Gregg Lemkau has quietly become one of the most influential names in modern finance, yet he remains refreshingly under the radar for someone who has advised on more than a trillion dollars in deals. He is the kind of dealmaker whose name shows up in the fine print of the biggest transactions on Wall Street, but who rarely craves the spotlight himself. Today he sits at the top of BDT & MSD Partners as co-chief executive, chairs the family office of billionaire Michael Dell, and holds a seat on the board of BlackRock, the largest asset manager on the planet. Behind that impressive resume, though, is a grounded family man who has built a life in the suburbs of New York with his wife, Kate Allen Lemkau, and their four children.
Who Is Gregg Lemkau?
Gregg R. Lemkau is an American businessman and investment banker, born in Boston in 1969, who has spent the better part of three decades operating at the very highest levels of global finance. Most people in the industry know him as the co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank that specializes in serving founders, family-owned businesses, and long-term strategic investors. What sets him apart is not just the scale of his deals but his reputation as a trusted, relationship-first advisor rather than a transactional one. He has built a career on patience, discretion, and the long view, which is exactly the kind of philosophy his firm champions. Even as his profile has grown, Lemkau has managed to keep his personal life largely private, letting his professional track record speak for itself.
From Dartmouth to Wall Street: The Early Years
Long before the boardrooms and billion-dollar transactions, Gregg Lemkau was a student athlete finding his footing at Dartmouth College, where he played goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team. He grew up in a family that was already familiar with the world of finance, since his father, Curt Lemkau, worked in the field as well, and that early exposure clearly shaped his ambitions. After graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Economics, Lemkau did not jump straight into banking. He actually spent a short stretch working as a paralegal at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before deciding that the deal side of business was where he truly wanted to be. That brief detour turned out to be a launchpad, and within a year he had set his sights on Wall Street. His Dartmouth roots remain a huge part of his identity, and he has stayed deeply connected to the school throughout his career.
The Goldman Sachs Chapter
The heart of Gregg Lemkau’s early professional life was his 28-year run at Goldman Sachs, an institution he joined as a fresh-faced analyst in 1992 at just 22 years old. He was ambitious from the start, and during the 1990s he relocated to San Francisco to help the firm expand its technology mergers and acquisitions practice, positioning himself right in the middle of a booming sector. Over the years he climbed steadily, eventually becoming co-head of the Investment Banking Division and earning a seat on the firm’s prestigious Management Committee, the small inner circle that steers the entire company. By the time he decided to move on, he had advised clients on hundreds of transactions representing well over a trillion dollars in combined deal value, working out of offices across the United States and Europe. For a while he was even seen as a potential future chief executive of Goldman itself. Instead, in 2020, at the age of 51, he chose a different path and stepped away from the bank that had defined most of his adult life.
Leading MSD Partners and the BDT Merger
When Gregg Lemkau left Goldman Sachs, he did not retire or fade into the background; he took on one of the most interesting jobs in private capital. In early 2021 he joined MSD Partners, the investment firm managing the wealth of Michael Dell and his family, stepping in as chief executive officer with a clear mandate to diversify the portfolio and push into new sectors. It was a bold move that let him operate with more independence and a longer time horizon than the quarterly rhythm of a public bank. His tenure took an even bigger turn in January 2023, when MSD Partners merged with BDT & Company, a merchant bank founded by his former Goldman colleague Byron Trott, who happens to be one of Warren Buffett’s most trusted advisors. The combined firm, BDT & MSD Partners, brought together two powerhouse platforms serving family- and founder-led businesses, and Lemkau and Trott now share the co-CEO title. Together they run one of the most respected advisory and investment operations catering to the world’s wealthiest families.
Chairman of the Dell Family Office and BlackRock Board
Beyond his co-CEO role, Gregg Lemkau wears a couple of other very significant hats that underline just how trusted he has become in elite financial circles. He serves as chairman of DFO Management, the private investment office that oversees the vast fortune of Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his family, a position that requires an enormous amount of discretion and long-term thinking. That relationship with the Dell family has been a defining thread through the second act of his career, connecting his MSD days to his current work. Then, in early 2026, his stature received another major stamp of approval when the board of BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, elected him as an independent director. BlackRock’s chairman and CEO, Laurence Fink, publicly praised Lemkau as a trusted advisor and skilled investor with deep expertise across markets and cycles. Sitting on the BlackRock board places him among the most influential figures shaping the future of global capital.
Kate Allen Lemkau: The Woman Beside Him
While Gregg Lemkau’s professional life plays out on a very public stage, his marriage to Kate Allen Lemkau is something he has kept genuinely personal and out of the headlines. Kate has been his partner through the biggest transitions of his career, from the whirlwind years at Goldman Sachs to the launch of a whole new chapter with BDT & MSD Partners. The couple keeps a low profile, and there are no splashy details about their wedding floating around, which suggests they preferred to keep that day private and intimate. What is clear is that Kate is very much a full partner in the family’s philanthropy and its life in New York. In fact, one of the more visible glimpses of their shared values came in 2015, when Gregg and Kate together donated two million dollars to Dartmouth College to endow the Bobby Clark Head Coach of Men’s Soccer position, honoring one of the school’s most beloved coaches. That gesture said a lot about the couple’s loyalty to the institution where Gregg’s story really began, and about the quiet, meaningful way they choose to give back.
