Private Equity Professionals

Geoffrey Chatas leaves JPMorgan

Chatas, a managing director at JPMorgan Asset Management's Infrastructure Investments Fund, will assume the role of CFO at Ohio State University. His departure marks the latest in a string of high-profile career moves by infrastructure executives at Citi, Morgan Stanley, KKR and Goldman Sachs.

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Geoffrey Chatas, a managing director of the Infrastructure Investments Fund at JPMorgan Asset Management, is leaving the firm to become a senior financial executive at Ohio State University.

Ohio State said in a press release that Chatas would take over the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer for the 63,000-student university system effective 15 February, subject to approval by the university’s Board of Trustees.

As chief financial officer, he will oversee the university’s $4.5 billion budget.

Previously, as a managing director at JPMorgan Asset Management’s $4 billion infrastructure investments group, Chatas helped chief investment officer Mark Weisdorf run the firm’s Infrastructure Investments Fund.

Market sources familiar with his role at JPMorgan say Chatas served as a key dealmaker for the firm, bringing in deals and potential investment opportunities.

His departure marks the latest in a string of high-profile departures for senior executives of infrastructure funds.

In July 2009, Juan Bejar, the co-head of Citi Infrastructure Investors, left the firm to become chief executive officer of infrastructure developer Global Via Infrastructure. He has since been replaced by Holly Koeppel, who now heads the $3.4 billion infrastructure fund alongside Felicity Gates.

In April 2009, Ron Lepin, chief operating officer of Morgan Stanley’s $4 billion infrastructure fund, left the firm. Sadek Wahba remained as head of the fund.

In October 2008, George Bilicic left his position as the head of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts’ infrastructure team after less than six months on the job. Marc Lipschultz currently serves as global head of energy and infrastructure for the firm.

Also in late 2008, William Young, the co-head of Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division’s Infrastructure Group, left the firm. His departure left Steve Feldman to run the group, which raised $6.5 billion for its first fund and has been in the market for a second fund targeting $7.5 billion, according to fundraising database InfrastructureConnect.com.