American businessman
James Albert Attwood Jr.
is an American businessman. He serves as a Senior Advisor at
The Carlyle Group
and chairman of
Syniverse Technologies
.
[1]
He is a former investment banker at
Goldman Sachs
and EVP of
Verizon Communications
. He was a major donor to
Hillary Clinton
's
2016 presidential campaign
and
Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign
.
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Attwood is the son of
James A. Attwood
, former chairman and chief executive of the
Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York
.
[2]
and Pauline Attwood, former director of the Bronxville Adult School,
[3]
Attwood graduated
summa cum laude
from
Yale University
where he earned a
BA
in
applied mathematics
and an
MA
in
statistics
in 1980.
[4]
He then attended
Harvard University
, and earned a
J.D.
from
Harvard Law School
and an
M.B.A.
from
Harvard Business School
in 1984.
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Attwood started his career as an investment banker for
Goldman Sachs
, where he worked in New York and Tokyo for eleven years.
[4]
[6]
He subsequently served as the Executive Vice President for Strategy, Development and Planning for
Verizon Communications
and
GTE Corporation
for four years.
[4]
[7]
He joined
The Carlyle Group
in 2000, where he is now a Senior Advisor. Between 2000 and 2017 he directed Carlyle's private equity investments in the media and telecommunications industries globally, and between 2014 and 2017 he directed the firm's investments in the technology industry as well.
[6]
[5]
Attwood joined the board of directors of Nielsen Holdings in 2006 and was appointed its chairman in 2016.
[8]
[6]
He stepped down in October 2022 when Nielsen was taken private. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors of
Syniverse
.
[9]
He also served as an Independent Director at
CoreSite
Realty, and he formerly served as Co-Chair of
Dex Media
, and as director of
Getty Images
,
Hawaiian Telcom
and
Insight Communications
.
Attwood joined the Dean's Advisory Board for
Harvard Law School
in 2010.
[5]
He currently serves as chair of the
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
in Katonah, New York
[5]
and also Chairs the New York PBS station group
WNET
and Friends of MVY Radio, operator of the public radio station
WMVY
on Martha's Vineyard. Attwood also serves as a member of the Global Board of
The Nature Conservancy
.
Political activity
[
edit
]
Attwood is a major donor to the Democratic Party, and donated to
Correct the Record
, a Super PAC which supported
Hillary Clinton
's
2016 presidential campaign
.
[10]
He also donated to
Priorities USA Action
, another pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC, as well as to the
Hillary Victory Fund
and Hillary for America.
[11]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Attwood and his wife, Leslie Kim Williams, met at Harvard Law School, where they both graduated in the class of 1984.
[5]
They have one daughter, Samantha Kim Attwood. They reside in
Bedford Hills, New York
,
Martha's Vineyard, MA
and
Honolulu, HI
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Check out Nielsen Holdings PLC's stock price (0XI7-GB) in real time"
.
CNBC
. Retrieved
August 25,
2022
.
- ^
"James A. Attwood, 62, Ex-Insurance Executive"
.
The New York Times
. November 2, 1989
. Retrieved
March 14,
2022
.
- ^
Brenner, Elsa (September 16, 1990).
"It's Back to School for Adults, Too"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
March 14,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
"James A. Attwood, Jr"
.
The Carlyle Group
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Leadership profile: A conversation with James A. Attwood Jr. J.D./M.B.A. '84"
.
Harvard Law Bulletin
. October 5, 2015
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"JAMES A. ATTWOOD JR.: CHAIRMAN"
.
Nielsen Holdings
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
"Board of Directors"
.
CoreSite
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
"Daily Research News Online no. 21996 - Attwood Replaces Calhoun in Nielsen Chair"
.
www.mrweb.com
. Retrieved
April 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Leadership: Board of Directors"
.
Syniverse
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
"Correct the Record: Contributors, 2016 cycle"
.
OpenSecrets.com
.
OpenSecrets
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.
- ^
"James Attwood Political Campaign Contributions 2016 Election Cycle"
.
CampaignMoney.com
. Retrieved
October 28,
2016
.