Jahm Najafi
Born1963 (age 60–61)
NationalityIranian
American
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
Harvard University
OccupationInvestor
Known forVice chairman of the Phoenix Suns
SpouseCheryl Najafi
Children3

Jamshid Jahm Najafi (born March 1963)[1] is an Iranian-American billionaire businessman.[2] He manages The Najafi Companies, a private equity firm, is vice chairman of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and McLaren Racing.[3][4]

Early life

Najafi has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1986, he received a master's degree in business economics from Harvard University.[5][6]

Career

Najafi worked for Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street firm that became part of Citigroup,[5][7] before he served as CEO of Pivotal Private Equity[8] and partner and COO of the parent company, The Pivotal Group,[9][10][11] which he ran with his brother, Francis Najafi, from 1990 to 2002. Pivotal focused on the purchase of commercial properties, such as The Century Plaza Hotel and St. Regis in Los Angeles, the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix, Harbor Bay and 650 California Street in San Francisco, and Promontory in Park City.[12][13]

Najafi was a founding partner of Social Venture Partners, a philanthropic venture capital fund that invests in emerging nonprofit organizations, as well as the Arizona State University Committee for Design Excellence. He was named to the Phoenix Business Journal's Forty under 40 list in 2001.[10]

He has also served on the board of directors for the Phoenix Symphony and Phoenix Metropolitan Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and as chair of the board of trustees of Phoenix Country Day School.[11]

He serves as partial owner and vice chairman of the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team[5][14] and a governor on the board of the National Basketball Association. After majority owner Robert Sarver was suspended from team operations for one year that stated Sarver “engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards ... included the use of racially insensitive language; unequal treatment of female employees; sex-related statements and conduct; and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying” Najafi called on Sarver to resign.[15][16] When Robert Sarver eventually sold the team to new ownership led by Mat Ishbia and his brother Justin Ishbia, Najafi was one of three minority team owners to keep all their stakes with the team once the sale went through on February 7, 2023.[17]

The Najafi Companies (Najafi Cos.), a private-equity firm, was established in 2002. Najafi, head of the company, invests only his own capital. The company makes investments across industries with significant holdings in consumer, media, sports, travel, ecommerce, retail and technology.[3][5][11][18]

In December 2020, Najafi was announced as the next vice-chairman of McLaren Racing, a Formula One constructor.[4]

Investments

In 2003, Najafi, through Najafi Cos., purchased Network Solutions from Verisign Inc. for $20 million. In 2007, it sold Network Solutions to General Atlantic for $800 million.[3] Najafi led the company through the acquisitions of the Pert Plus shampoo brand and Sure deodorant brand from Procter & Gamble in 2006,[18][19] and Trend Homes Inc. in 2008,[20] Also in 2008, Najafi and Najafi Cos. purchased Direct Group, the parent company of the Book of the Month Club, Columbia House and BMG Music Service, from Bertelsmann AG, a German book publisher. The company later acquired the France, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec operations of Direct Group.[5][21][22]

Najafi and his company Najafi Cos. were named highest bidder in negotiations to buy out Borders Group from bankruptcy protection in 2011. The bid fell through when Borders was liquidated.[5][23][24][25] Najafi and Najafi Cos. also bid to buy The Boston Globe in 2013.[26]

In 2017, Najafi Cos. bid for ownership of Time Inc. Time is the owner of publications including Sports Illustrated, Fortune and People. Opposing bids came from former Warner Music Group executive Edgar Bronfman Jr., Iowa-based company Meredith Corporation, and private equity firm Pamplona Capital Management.[27][28]

Najafi Cos. invested in 2018 in the brand studio, Beach House Group, the parent and operating company of several consumer brands with celebrity co-founders including Beis with Shay Mitchell in travel, Moon with Kendall Jenner in Oral Care and Pattern with Tracee Ellis Ross in haircare. Najafi invested in 2021 in Scarlett Johansson’s eco-friendly, plant-based skincare line, The Outset.[29]

Classic Vacations announced that a definitive purchase agreement has been signed by Najafi Cos. to acquire all the assets of Classic Vacations from Expedia Group effective April 2, 2021.[30]

On April 22, 2022, The Najafi Companies closed its acquisition of STX Entertainment from ErosSTX.[31]

On October 26, 2022, MSP Sports Capital (known in part for its investment in McLaren Formula One Racing Team) announced that it has acquired a majority interest from ESPN Productions for the X Games.[32]

Personal life

Najafi and his wife, Cheryl Najafi, live in Arizona with their three children.[6]

Bibliography

  • Jahm Najafi (1987). Elements of Design for a Commercial Mortgage Security: An Issuer's Primer. Roberta Paula Books, Salomon Bros.

