Bio
Charles is an Investment Committee Member of and Investment Advisor to GenZero, a $4 billion decarbonization fund based in Singapore and affiliated with Temasek.
From 2006 to 2014, Charles was the Founding CEO and CIO of New Island Capital, a San Francisco based investment company. One of the world’s first institutional scale impact investors, New Island Capital managed approximately $2 billion and made approximately 130 investments, across all asset classes, in alternative energy, the environment, and sustainable agriculture.
Prior to New Island Capital, Charles was a Managing Director of Terra Firma Capital Partners in London, Founder of Argus Capital LLC (a San Francisco based seed stage venture capital fund), Investment Committee Member of JP Morgan Capital Corporation, and Principal at Investcorp. Before entering the private equity field, Charles spent nine years at Goldman Sachs, last as the Head of the Real Estate Department’s Fixed Income Group.
Charles holds an MBA from Stanford (1983), an MA from Oxford (1981), and an AB from Harvard (1979, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). He lives in Tiburon California with his wife and four daughters. Charles is a board member of the Eisenhower Foundation and a surfer, fly fisherman and commercial beekeeper.
Academic Degrees
- MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1983
- MA with Honours in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, University of Oxford, 1981
- AB, magna cum laude in Economics, Harvard College, 1979
Academic Appointments
- Lecturer, Stanford GSB, 2015–present
Professional Experience
- Investment Committee Member and Investment Advisor to GenZero, 2023–present
- Founding CEO, New Island Capital Management, Inc, 2006–14
- Managing Director, Terra Firma Capital Partners, 2003–05
- Founder and Manager, Argus Capital LLC, 1998–2003
- Manager and Director, JP Morgan Capital Corporation, 1993–98
- Principal, Investcorp International Corporation, 1992–93
- Vice President, Goldman, Sachs, & Co., 1987–92
- Associate, Goldman, Sachs & Co., 1983–87