Jon Gray
Jon Gray is the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Blackstone Group, one of the world's leading investment firms. Under his leadership, Blackstone’s assets under management have more than doubled to over $1.1 trillion, as the firm has greatly expanded the breadth of clients it serves, including insurance companies and individual investors. He also previously led Blackstone’s Real Estate business, which he helped build into the largest commercial real estate platform in the world. Gray is also the Chairman of Hilton Worldwide, a leading global hospitality company. He orchestrated the $26 billion buyout of Hilton hotels in 2007 then took it public again in 2013; the IPO was then the biggest ever for a hotel firm. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Gray is an active philanthropist.
Jon Gray Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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President and Chief Operating Officer
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Chairman of the Board
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Global Head of Real Estate
Academic History
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B.S., Economics and B.A., English
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Chairman of the Board, Hilton Worldwide
Co-Founder, Gray Foundation
Board Member, XRG
Board Member, Harlem Village Academies
Gray joined Blackstone in 1992 as an Asset Manager in M&A and later rose to head the firm's acclaimed real estate group.
Under his leadership, Blackstone's real estate division became one of its most valuable branches, managing over $366 billion.
He was named the firm's COO and President in 2018, overseeing Blackstone's operations globally and sitting on the firm’s Management Committee and nearly all of its investment committees.
He is considered a potential successor to Co-Founder and CEO Steve Schwarzman.
MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS
Gray has been featured and profiled in numerous financial media outlets and publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, and Fortune.
He has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Business Insider, Financial Times, The New York Times, MarketWatch, and Institutional Investor.
PHILANTHROPY
Gray and his wife, Mindy, established the Basser Center for BRCA at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 2012 focused on the prevention and treatment of BRCA-related cancers.
They have also established numerous programs for low-income children in New York, including creating NYC Kids RISE, a college savings initiative provided to every NYC public school kindergartner.
The Grays have been named to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the largest donors in the U.S.