Stephen A. Schwarzman

Chairman and CEO

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms with $1.1 trillion Assets Under Management (as of December 31, 2024). Mr. Schwarzman has been involved in all phases of Blackstone’s development since its founding in 1985. The firm has established leading investing businesses across asset classes, including private equity, where it is a global leader in traditional buyout, growth equity, special situations and secondary investing; real estate, where it is currently the largest owner of commercial property in the world; hedge fund solutions, where it is the world’s largest discretionary hedge fund investor; and credit, where it is a global leader and major provider of credit for small, middle-market and other companies. Blackstone also has major businesses dedicated to infrastructure and life sciences investing, as well as delivering the firm’s investment management expertise and products to insurance companies.

Mr. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education, as well as culture and the arts, among other things. In 2020, he signed The Giving Pledge, committing to give the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. In both business and philanthropy, Mr. Schwarzman has dedicated himself to tackling big problems with transformative solutions. In June 2019, he donated £150 million to the University of Oxford to help redefine the study of the humanities for the 21st century. His gift – the largest single donation to Oxford since the renaissance – will create a new Centre for the Humanities which unites all humanities faculties under one roof for the first time in Oxford’s history, and will offer new performing arts and exhibition venues as well as a new Institute for Ethics in AI. In October 2018, he announced a foundational $350 million gift to establish the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, an interdisciplinary hub which will reorient MIT to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence, including critical ethical and policy considerations to ensure that the technologies are employed for the common good. In 2015, Mr. Schwarzman donated $150 million to Yale University to establish the Schwarzman Center, a first-of-its-kind campus center in Yale’s historic “Commons” building, and also gave a founding gift of $40 million to the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance to underprivileged children attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York. In 2013, he founded an international scholarship program, “Schwarzman Scholars,” at Tsinghua University in Beijing to educate future leaders about China. At over $575 million, the program is modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship and is the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history coming largely from international donors. Mr. Schwarzman is Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Schwarzman Scholars. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman donated $100 million to the New York Public Library on whose board he serves.

In 2019, Schwarzman published his first book What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, a New York Times Best Seller which draws from his experiences in business, philanthropy and public service.

Mr. Schwarzman is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, The Business Roundtable, and The International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is a former co-chair of the Partnership for New York City and serves on the boards of The Asia Society and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, as well as on The Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is a Trustee of The Frick Collection in New York City and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman was included in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” In 2016, he topped Forbes Magazine’s list of the most influential people in finance and in 2018 was ranked in the Top 50 on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Powerful People.” The Republic of France has awarded Mr. Schwarzman both the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre des Arts et des Letters at the Commandeur level. Mr. Schwarzman is one of the only Americans to receive both awards recognizing significant contributions to France. He was also awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest honor for foreigners, for his work on behalf of the U.S. in support of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2018. Also, at the University of Oxford, Mr. Schwarzman was elected a Wykeham Fellow at New College in 2021 and a Waynflete Fellow at Magdalen College in 2023.

Mr. Schwarzman holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management and on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors.

Follow Mr. Schwarzman on LinkedIn.

Jonathan Gray

President & COO

Jonathan (“Jon”) Gray is President & Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone and is a member of the Board of Directors. He sits on the firm’s Management Committee and nearly all of its investment committees.

Mr. Gray was appointed to his current role in 2018. Since that time, 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 has also emphasized a thematic approach to investing across Blackstone’s businesses to drive performance.

Mr. Gray previously led Blackstone’s Real Estate business, which he helped build into the largest commercial real estate platform in the world. He joined Blackstone in 1992 in the M&A and Private Equity areas.

Mr. Gray has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hilton Worldwide since 2007, and is also on the board of XRG.

He 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.

Mr. Gray received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, as well as a BA in English from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

Follow him on LinkedIn.

