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. Check back daily for more info on the most powerful people in your city. James Coulter has become a financial ally to the entertainment industry with TPG Capital’s high-profile deal with Creative Artists Agency.

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: Creative Artists Agency is being boosted by outside investor TPG Capital, currently managing more than $47 billion in assets, and is adding James Coulter to its board of power-players. TPG Capital has added a 35 percent equity stake in Creative Artists Agency to its ventures. With its $165 million investment, TPG is now the single largest owner of C.A.A., and has reportedly put another $200 million into debt financing for the talent agency representing industry giants, such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Derek Jeter, David Beckham, Shaun White, teams like the New York Yankees, and corporations including Coco-Cola Co. and Mattel Inc. The deal with TPG comes with a $500 million investment fund, allowing C.A.A. to make future acquisitions, and a restructured, 10-person C.A.A. board that will include TPG Capital co-founder Coulter.

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