Wesley LePatner, Blackstone's murdered SMD was a women's advocate and mother
Wesley LePatner, the Blackstone employee murdered in yesterday's shooting at Blackstone's office at 345 Park Avenue, was a former Goldman Sachs banker and strong proponent of the private capital firm's diversity initiatives.
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LePatner joined Blackstone from Goldman Sachs in 2014. She was a senior managing director (SMD), the firm's global head of core and real estate investing and CEO of the Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust.
In a statement released today, Blackstone said LePatner, "embodied the best of Blackstone." She was, "brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected." Its prayers are with her husband, family and children.
LePatner was chair of the women's initiative at Blackstone. In an interview three years ago, she said she was a big believer in the notion that “if you can see it, you can be it” and described helping to run women's mentoring initiatives at the firm. A mother of two children, she recently participated in the firm's "Take your kids to work day", and brought her son to the New York office.
LePatner spent 11 years at Goldman Sachs. She was a Yale University graduate. Her husband, Evan LePatner is the founder and managing partner of Courizon, a middle market private equity firm. Speaking in 2023, Wesley said her career would not have been possible without her husband's support and the encouragement of her parents, "who inspired me to start on the journey in the first place.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that LePatner was killed in the lobby of 345 Park Avenue when the gunman entered at around 6.30pm.
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