Joseph Baratta, Blackstone’s global head of private equity strategies and a member of the firm’s board, has helped shape one of the world’s most powerful private equity franchises. Since joining Blackstone in 1998 and helping establish its European private equity business, he has risen to become one of the firm’s most influential dealmakers, overseeing directly invested private equity strategies across sectors and geographies. Known for disciplined execution and long-term value creation, Baratta stands among the most prominent figures in global private markets.

Michael S. Chae, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Blackstone, is one of the firm’s most influential senior leaders, combining financial stewardship with decades of investing experience across global private markets. Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Chae has held a wide range of leadership roles—including heading international private equity and the Asia-Pacific private equity business—before becoming CFO in 2015 and vice chairman in 2025. A longtime member of Blackstone’s management and investment committees, he has played a central role in scaling one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers while helping guide strategy, valuation, and enterprise risk across the firm.