Lionel Assant

Global Co-Chief Investment Officer, European Head of Private Equity

Lionel Assant is the Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone. As Co-CIO, he works in conjunction with business unit CIOs and Group Heads to provide additional firm-level investment oversight across Blackstone’s Private Equity (PE) complex, including Corporate PE, Infrastructure, Tactical Opportunities, Growth, and Life Sciences. Mr. Assant also serves as Blackstone’s European Head of Private Equity. He joined Blackstone in 2003 and has run the European PE business since 2012. Mr. Assant currently serves as a Director of Clarion Events, CIRSA, BME (formerly CRH Building Materials Distribution), Bourne Leisure, VFS and Adevinta. He previously served on the boards of Gerresheimer, Klockner Pentaplast, Mivisa, United Biscuits, Alliance Automotive Group, Tangerine, Intertrust, Armacell, Cerdia, Schenck Process and the National Exhibition Centre. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Assant was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the Mergers & Acquisitions, Asset Management and Private Equity divisions. Mr. Assant graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique with a Master’s in Economics. He is also involved with Impetus, a charitable foundation which provides resources to improve the lives of children and young people living in poverty.

Sean Klimczak*

Global Head of Infrastructure

Sean Klimczak has served as the Chairperson of BXINFRA and a member of the Board of Directors since September 2024. He is also a member of BXINFRA’s Investment Committee, the Global Head of Infrastructure and a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including, Applegreen, Autostrade per I’Italia (ASPI), Carrix, Cheniere Energy Partners, FirstEnergy, Hotwire Communications, Invenergy Renewables, Mundys, Phoenix Tower International, QTS Realty Trust, Signature Aviation, Tallgrass Energy, Sithe Global, Fisterra, Custom Truck One Source, Meerwind, GridLiance, and Transmission Developers. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division. Mr. Klimczak serves as a director of FirstEnergy and The Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He also serves as a member of the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, the Board of Trustees of Saint David’s School and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Advisory Council. Mr. Klimczak was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2015. Mr. Klimczak received a B.B.A. in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an M.B.A. with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar.

Verdun Perry

Global Head of Strategic Partners

Verdun S. Perry is the Global Head of Blackstone Strategic Partners (“Strategic Partners”), having joined the business in 2000, the year it was founded. Mr. Perry chairs the Investment Committee for each of the Strategic Partners funds and is currently an advisory board member of multiple third-party funds. Prior to joining Strategic Partners, Mr. Perry worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), as an Associate in the Investment Banking Division. Prior to joining DLJ, he worked in the strategic acquisitions group at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co. as a Financial Analyst. In 2013, Mr. Perry joined the board of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which is an organization focused on narrowing the opportunity gap for minority high school and college students, as well as increasing diversity in the financial services industry. Mr. Perry founded Blackstone’s Diverse Professionals Network (“DPN”) in 2014 and chaired the network for its first 6 years. Mr. Perry serves on the boards of Morehouse College and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Mr. Perry was a member of the David Rockefeller Fellows Class of 2016. In 2021, Mr. Perry was selected as a Fellow of the fifth class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Mr. Perry received a B.A. magna cum laude in Business Administration from Morehouse College in 1994, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2000, where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow.

Gilles Dellaert

Global Head of Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI)

Gilles Dellaert is the Global Head of Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI).

Prior to his current role, Mr. Dellaert served as the Global Head of Blackstone Insurance Solutions where he was involved in the new partnerships with Corebridge, Everlake and Resolution Life. Before joining Blackstone in April 2020, Mr. Dellaert served as Co-President and Chief Investment Officer of Global Atlantic Financial Group. He previously worked at Goldman Sachs in its Reinsurance Group which became Global Atlantic upon its separation in 2013. Prior to that he was with Goldman Sachs in its Credit Trading business and with JP Morgan.

Mr. Dellaert holds a bachelor’s degree from Ghent University in Belgium.

Stephen A. Schwarzman

Chairman and CEO

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms with $1.1 trillion Assets Under Management (as of December 31, 2024). Mr. Schwarzman has been involved in all phases of Blackstone’s development since its founding in 1985. The firm has established leading investing businesses across asset classes, including private equity, where it is a global leader in traditional buyout, growth equity, special situations and secondary investing; real estate, where it is currently the largest owner of commercial property in the world; hedge fund solutions, where it is the world’s largest discretionary hedge fund investor; and credit, where it is a global leader and major provider of credit for small, middle-market and other companies. Blackstone also has major businesses dedicated to infrastructure and life sciences investing, as well as delivering the firm’s investment management expertise and products to insurance companies.

