dwight Scott is the Global Head of Blackstone Credit. Mr. Scott oversees the management of Blackstone Credit and sits on the investment committees for Blackstone Credit’s energy funds, performing credit funds and distressed funds. Prior to his current role, Mr. Scott managed the energy investing activity at Blackstone Credit, where he remains active. Before joining Blackstone Credit, then known as GSO Capital Partners, in 2005 Mr. Scott was an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of El Paso Corporation. Prior to joining El Paso, Mr. Scott served as a Managing Director in the energy investment banking practice of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Scott is currently a Director of GEP Haynesville. He is a member of the Wall Street for McCombs Advisory Board and the Trout Unlimited Board. Mr. Scott graduated from the University of North Carolina and the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business.

Joan Solotar

Global Head of Private Wealth Solutions

Joan Solotar is the Global Head of Private Wealth Solutions. She serves on the firm’s Management Committee. Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions’ mission is to bring institutional quality products across a broad spectrum of alternative asset classes to high net worth clients and their advisors. Ms. Solotar also serves on the board of directors of First Eagle Investment Management.

Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Ms. Solotar was Head of Equity Research at Bank of America Securities and a highly ranked Institutional Investor All Star financial services  analyst at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

Ms. Solotar is a member of the Board of Trustees of East Harlem Tutorial Program and East Harlem Scholars Academies. She wrote a Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Truths for our Daughters,” and co-authored,  “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.

John Stecher

Chief Technology Officer

John Stecher is the Chief Technology Officer of Blackstone. Mr. Stecher is responsible for all aspects of technology across Blackstone and advises the firm’s investment teams as well as acts as a resource to portfolio companies on technology-related matters.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Stecher was a Managing Director, the Chief Technology Officer and the Chief Innovation Officer at Barclays, based in New York, and he was also a member of the Barclays Technology Management Committee. Prior to joining Barclays in August 2017, Mr. Stecher worked for Goldman Sachs where he held a variety of senior management and engineering roles across the firm’s capital markets and technology divisions, and most recently built their Marcus-branded consumer finance division. Mr. Stecher has had an extensive career in technology and engineering across industry sectors. Mr. Stecher was appointed as an IBM Master Inventor and led application development, architecture and strategy for IBM’s WebSphere product line in the Software Group, and he delivered/created over 45 patents across several diverse problem spaces.

Mr. Stecher holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a MS in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota.

Senator Kelly A. Ayotte

Former United States Senator from New Hampshire

Kelly A. Ayotte is a member of our board of directors. Ms. Ayotte was elected to the board of directors effective May 13, 2019. Ms. Ayotte represented New Hampshire in the United States Senate from 2011 to 2016, where she chaired the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations. Ms. Ayotte also served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Aging Committees. Ms. Ayotte served as the “Sherpa” for Justice Neil Gorsuch, leading the effort to secure his confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

From 2004 to 2009, Ms. Ayotte served as New Hampshire’s first female Attorney General having been appointed to that position by Republican Governor Craig Benson and reappointed twice by Democratic Governor John Lynch. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Attorney General, Chief of the Homicide Prosecution Unit and as Legal Counsel to Governor Craig Benson. Ms. Ayotte began her career as a law clerk to the New Hampshire Supreme Court and as an associate at the Mclane Middleton law firm.

Ms. Ayotte serves on the board of directors of Caterpillar Inc., on its nomination and governance committee, and as chair on its sustainability and other public policy committee; the board of directors of News Corporation, on its nomination and governance committee, and as chair of its compensation committee; as the lead independent director on board of directors of Boston Properties, Inc.; the board of directors of Blink Health LLC; and as chair of the board of directors of BAE Systems Inc. Ms. Ayotte previously served on the board of directors of Bloom Energy Corporation and chaired its nomination and governance committee. Ms. Ayotte also serves on the advisory boards of Microsoft, Chubb Insurance and Cirtronics. Ms. Ayotte is a Senior Advisor to Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. Ms. Ayotte also serves on the non-profit boards of the One Campaign, International Republican Institute, the McCain Institute, Winning for Women, NH Veteran’s Count and NH Swim with a Mission. Ms. Ayotte is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

James W. Breyer

Founder and CEO of Breyer Capital

James W. Breyer is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Breyer was elected to the board of directors effective July 14, 2016. Mr. Breyer is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Breyer Capital, a premier venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas and Menlo Park, California. Mr. Breyer has been an early investor in over 40 technology companies that have completed successful public offerings or mergers. He served as Partner at Accel Partners from 1990 to 2016 and Managing Partner from 1995 to 2011. Mr. Breyer also has a long record of investing in China and partnering with Chinese entrepreneurs.

He is Co-Chairman of IDG Capital, based in Beijing and the first firm to bring venture capital into China. Over the past several years, Mr. Breyer has developed a deep personal and investment interest in long-term oriented entrepreneurs and teams working in artificial/augmented intelligence and human-assisted intelligence and has made numerous investments in this space. Mr. Breyer previously served on the board of directors of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. from 2011 to 2019, Facebook, Inc. from 2005 to 2013, Etsy, Inc. from 2008 to 2016, Dell, Inc. from 2009 to 2013 and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. from 2001 to 2013, as well as a number of other technology companies.

