Donald J. Gogel

Mr. Gogel is in his 32nd year with the Firm and has served as chairman since 2012. He served as chief executive officer from 1998 to 2019. Mr. Gogel is a member of the Investment Committee and plays an active role in shaping the Firm’s strategy, recruiting talent, sourcing new investment opportunities, participating in portfolio company operating reviews, and leading CEO roundtables. Earlier in his career with CD&R, Mr. Gogel led several investments that established the Firm’s reputation for navigating and completing complex carve-outs from major corporations, including the Lexmark International acquisition from IBM, which was named by Private Equity International as one of the 30 most influential private equity deals of all time. Other notable transactions were divestitures from Phillip Morris/Kraft (Alliant Foods), General Motors (Allison Engine), Gillette (Jafra Cosmetics), Xerox (Van Kampen), and Westinghouse (WESCO). He previously was a partner at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and a managing director at Kidder, Peabody & Company, Inc. where he founded and led its merchant banking group.