Speaker Profile

Gerry Cardinale is the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of RedBird Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm that brings together entrepreneurs and family offices to make growth equity investments in partnership with business founders who have a proven track record of success. Launched in 2013 with offices in New York and Dallas, RedBird focuses on long term capital appreciation, with an emphasis on compounding equity returns over longer holding periods to maximize superior risk-adjusted returns. To date, RedBird has led over $1. 6 billion of investments across its four key industry verticals - Communications; Sports, Leisure & Hospitality; Energy and Industrial Services; and Financial & Business Services. Mr. Cardinale has had a 25-year career investing in Sports and Sports Media, most recently leading RedBird's investment in On Location Experiences, a recapitalization of the National Football League's global ticketing, hospitality and events business in partnership with the 32 NFL Owners. Prior to founding RedBird, Mr. Cardinale had a 20-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Partner of the firm and its Merchant Banking private equity business. During his tenure there, Mr. Cardinale helped create two multi-billion dollar sports-related businesses -- the Yankees Entertainment & Sports ("YES") Network, which today is the #1 Regional Sports Network in the United States; and Legends Hospitality, a premium ticketing, concessions and merchandising services company which was created in partnership with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. Mr. Cardinale currently sits on the boards of the YES Network, as well as Yankee Global Enterprises ("YGE"), the corporate holding company of the New York Yankees and its affiliated businesses. In 2012, Mr. Cardinale was named by Forbes Magazine as one of "The Top 50 Deal Makers" in the private equity industry. Mr. Cardinale is committed to several non-profit and philanthropic initiatives, with a focus on education, healthcare and cultural advancement. He is a Trustee of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City and serves on the board of the American Association of Rhodes Scholars where he leads one of the multi-state selection committees that awards Rhodes Scholarships each year. Mr. Cardinale also serves on the board of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, which promotes cultural entrepreneurship in the arts as well as innovative learning initiatives in inner cities. Mr. Cardinale received an Honors A. B. from Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and an M. Phil in Politics and Political Theory from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar.