David Mathewson, President of SEAF

David L Mathewson joined SEAF as its President in 2016. At SEAF, David serves as Chair of SEAF’s Global Investment Committee and head of SEAF’s management team.  In this capacity, David has oversight for SEAF’s global investment operations including new portfolio investments, exits and restructurings. Prior to SEAF, David partnered with Delphos International, an emerging market financial advisory firm, to develop merchant banking transaction and impact investment funds.  From 2010 to 2015, David served as the Chief Operating Officer of Darby Private Equity, the emerging market private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments. In his COO role, David had oversight responsibility for the finance, administration, human resources and business development aspects of Darby's global operations. He also served on the investment committee of Darby’s Central Europe mezzanine fund.

From 2000 to 2009, David was Managing Director at Soros Fund Management LLC and Bedminster Capital Management where he served as a founding member of the management team and Investment Committees of Southeast Europe Equity Fund I and II, two private equity funds for Southeast Europe and Turkey with combined capital of $520 million.  SEEF I fully liquidated its investments by 2008, generating a net IRR in excess of 46% and 5.4x net multiple of invested capital.  For the SEEF funds, David was centrally involved in all aspects of the fund’s operations including deal sourcing, document negotiations, post-investment work with portfolio companies, exit planning and execution, fund administration, and investor reporting.  

Prior to joining Soros in 2000, David served as a Director with Delphos International/Banc One Capital Markets where he was responsible for the development of emerging market merchant banking business including fund formation and private placements, and as a Director with The Appian Group, a private equity management firm organized by a founding partner of The Carlyle Group which focused on special situation opportunities in the US and Western Europe.  From 1994 to 1997, David served as one of the founding team members of the Investment Funds Department at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation where he oversaw commitments to emerging market funds in Asia, the former Soviet Union, eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America, and represented OPIC on more than ten fund Advisory Boards. From 1991 to 1994, David was a Manager at KPMG Barents Group, where he managed Barent’s privatization advisory and sell-side M&A mandates in the Baltic States.  David began his career as a banker at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York. 

David received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics from Stanford University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a Master of Management degree from J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.