Kewsong Lee
Kewsong Lee is best known as the former CEO of The Carlyle Group, one of the largest and most successful investment firms in the world. Lee is a visionary leader with over 30 years of leadership and strategic expertise in various high-profile global organizations. Prior to joining Carlyle, he spent 21 years at Warburg Pincus most recently as Partner and Managing Director, where he led numerous transactions, including the fund's investment in The Neiman Marcus Group. He was a member of Warburg Pincus' Executive Management Group and also led the firm's consumer, industrial and services group. Today, Lee is the Founder and CEO of BellTower Partners, a private holding company that accesses and invests permanent capital in private companies. Recently, he was appointed as Chairman of the Ascot Board of Directors.
Kewsong Lee Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Chief Executive Officer
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Partner and Managing Director
Academic History
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M.B.A., Finance
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A.B., Applied Mathematics in Economics
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Chairman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce China Center Advisory Board
Vice Chair, Partnership for New York City
Board Member, FCLT Global
Chairman, Ascot Board of Directors
Lee joined The Carlyle Group in 2013 as Deputy Chief Investment Officer for corporate private equity.
In 2016, he assumed the additional role of leading the firm's Global Credit segment.
He also served as the Chairman of Carlyle's Executive Group and was a Member of the Board of Directors.
He also spearheaded the firm's successful strategy to acquire and expand Fortitude Re.
EARLY CAREER
Lee has extensive public and private corporate board experience, having served as a director of companies such as TransDigm, Neiman Marcus and Aramark.
He drove significant investments such as RenaissanceRe Holdings and Arch Capital, on whose boards he served.
He was a Consultant at McKinsey & Company.
MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS
Lee has been featured or quoted in various financial media outlets and publications, including Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Reuters, The New York Times, Fortune, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Institutional Investor, Yahoo! Finance, and more.