Byron Trott

Last updated
Byron Trott
Born (1958-12-02) December 2, 1958 (age 66)
Springfield, Missouri, United States
Alma mater University of Chicago (AB, MBA)
TitleChairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners
SpouseTina Trott

Byron David Trott (born December 2, 1958) is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank that provides advice and capital to family and founder-led companies. Formerly, Trott was vice chairman of Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.

Contents

Early life and education

Raised in Union, Missouri, Trott received an AB from the University of Chicago in 1981, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1982. [1] As an undergraduate, he played on the varsity baseball and football teams, and joined the Chi Upsilon chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. [2] Trott was the 1981 recipient of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal, an award presented to the senior male student-athlete at the University of Chicago with the best overall record for academics, athletics and character. [3]

Professional career

In 1982, Trott joined Goldman Sachs as a stockbroker, joining Goldman's investment banking division in 1988 and working under future U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. [4] He eventually rose to become vice chairman of investment banking at Goldman Sachs. [4] He advised many of the wealthiest families and closely held companies in deals ranging from the $23 billion Mars-Wrigley combination, the Pritzkers’ $4.5 billion sale of Marmon Holdings to Berkshire Hathaway, and the $5 billion capital infusion from Berkshire Hathaway into Goldman Sachs in September 2008 during the financial crisis. [5]

Trott left Goldman Sachs in early 2009 to open his own firm, [6] Chicago-based merchant bank BDT & Company. [7] BDT & Co.’s affiliate, BDT Capital Partners, managed more than $33 billion across its investment funds from its global limited partner investor base. [8]

In 2023, BDT & Company merged with MSD Partners, run by Gregg Lemkau. Trott and Lemkau had previously worked together at Goldman Sachs. Together, they formed BDT & MSD Partners, an investment and advisory firm. Trott and Lemkau serve as co-CEOs of BDT & MSD. [9] [8]

Trott is a director of Cox Enterprises, [10] Enterprise Holdings, Inc., [11] IMA Group and Sunrise Group Holdings, LLC (“Whataburger”). [12]

Personal life

Trott is a trustee of the University of Chicago, founded the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program and helped to launch the Trott Business Program, which provides undergraduate UChicago students with practical work experience and mentoring. [13] Trott is a director of Conservation International, and in 2011 was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and is now president of the Association. [14]

In 2018, Brian and Tina Trott founded the rootEd Alliance, which places college and career counselors in high schools in rural America. [15] They signed The Giving Pledge in 2021. [16]

In 2023, Trott donated $20 million to start the STARS College Network, which assists students from small-town communities in enrolling in and graduating from college. The following year, he pledged $150 million to help students from rural areas attend university. [17] [18]

References

  1. ↑ Foley, Stephen (2009-04-01). "Trott on the march: is he Buffett's chosen successor?". The Independent. London.
  2. ↑ "Tina and Byron Trott House | The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact". campaign.uchicago.edu. Retrieved September 22, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal Winners". The University of Chicago Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "When This Banker Talks, Even Buffett Listens". The New York Times. 2008-10-07.
  5. ↑ Berman, Dennis K. (2011-05-16). "The Midwest Medicis' Favorite Financier". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ Moore, Heidi (30 March 2009). "Byron Trott to Leave Goldman Sachs. Warren Buffett Signs On". Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ Rapier, Graham (October 20, 2022). "Meet the billionaire businessman behind Michael Dell's new investment and advisory firm, also known as Warren Buffett's favorite banker". Business Insider.
  8. 1 2 Gottfried, Miriam (October 20, 2022). "BDT to Merge With MSD Partners, Form New Investment and Advisory Firm". Wall Street Journal.
  9. ↑ Cuccinello, Hayley. "How Gregg Lemkau went from Goldman CEO contender to building a hybrid investment bank catering to billionaires". Business Insider.
  10. ↑ Kapos, Shia (April 21, 2015). "Byron Trott joins Cox Enterprises board". Crain's Chicago Business.
  11. ↑ Durot, Matt (May 22, 2024). "Why Enterprise Is One Of The World's Best Private Companies". Forbes.
  12. ↑ "Byron David Trott". Bloomberg.
  13. ↑ Sarah Manhardt (November 15, 2016). "$10 million gift supports newly named Trott Business Program". UChicagoNews.
  14. ↑ "Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans". Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  15. ↑ Block, Sandra (May 20, 2025). "Byron Trott and Tina Trott". Time.
  16. ↑ "Three couples sign on to Giving Pledge". Candid. February 23, 2021.
  17. ↑ Trott Gives Top Colleges $150 Million for Rural Recruitment Bloomberg
  18. ↑ Mento, Maria Di (2024-07-29). "Banker to the Ultra Wealthy Pledges $150 Million to Aid Students from Rural and Small Towns". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved 2025-09-14.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Byron Trott at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.