Patrick J. Healy ’89, the chief executive officer of private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, was appointed to the Harvard Management Company’s board of directors, HMC announced on Thursday.
Healey will join HMC as the University continues to expand its exposure to private markets and alternative investments — a shift that has been accompanied by a wave of board appointments of alumni with backgrounds in private equity, investment banking, and asset management.
Healy joined Hellman & Friedman in 1994 and has served as the firm’s CEO since 2019. Healy is a member of the firm’s investment committee, chairs its compensation committee, and leads its London office and European operations.
University Treasurer Timothy R. Barakett ’87, who chairs HMC’s board, praised Healy’s experience in a Thursday press release.
“Patrick will be a great addition to our board,” Barakett wrote. “He brings three decades of investing through cycles, the perspective of a CEO who manages a global firm, and extensive experience as a director across many companies,” said Barakett.
The appointment comes less than six months after HMC named Paul B. Edgerley, Mary Callahan Erdoes, and Raymond J. McGuire ’79 to its board. The three new directors all brought experience in private equity, investment banking, or asset management.
HMC, which manages Harvard’s $56.9 billion endowment, allocated 41 percent of its portfolio to private equity in fiscal year 2025, up from 39 percent the year before. The firm also recently opened a satellite office in San Francisco, expanding its West Coast presence as the endowment shifts further toward technology and venture capital investments.
Erdoes’ December appointment drew criticism because of her role managing JPMorgan Chase’s relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein, who held accounts at the bank between 1998 and 2013. Erdoes was among a small group of senior JPMorgan executives who maintained regular contact with Epstein while he was a client of the bank.
Healy’s appointment brings the total number of HMC directors to 15. The board has no fixed size and includes designated seats for the University’s president, treasurer, chief financial officer, and HMC CEO N.P. “Narv” Narvekar.
Healy, a former member of Harvard’s men’s swim team, graduated from the College in 1989 and later earned a master of business administration degree from the Harvard Business School.
“His judgment on private investments and his international reach will be especially valuable as HMC continues to manage the endowment for the long term,” Barakett wrote.
—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at megblon.50. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.