“World class.” “Consistent.” “Focused relentlessly on performance.” Blackstone President and COO Jon Gray is speaking from his New York office, and you could be forgiven for thinking he’s referring to the strategy that has helped turn his firm into the world’s largest alternative investment manager, now boasting $1.3 trillion in AUM (assets under management).
But actually, he’s talking about golf. Or rather, a golfer—the one Blackstone just hired to be its first ever brand ambassador. And in choosing Tommy Fleetwood, the 4th highest-ranked golfer on the PGA Tour, Blackstone did set out to find someone that embodied the firm’s ethos. “He’s such a compelling figure, he’s a self effacing, good high-integrity human being who also happens to be outstanding at what he does,” effuses Gray, who calls Fleetwood “world class, both as a professional and as a human being.”