Meet the Lemkau Children: Lily, Mack, Sadie, and Tatum
At the center of Gregg and Kate Allen Lemkau’s world are their four children, Lily, Mack, Sadie, and Tatum, who round out a household of six. Like their parents, the kids have largely stayed out of public view, but a common thread that runs through the family is a strong connection to Dartmouth, the very college where Gregg played soccer and met so much of his future. Several of the Lemkau children have followed that same path, with Mack, Sadie, and Tatum all associated with Dartmouth class years spanning the early to mid 2020s, keeping the family’s ties to the school alive across a new generation. Lily is the youngest of the four, which means the household has spanned a wide range of ages and stages over the years. It is easy to imagine that having children move through the same campus their father once roamed only deepened the family’s already sentimental attachment to Dartmouth. For a man who spends his days advising some of the most powerful families in the country, it is telling that his own family clearly comes first.
Life in Bedford, New York
Away from the glass towers of Manhattan, the Lemkau family has planted its roots in Bedford, New York, a leafy and affluent town in Westchester County that offers exactly the kind of grounded suburban life Gregg seems to value. Bedford is known for its rolling estates, top-tier schools, and quiet privacy, making it a natural fit for a high-profile executive who prefers to keep his personal world shielded from the noise. It is the kind of place where a family can enjoy space and calm while still being within striking distance of the financial capital of the world. Living outside the city has likely helped the Lemkaus maintain a sense of normalcy for their children, giving them room to grow up with a foundation that is more about family than fame. Even at the height of the pandemic, there were stories of Gregg juggling major deals remotely, including a memorable stretch working from a family vacation, which paints a picture of someone who tries to blend his demanding career with real family time. That balance between relentless ambition and a settled home life is a big part of what makes his story feel so human.
Giving Back: Philanthropy and Board Roles
One of the more admirable dimensions of Gregg Lemkau’s life is how consistently he has channeled his success into causes he cares about, both financially and through his time. His philanthropy is especially tied to Dartmouth, where he currently chairs the Board of Trustees and has served as a major benefactor, most notably through the multimillion-dollar soccer endowment he and Kate created. His passion for the sport also shows up in his charitable work beyond his alma mater, since he previously served as chairman of the board of Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit that uses the power of soccer to fight HIV and AIDS across Africa. He has also lent his experience to Team Rubicon, an organization that unites military veterans with first responders to deploy emergency response teams during disasters. On the corporate side, his board memberships have included companies like Qualtrics and Spurs Sports & Entertainment, reflecting the breadth of his interests across technology, sports, and investing. Taken together, these commitments reveal a person who sees his influence as something to be used purposefully rather than hoarded.
Net Worth and Influence
Given his decades at the very top of investment banking and private capital, it is natural to wonder about Gregg Lemkau’s net worth, though the truth is that the exact figure has never been made public. As a private executive who has spent his career at partnerships and family-controlled firms rather than in the glare of public compensation filings, his personal wealth remains largely a matter of educated speculation. What can be said with confidence is that his roles almost certainly place him comfortably among the wealthy elite of American finance, considering the scale of the enterprises he has led and the caliber of the clients he serves. More telling than any dollar figure, though, is his sheer influence, the kind that comes from being on speed dial for the wealthiest families in the country and from holding a board seat at BlackRock. In the world Lemkau operates in, access, trust, and relationships are often worth more than a headline net worth number. That quiet, relationship-driven power is really the currency he has spent his whole career building.
FAQs
Who is Gregg Lemkau?
Gregg Lemkau is an American investment banker and businessman who serves as co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners. He is also chairman of Michael Dell’s family office and a board member of BlackRock.
Who is Kate Allen Lemkau?
Kate Allen Lemkau is the wife of Gregg Lemkau and a private figure who keeps a low public profile. She partners with him in the family’s philanthropy, including a major gift to Dartmouth College.
How many children do Gregg and Kate Allen Lemkau have?
The couple has four children named Lily, Mack, Sadie, and Tatum. Several of them share the family’s strong ties to Dartmouth College.
Where does the Lemkau family live?
Gregg Lemkau and his family live in Bedford, New York, an affluent town in Westchester County. It offers privacy and space while staying close to Manhattan.
What did Gregg Lemkau do before BDT & MSD Partners?
Before co-leading BDT & MSD Partners, Lemkau spent 28 years at Goldman Sachs, where he became co-head of investment banking. He then served as CEO of MSD Partners before it merged to form his current firm.
Conclusion
Gregg Lemkau’s story is a compelling blend of towering professional achievement and quiet personal grounding. From a Dartmouth goalkeeper to a Goldman Sachs power player, and now to co-CEO of a firm that advises the wealthiest families in the world, he has built a career defined by trust, patience, and the long view. Yet the thread that ties it all together is his family, anchored by his wife, Kate Allen Lemkau, and their four children, Lily, Mack, Sadie, and Tatum. Living a deliberately private life in Bedford, New York, and giving generously to causes close to his heart, Lemkau represents a rare kind of success, one measured not just in deals and dollars but in relationships and values. As he steps into influential roles at BlackRock and the Dell family office, his career is clearly far from finished, and it will be fascinating to watch where his steady, long-term approach takes him next.