Mr. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education, as well as culture and the arts, among other things. In 2020, he signed The Giving Pledge, committing to give the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. In both business and philanthropy, Mr. Schwarzman has dedicated himself to tackling big problems with transformative solutions. In June 2019, he donated £150 million to the University of Oxford to help redefine the study of the humanities for the 21st century. His gift – the largest single donation to Oxford since the renaissance – will create a new Centre for the Humanities which unites all humanities faculties under one roof for the first time in Oxford’s history, and will offer new performing arts and exhibition venues as well as a new Institute for Ethics in AI. In October 2018, he announced a foundational $350 million gift to establish the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, an interdisciplinary hub which will reorient MIT to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence, including critical ethical and policy considerations to ensure that the technologies are employed for the common good. In 2015, Mr. Schwarzman donated $150 million to Yale University to establish the Schwarzman Center, a first-of-its-kind campus center in Yale’s historic “Commons” building, and also gave a founding gift of $40 million to the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance to underprivileged children attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York. In 2013, he founded an international scholarship program, “Schwarzman Scholars,” at Tsinghua University in Beijing to educate future leaders about China. At over $575 million, the program is modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship and is the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history coming largely from international donors. Mr. Schwarzman is Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Schwarzman Scholars. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman donated $100 million to the New York Public Library on whose board he serves.

In 2019, Schwarzman published his first book What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, a New York Times Best Seller which draws from his experiences in business, philanthropy and public service.

Mr. Schwarzman is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, The Business Roundtable, and The International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is a former co-chair of the Partnership for New York City and serves on the boards of The Asia Society and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, as well as on The Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is a Trustee of The Frick Collection in New York City and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2007, Mr. Schwarzman was included in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” In 2016, he topped Forbes Magazine’s list of the most influential people in finance and in 2018 was ranked in the Top 50 on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Powerful People.” The Republic of France has awarded Mr. Schwarzman both the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre des Arts et des Letters at the Commandeur level. Mr. Schwarzman is one of the only Americans to receive both awards recognizing significant contributions to France. He was also awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest honor for foreigners, for his work on behalf of the U.S. in support of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2018. Also, at the University of Oxford, Mr. Schwarzman was elected a Wykeham Fellow at New College in 2021 and a Waynflete Fellow at Magdalen College in 2023.

Mr. Schwarzman holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management and on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors.

Follow Mr. Schwarzman on LinkedIn.

Jonathan Gray

President & COO

Jonathan (“Jon”) Gray is President & Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone and is a member of the Board of Directors. He sits on the firm’s Management Committee and nearly all of its investment committees.

Mr. Gray was appointed to his current role in 2018. Since that time, 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 has also emphasized a thematic approach to investing across Blackstone’s businesses to drive performance.

Mr. Gray previously led Blackstone’s Real Estate business, which he helped build into the largest commercial real estate platform in the world. He joined Blackstone in 1992 in the M&A and Private Equity areas.

Mr. Gray has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hilton Worldwide since 2007, and is also on the board of XRG.

He 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.

Mr. Gray received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, as well as a BA in English from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

Follow him on LinkedIn.

Lionel Assant

Global Co-Chief Investment Officer, European Head of Private Equity

Lionel Assant is the Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone. As Co-CIO, he works in conjunction with business unit CIOs and Group Heads to provide additional firm-level investment oversight across Blackstone’s Private Equity (PE) complex, including Corporate PE, Infrastructure, Tactical Opportunities, Growth, and Life Sciences. Mr. Assant also serves as Blackstone’s European Head of Private Equity. He joined Blackstone in 2003 and has run the European PE business since 2012. Mr. Assant currently serves as a Director of Clarion Events, CIRSA, BME (formerly CRH Building Materials Distribution), Bourne Leisure, VFS and Adevinta. He previously served on the boards of Gerresheimer, Klockner Pentaplast, Mivisa, United Biscuits, Alliance Automotive Group, Tangerine, Intertrust, Armacell, Cerdia, Schenck Process and the National Exhibition Centre. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Assant was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the Mergers & Acquisitions, Asset Management and Private Equity divisions. Mr. Assant graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique with a Master’s in Economics. He is also involved with Impetus, a charitable foundation which provides resources to improve the lives of children and young people living in poverty.

