Advisors

Members of CD&R’s advisor group work actively with the Firm on sourcing and evaluating new transactions, as well as providing strategic insights related to CD&R portfolio company matters.

Similar to CD&R’s full-time operating partners, our advisors have held senior leadership positions in major global corporations across a range of industries.

  • William J. Conaty


    Mr. Conaty spent his entire 40 year career with the General Electric Company, where he served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources from 1993 until 2007. In this capacity, he was responsible for all human resources activities for GE’s 330,000 employees worldwide. He is the co-author of The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, which was published in 2010. He serves as a Trustee of Sacred Heart University and is on the Advisory Board of Cornell University’s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies. He has chaired the National Academy of Human Resources and the Human Resource Policy Association since 2001.


  • James B. Hawkes


    Mr. Hawkes is Chairman emeritus of Eaton Vance, one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States. Since joining Eaton Vance in 1970 as an equity research analyst, Mr. Hawkes has served in numerous senior leadership roles, including Chairman emeritus (since 2007), President and Chief Executive Officer (1996-2007) and Chief Investment Officer. During his 11 year tenure as CEO, he diversified the product offering and distribution of the Firm and oversaw 22.5% annual growth in AUM and 32% annualized growth in the stock price.


  • Philip W. Knisely


    Mr. Knisely has served for over 20 years as a senior executive in the diversified industrials category. He is currently Chairman of Atkore International, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of electrical and metal products. Mr. Knisely spent a decade as Executive Vice President and Corporate Officer of Danaher Corporation, where he was responsible for businesses totaling more than $4 billion in sales. Prior to Danaher, Mr. Knisely co-founded Colfax Corporation, a designer, manufacturer, and distributer of fluid handling products, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Knisely was President and Chief Executive Officer of AMF Industries, a privately held diversified manufacturer, and spent ten years at Emerson Electric. He serves on the board of trustees of the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia, where he received his M.B.A. Mr. Knisely was also a GM Fellowship Scholar at General Motors Institute, where he earned a B.S. in industrial engineering.


  • Richard L. Olver


    Mr. Olver was appointed Chairman of BAE Systems, the leading global defense and aerospace company, in 2004. Prior to that he had a 30 year career at BP culminating in his appointment as Deputy Group Chief Executive in 2003. Mr. Olver is an advisor to HSBC, a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, a UK Business Ambassador, a member of the Trilateral Commission and a member of the GLF Global Leadership Foundation. Mr. Olver is a chartered engineer with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering and is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He holds honorary doctorates in science from both City University, London and Cranfield University, Bedfordshire.


  • Huw Phillips


    Mr. Phillips joined the Firm in 2004. Serving as a partner based in London, he played a key role in CD&R’s acquisitions of Rexel and Exova. Prior to CD&R, he was a principal at Texas Pacific Group in Europe and at the European buyout firm Doughty Hanson. He was previously an investment manager at Claridge, Inc., a holding company managing assets for the Bronfman family, where he helped manage a health-services company, a restaurant group, a chain of gas stations and a magazine-publishing group. Mr. Phillips also worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., Inc. in the U.K. He is a graduate of St. Peter’s College, Oxford University.


  • Sir Nigel Rudd


    Sir Nigel is Chairman of Pendragon plc and BAA, deputy Chairman of Barclays PLC and a non-executive director of BAE Systems plc and Sappi SpA. Previously, he was non-executive Chairman of Pilkington plc from 1994 to 2006 and Alliance Boots plc from 1999 to 2007. Sir Nigel founded Williams PLC in 1982 and the company went on to become one of the largest industrial holding companies in the United Kingdom until its demerger in 2000, creating Chubb plc and Kidde plc. Sir Nigel is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and was knighted by the Queen for services to the manufacturing industry in 1996. He holds honorary degrees at both Loughborough and Derby Universities.


  • William S. Stavropoulos


    In a career spanning 39 years at The Dow Chemical Company, Mr. Stavropoulos served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in addition to holding a variety of positions in research, marketing, and general management. He is currently Chairman emeritus of the Board of Directors. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1993-1995; President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995-2000; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2002-2004; and Chairman from 2000-2006. Mr. Stavropoulos was a member of the Dow Board of Directors from July 1990 to March 2006. He is a Director of Teradata Corporation, Chemical Financial Corporation, Maersk Inc., and Tyco International, Inc.. He is a trustee to the Fidelity Group of Funds. Mr. Stavropoulos holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and a doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Washington.


  • Ronald A. Williams


    Mr. Williams served as both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Inc. from 2006 to 2010, and as Chairman from November 2010 to April 2011. Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Williams was Group President of the Large Group Division at WellPoint Health Networks Inc. and President of the company’s Blue Cross of California subsidiary. Mr. Williams joined Blue Cross of California in 1987 and accepted a series of increasingly prominent roles. Previously, Mr. Williams was co-founder and Senior Vice President at Vista Health Corp., group marketing executive at Control Data Corp., and President and co-founder of Integrative Systems. Mr. Williams is a member of President Obama’s Management Advisory Board, assembled to help bring the best of business practices to the management and operation of the federal government. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Boeing Company, Johnson & Johnson and American Express Company, as well as the Boards of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Save the Children. Mr. Williams is a graduate of Roosevelt University and holds an M.S. in Management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



Advisors

Members of CD&R’s advisor group work actively with the Firm on sourcing and evaluating new transactions, as well as providing strategic insights related to CD&R portfolio company matters.

