Quick Facts
Biography
William Macaulay (born September 2, 1945) is the CEO and Chairman of First Reserve Corporation, the world's largest Private Equity fund specialized in the energy industry, with $21.5 Bn. under management.
William Macaulay holds an MBA from the The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Background
Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, Macaulay spent "rough days" at DeWitt Clinton High School, afflicted by overcrowding and ethnic tensions. Macaulay graduated with a B.B.A. degree Magna Cum Laude in Economics from City College of New York and an M.B.A. from the The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also has served as a member of the Executive Board. Additionally, he currently serves as Chairman on the Board of Directors of the Rogosin Institute and is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the City University of New York. Mr. Macaulay has also received a Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) honorary degree from Baruch College.
He has two children.
Career
William E. Macaulay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Reserve Corporation, has been with the firm since its founding in 1983. He is responsible for supervision of all aspects of the firm’s investment program and strategy, as well as overall management of the firm.
Prior to acquiring First Reserve with Mr. Hill in 1983, Mr. Macaulay was a co-founder of Meridien Capital Company, a private equity buyout firm. From 1972 to 1982, Mr. Macaulay was with Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., where he served as Director of Corporate Finance with responsibility for investing Oppenheimer’s capital in private equity transactions. At Oppenheimer, he also served as a General Partner and member of the Management Committee of Oppenheimer & Co., as well as President of Oppenheimer Energy Corporation. He was the founder and largest stockholder of Peppermill Oil Company.
William E. Macaulay is currently ranked in the top 400 richest American list by Forbes.
In September 2006, Macaulay donated $30 million to the City University of New York (the largest single donation in the history of CUNY) to endow The William E. Macaulay Honors College.