Byron D. Trott

Byron D. Trott is the founder, chairman, CEO, and head of the executive committee at BDT & Company, a merchant bank that provides advice and long-term capital through its affiliated funds to help family- and founder-led businesses pursue their strategic and financial objectives. He also serves as co-chief investment officer for the firm’s affiliate, BDT Capital Partners. Byron has over 35 years of experience advising and investing with some of the most successful public and private closely held companies. Prior to founding BDT & Company in 2009, Byron had a distinguished 27- year career at Goldman Sachs, where he was vice chairman of the global investment banking division from 2005 to 2009. Byron is a director of Cox Enterprises, Enterprise Holdings, Tory Burch, Acrisure Holdings, Culligan International, GoodLeap, and Whataburger. He previously served on the boards of Weber-Stephen Products, Hyatt Hotels, Pilot Flying J, and Acorn Holdings B.V. and its subsidiary Jacobs, Douwe Egberts and Keurig Dr Pepper.

Byron also serves on the board of trustees of the University of Chicago, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Conservation International, as well as the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors. In 2011, Byron was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, and having served as president and chairman, he now serves as chairman emeritus of the association. Byron received an AB from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.