Who is Bill Chisholm? What to know about the new Boston Celtics owner.
The record-setting $6.1 billion sale of the Boston Celtics has fans asking one important question: Who is Bill Chisholm?
William Chisholm leads the investment group that will be taking over the Celtics if the mega deal is approved. He is a New England native and an executive at a California-based private equity company.
Chisholm had previously been mentioned as a potential buyer of the Celtics, but he is largely an unknown to basketball fans. Here's what we've learned about him so far.
Who is the new Celtics owner?
Chisholm is a managing partner and co-founder of Symphony Technology Group, which has a history of buying smaller software companies.
"At STG, Bill leads the firm's investment activities and assumes a hands-on approach in the day-to-day management of STG companies," the STG website states. "From strategic discussions to mining innovation opportunities, Bill acts as a sounding board on a variety of issues."
Chisholm previously worked at Boston-based Bain & Company. He touched briefly on his business background in an interview with NBC Sports Boston.
"My background, my business, we invest in companies - that sort of thing," Chisholm said. "I'm used to doing that and having investments and deals."
Bill Chisholm is from Massachusetts
Chisholm was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts. He attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he played on the soccer team from 1988 to 1991.
"Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life," Chisholm said in a statement. "I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston - the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country."
The Chisholm family was spotlighted by Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for their contributions to Type 1 diabetes research in 2015.
What others are saying about Bill Chisholm
WBZ-TV spoke with two people who have gotten to know Chisholm well in the past year - current Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck and Quincy businessman Rob Hale.
Grousbeck, who will continue running the team for the next three years, said Chisholm "bleeds green."
"He's born and raised. I think it really helped him make his bid the best bid because he really wanted this," Grousbeck said. "I think when the fans and all of us really get to know him, we're going to be really excited."
Hale is a current part-owner of the Celtics who will also be part of the new ownership group. He told WBZ-TV sports director Steve Burton that he was waiting to see how bids for the team unfolded and "thought that Bill's team had the best opportunity."
"Nice guy. Serious. Hard-working. Devoted Celtics fan, devoted. From the North Shore originally but went to college in New Hampshire," Hale said. "Knows as much about the Celtics as anybody I know. Also has the business acumen to run a good business, so a combination of a couple of key ingredients."
What should Celtics fans know about the new ownership group?
"They're New Englanders, they're devoted," Hale said. "I think they have the Celtics' long-term interests at heart."
