Early Life and Education
James Tomilson "Tom" Hill III was born in New York City on May 24, 1948. He attended The Buckley School and Milton Academy before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Harvard College, where he studied history, literature, and Japanese studies. He furthered his education by earning an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Rise to Success
Hill began his career at First Boston in 1973, where he was a founding principal of its mergers and acquisitions department. He later moved to Smith Barney as head of its mergers and acquisitions department before joining Lehman Brothers in 1982 as a partner in its M&A department. At Lehman Brothers, he advanced to become head of M&A, head of Investment Banking, and co-CEO. In 1993, he joined Blackstone as co-head of the corporate mergers and acquisitions advisory group. He became vice chairman of the firm in 2007. From 2000 until 2019, he served as president and chief executive of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM). Under his leadership, BAAM grew its assets under management from $1.3 billion in 2000 to $56 billion.
Key Business Strategies
Hill's success at Blackstone was marked by his strategic vision in growing the firm's hedge fund business. He focused on expanding BAAM's assets under management and making it the world's largest discretionary allocator to hedge funds. His ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and identify investment opportunities was critical to BAAM's growth. He left Blackstone in 2021.
Philanthropy
J. Tomilson Hill is involved in philanthropy and has contributed to various initiatives including the Hill Art Foundation. Information on specific amounts is not readily available.
