Michael Sacks
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Chicago, US
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Michael Sacks serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GCM Grosvenor, a global alternative asset management firm, where he has led its growth for more than three decades. Since joining GCM Grosvenor in 1990 and becoming CEO in 1994, he has helped transform the organization into a diversified alternative asset management firm serving a global client base, overseeing more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies.
Beyond his work at GCM Grosvenor, Michael is active in civic engagement and economic development across Chicago. He is a founding Board Member of the Obama Foundation, a Trustee of Northwestern University and The Art Institute of Chicago, and a Board Member of Illinois Economic Development Corporation. Previously, from 2011 to 2019, he served as Vice-Chairman of World Business Chicago, helping advance initiatives focused on economic growth, workforce development, and innovation. During that time, he also served on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Economic Council.
Michael’s philanthropic efforts focus on educational equity, economic opportunity, and expanding access to arts and culture. Together with his wife, Cari, he established the Sacks Family Scholarship Fund to support Chicago Public Schools students attending Northwestern University, and he partnered with Northwestern Medicine to launch the GCM Grosvenor Discovery Program, which helps create healthcare career pathways for Chicago Public Schools students. He also serves as a Board Member of After School Matters, a Chicago nonprofit dedicated to providing transformative opportunities for young people.
Michael earned a B.A. in Economics from Tulane University and completed a general course certificate at the London School of Economics. He later received his M.B.A. from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and his J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
The Record
Background
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1994 — Present
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
GCM Grosvenor
GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider with over $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies.
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1990 — 1994
Managing Partner
GCM Grosvenor
In The News
Newsfeed
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24 August 2026 · Techbullion
Michael J Sacks to Receive Chicago’s Daniel H. Burnham Award for Distinguished Leadership
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18 May 2026 · Chicago Business
Power Families of Chicago: Sacks
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7 April 2026 · Onrec
In Chicago, Michael J Sacks Represents a Measured Approach to Growth and Leadership
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3 February 2025 · Chicago Business
Michael Sacks may be the most connected person in Chicago. He’s also our Executive of the Year.
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9 March 2021 · Northwestern University News
Multimillion-dollar gift from Michael and Cari Sacks to support students from Chicago
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Formative Years
Education
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Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
Master of Business Administration | MBA
1988
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Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Juris Doctor
1988
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Tulane University
Bachelor of Arts | Economics
1982 — 1984
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London School of Economics
General Course Certificate | Political Economy
Areas Of Focus