Thursday, September 12, 2024

Wilbur Ross

Former United States Secretary of Commerce

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Moderator:
John Paulson
Founder
Paulson & Co. Inc.

Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. served as Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration following 55 years of experience in investment banking and private equity. In this capacity, he advised President Donald Trump on commercial and economic affairs, and helped American entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs and economic opportunity.

A native of North Bergen, New Jersey, Ross spent a significant portion of his business career at Rothschild, Inc. Ross negotiated on behalf of creditors in some of the highest- profile bankruptcy proceedings in history, including those involving Pan Am, TWA, the Texaco, and Drexel Burnham Lambert. After founding his own private equity firm in 2000, Ross purchased and restored many companies to profitability, including those in the steel, coal, textile, and banking industries. Over the course of his career, Ross restructured more than $400 billion in assets, earning him a distinguished reputation on Wall Street. In 2011, Bloomberg Markets named him one of the 50 most influential people in global finance.

Secretary Ross’s philanthropic work has included significant support for the Japan Society, the Brookings Institution, the Blenheim Foundation, and numerous entities devoted to the fine arts, including the Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels. He was also an advisory board member of Yale University School of Management.

Secretary Ross is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Hilary Geary Ross, have four children.