Bernard Leon Schwartz (born December 12, 1926, Brooklyn, New York) was the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Loral Space & Communications, Chairman and CEO of K&F Industries, Inc., Chairman and CEO of Loral Corp., and president and CEO of Globalstar. He retired from Loral and his positions at its various subsidiaries and affiliates as of March 1, 2006. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of BLS Investments, his own investment firm located in Manhattan.
Schwartz grew up in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn. He is a World War II veteran and life-long Democrat. According to NBC News, from 1992 to 1996 he was the largest single contributor to the Democratic Party. In 1997 he celebrated his 71st birthday with Bill and Hillary Clinton at the White House. Schwartz became embroiled in a controversial transfer of missile technology to China, but was exonerated of any wrongdoing after a Justice Department investigation.[1]
Prior to his involvement with Loral, Schwartz was an accountant on Wall Street.
Schwartz holds a B.S. in finance and an honorary doctorate of science from City University of New York. A lifelong believer in effective communication as a prerequisite for success in business, Schwartz founded the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, at Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Schwartz has or had leadership positions in the following organizations: