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Bill Chisholm (businessman)

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Bill Chisholm
Alma materDartmouth College (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MBA)
Occupation(s)Private equity fund partner, entrepreneur
TitleCo-founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of STG Partners, LLC
Political partyDemocratic[1]
SpouseKimberly Ford Chisholm
Children3

William F. Chisholm Jr. is an American businessman. He is the managing partner and chief investment officer for STG Partners, LLC, a private equity firm.[2][3]

In 2025, Chrisholm agreed to purchase the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for an "initial valuation" of $6.1 billion.[4][5][6]

Early life

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Chisholm grew up in Georgetown, Massachusetts.[7] His father, William F. Chisholm Sr. (1929–2017), played a role in establishing the Georgetown High School soccer program,[8] and his mother, Judy Chisholm, worked as an administrative assistant at Brooks School.[9] Chisholm and his siblings attended Brooks School, where he played basketball, lacrosse, and soccer, and led the soccer team to its first ever Class A New England Prep championship.[9] In his senior year, he won The Boston Globe's All-Scholastic award for soccer.[10] He graduated from Brooks in 1987.[9]

He went to Dartmouth College, where he played for the soccer team[11][12] and was a member of Alpha Chi Alpha.[2] He graduated from Dartmouth in 1991.[13] He later received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.[14] He grew up a fan of the Boston Celtics[2] and is reported to have an "encyclopedic knowledge" of the team.[15]

Career

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After graduating from Dartmouth, Chisholm worked as an analyst for PaineWebber in New York.[16] From January 1994 to August 1994, he served as chief financial officer of International Sports Publishing.[14] From August 1996 to January 2000, he served as a management consultant at Bain & Company.[17][18][19] In 1999, Chisholm was elected to the board of directors of FAFCO INC., a solar pool heating company that was headed by his father-in-law, Freeman A. Ford.[14][19][20] The company ceased operations in 2024.[21]

According to an SEC filing, Chisholm was a partner of the Valent Group, an early-stage venture firm, from January 2000 to January 2002.[19] In February 2000, Romesh Wadhwani invited Chisholm to join Symphony Technology Group (Symphony), a venture capital firm, as a partner.[17][2][22] In August 2001, Chisholm acquired a "less than 5%" ownership in Symphony.[23] In July 2002, Chisholm through his living trust acquired "5% but less than 10%" ownership in Symphony.[23] In 2017, Wadhwani retired as Symphony's CEO, and the firm was reconfigured as STG Partners, LLC.[24][25][26]

STG Partners and Symphony are two different firms,[24] yet maintain an inter-company agreement.[27] In December 2017, Chisholm was named managing partner and chief investment officer (CIO) of STG Partners.[26][28] As a managing partner, Chisholm, individually, acquired a "less than 5%" ownership in STG Partners.[29] In 2021, he acquired a beneficial ownership, "50% but less than 75%", in STG Management Feeder, L.P.,[30] which owns "greater than 75%" of STG Management Holdings,[29] which is the controlling entity of STG Partners.[29][30] On March 28, 2025, STG Partners reported that it represented 19 clients in pooled investment vehicles totaling approximately $12 billion in assets under management,[29] a slight increase from 2024.[3] In addition, the SEC document noted that STG Partners maintains "less than one billion dollars" in total assets.[29][30] As well, Chisholm and his living trust own less than 15% of Symphony, which has assets under management of approximately $341 million.[23]

In March 2025, Chisholm led an investment group, including current Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, Bruce A. Beal, Jr., Rob Hale, Sixth Street Partners, and others,[4] to enter into a definitive agreement to purchase the Boston Celtics for an initial valuation of $6.1 billion from Boston Basketball Partners.[4][31][32] In 2024, the Celtics' annual revenue was $493 million.[33] The proposed Celtics purchase price is the largest amount ever for a North American sports franchise.[34]

The NBA league office must first review the agreement.[33][35][36] After its review, Chisholm's proposal will be submitted to the NBA's Board of Governors for approval.[4][35] The agreement calls for Chisholm and his investors to acquire at least 51% of the team.[5] The remaining 49%, currently held by Grousbeck and his investors,[37] some of whom are also part of Chisholm's group, would maintain the option to hold the remaining shares until 2028, where they may be sold for a higher valuation.[5][37][38] Goldman Sachs,[39] Jordan Park Group, [4] JP Morgan,[33] Mary Callahan Erdoes,[39] and BDT & MSD Partners,[5] whose co-CEO is Gregg Lemkau, Chisholm's Dartmouth classmate and soccer teammate,[5][39][40] assisted in financing the Celtics deal.[39]

