Walter Butler is a French/American businessman. He is the founder of Butler Capital Partners, an investment and private equity firm.

Early life and education

Walter Butler was born in Brazil to a Brazilian mother and an American father. He moved from Brazil to France when he was a child following his parents' divorce. Butler attended Instituts d'études politiques de Bordeaux where he received a

Master of Law A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree. He later attended ÉNA, an elite school for high-level civil servants, where he received a degree in 1980. He is a United States citizen.

Career

After completing studies at the ÉNA, Walter Butler served from 1983 to 1986 as an Inspector of Finances at the French Ministry of Finances. From 1986 to 1988, he was an advisor to the Minister of Culture and Communication

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. In this position, he played a key role in the privatization of French television channel TF1, working alongside

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. In 1988, he joined investment bank Goldman Sachs in New York. From 1988 to 1990, he was executive director of Goldman Sachs in New York City, then London. He has stated that his experience with the firm was where much of his business knowledge was formed. In 1991, he founded Butler Capital Partners, an investment fund and venture capital business. Through Butler Capital Partners, Butler is known for his involvement with companies including Flo, Sernam, Ipsos, BDDP, PSG and Virgin. Butler is also known for his role in the privatization of ferry company National Corsican-Mediterranean Co., SNCM, in 2006. In 2008, Butler became a stakeholder in

Virgin Megastores Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street. In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenha ...

when Butler Capital Partners purchased a majority stake in

Virgin Group Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding co ...

from

Lagardère Lagardère may refer to: * Lagardère Group, a French media group * Jean-Luc Lagardère (1928–2003), French engineer and businessman and CEO of the Lagardère Group * Arnaud Lagardère Arnaud Lagardère (; born 18 March 1961) is a French busine ...

. In 2015, Butler led the acquisition of Isodev, an SME loan platform that had been liquidated earlier that year. In 2018, Butler became the largest shareholder of Noerden, a Shanghai-based startup that manufactures smart watches and other devices.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Walter French businesspeople Sciences Po alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Private equity and venture capital investors