Sonia Gardner

Sonia Gardner

Sonia Gardner
Born Sonia Lasry
February 16, 1962[1]
Marrakech, Morocco[2]
Residence New York, New York
Nationality American
Education Clark University
Cardozo School of Law
Occupation Private equity investor, Hedge fund manager
Known for Co-founder of Avenue Capital Group
Spouse(s) None
Children 1
Family sister of Marc Lasry

Sonia Gardner is an American hedge fund manager and co-founder, president, and managing partner of Avenue Capital Group and Avenue Europe Management LLP.[3][4]

Early life and education

Sonia Gardner was born Sonia Esther Lasry in Marrakech, Morocco.[5] She emigrated with her family to the U.S. in 1966 at the age of four. Her father was a computer programmer and her mother was a schoolteacher. She was raised in West Hartford, Connecticut with her brother Marc Lasry and sister Ruth Lasry.[6][2] Gardner received a B.A. with honors in philosophy from Clark University in 1983 and a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law in 1986.[7]

Career

Gardner began her career as Senior Attorney of the Bankruptcy and Corporate reorganization Department at Cowen and Company.[3] In 1989, Gardner and her brother, Marc, founded the distressed debt brokerage firm Amroc Investments.[8] In 1990, Gardner and Marc Lasry began their own boutique distressed brokerage firm with $1 million of their own capital, maintaining the Amroc Investments name, and their affiliation with the Robert Bass Group. Gardner was a Senior Portfolio Manager trading of the debt of hundreds of bankrupt companies.[9] Gardner and her brother formed Avenue Capital Group in 1995.[10] with less than $10 million in capital. By December 2012, the firm was managing more than $12 billion in assets.[11]

In 2008, Gardner was the recipient of the 100 Women in Hedge Funds’ 2008 Industry Leadership Award.[3] In 2010 and 2011, The Hedge Fund Journal included her in their list of the Top 50 Women in Hedge Funds.[12] In 2012, Gardner was included in Maneet Ahuja’s book, The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius of the World’s Top Hedge Funds.[9][10] In March 2013, Business Insider listed Gardner as one of the 25 most powerful women on Wall Street.[13]

Gardner serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Managed Funds Association (MFA)[14] and the Board of Directors of 100 Women in Hedge Funds.[15] She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Medical Center.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "100 WOMEN IN HEDGE FUNDS, LIMITED". Dellam.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wee, Gillian (Feb 15, 2012). "Lasry Sees Europe Bankruptcy Bonanza as Bad Debts Obscure Assets". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "100 Women in Hedge Funds". 100WHF Committee. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Harrison, David. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the £1.3 trillion hedge fund women". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Executive Profile". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "The 400 Richest Americans". Forbes. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ahuja, Maneet. The alpha masters unlocking the genius of the world's top hedge funds. Hoboken, N.J.+: Wiley. p. 82. ISBN 9781118167571.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Benner, Katie. "5 hedge fund stars, 5 perspectives". CNN Money. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Alden, William. "Avenue Capital Prepares New Fund for Europe". New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds". The Hedge Fund Journal. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "The 25 Most Powerful Women on Wall Street". Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  14. ↑ "MFA Board of Directors". Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "100 Women in Hedge Funds Association Board of Directors". Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Advisory Board Member - Sonia E. Gardner". CNBC.