In May 2025, Indian business heir and the CEO of ArcelorMittal, Aditya Mittal invested $1 billion into Chisholm’s purchase of the Celtics, giving the former a significant stake in the team [41]

NBA investment rules dictate that a lead owner or "control person" must raise cash, not debt,[39] and must possess at least a 15% financial interest in the team.[2][39][42] In addition, according to the league's private equity ownership rules, Chisholm's ownership percentage must be greater than a private equity fund, such as Sixth Street Partners.[35][43] As the control person, Chisholm must purchase more than a $1 billion stake in the Celtics; approximately $500 million is due when the deal closes, and the remainder balance within three years of the purchase date.[2][39]

It is not clear how much money Chisholm has or has to invest in the proposed $6.1 billion Celtics purchase.[5][39][35][44] Although a Forbes article calculates his current net worth as greater than $1 billion,[2] he is not included on either the Bloomberg Billionaires Index or Forbes Billionaires list.[45]

Personal life

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A California resident,[1][46] Chisholm is married to Kimberly Ford Chisholm,[47][48] whom he met as an undergraduate at Dartmouth.[2][9] His wife is the great-granddaughter of Gutzon Borglum.[49] Three generations of his and her families have attended Dartmouth.[46] His father-in-law, Freeman Ford, is a Dartmouth alumnus.[46][50] The couple have three children,[9][51] who are all Dartmouth alumni.[46][52] The Chisholms own a home on the border of the Dartmouth campus in Hanover, New Hampshire.[46]

In 2013, Chisholm required heart surgery.[48]

Philanthropy

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The Chisholms have been active supporters of Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Foundation).[51] In 2016, they were honored with the Breakthrough T1D Impact Award for their contributions to curing, preventing, and treating Type 1 diabetes.[51] In 2020, they were recognized as lifetime members of the JDRF One Society, which recognizes donor who have pledged and/or donated more than one million dollars to Breakthrough T1D.[53][54]

