Hamilton ("Tony") E James

Bio

Hamilton (“Tony”) E. James is President, Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, and a member of the board of directors of our general partner, Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. He is also a member of Blackstone’s Management and Executive Committees and sits on each of the firm’s investment committees. Prior to joining Blackstone Mr. James was Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Private Equity at Credit Suisse First Boston and a member of the Executive Board. Prior to the acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2000, Mr. James was the Chairman of DLJ’s Banking Group, responsible for all the firm’s investment banking and merchant banking activities. Mr. James joined DLJ in 1975 as an Investment Banking associate. He became head of DLJ’s global M&A group in 1982, founded DLJ Merchant Banking, Inc. in 1985, and was named Chairman of the Banking Group in 1995. He is a Director of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Swift River Investments, Inc., and has served on a number of other corporate Boards. Mr. James is Vice Chairman of The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board, member of the President’s Export Council – Subcommittee on Technology & Competitiveness, Trustee and member of The Executive Committee of The Second Stage Theatre, Vice Chairman of Trout Unlimited’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, Trustee of Woods Hole Oceanographic, a board member of The Council for the United States and Italy and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of American Ballet Theatre. Graduated magna cum laude with a BA from Harvard College in 1973 and was a John Harvard Scholar. He earned an MBA with high distinction from the Harvard Business School and graduated as a Baker Scholar in 1975.