Bill McGlashan
William E. McGlashan Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1963 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, former private equity investor |
| Known for | Founder of TPG Growth; co-founder and inaugural CEO of The Rise Fund; co-founder of STX Entertainment |
| Notable work | The Rise Fund, TPG Growth, STX Entertainment |
William E. McGlashan Jr. (born November 20, 1963) is an American entrepreneur and former investor in the private equity sector. He established TPG Growth, the division of TPG Capital dedicated to growth equity and smaller buyout investments within the global private equity enterprise. Additionally, McGlashan co-founded The Rise Fund, a social impact investment vehicle launched in collaboration with Bono and Jeffrey Skoll, where he also served as its inaugural CEO.
He was instrumental in founding STX Entertainment, a U.S.-based film and television production company created in 2014 alongside Robert Simonds, and played a key role as cofounder and director of Evolution Media Capital.
In March 2019, McGlashan was taken into custody following FBI evidence linking him to the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. Subsequent to his arrest, TPG dismissed him with cause. He pleaded guilty in February 2021 to engaging William "Rick" Singer to falsify his son's examination results. By May 2021, he received a sentence of three months incarceration along with a $250,000 fine.
Education
McGlashan holds an honors B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
During his time at Stanford in the late 1980s, he co-established the World Service Project, an initiative supporting international teams dedicated to environmental conservation and combating hunger. This project secured support from U.S. Senators, The Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Peace Corps, and Nobel Prize winner Oscar Arias Sanchez.
Career
Prior to joining TPG Capital in 2004, McGlashan served as Chairman and CEO of Critical Path, a micro-cap firm. He assumed leadership in April 2001 amid an accounting scandal that resulted in a 75% decline in stock value, multiple lawsuits, and criminal indictments against company executives. McGlashan is credited with averting bankruptcy, cutting debt by 87%, resolving litigation for $17.5 million instead of potential claims amounting to $240 million, and postponing NASDAQ delisting until after his exit.
Earlier, he co-founded and led Vectis Group, a venture capital firm focused on emerging markets, as well as Generation Ventures, which invested in healthcare and technology sectors in China. In 1994, he co-established Pharmanex, Inc., which was acquired by Nu Skin in 1998. At the outset of his career, McGlashan was a senior associate at both Bain Capital and Information Partners.
In 2013, McGlashan temporarily moved with his family to Mumbai, India to manage investments across India and Asia. This move marked him as “the first global head of a leading bulge bracket private equity firm” to undertake such a significant relocation.
Board positions
McGlashan has held numerous board leadership roles including chairman of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and XOJET. His directorships extend to companies such as Creative Artists Agency, HotSchedules, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Ride, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Brava, Seasoned, and Common Sense Media. He has also served on boards for Survey Monkey, SuccessFactors, Schiff Nutrition International, AgraQuest, and WIL Research Laboratories.
Non-profit organizations
Within the non-profit arena, McGlashan has held a directorial position at Common Sense Media and participates actively in the Young Presidents’ Organization as well as the World Economic Forum. He was a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. Among his significant contributions is the establishment of The Rise Fund, a $2 billion social impact investment fund created by TPG Growth in collaboration with Elevar Equity. The Rise Fund was featured on Vanity Fair’s 2017 New Establishment list and secured substantial backing from Bono, the lead vocalist of U2, who joined McGlashan as a business partner in this initiative.
Personal life
McGlashan is married to Marie Rasic McGlashan, with whom he has three children. Together, they have contributed to organizations such as Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. He is also related to Charles McGlashan, a former supervisor for Marin County.
Legal issues
On March 11, 2019, McGlashan was apprehended in connection with the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. The U.S. Department of Justice accused him of manipulating his son's test results and bribing officials to facilitate his son’s admission to the University of Southern California by falsely portraying his athletic qualifications. It was reported that McGlashan paid $50,000 to a charitable division of a college preparation organization to alter his son's ACT responses. Following these charges, TPG dismissed McGlashan. While he stated that he was initially placed on leave and resigned prior to termination, other accounts contradict this claim.
On February 10, 2021, McGlashan entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud under a plea agreement that preserved his right to appeal the judge’s denial of a motion to dismiss the charge. He received a sentence of three months imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Although he had the option to retract his plea, McGlashan expressed remorse in court and voluntarily commenced his prison term on June 9, 2021. His subsequent appeal against the conviction remained unsuccessful as of August 2023.