Politics

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In 2020, Chisholm donated to Democratic Rep. Josh Harder.[1][42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Chisholm, William. Atherton, CA 94xxx. Managing Director. Money to Candidate: Josh Harder (D). (1.) Date: 10-22-2018. Amount: $2,700. (2.) Date: 03-02-2020. Amount: $2,700. (3.) Date: 03-02-2020. Amount: $2,700. Open Secrets.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Dolan, Kerry A. (March 2025). The Little Known Billionaire Buying The Boston Celtics. Forbes.
  3. ^ a b AUM13F (March 29, 2024). STG Partners, LLC. CRD: 291048. SEC: 801-112130. AUM $11.7 BB.
  4. ^ a b c d e Boston Basketball Partners (March 20, 2025). Boston Basketball Partners Announces Sale of Boston Celtics to Group Organized by William Chisholm for $6.1 Billion.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Primack, Dan (March 21, 2025). The Boston Celtics sale raises lots of questions. AXIOS.
  6. ^ Comments, View. "Brad Stevens said new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm still upbeat despite painful finish to season - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Reed, Russ (March 20, 2025). "Who is Bill Chisholm? More on the man who agreed to buy Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion". WMTW.
  8. ^ Obituary: William F. Chisholm, 1929-2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e CNHI (March 22, 2025). New Celtics Owner Wins Praise from His Brooks Family.
  10. ^ Burt, Bill (March 21, 2025). Photo: Chisholm Award. The Eagle-Tribune.
  11. ^ Touri, Amin (March 20, 2025). "What we know about William Chisholm, the Celtics' new owner". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ Hall, Alex (March 20, 2025). New Celtics owner Chisholm found his role on Dartmouth men's soccer team. Union Leader.
  13. ^ Dartmouth College Commencement Exercises. Sunday, June 9, 1991. Hanover, New Hampshire.
  14. ^ a b c FAFCO INC. (April 7, 1999). Form DEF 14A. Definitive proxy statements. Filing Date: 1999-04-07. Period of Report: 1998-12-31. SEC Accession No. 0000352956-99-000008. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  15. ^ Robb, Brian (March 20, 2025). "Who is new Boston Celtics owner William Chisholm?". The Republican.
  16. ^ Clan Chisholm Society Newsletter (Spring/Summer 1991). [1] American Branch, Clan Chisholm Society. 5.
  17. ^ a b FAFCO INC. (June 7, 2002). Schedule 14-A Information. "From January 1994 to August 1996, Mr. Chisholm attended Wharton Business School where he received a Master of Business Administration degree. From August 1996 to January 2000, Mr. Chisholm served as a management consultant at Bain & Company, an international strategy consulting firm. In February 2000, Mr. Chisholm joined Symphony Technology Group, a venture capital firm, as a Partner. Mr. Chisholm is the son-in-law of Mr. Freeman A. Ford, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company." Securities and Exchange Commission. 4.
  18. ^ Gee, Kevin (March 24, 2025). Letter #272: Bill Chisholm (2014). Transcript of interviews. Substack.
  19. ^ a b c Form S-4 (October 3, 2003). Information Resources, Inc. Litigation Contingent Payment Rights Trust. Annex C: Directors and Executive Officers. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  20. ^ FAFCO INC. (April 14, 2000). Form DEF 14A. Definitive proxy statements. Filing Date: 2000-04-14 | Period of Report: 1999-12-31 SEC Accession No. 0000352956-00-000010. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  21. ^ Szumlanski, Jason (November 27, 2024). Farewell to FAFCO. Florida Solar Design Group.
  22. ^ Forbes (August 20, 2009). Private Equity Done Right. see "William Chisholm, who has worked for Wadhwani for seven years, recalls how the Saturday before the deal closed he was summoned to his boss' home."
  23. ^ a b c Symphony Technology Group (March 28, 2025). FORM ADV: Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration and Report By Exempt Reporting Advisers. Symphony Technology Group, LLC. FINRA CRD # 160676. SEC file number: 801-73246. Form submitted 3/28/2025 7:00:20 PM. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  24. ^ a b Investment Adviser Brochure (March 30, 2020). Symphony Technology Group, LLC. see “STG Partners LLC was founded in 2017 … to succeed the Management Company (Symphony) and is led by William Chisholm. The Management Company (Symphony) and STG Partners have different ownership, but have significant overlap with regard to advisory personnel, investment strategy and processes. The Management Company receives services from employees of STG Partners, who also provide services to STG Partners, Fund V and portfolio companies of Fund V. Additionally, Fund V may invest in portfolio companies that are the same as, or similar to, portfolio companies invested in by the Funds.”
  25. ^ STG Partners (November 16, 2020). TG raises $2.0 billion for STG VI in a four-month fully virtual fundraise. see "About STG Partners: STG and its predecessor, Symphony Technology Group ('Symphony'), …"
