NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced the appointment of Len Laufer, a pioneer in data science and long-time executive across the financial services industry, as a senior advisor. He will advise across Blackstone’s businesses, with a focus on Blackstone Growth (BXG), the firm’s growth equity investing platform.
Mr. Laufer brings a rare combination of experience as both a successful entrepreneur and Fortune 100 leader across industries. In 1997, he founded Argus Information and Advisory Services and grew the company over the next 15 years into a leading provider of information and analytical solutions to the payments industry. After selling the business in 2012, Mr. Laufer went on to lead JPMorgan Chase’s machine learning and data science efforts as Head of Intelligent Solutions. Most recently, he served as CEO of Cerberus Technology Solutions, the operating subsidiary of Cerberus Capital Management, which focused on the use of technology, data and artificial intelligence in investment activities and at the firm’s portfolio companies. Mr. Laufer also served as Co-Chairman of the Board for Alberstons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, until 2021.
Vini Letteri, Senior Managing Director and Head of Financial Services for Blackstone Growth, said: “Len’s breadth of experience and first-hand understanding of the challenges of scaling a business will be invaluable to our portfolio companies and their founders. All companies, regardless of their industry, are looking to better use technology to improve their business and protect against disruption. Len’s knowledge will be a real benefit as they face these challenges.”
Len Laufer added: “I applaud Blackstone’s emphasis on the importance of data and technology as both an investing theme and as an operational imperative for the companies across its portfolio. I look forward to working with the BXG team and others across the firm in these efforts.”
Mr. Laufer graduated cum laude with honors from Harvard College with an AB in Social Studies, and earned an MBA from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $915 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
