Yale School of Management - Timothy C. Collins '82

"I have had a very different career than I would have expected upon my graduation from Yale SOM in 1982. First of all, I have been very lucky; I have been able to work in a variety of industries, countries, and sectors. While I remain somewhat skeptical about the typical business school pedagogy, my experience at Yale SOM was invaluable on many levels. The school was unique in that it demanded a broad view of careers and business. It, unlike many of its contemporary competitors, did not ignore the broader public context that I believe is the framework for business and business decision-making. A narrower start to my career would have inevitably diminished my options and ultimately the satisfaction I have enjoyed thus far. For that, I am very grateful."

Timothy C. Collins founded Ripplewood in 1995 to apply an "industrial partnership" approach to leveraged acquisitions. Previously, Mr. Collins managed Onex Corporation's New York office. Ripplewood has done several of the largest private equity investments ever, including the acquisition of Shinsei, the former Long-Term Credit Bank. Shinsei's IPO and subsequent trading value may make it the most profitable private equity investment so far. Mr. Collins serves as a director and CEO of RHJ International, a listed holding company headquartered in Brussels that recently purchased 100 percent of Kleinwort Benson.

Prior to Onex, Mr. Collins was vice president at Lazard Frères & Co., L.L.C. in New York, and from 1981 to 1984, he worked with the management-consulting firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc., specializing in strategic and operational assignments with major industrial and financial firms. He began his career in finance, marketing, and manufacturing at Cummins Engine Company in 1974.

Mr. Collins has served on public companies as well as a number of Ripplewood's private portfolio companies including Citigroup, Weather Investments S.p.A. and Asbury Automotive. He is involved in several nonprofit and public sector activities, including the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, Yale Divinity School advisory board, is the chairman of the Advisory Board for the Yale School of Management, and is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee to the New York State Common Retirement Fund and the board of overseers for Weill Cornell Medical College. Mr. Collins also serves on the board of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

Mr. Collins has a BA degree in philosophy from DePauw University and a MBA in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management. Mr. Collins received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater in 2004.