James Coulter is an American investment manager, and co-founder of private equity

Private equity

Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....

 firm TPG Capital, originally known as the Texas Pacific Group

Texas Pacific Group

TPG Capital is one of the largest private equity investment firms globally, focused on leveraged buyout, growth capital and leveraged recapitalization investments in distressed companies and turnaround situations. TPG also manages investment funds specializing in growth capital, venture capital,...

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Education

Coulter is a graduate of Shawnee High School in Medford, New Jersey. He graduated summa cum laude graduate from Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

, where he was also Alpha Chi Alpha. He subsequently received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...

 in 1986, where he was named an Arjay Miller Scholar.

Career

In 1992, Coulter co-founded the Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

 and San Francisco-based private equity firm along with David Bonderman. The firm is one of the largest globally with approximately $50 billion of assets under management. Prior to co-founding TPG in 1992, Coulter worked together with the other co-founders, for Robert M. Bass

Robert Bass

Robert Muse Bass is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman of Aerion Corporation, an American aerospace firm in Reno, Nevada. Bass is worth approximately $5.5 billion as of 2007, and $4 billion in 2010 on oil and other investments-Life:Bass was born into a wealthy...

. Coulter joined the Robert M. Bass Group from Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb

Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...

.

Coulter has been involved in some of the largest leveraged buyout

Leveraged buyout

A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...

 transactions on record including TPG's marquee transaction, the takeover of Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

 in 1993. He has also been involved with TPG's investments in America West Airlines

America West Airlines

America West Airlines corporate offices were in Tempe, Arizona and the main hub was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The airline became part of the US Airways Group after a merger in 2005....

, Burger King

Burger King

Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...

, Del Monte Foods

Del Monte Foods

Del Monte Foods is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6...

, J. Crew, Ducati Motor Holding

Ducati Motor Holding

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. is a motorcycle manufacturer in Bologna, Italy. It produces motorcycles for both road use and motorcycle racing.- History :...

, Gemplus International

Gemplus International

Acquired by the Texas Pacific Group in 2000, Luxemburg-based Gemplus International SA was a provider of smart cards and related technologies, until its June 2, 2006 merger with rival Axalto; the combined entity is known as Gemalto....

, MEMC

MEMC Electronic Materials

MEMC Electronic Materials is a United States manufacturer of silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry. The company's stock is part of the S&P 500 stock index. Originally established in 1959 as the Monsanto Electronic Materials Company, a business unit of Monsanto Company, the company is...

, ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor , is a semiconductors supplier company. Products include power and signal management, logic, discrete and custom devices for automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, LED lighting, medical, military/aerospace and power applications...

, Oxford Health Plans, Petco

PETCO

PETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. Founded in 1965 and incorporated in Delaware, it is headquartered in San Diego, California...

 and Seagate Technology

Seagate Technology

Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...

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