David Bonderman
David Bonderman, fondly known as Bondo, was the Founder of private equity giant TPG and Co-Owner of the NHL team Seattle Kraken. Bonderman was a private equity pioneer, legal scholar, tech investor, and philanthropist known as one of the world's most influential entrepreneurs. Through his years at TPG, his innovative thinking landed him at the center of several large industry transformations – from restructuring the airline and banking industries, to getting in front of massive investing waves in technology and healthcare. He also shaped industries and transformed businesses through his investments and seats on the boards of more than 80 global companies. Prior to forming TPG, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Robert M. Bass Group, where he quickly earned a reputation for taking on groundbreaking deals and often difficult turnarounds. Bonderman passed away in December 2021 at the age of 82.
David Bonderman Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Chairman and Founding Partner
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Fellow in Foreign and Comparative Law
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Assistant Professor
Academic History
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J.D., Member of Harvard Law Review and Sheldon Fellow
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B.A., Russian Studies
Bondo met his longtime business partner Jim Coulter while working for billionaire Robert Bass. The pair left in 1992 to found TPG.
The $66 million investment in Continental ended up turning a 10x profit and became indicative of TPG’s differentiated approach to investing.
He played a leading role in many of TPG's turnaround investments, including Ducati Motor Holdings, Armstrong World Industries, Inc., Burger King Holdings, and Seagate Technology.
He was credited with transforming the company from a three-person investing office to a publicly-traded force with a market value of $24.3 billion.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Bondo successfully represented Raymond Dirks before the U.S. Supreme Court in one of the most important insider trading cases in history, Dirks v. Securities and Exchange Commission.
He was a valued leader broadly in the business world, serving on more than 80 diverse corporate boards.
Some of his notable involvements included Continental to Ryanair, from General Motors (at the request of the U.S. Government) to Ducati, from Kite Pharmaceutical to Oxford Health, from MGM to Univision, and from Korea First Bank to Fairmont Raffles.
EARLY CAREER
Bondo was briefly an Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Law before moving to Washington, D.C.
He served as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson.
During that time, he successfully litigated many cases involving racial discrimination in the South.
He later joined Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in antitrust, securities law, corporate law, bankruptcy, and historic preservation.
NOTABLE RECOGNITIONS
Golden Plate Award
2016 Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship
PHILANTHROPY
He was a member of the boards of The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, American Himalayan Foundation, and the Grand Canyon Trust.
His commitment to these causes was not only financial but also personal, and he frequently took the time to personally engage with the organizations he supported.
He was also passionate about music and sports. He was a member of the Board of Directors and a strong financial supporter of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.