Similar to CD&R’s full-time operating partners, our advisors have held senior leadership positions in major global corporations across a range of industries.

  • William J. Conaty


    Mr. Conaty spent his entire 40 year career with the General Electric Company, where he served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources from 1993 until 2007. In this capacity, he was responsible for all human resources activities for GE’s 330,000 employees worldwide. He is the co-author of The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, which was published in 2010. He serves as a Trustee of Sacred Heart University and is on the Advisory Board of Cornell University’s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies. He has chaired the National Academy of Human Resources and the Human Resource Policy Association since 2001.


  • James B. Hawkes


    Mr. Hawkes is Chairman emeritus of Eaton Vance, one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States. Since joining Eaton Vance in 1970 as an equity research analyst, Mr. Hawkes has served in numerous senior leadership roles, including Chairman emeritus (since 2007), President and Chief Executive Officer (1996-2007) and Chief Investment Officer. During his 11 year tenure as CEO, he diversified the product offering and distribution of the Firm and oversaw 22.5% annual growth in AUM and 32% annualized growth in the stock price.


  • Philip W. Knisely


    Mr. Knisely has served for over 20 years as a senior executive in the diversified industrials category. He is currently Chairman of Atkore International, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of electrical and metal products. Mr. Knisely spent a decade as Executive Vice President and Corporate Officer of Danaher Corporation, where he was responsible for businesses totaling more than $4 billion in sales. Prior to Danaher, Mr. Knisely co-founded Colfax Corporation, a designer, manufacturer, and distributer of fluid handling products, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Knisely was President and Chief Executive Officer of AMF Industries, a privately held diversified manufacturer, and spent ten years at Emerson Electric. He serves on the board of trustees of the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia, where he received his M.B.A. Mr. Knisely was also a GM Fellowship Scholar at General Motors Institute, where he earned a B.S. in industrial engineering.


  • Richard L. Olver


    Mr. Olver was appointed Chairman of BAE Systems, the leading global defense and aerospace company, in 2004. Prior to that he had a 30 year career at BP culminating in his appointment as Deputy Group Chief Executive in 2003. Mr. Olver is an advisor to HSBC, a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, a UK Business Ambassador, a member of the Trilateral Commission and a member of the GLF Global Leadership Foundation. Mr. Olver is a chartered engineer with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering and is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He holds honorary doctorates in science from both City University, London and Cranfield University, Bedfordshire.


  • Huw Phillips


    Mr. Phillips joined the Firm in 2004. Serving as a partner based in London, he played a key role in CD&R’s acquisitions of Rexel and Exova. Prior to CD&R, he was a principal at Texas Pacific Group in Europe and at the European buyout firm Doughty Hanson. He was previously an investment manager at Claridge, Inc., a holding company managing assets for the Bronfman family, where he helped manage a health-services company, a restaurant group, a chain of gas stations and a magazine-publishing group. Mr. Phillips also worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., Inc. in the U.K. He is a graduate of St. Peter’s College, Oxford University.


  • Sir Nigel Rudd


    Sir Nigel is Chairman of Pendragon plc and BAA, deputy Chairman of Barclays PLC and a non-executive director of BAE Systems plc and Sappi SpA. Previously, he was non-executive Chairman of Pilkington plc from 1994 to 2006 and Alliance Boots plc from 1999 to 2007. Sir Nigel founded Williams PLC in 1982 and the company went on to become one of the largest industrial holding companies in the United Kingdom until its demerger in 2000, creating Chubb plc and Kidde plc. Sir Nigel is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and was knighted by the Queen for services to the manufacturing industry in 1996. He holds honorary degrees at both Loughborough and Derby Universities.


  • William S. Stavropoulos


    In a career spanning 39 years at The Dow Chemical Company, Mr. Stavropoulos served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in addition to holding a variety of positions in research, marketing, and general management. He is currently Chairman emeritus of the Board of Directors. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1993-1995; President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995-2000; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2002-2004; and Chairman from 2000-2006. Mr. Stavropoulos was a member of the Dow Board of Directors from July 1990 to March 2006. He is a Director of Teradata Corporation, Chemical Financial Corporation, Maersk Inc., and Tyco International, Inc.. He is a trustee to the Fidelity Group of Funds. Mr. Stavropoulos holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and a doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Washington.


  • Ronald A. Williams


    Mr. Williams served as both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Inc. from 2006 to 2010, and as Chairman from November 2010 to April 2011. Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Williams was Group President of the Large Group Division at WellPoint Health Networks Inc. and President of the company’s Blue Cross of California subsidiary. Mr. Williams joined Blue Cross of California in 1987 and accepted a series of increasingly prominent roles. Previously, Mr. Williams was co-founder and Senior Vice President at Vista Health Corp., group marketing executive at Control Data Corp., and President and co-founder of Integrative Systems. Mr. Williams is a member of President Obama’s Management Advisory Board, assembled to help bring the best of business practices to the management and operation of the federal government. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Boeing Company, Johnson & Johnson and American Express Company, as well as the Boards of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Save the Children. Mr. Williams is a graduate of Roosevelt University and holds an M.S. in Management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.