Haute 100 San Francisco Update: James Coulter

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami,New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. James Coulter is taking TPG Capital global, making arrangements to raise almost $1.5 billion for two private equity funds in China.

James Coulter

Category: Billionaire

Company: TPG Capital

Industry: Private Equity

What Made Him Haute: James Coulter is one of the giants in private equity and is known for loving the art of the multibillion-dollar deal. He co-founded TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group) with the San Francisco headquarters under his leadership. Familiar company names that have Coulter’s fingerprints all over their financial accounts include Burger King, J. Crew, Petco and Del Monte Foods. His group collaborated with CPP Investment Board for a $5 billion takeover of IMS Health, a health care research company.

What Makes Him Haute Now: This morning, TPG Capital broke news of its second yuan-denominated fund, following yesterday’s announcement of its first Renminbi-denominated fund. Its second CNY5 billion ($736 million) fund is reportedly launching in Chongqing where TPG will focus on on-shore investments to support Chinese companies, while TPG’s first fund will focus on medium- and large-sized firms in Shanghai and will also tap Chinese insurers as potential investors. Coulter will sure have his flight itinerary full with plans for new offices in both cities, and heavy fund-raising efforts in the next several months. “Private equity is now a global business,” Coulter said in an interview Monday in Shanghai. “And this is our commitment to China.”