Mr. Breyer is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board at the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, a member of Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, a member of Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council, a founding member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of Stanford University’s School of Engineering, Chairman of the Stanford Engineering Venture Fund and founding member of the Stanford Institute for Human-Assisted Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board. In addition, Mr. Breyer is a long-time active volunteer as a Trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Film Institute and Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.

Reginald (“Reg”) J. Brown

Partner, Kirkland & Ellis

Reginald J. Brown is a member of the board of directors of Blackstone. Mr. Brown was elected to the board of directors effective September 15, 2020. Mr. Brown is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Prior to joining Kirkland, Mr. Brown was a partner at WilmerHale, where he served as chairman of the firm’s Financial Institutions Group and led the firm’s congressional investigations practice as vice chair of the Crisis Management and Strategic Response Group. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Brown served as associate White House Counsel and special assistant to the President, and prior to serving in government he worked as Assistant to the CEO and Vice President for Corporate Strategy at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Mr. Brown holds a BA from Yale University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Sir John Antony Hood

Former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Robertson Foundation and Former Chair of the Rhodes Trust

Sir John Antony Hood is a member of our board of directors. Sir John was elected to the board of directors effective May 14, 2018. Sir John previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Robertson Foundation, the Chair of the Rhodes Trust, on the board of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, as Chairman of BMT Group, Ltd, and as a director of WPP plc, where he was chairman of the compensation committee. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford. In addition, Sir John serves on the boards of the Fletcher Trust, the British Heart Foundation, and the Said Business School Foundation.

From 2004 to 2009, Sir John served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and from 1999 to 2004, he served as Vice-Chancellor of The University of Auckland. 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

Chairman Emeritus & Former Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

Rochelle B. Lazarus is a member of our board of directors. Ms. Lazarus was elected to the board of directors effective July 9, 2013. Ms. Lazarus is Chairman Emeritus of Ogilvy & Mather and served as Chairman of that company from 1997 to June 2012.

Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, she also served as President of O&M Direct North America, Ogilvy & Mather New York, and Ogilvy & Mather North America. Ms. Lazarus currently serves on the boards of Rockefeller Capital Management, Organon, World Wildlife Fund, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Partnership for New York City. She also previously served on the board of General Electric Company and Merck & Co.

Ms. Lazarus is a trustee of the New York Presbyterian Hospital and is a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School.

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and Former Prime Minister of Canada

The Right Honorable Brian Mulroney is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Mulroney was elected to the board of directors effective June 21, 2007. Mr. Mulroney is a senior partner for Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP.

Prior to joining Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, Mr. Mulroney was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 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 Cliché Commission of Inquiry in 1974.

Mr. Mulroney is a Senior Advisor of Global Affairs at Barrick Gold Corporation, where he previously served as a member of the board of directors, and is the Chairman of their International Advisory Board. Mr. Mulroney is also Chairman of the board of directors of Quebecor Inc. and a member of the board of directors of Acreage Holdings Inc., and he previously served on the board of directors of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Company and Quebecor World Inc.

William G. Parrett

Retired CEO and Senior Partner, Deloitte (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu)

William G. Parrett is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Parrett was elected to the board of directors effective November 9, 2007. Until May 31, 2007, Mr. Parrett served as the Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Senior Partner of Deloitte (USA). Certain of the member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu or their subsidiaries and affiliates provide professional services to Blackstone or its affiliates. Mr. Parrett co- founded the Global Financial Services Industry practice of Deloitte and served as its first Chairman.

Mr. Parrett is a member of the board of directors of New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, ThoughtWorks, where he is the chair of the audit committee and a member of the nominating and governance Committee, and Oracle Corporation, where he is a member of the nominating and governance committee. Mr. Parrett was also previously a member of the board of directors of Eastman Kodak Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., UBS AG, UBS Americas and Conduent Inc. Mr. Parrett is a past Senior Trustee of the United States Council for International Business and a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of United Way Worldwide. Mr. Parrett is a Certified Public Accountant with an active license.

Ruth Porat

Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet Inc. and Google Inc

Ruth Porat is a member of the board of directors of Blackstone. Ms. Porat was elected to the board of directors effective June 25, 2020. Ms. Porat joined Google as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in May 2015 and has also held the same title at Alphabet since it was created in October 2015. She is responsible for Finance, Business Operations and Real Estate & Workplace Services. Prior to joining Google, Ms. Porat was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley and held roles there that included Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Co-Head of Technology Investment Banking and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group.

Ms. Porat is a member of the Board of Directors of the Stanford Management Company, the Council on Foreign Relations and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She previously spent ten years as a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees.

Ms. Porat holds a BA from Stanford University, an MSc from The London School of Economics and an MBA from the Wharton School.