J._Albert_"Tripp"_Smith

Tripp Smith

Tripp Smith

American investment executive

J. Albert "Tripp" Smith (born 1965 or 1966) is an American investment executive who was the co-founder of GSO Capital Partners, the credit investment platform of The Blackstone Group.[1][2] Since 2017, he has been part owner of the English football club West Ham United F.C..

Quick Facts Born, Education ...

Early life and education

Smith attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis[3] and graduated in 1987 from the University of Notre Dame.[4]

Career

With two colleagues from Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and subsequently Credit Suisse First Boston, Bennett Goodman and Doug Ostrover, Smith founded GSO Capital Partners in 2005;[5][6] its name derives from their initials.[7] He continued at GSO after its acquisition by Blackstone in 2008, serving as managing director[2] and leaving in 2018.[1] In 2019, he started Iron Park Capital Partners.[7][8]

He is a non-executive director of English football club West Ham United F.C. since purchasing a 10% stake in 2017.[2][9][10][11] In 2020, there were rumors that he was forming a consortium to purchase a controlling interest in the club.[12] In 2021, following Daniel Křetínský's purchase of a 27% stake in West Ham, Smith's shares were reduced to 8%.[13]

Personal life

Tripp and his wife, Sheila, have four children.[14]

References

  1. [1]
    Natarajan, Sridhar; Mittelman, Melissa (March 22, 2018). "Tripp Smith, Co-Founder of Blackstone's GSO, to Leave Firm". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  2. [2]
    "West Ham stake bought by American billionaire Albert 'Tripp' Smith". Sky Sports. September 30, 2017.
  3. [3]
    "Portrait: Tripp Smith". Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (with audio file, 5 mins 14 secs). Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Notre Dame receives $15 million gift for campus recreation facility". South Bend Tribune. September 2, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Dealbook: Merrill Lynch Takes Hedge Fund Stake". The New York Times (press release). May 21, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015.
  6. [6]
    Sahloul, Fareed (August 29, 2019). "Founder of Blackstone credit unit to stand down". Financial News London. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  7. [7]
    Gottfried, Miriam (April 14, 2020). "General Atlantic, Tripp Smith to Launch Roughly $5 Billion Distressed-Investing Fund". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  8. [8]
    Tan, Gillian (July 6, 2021). "Atlantic Park Nabs $2.2 Billion for Debut Strategic-Capital Fund". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  9. [9]
    Ahmed, Murad; Massoudi, Arash (September 29, 2017). "Blackstone's Tripp Smith buys in to English football at West Ham". Financial Times. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  10. [10]
    Slater, Matt (August 6, 2021). "West Ham takeover bid: The legal dispute surrounding PAI Capital". The Athletic. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Who owns your Premier League football club?". The Athletic. October 16, 2021.
  12. [12]
    Martin, Antony (July 4, 2020). "West Ham fans react to ExWHUemployee's Tripp Smith claims". Hammers News. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  13. [13]
    Steinberg, Jacob (10 November 2021). "Daniel Kretinsky completes purchase of 27% stake in West Ham". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  14. [14]
    Brown, Dennis (September 1, 2017). "Smith family makes $15 million gift to Notre Dame for recreation center" (press release). Notre Dame University. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
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