Greg Blank*

Chief Executive Officer, BXINFRA

Gregory Blank has served as the Chief Executive Officer of BXINFRA and a member of the Board of Directors since August 2024. He is also a member of the BXINFRA Investment Committee. Mr. Blank is a Senior Managing Director in the Infrastructure Group where he focuses on investments in the Digital Infrastructure sector. Since joining Blackstone, Mr. Blank has worked in both the New York and Hong Kong offices in the Private Equity and Infrastructure groups; and has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including QTS Realty Trust, AirTrunk Signature Aviation, Phoenix Tower International, Hotwire Communications, NCR, Kronos, Paysafe, Blue Yonder, Ipreo, and Optiv. Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Blank was an Associate at Texas Pacific Group (TPG) in San Francisco where he was involved in the evaluation and execution of private equity transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Blank worked in investment banking at Goldman, Sachs & Co. focused on Technology, Media and Telecommunications clients. Mr. Blank serves on the Board of Directors of QTS Realty Trust, AirTrunk Signature Aviation, Phoenix Tower International, Hotwire Communications, and NCR. Mr. Blank received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Blank also earned an M.B.A. with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar.

Sean Klimczak*

Chairperson, BXINFRA and Global Head of Infrastructure

Sean Klimczak has served as the Chairperson of BXINFRA and a member of the Board of Directors since September 2024. He is also a member of BXINFRA’s Investment Committee, the Global Head of Infrastructure and a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including, Applegreen, Autostrade per I’Italia (ASPI), Carrix, Cheniere Energy Partners, FirstEnergy, Hotwire Communications, Invenergy Renewables, Mundys, Phoenix Tower International, QTS Realty Trust, Signature Aviation, Tallgrass Energy, Sithe Global, Fisterra, Custom Truck One Source, Meerwind, GridLiance, and Transmission Developers. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division. Mr. Klimczak serves as a director of FirstEnergy and The Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He also serves as a member of the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, the Board of Trustees of Saint David’s School and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Advisory Council. Mr. Klimczak was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2015. Mr. Klimczak received a B.B.A. in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an M.B.A. with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar.

Vik Sawhney

Chief Administrative Officer and Global Head of Institutional Client Solutions

Vikrant Sawhney is Blackstone’s Chief Administrative Officer and Global Head of Institutional Client Solutions and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Sawhney has served as Blackstone’s Chief Administrative Officer and Global Head of Institutional Client Services since September 2019. Since joining Blackstone in 2007, Mr. Sawhney started Blackstone Capital Markets and also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Private Equity group. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Sawhney worked as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, and prior to that at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Mr. Sawhney currently sits on the Board of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He is also the chair of the board of directors of Dream, an east Harlem-based educational and social services organization, and a Trustee of Quinnipiac University. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Joan Solotar

Global Head of Private Wealth Solutions

Joan Solotar has served as a member of the Board of Directors since September 2024. She is also a member of the BXINFRA Investment Committee. Ms. Solotar is the Global Head of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions business, which brings institutional quality investment products across a broad spectrum of alternative asset classes to high net worth clients and their advisors. She serves on Blackstone’s Management Committee and Operating Committee, as well as on the board of directors of First Eagle Investment Management. Additionally, Ms. Solotar serves as a member of the board of directors of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. and is a member of the Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. investment committee. Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Ms. Solotar was Head of Equity Research at Bank of America Securities and a highly ranked Institutional Investor All Star financial services analyst at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Ms. Solotar is a member of the Board of Trustees of Mount Sinai Health System, Inc, and of the Board of Trustees of East Harlem Tutorial Program and East Harlem Scholars Academies. She wrote a Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Truths for our Daughters,” and co-authored, “Truths from My Daughter.” Ms. Solotar received a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.

