James Michael Chu (born 1958) is an American private equity manager who has served as the global co-

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

(CEO) of

L Catterton L Catterton is a U.S.-headquartered private equity firm. Since 1989, the firm has made more than 250 investments in brands across all segments of the consumer industry. L Catterton is led by its co-Chief Executive Officers, J. Michael Chu and S ...

since 1989.

Early life and education

Chu graduated from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

in 1980 with a B.A. in psychology and economics, where he was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2013.

Career

Chu held a variety of senior financial management positions with The First Pacific Company, a Hong Kong publicly listed investment and management company which he joined in early 1983. He founded Catterton-Simon Partners in 1982 with Frank Vest and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

William E. Simon William Edward Simon (November 27, 1927 – June 3, 2000) was an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury. He became the Secretary of the Treasury on May 9, 1974, during the Nixon admi ...

. In 2015,

Catterton Partners L Catterton is a U.S.-headquartered private equity firm. Since 1989, the firm has made more than 250 investments in brands across all segments of the consumer industry. L Catterton is led by its co-Chief Executive Officers, J. Michael Chu and S ...

took on as minor partners Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and Groupe Arnault (the family office of

Bernard Arnault Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world's largest luxury ...

, bringing together $12 billion in assets as

. In May 2018, his firm was listed as the 31st largest

private equity firm A private equity firm is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of startup or operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leve ...

in the world, based on capital raised over the prior five years. In June 2022, L Catterton were ranked 30th in

Private Equity International ''Private Equity International'' (PEI) is a global insight, analysis and data provider for the private equity industry, with a core focus on the relationship between investors and fund managers: the LP-GP nexus. Launched in December 2001, the tit ...

's 2022 PEI 300 ranking."PEI 300"
''Private Equity International'', June 1, 2022.

Personal life

Chu is married to Elizabeth Kalperis Chu and they have two grown children.

References

American investors American money managers Bates College alumni Living people Private equity and venture capital investors 1958 births {{US-private-equity-bio-stub

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

Honors

References