{{short description|American merchant banker}} {{Infobox person | name = Byron Trott | image = Byron Trott BDT & MSD.jpg | image_size = | caption = Byron Trott | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|12|2}} | birth_place = Springfield, Missouri, United States | alma_mater = {{nowrap|University of Chicago <small>(AB, MBA)</small>}} | employer = | networth = | title = Chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners | spouse = Tina Trott }}
'''Byron David Trott''' (born December 2, 1958) is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank that provides advice and capital to family and founder-led companies. Formerly, Trott was vice chairman of Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.
== Early life and education == Raised in Union, Missouri, Trott received an AB from the University of Chicago in 1981, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1982.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/trott-on-the-march-is-he-buffetts-chosen-successor-1658994.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Stephen | last=Foley | title=Trott on the march: is he Buffett's chosen successor? | date=2009-04-01}}</ref> As an undergraduate, he played on the varsity baseball and football teams, and joined the Chi Upsilon chapter of Phi Gamma Delta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://campaign.uchicago.edu/donor-recognition/spotlight/tina-and-byron-trott-house/|title=Tina and Byron Trott House | The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact|website=campaign.uchicago.edu|accessdate=September 22, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Trott was the 1981 recipient of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal, an award presented to the senior male student-athlete at the University of Chicago with the best overall record for academics, athletics and character.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://athletics.uchicago.edu/about/history/stagg-medal|title=Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal Winners|website=The University of Chicago Athletics|accessdate=September 22, 2019}}</ref>
== Professional career == In 1982, Trott joined Goldman Sachs as a stockbroker, joining Goldman's investment banking division in 1988 and working under future U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.<ref name=deal>{{cite news| url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/when-this-banker-talks-even-buffett-listens/ | work=The New York Times | title=When This Banker Talks, Even Buffett Listens | date=2008-10-07}}</ref> He eventually rose to become vice chairman of investment banking at Goldman Sachs.<ref name=deal/> He advised many of the wealthiest families and closely held companies in deals ranging from the $23 billion Mars-Wrigley combination, the Pritzkers’ $4.5 billion sale of Marmon Holdings to Berkshire Hathaway, and the $5 billion capital infusion from Berkshire Hathaway into Goldman Sachs in September 2008 during the financial crisis.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berman|first=Dennis K.|title=The Midwest Medicis' Favorite Financier|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704281504576327712421073094|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=2011-05-16}}</ref>
Trott left Goldman Sachs in early 2009 to open his own firm,<ref name="WSJ12">{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Heidi |date=30 March 2009 |title=Byron Trott to Leave Goldman Sachs. Warren Buffett Signs On |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DLB-7636 |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> Chicago-based merchant bank BDT & Company.<ref name="BusinessInsider12">{{cite news |last=Rapier |first=Graham |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Meet the billionaire businessman behind Michael Dell's new investment and advisory firm, also known as Warren Buffett's favorite banker |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/byron-trott-warren-buffett-banker-merges-bdt-with-michael-dell-2022-10#bdt-and-company-served-as-financial-adviser-for-jab-holdings-keurig-green-mountain-on-its-deal-to-buy-dr-pepper-snapple-group-for-a-cool-187-billion-in-cash-alongside-the-lead-adviser-goldman-sachs-23 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> BDT & Co.’s affiliate, BDT Capital Partners, managed more than $33 billion across its investment funds from its global limited partner investor base.<ref name="WSJ22">{{cite news |last=Gottfried |first=Miriam |date=October 20, 2022 |title=BDT to Merge With MSD Partners, Form New Investment and Advisory Firm |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bdt-to-merge-with-msd-partners-form-new-investment-and-advisory-firm-11666265401 |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}</ref>
In 2023, BDT & Company merged with MSD Partners, run by Gregg Lemkau. Trott and Lemkau had previously worked together at Goldman Sachs. Together, they formed BDT & MSD Partners, an investment and advisory firm. Trott and Lemkau serve as co-CEOs of BDT & MSD.<ref name="BusinessInsider22">{{cite news |last=Cuccinello |first=Hayley |title=How Gregg Lemkau went from Goldman CEO contender to building a hybrid investment bank catering to billionaires |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/gregg-lemkau-michael-dell-msd-partners-goldman-sachs-trott-bdt-2022-10 |publisher=Business Insider}}</ref><ref name="WSJ22" />
Trott is a director of Cox Enterprises,<ref name="ChicagoBusiness">{{cite news |last=Kapos |first=Shia |date=April 21, 2015 |title=Byron Trott joins Cox Enterprises board |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150421/BLOGS03/150429950/chicago-ceo-byron-trott-joins-cox-enterprises-board |publisher=Crain's Chicago Business}}</ref> Enterprise Holdings, Inc.,<ref name="Forbes1">{{cite news |last=Durot |first=Matt |date=May 22, 2024 |title=Why Enterprise Is One Of The World's Best Private Companies |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2024/05/22/why-enterprise-is-one-of-the-worlds-best-private-companies/ |work=Forbes}}</ref> IMA Group and Sunrise Group Holdings, LLC (“Whataburger”).<ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news |title=Byron David Trott |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/4289837 |publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref>
== Personal life == Trott is a trustee of the University of Chicago, founded the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program and helped to launch the Trott Business Program, which provides undergraduate UChicago students with practical work experience and mentoring.<ref>{{cite news|title= $10 million gift supports newly named Trott Business Program|author= Sarah Manhardt|url= https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2016/11/15/10-million-gift-supports-newly-named-trott-business-program|date=November 15, 2016|work=UChicagoNews}}</ref> Trott is a director of Conservation International, and in 2011 was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and is now president of the Association.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.horatioalger.org/member_info.cfm?memberid=TRO11| title=Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans| archive-date=2013-04-15| access-date=2012-08-25| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415012320/http://www.horatioalger.org/member_info.cfm?memberid=TRO11| url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2018, Brian and Tina Trott founded the rootEd Alliance, which places college and career counselors in high schools in rural America.<ref name="Time">{{cite news |last=Block |first=Sandra |date=May 20, 2025 |title=Byron Trott and Tina Trott |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286051/byron-trott-tina-trott/ |publisher=Time}}</ref> They signed The Giving Pledge in 2021.<ref name="Candid">{{cite news |date=February 23, 2021 |title=Three couples sign on to Giving Pledge |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/three-couples-sign-on-to-giving-pledge |publisher=Candid.}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category-inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trott, Byron}} Category:Living people Category:1958 births Category:21st-century American businesspeople Category:American chief executives Category:American financial company founders Category:American investment bankers Category:American stockbrokers Category:Berkshire Hathaway Category:Businesspeople from Chicago Category:Businesspeople from Missouri Category:Goldman Sachs people Category:People from Union, Missouri Category:People from Winnetka, Illinois Category:Private equity and venture capital investors Category:University of Chicago alumni Category:University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni Category:University of Chicago trustees