Thomas Christopoul

2012 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI RECIPIENT

MA 1988, Organizational Communication

Operating Partner, Falconhead Capital (New York, NY)

At Falconhead, a private investment firm in New York City, founded in 1998, Tom Christopoul, as a member of the investment advisory committee, sources and evaluates deal flow and participates actively in the diligence and transaction management process. Falconhead is focused on making control investments in small to middle-market companies. Limited partners include a number of leading public and private pension funds, banks, foundations, and university endowments. Christopoul currently serves as Executive Chairman of two portfolio companies – GPSi Holdings, LLC and Rita’s Water Ice Franchise Company.

Christopoul brings more than 20 years of executive management experience with international public and private growth companies to this role. He was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Resources Global Professionals, a multinational professional services firm. Prior to being named CEO, he served as an independent member on the Resources Board of Directors, as Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees, and as a member of the Audit Committee from 2006 through 2009.

He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Marketing Services Division of Cendant Corporation, where he worked for more than 10 years. In that role, he managed and integrated the company’s three global direct marketing units which ultimately comprised one of the largest affinity marketing enterprises in the world. Before retiring from the company in the fall of 2005, Christopoul led the strategic divestment of that division (now Affinion Group Holdings) in a sale to private equity firm Apollo Management, LP for proceeds in excess of $1.8 billion.

Prior to that, Christopoul was Chairman and CEO of the Financial Services Division of Cendant, where he managed Jackson-Hewitt Tax Services, the second largest tax preparation firm in North America. In June 2004, he led the 100% Initial Public Offering of that company on the (NYSE: JTX), which raised more than $800 million in proceeds.

Also at Cendant, he was Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer where he led the corporate and staff functions of the company on a global basis. He was the senior management representative to the compensation and policy committees of Cendant’s Board of Directors, headed the company’s Pension Committee and served as the Founder and Chairman of the Cendant Charitable Foundation. Christopoul also held the positions of EVP of Corporate Services, SVP of Human Resources and was VP of HR for Hospitality Franchise Systems Inc. (Cendant's predecessor). Prior to HFS and Cendant, he was the Director of Labor Relations for the Nabisco Brands, Inc. and also worked for several years at the Pepsi-Cola Company in increasingly responsible Human Resource management positions.

Christopoul has extensive international experience having negotiated large scale outsource, joint venture, labor and partnership deals throughout the EU, Eastern Europe, Central & South America, China, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore and Canada.

Christopoul is an active venture capital investor through Somerset Shore Associates, Inc., a private investment company he founded in 2006 and serves on the Boards of several private companies.  He is a former member of the advisory boards of the September 11th Children’s Fund, Rutgers University and Manhattan Theater Source (an Off-Broadway theater he helped found in 2000).  He is Non-Executive Chairman of Hudson Crossing, LLC (a travel industry consulting partnership) and is a member of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Apollo Home Mortgage, Inc. (NYSE:  AMTG).  He previously served as Vice Chairman of Pinnacle Care International (a private health advisory firm).

Christopoul maintains an active interest in charitable philanthropy through The Christopoul Family Foundation which directs donations toward dozens of worthy causes, particularly those involving the care and cure of pediatric cancer.  He is actively engaged in supporting the arts, having produced several Off-Broadway stage shows over the past decade and serving as a Producer of the recent Tony Award winning Broadway play, Lombardi, based on the life and achievements of the legendary Vince Lombardi.  He maintains residences in NJ, FL and Anguilla, BWI.