David E. De Leeuw '69
David E. DeLeeuw is a founding partner of Lion Chemical Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in premier businesses operating in the chemical and related materials industries. Mr. DeLeeuw founded Lion Chemical Partners with his brother, Peter DeLeeuw, in 2014. Prior to Lion Chemical Partners, David and Peter founded Lion Chemical Capital in 2001, and since the Firm's founding, Lion Chemical has invested and/or advised on transactions in the chemical industry valued at over $4 billion.
Mr. DeLeeuw also serves as Chairman of Lion Cao Asset Management, an investment management firm which he co-founded in 2005 that specializes in private equity, direct investments, co investments and funds. Prior to establishing Lion Chemical Partners and Lion Cao Asset Management, Mr. DeLeeuw was a founding partner of McCown DeLeeuw & Co., which invested over $1 billion in 40 leveraged platform acquisitions. Over a 20 year period, Mr. DeLeeuw led or played a key role in numerous financings for McCown DeLeeuw including IPOs, mezzanine debt, bonds, and private financings, as well as acquisitions, divestitures, and secondary offerings. Prior to founding McCown DeLeeuw in 1984, Mr. DeLeeuw led the leveraged acquisitions group at Citibank and was previously at W.R. Grace & Co. and Paine Webber in New York and Tokyo.
Mr. DeLeeuw has served on more than 25 Boards (with several listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ), often as Chairman or Vice Chairman. He is, and has been, an active personal investor in numerous start-ups, late stage Venture and Private Equity transactions, as well as Private Equity Funds and Hedge Funds. Through their Foundation, Mr. DeLeeuw and his wife, Treva, are avid supporters of many of New York's cultural, medical, and educational institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the School of American Ballet, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and Columbia University, where Mr. DeLeeuw is currently an Advisory Board Member of the Private Equity Program. He has also served as a visiting lecturer at Columbia Business School and Harvard College. Mr. DeLeeuw received an MBA from Columbia University, and a BA in History from Lafayette College.