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Jonathan Bilzin

Managing Partner and Co-Chief Executive Officer at TowerBrook Capital Partners

New York, NY, USA

JB
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Why they matter

Co-CEO of a $22.5B PE firm with a two-decade track record building platform/consolidation plays across finance, healthcare, and consumer services.

Background

Jonathan Bilzin is Managing Partner and Co-Chief Executive Officer of TowerBrook Capital Partners, the New York- and London-based private equity firm he has helped run since its 2005 spin-out from Soros Private Equity. He sits on TowerBrook's Equity Partners, Operating, and Investment Committees, and before TowerBrook he was a partner at Soros Private Equity and worked in Goldman Sachs' Principal Investment Area and Real Estate Principal Investment Area in New York. He holds a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Notable deals

  • 2017
    Sat on the board of Ladder Capital Corp from its formation as a TowerBrook portfolio company (2008) until 2017, when Related Companies bought TowerBrook and GI Partners' stake and replaced him on the board
  • 2019
    Led TowerBrook's $100 million strategic growth investment in Studio Movie Grill to fund national expansion of its dine-in theater format
  • 2025
    Appeared as a featured speaker on the invite-only "What's the Deal with Private Equity?" panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference

Call-prep brief

Background

  • Co-CEO and Managing Partner of TowerBrook Capital Partners (~$22.5B AUM), a role he's held since 2022 after joining at the firm's 2005 founding.
  • Career path: Goldman Sachs Principal Investment Area → Soros Private Equity → TowerBrook co-founder/senior partner.
  • Sits on TowerBrook's Equity Partners, Operating, and Investment Committees — a top-of-house decision-maker, not just a deal sponsor.

Current Focus

  • Firm-wide strategy and capital allocation across TowerBrook's private equity, structured opportunities, and continuation funds.
  • Historically active in financial services and platform-building deals (Ladder Capital, a commercial real estate finance consolidator) and consumer/healthcare roll-ups (Studio Movie Grill, Sound Physicians).
  • External board seat at Validity Finance, a litigation finance firm — signals continued interest in specialty finance.

What He Cares About

  • Building durable, scalable platforms rather than one-off flips (Ladder Capital grew from formation to public company under his board tenure).
  • Founder/management partnership — his public quotes emphasize partnering with existing management teams (e.g., Studio Movie Grill's Brian Schultz) rather than replacing them.

Recent Moves

  • Became Co-CEO in 2022, sharing the role with Karim Saddi.
  • Active on the 2025 PE conference circuit (Milken Institute Global Conference), suggesting he's still visible and accessible for institutional conversations.

Sensitivities

  • As Co-CEO, his time is scarce and gatekept — approach via a specific, well-scoped ask rather than a general networking request.
  • He is a generalist PE leader, not an accounting-sector specialist; frame outreach around capital/platform-building expertise, not niche accounting knowledge.

Questions to Ask

  1. How does TowerBrook evaluate buy-and-build/roll-up platforms today versus during the Ladder Capital and Sound Physicians era?
  2. What underwriting red flags has he seen in professional-services consolidation plays specifically?
  3. Would TowerBrook consider a co-investment or LP role in an accounting roll-up platform, given its history backing founder-led consolidators?

Outreach draft

Subject
Quick question on platform consolidation plays
Hi Jonathan, I'm working with a deal team evaluating a roll-up strategy in the accounting services space and admire TowerBrook's track record building platforms like Ladder Capital and backing founder-led consolidators such as Studio Movie Grill. We'd value 20 minutes of your perspective on how you underwrite buy-and-build theses and partner with management teams through scale-up — no ask beyond your insight at this stage. Would you have time for a short call in the next couple of weeks? Happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Placeholder Name]

Linked companies

Sources