Richard Lawson

Rich Lawson is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of HGGC. Based in Palo Alto, California, HGGC is a leading private equity firm with over $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments and oversees portfolio companies that employ more than 65,000 employees globally. Over its history, HGGC has completed platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of $25 billion. Mr. Lawson has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its inception and directs HGGC’s firm governance, investment decisions and investor relations.

Mr. Lawson currently serves or has served as a director or chairman on the boards of HGGC’s portfolio companies, including BIG, Monotype, AMI, Mi9, RPX, HelpSystems, IDERA, Denodo, Nutraceutical, Aventri, Davies Group, Integrity, FPX, Selligent, Dealer-FX, Dynata, Serena Software, AutoAlert, MyWebGrocer, hybris Software, Innovative Interfaces and Sunquest Information Systems.

Mr. Lawson also serves as a director, chairman emeritus or trustee of several philanthropic and cultural institutions including the Capital Impact Foundation, San Francisco Zoo, Wasatch Adaptive Sports and the Forever Young Foundation, the organization that is a primary benefactor of HGGC's carried interest proceeds used to support extensive philanthropic work in children's causes around the world.

Prior to leading HGGC, Mr. Lawson established predecessor private equity funds Huntsman Gay Capital Partners in 2007 with industrialist Jon M. Huntsman and Robert C. Gay, as well as Sorenson Capital in 2002 with medical products pioneer James LeVoy Sorenson.  Mr. Lawson also worked at Morgan Stanley in its mergers and acquisitions department and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of enterprise software company Found, Inc.