References

  1. ↑ "Jamshid Jahm NAJAFI personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Hadero, Haleluya (April 12, 2021). "How billionaire is using financial muscle for racial equity". Seattle Times. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Alec Kinnear (May 31, 2007). "Network Solutions bought for $20 million, sold for $800 million three years later". Foliovision. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Baldwin, Alan (13 December 2020). "U.S.-based MSP Sports Capital buys into McLaren F1". Reuters. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shira Ovide (June 7, 2011). "Possible New Owner for Borders: Meet Jahm Najafi". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Supporting the Quest for Knowledge". Harvard Alumni. January 29, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  7. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr (June 11, 2014). "Resolution COO Jeff Franklin Exits Agency". Deadline. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Pivotal Private Equity to Acquire World's Largest Domain Name Registrar, Network Solutions". Business Wire. October 16, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ HotelBusiness. Vol. 6. ICD Publications. 1997.
  10. 1 2 "Forty under 40 winners". Phoenix Business Journal. April 1, 2001. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 "Jahm Najafi". NBA. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  12. ↑ Jesus Sanches (February 27, 1999). "Phoenix Investors Group Buys Century Plaza Hotel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  13. ↑ Amanda Bishop (September 24, 2000). "Pivotal plunking down $138M for office tower". San Francisco Business Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ Keith J. Kelly (September 17, 2013). "Najafi kicks Penske's tires; no Deadline deal". New York Post. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ "NBA statement about independent investigation regarding Robert Sarver and the Phoenix Suns organization". NBA. 13 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "Phoenix Suns minority owner Jahm Najafi calls for Robert Sarver's resignation". ESPN. 15 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Mat Ishbia's purchase of Phoenix Suns approved by NBA vote". 7 February 2023.
  18. 1 2 Chad Graham (July 7, 2006). "Phoenix firm buys P&G brand". The Arizona Republic.
  19. ↑ Dennis K. Berman and Ellen Byron (September 26, 2006). "P&G Sells Sure Deodorant Label To Closely Held Innovative Brando". The Wall Street Journal.
  20. ↑ Betty Beard (February 1, 2008). "Najafi to acquire Trend Homes". The Arizona Republic.
  21. ↑ Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Mike Esterl (July 12, 2008). "Bertelsmann Sells Book, Music Clubs". Wall Street Journal.
  22. ↑ Russ Wiles (May 24, 2011). "Najafi to purchase French book firm". The Arizona Republic.
  23. ↑ Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg (January 5, 2016). "Penguin Random House Sells Self-Publishing Company". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Borders Picks Najafi Companies as Lead Bidder". New York Times Deal Book. June 30, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  25. ↑ Daniel Duggan (June 8, 2011). "Report: Phoenix investor competes with Alec Gores in bid for Borders Group". Crains Detroit. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  26. ↑ Beth Healy (June 19, 2013). "June 27 deadline looms for bids to buy Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  27. ↑ Daniel Roberts (March 10, 2017). "NBA team owner may soon own Sports Illustrated's owner". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  28. ↑ Paola Boivin (March 11, 2017). "Boivin: The story behind Sean Miller's questionable timeout vs. UCLA". Arizona Central. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Inline XBRL Viewer". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  30. ↑ "THE NAJAFI COMPANIES AGREES TO ACQUIRE CLASSIC VACATIONS, LEADING PROVIDER OF VACATION PACKAGES". Classic Vacations. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  31. ↑ Entertainment, S. T. X. "The Najafi Companies Closes Deal to Acquire Hollywood Studio STX Entertainment". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  32. ↑ Capital, MSP Sports. "MSP SPORTS CAPITAL ACQUIRES A CONTROLLING INTEREST IN X GAMES - SIGNALING A NEW ERA FOR ACTION SPORTS COMPETITION & ENTERTAINMENT ACROSS THE GLOBE". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
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