Sean Klimczak*

Chairperson

Sean Klimczak has served as the Chairperson of BXINFRA and a member of the Board of Directors since September 2024. He is also a member of BXINFRA’s Investment Committee, the Global Head of Infrastructure and a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including, Applegreen, Autostrade per I’Italia (ASPI), Carrix, Cheniere Energy Partners, FirstEnergy, Hotwire Communications, Invenergy Renewables, Mundys, Phoenix Tower International, QTS Realty Trust, Signature Aviation, Tallgrass Energy, Sithe Global, Fisterra, Custom Truck One Source, Meerwind, GridLiance, and Transmission Developers. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division. Mr. Klimczak serves as a director of FirstEnergy and The Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He also serves as a member of the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, the Board of Trustees of Saint David’s School and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Advisory Council. Mr. Klimczak was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2015. Mr. Klimczak received a B.B.A. in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an M.B.A. with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar.

Greg Blank*

Chief Executive Officer

Gregory Blank has served as the Chief Executive Officer of BXINFRA and a member of the Board of Directors since August 2024. He is also a member of the BXINFRA Investment Committee. Mr. Blank is a Senior Managing Director in the Infrastructure Group where he focuses on investments in the Digital Infrastructure sector. Since joining Blackstone, Mr. Blank has worked in both the New York and Hong Kong offices in the Private Equity and Infrastructure groups; and has been involved in the execution of numerous Blackstone investments, including QTS Realty Trust, AirTrunk Signature Aviation, Phoenix Tower International, Hotwire Communications, NCR, Kronos, Paysafe, Blue Yonder, Ipreo, and Optiv. Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Blank was an Associate at Texas Pacific Group (TPG) in San Francisco where he was involved in the evaluation and execution of private equity transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Blank worked in investment banking at Goldman, Sachs & Co. focused on Technology, Media and Telecommunications clients. Mr. Blank serves on the Board of Directors of QTS Realty Trust, AirTrunk Signature Aviation, Phoenix Tower International, Hotwire Communications, and NCR. Mr. Blank received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Blank also earned an M.B.A. with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar.

Kurt Summers

President

Kurt Summers has served as the President of BXINFRA since March 2025. Mr. Summers also serves as a Senior Managing Director and Head of Public-Private Partnerships in Blackstone’s Infrastructure group. In this capacity, Mr. Summers is responsible for investment strategies in partnership with governments, public entities, civic and labor organizations, and broader stakeholders to help advance local infrastructure priorities while also focusing on advancing Blackstone Infrastructure’s sustainability efforts. Previously, Mr. Summers served as Senior Advisor to Blackstone. Mr. Summers was elected and served as Chicago’s 70th City Treasurer until 2019. Mr. Summers also served as both Chairman of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust, where he led the largest lighting retrofit project in North America, and Founding Chairman of the Chicago Community Catalyst Fund, a first-of-its-kind $100 million local investment fund focused on private investments in Chicago neighborhoods. Prior to becoming Treasurer, Mr. Summers served as a Senior Vice President and member of the Office of the Chairman for GCM Grosvenor. Mr. Summers began his career at McKinsey & Company and later worked as an investment banker in both the leveraged finance and industrials groups at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Summers serves as a board member of Applegreen and a board observer for Signature Aviation. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis where he received a B.S.B.A. with Management Distinction High Honors in Finance and International Business with a minor in East Asian Studies. He also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Paul Schlaack

Chief Operating Officer

Paul Schlaack has served as the Chief Operating Officer of BXINFRA since September 2024. He is also Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone’s Infrastructure group and a Senior Managing Director. Prior to helping launch Blackstone’s Infrastructure business in 2017, Mr. Schlaack was the Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone’s Institutional Client Solutions group for six years, where he coordinated the marketing and investor relations functions for all of Blackstone’s investment products globally. Prior to that, Mr. Schlaack worked for twelve years in Blackstone’s financial advisory group, where he helped to execute several M&A transactions across a variety of industries. Mr. Schlaack received a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Chris Striano

