Bill Chisholm (businessman)

William F. Chisholm Jr.
Born	Georgetown, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, private equity investor
Years active	1991–present
Known for	Managing partner and chief investment officer at STG Partners, LLC; prospective owner of the Boston Celtics

William F. Chisholm Jr. is an American entrepreneur serving as the managing partner and chief investment officer at STG Partners, LLC, a private equity firm.

In 2025, Chisholm reached an agreement to purchase the Boston Celtics basketball team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with an initial valuation set at $6.1 billion.

Early life

Raised in Georgetown, Massachusetts, Chisholm is the son of William F. Chisholm Sr. (1929–2017), who played a key role in founding the Georgetown High School soccer program, while his mother, Judy Chisholm, worked as an administrative assistant at Brooks School. He and his brothers and sisters attended Brooks School, where he participated in basketball, lacrosse, and soccer, notably captaining the soccer team to its inaugural Class A New England Prep championship. During his final year, he earned The Boston Globe's All-Scholastic honor for soccer. He completed his studies at Brooks in 1987.

Chisholm pursued higher education at Dartmouth College, where he played on the soccer team and was affiliated with Alpha Chi Alpha. He graduated in 1991. Subsequently, he obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. A devoted Celtics supporter throughout his life, he is recognized for possessing an extensive knowledge of the team’s history and operations.

Career

Following his graduation from Dartmouth, Chisholm commenced his professional journey as an analyst at PaineWebber based in New York. From January until August 1994, he served as CFO at International Sports Publishing. Between August 1996 and January 2000, he was employed as a management consultant with Bain & Company. In 1999, he joined the board of FAFCO INC., a solar pool heating enterprise led by his father-in-law Freeman A. Ford; this company ceased operations in 2024.

From January 2000 through January 2002, Chisholm held a partnership position at the Valent Group, an early-stage venture capital firm. In February 2000, he became a partner at Symphony Technology Group (Symphony), a venture capital firm established by Romesh Wadhwani. By August 2001, he owned under 5% of Symphony’s shares, which increased to between 5% and 10% by 2002. Following Wadhwani’s retirement as CEO in 2017, Symphony was reorganized into STG Partners, LLC.

Although STG Partners and Symphony continue to operate as separate entities, they maintain an inter-company agreement. In December 2017, Chisholm assumed the roles of managing partner and chief investment officer (CIO) at STG Partners. Individually, he holds less than 5% ownership but beneficially controls between 50% and 75% through STG Management Feeder, L.P., which oversees STG Partners. As of March 2025, STG Partners managed approximately $12 billion in assets under management (AUM), up from $11.7 billion in 2024; meanwhile, Symphony manages around $341 million.

In March 2025, Chisholm spearheaded a consortium—including Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck along with partners Bruce A. Beal, Jr., Rob Hale, and Sixth Street Partners—to acquire the Boston Celtics from Boston Basketball Partners for $6.1 billion. The franchise generated $493 million in annual revenue during 2024. This transaction represents the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise in North America.

The NBA must review this acquisition agreement prior to submission for approval by its Board of Governors. The terms stipulate that Chisholm’s group must obtain no less than 51% ownership; shares held by investors associated with Grousbeck may be sold by 2028 at potentially elevated valuations. Financing support was provided by Goldman Sachs, Jordan Park Group, JP Morgan, Mary Callahan Erdoes, and BDT & MSD Partners, whose co-CEO Gregg Lemkau is an alumnus of Dartmouth alongside Chisholm.

In May 2025, ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal contributed $1 billion to Chisholm’s Celtics acquisition group, securing a substantial equity position.

NBA regulations require the principal owner or "control person" to contribute cash equity (rather than debt) representing at least a 15% stake. Additionally, Chisholm must possess a greater ownership interest than any private equity participants involved such as Sixth Street Partners. Approximately $500 million is payable upon closing with the remainder due within three years.

Chisholm’s precise financial resources allocated toward this $6.1 billion acquisition have not been publicly disclosed. While Forbes estimates his net worth exceeds $1 billion, he does not appear on either the Bloomberg Billionaires Index or Forbes Billionaires listings.

Personal life

Residing in California, Chisholm is married to Kimberly Ford Chisholm, whom he met during their undergraduate years at Dartmouth. Kimberly is the great-granddaughter of Gutzon Borglum, and both families share a rich Dartmouth heritage extending across three generations. Freeman Ford, his father-in-law, also graduated from Dartmouth. The couple has three children, each of whom earned degrees from Dartmouth as well. They maintain a residence close to the Dartmouth campus in Hanover, New Hampshire.

In 2013, Chisholm underwent surgery related to his heart.

Philanthropy

The Chisholms actively contribute to Breakthrough T1D (previously known as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation). Their efforts were recognized in 2016 when they received the Breakthrough T1D Impact Award for their role in advancing treatments and potential cures for Type 1 diabetes. By 2020, they had joined the JDRF One Society as lifetime members, an honor bestowed upon donors who have committed or contributed over one million dollars to the foundation.

Politics

In 2020, Chisholm made two separate donations of $2,700 each to California Democratic Congressman Josh Harder.

External links

• Who We Are - STG featuring a profile on Bill Chisholm