  26. ^ a b STG Partners, LLC (March 29, 2024). Investment Adviser Firm Summary. FORM ADV: STG PARTNERS, LLC ( CRD # 291048/SEC#:801-112130 ). Investment Advisor Public Discourse.
  27. ^ Symphony Technology Group (March 29, 2024). Investment Adviser Firm Summary. FORM ADV: SYMPHONY TECHNOLOGY GROUP, LLC (CRD # 160676). see “The values shown in Items 5.A and 5.B include employees of STG Partners, LLC (CRD number 291048) that provide services to the registrant (Symphony) pursuant to an intercompany agreement.” Investment Advisor Public Discourse.
  28. ^ "Who We Are". Symphony Technology Group. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d e STG Partners, LLC (March 28, 2025). FORM ADV: Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration and Report By Exempt Reporting Advisers. STG PARTNERS, LLC. FINRA CRD # 291048. SEC file number: 801-112130. Form submitted 3/28/2025 7:10:35 PM. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  30. ^ a b c STG Partners, LLC (March 29, 2024). Investment Adviser Firm Summary. FORM ADV: STG PARTNERS, LLC ( CRD # 291048/SEC#:801-112130 ). Investment Advisor Public Discourse.
  31. ^ Bontemps, Tim (March 20, 2025). "Sources: Bill Chisholm agrees to buy Celtics for $6.1 billion". ESPN.
  32. ^ "Reports: Bill Chisholm buying Celtics for record $6.1B". Reuters. March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  33. ^ a b c Novy-Williams, Eben, and Scott Soshnick (March 12, 2025). Celtics Bidders: Friedkin, Middleman, Chisholm, Pagliuca. Sportico: The Business of Sports.
  34. ^ Helin, Kurt (March 20, 2025). "Boston Celtics being sold to Bill Chisholm for North American record $6.1 billion". NBC Sports.
  35. ^ a b c d Felt, Hunter (March 27, 2025). Why The Boston Celtics Sale May Have Hit Its First Hurdle. Forbes.
  36. ^ Booth, Tim (March 27, 2025). What NBA said about Sonics’ possible return at Board of Governors meeting. see Adam Silver, “I would say in terms of looking at this year, we’re still in the process of digesting the Celtics transaction. There’s no question a major transaction like that becomes relevant to expansion. So that deal has just been presented to us, so we’re analyzing it and my sense is that once we’ve been through that process that we’ll turn to it in a more serious way.” The Spokesman-Review.
  37. ^ a b KIRO 7 News Staff (March 21, 2025). Kraken owner responds to Celtics sale: ‘Our ownership group is ideally positioned for an NBA team’.
  38. ^ Reynolds, Tim, and Jimmy Golen (March 20, 2025). NBA champ Celtics sold for record $6.1 billion to group led by private equity mogul Bill Chisholm. Associated Press.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h Gasparino, Charles (March 24, 2025). "How Bill Chisholm shocked even partners at his own firm with Boston Celtics bid -- as speculation swirls over whether he can pay". Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  40. ^ "Irish Extra: Former Player Endows Clark's Former Position at Dartmouth; see "Lemkau, who graduated from Dartmouth in 1991, and his wife Kate created the Bobby Clark Head Coach of Men's Soccer position at Dartmouth through an endowment of $2 million."". Fighting Irish.com. August 12, 2015.
  41. ^ "ArcelorMittal CEO Invests $1 Billion in Group Buying Celtics". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  42. ^ a b Young, Dennis, and Margaret Fleming (March 21, 2025). Who Is Celtics Buyer Bill Chisholm? The private equity executive was a little-known figure before agreeing to buy an NBA team this week. Front Office Sports.
  43. ^ Rivera, Gio (March 27, 2025). NBA Rumors: Celtics Might Have Issue To Address Before Sale Approval. New England Sports Network.
  44. ^ Leung, Russell, and Jason Pramuk; with Michael Ozanian, Leslie Picker and Scott Wapner (March 20, 2025). Boston Celtics sold for $6.1 billion to group led by private equity executive Bill Chisholm. CNBC.
  45. ^ O'Connell, Robert (March 2025). He Just Bought the Boston Celtics — and No One Knows Anything About Him. Wall Street Journal.
  46. ^ a b c d e Crown Point Cabinetry and Phyllis Higgerson, Henhurst Interiors (August 28, 2018). A Kitchen on Campus. New Hampshire Home.
  47. ^ Kimberly Ford. Macmillan Publishers.
  48. ^ a b H., Hannah (2013). Kimberly Chisholm. Freestyle Academy. 1-4.
  49. ^ Shanahan, Mark (March 2025). A few interesting details about Kimberly Ford Chisholm, wife of the new Celtics owner. The Boston Globe.
  50. ^ The Newsletter of the Great Class of 1963 (September 2022). Freeman Ford: “Concerning the legacy issue, I have a confession to make. Both my daughters went to Dartmouth. Both married Dartmouth classmates. And all three children of my oldest daughter have or about to graduate from Dartmouth." Dartmouth College. 3.
  51. ^ a b c JDRF (December 10, 2015). Volunteer Spotlight on The Chisholm Family. Breakthrough T1D.
  52. ^ Will Chisholm '2019; Aidan Chisholm ‘2021; and Quentin Chisholm ‘2024.
  53. ^ Donor Honor Roll 2020. Breakthrough T1D.
  54. ^ T1D Champions Every Day, All Day. Donor Honor Roll 2019. Breakthrough T1D.
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