Chief Financial Officer

Christopher Striano has served as the Chief Financial Officer of BXINFRA since December 2024. Mr. Striano also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. and as a Senior Managing Director and the Chief Operating Officer of Global Finance at Blackstone. Mr. Striano provides supervisory oversight to the day-to-day administration of Finance and is responsible for Portfolio Management, Investment & Corporate Operations, Global Fund Finance, Enterprise Operations and Global Corporate Services groups. Previously he served as Blackstone’s Chief Accounting Officer also responsible for the Firm’s accounting policy and SEC Reporting. Prior to that, Mr. Striano served as Head of the firm’s Financial Planning and Analysis group, where his responsibilities included the firm’s global forecast process, business unit and firm-wide strategic planning, managing ratings agency relationships, new business initiatives and various special projects. Mr. Striano received a B.S. in Accounting with a minor in Finance from St. John’s University and serves as a trustee at Bayshore Hackensack Meridian Hospital in New Jersey.

Kate O’Neil

Chief Legal Officer

Kate O’Neil has served as the Chief Legal Officer of BXINFRA since September 2024. Ms. O’Neil also serves as the Senior Vice President and Secretary of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. and as a Senior Vice President with Blackstone. Ms. O’Neil oversees legal matters related to the structuring, launch and operations of BXINFRA and Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. and plays a key role in the legal function of certain of the firm’s individual investor focused vehicles. Prior to joining Blackstone in 2022, Ms. O’Neil was an attorney with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where she focused on alternative investment products, including registered funds, private funds, REITs and BDCs. Ms. O’Neil received a B.S., magna cum laude, in Financial Management from Clemson University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Matthew Runkle

Head of Acquisitions

Matthew Runkle has served as the Head of Acquisitions since March 2025. He is also a Senior Managing Director and Head of Renewables and Midstream within Blackstone’s Infrastructure group. Since joining Blackstone in 2017, Mr. Runkle has been involved in the execution of Blackstone investments, including Invenergy Renewables, a partnership with NextEra, Cheniere Energy Partners, and Tallgrass Energy. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Runkle spent 15 years at ArcLight Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on energy infrastructure investments. While at ArcLight, Mr. Runkle sourced, executed, and actively managed investments in assets and companies across the power and midstream sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Runkle began his career at The NorthBridge Group as an Analyst, where he focused on corporate strategy for vertically integrated utilities. Mr. Runkle serves as a director of Tallgrass Energy and Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. Mr. Runkle previously served as a director of Cheniere Energy, Inc. from 2023 to 2024. He also serves as chair of the Brooklyn Community Board of the Jeremiah Program, a non-profit social services organization. Mr. Runkle received a B.S. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University.

Grace Vandecruze*

Independent Director

Grace Vandecruze has served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee Chair since December 2024. Ms. Vandecruze also serves as a member of the board of directors of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. Ms. Vandecruze has served as the Managing Director of Grace Global Capital LLC since 2006 and the Chief Financial Officer of ShoulderUp Technology Acquisition Corp since 2021. She also serves on the board of directors of Link Logistics Real Estate, Resolution Holdings, The Doctors Company and the PIMCO closed-end fund complex. Ms. Vandecruze also serves on the Wharton Graduate Executive Board. Ms. Vandecruze has extensive experience in investment banking and financial advisory matters relating to mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. She began her career as an auditor in public accounting at Ernst & Young and Grant Thornton. She also wrote the book “Homeless to Millionaire – 6 Keys to UPLIFT your Financial Abundance.” Ms. Vandecruze received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the Pace University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Vandecruze is also a Certified Public Accountant and an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

John D. Hershey*

Independent Director

John D. Hershey has served as a member of the Board of Directors since December 2024. Mr. Hershey also serves as a member of the board of directors of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund L.P. From 2008 to 2023, Mr. Hershey worked at the Oregon State Treasury, most recently as Director of Investments, where he helped manage investment portfolios across all asset classes. Prior to that role, Mr. Hershey was the Director of Alternative Investments, with overall responsibility for private equity, real estate, real assets, hedge fund, private credit and opportunity portfolios. Previously, Mr. Hershey was a managing director at an early stage venture firm and a managing director at Banc of America Securities. Mr. Hershey received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He served from 2018-2023 as a board member of the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), and Vice Chair from 2020-2022. He currently is a member of the board of trustees of the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation and is a member of the board of directors and certain affiliates of Talcott Financial Group Investments.