William E. Ford (born June 18, 1961) is an American businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of General Atlantic, a global investing firm with $118 billion in assets under management as of September, 2025.[1][2][3]
William E. Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in October 2017 | |
| Born | June 18, 1961 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Amherst College (B.A.) Stanford University (M.B.A.) |
| Occupations | Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic |
Board member of | BlackRock |
| Spouse |
Molly Birkenes (m. 2022) |
Career and education
editFord has been the chief executive officer of General Atlantic since his appointment in 2007.[1][4] Ford joined General Atlantic in 1991, having previously worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. as an investment banker.[1][4]
He is on the board of General Atlantic portfolio company ByteDance.[5] He also is on the board of BlackRock.[6]
Ford received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1987 and his B.A. in economics from Amherst College in 1983.[7][8]
Philanthropy and public positions
editFord is Chair of Rockefeller University and is on the board of trustees of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[9][10] He is on the board of directors of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the Simons Foundation.[11][12] He was previously on the board of directors of the Lincoln Center.[13] Furthermore, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the steering committee for The CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, and is on the advisory board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.[14][15][16]
In July 2022, Ford helped found a group of U.S. business and policy leaders who share the goal of constructively engaging with China in order to improve U.S.-China relations.[17]
In 2025, Ford donated $1.25 million to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supports Donald Trump.[18]
In 2026, Ford and his family donated $50 million to Amherst College in support of a new student center and dining commons. The gift is one of the largest in the College’s history.[19]
Awards and recognition
editFord was ranked #5 on the Forbes Midas List in 2009 and #6 in 2008.[20][21]
Notes
edit- 1 2 3 "Profile and Biography of Bill Ford". Bloomberg.
- ↑ Tan, Gillian (July 7, 2022). "General Atlantic Is Said to Be Exploring an Initial Public Offering". Bloomberg.
- ↑ "General Atlantic Form ADV" (PDF). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. October 11, 2024. p. 39.
- 1 2 "William E. Ford - Chief Executive Officer". General Atlantic website.
- ↑ "ByteDance Homepage". ByteDance. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "BlackRock Board of Directors". BlackRock Investor Relations. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "William E. Ford III". Stanford Graduate School of Business Alumni.
- ↑ Huhmann, Amanda. "New Residence Hall to Be Named for '83 Alumnus". Amherst College.
- ↑ "Board of Trustees and Corporate Officers". The Rockefeller University. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "Board of Trustees". Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". NCUSCR. The National Committee on United States-China Relations. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ Sumner, Thomas (June 27, 2024). "Bill Ford and Andrew Golden Join Simons Foundation Board of Trustees". Simons Foundation.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019.
- ↑ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "CEOs". CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board Members" (PDF). School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "We Want to Rebuild U.S. Relations With China - WSJ". 2022-07-07. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ Kamisar, Ben; Bowman, Bridget (2025-07-31). "Trump's super PAC raises a massive $177 million, bolstering his political influence". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ↑ Caroline Hanna. "Ford Family Gift Names the New Student Center". Amherst College. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Midas List". Forbes. February 6, 2009.
- ↑ "The Midas List". Forbes. January 24, 2008.