Financial Services >> Analyst Interviews >> September 23, 2003
MILTON LEWIN of Greenlight Private Equity Partners began his career in
the early 1980s at Citibank's Investment Banking unit, where he helped
launch the bank's efforts in the areas of asset/loan sales and
international debt swaps. He then went to Oppenheimer's High
Yield/Special Situations department, where he was one of the first
people hired. Over the next several years, the department grew to over
50 employees and became the preeminent trader, and source, of all
components of the balance sheets of distressed and bankrupt companies.
The department became known for its holistic approach to investing,
helping to create markets and investors for secondary bank loans,
restructured securities, trade claims, discounted receivables, as well
as all traditional financial assets. In 1995, Mr. Lewin took over
management of the department and continued its growth and its run of
highly profitable results. In 1997, Mr. Lewin left OPCO to pursue his
dream of traveling around the world, which he did for 13 months. Upon
returning, he wrote a television pilot that was optioned (but not
produced) by Dustin Hoffman's production company and attempted to launch
a financial services Website to trade certain illiquid financial assets.
He then spent two years advising, and raising capital for, small
companies. He launched GPEP in January 2002. He is a graduate of the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in
Finance and Political Science. Profile
Mr. Lewin: Greenlight Private Equity was founded about a year and a half
ago. We're a relatively small fund, focusing on
