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Carlyle taps Elder as global portfolio solutions head

His appointment begins July 11, 2022.

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  • Elder is a former chief transformation officer and executive vice president, strategy & growth at Carlyle-backed Nouryon
  • Elder joined Nouryon in 2019 after a 25-year career at McKinsey & Company
  • He started his career as an officer for the US Air Force

Carlyle has named Richard Elder as head of global portfolio solutions. His appointment begins July 11, 2022.

In his new role, As Elder will oversee GPS’ value creation efforts that encompass the combination of “innovative domain thought leadership, a network of more than 50 operating executives and advisors, a partnership methodology based on collaboration, and a world-class partner ecosystem underpinned by Carlyle’s global scale and reach.”

Elder is a former chief transformation officer and executive vice president, strategy & growth at Carlyle-backed Nouryon. There he led the business’ transformation, strategy, M&A, and commercial excellence initiatives. Elder joined Nouryon in 2019 after a 25-year career at McKinsey & Company, where he was a senior partner in its Washington, D.C. office, and a leader in its transformation, private equity and organization practices. He started his career as an officer for the US Air Force.

On his new role, Elder said in a statement: “Over the course of my tenure at Nouryon, I have had a front row seat to the impact of Carlyle’s superior value creation capabilities and have long admired the firm’s approach to partnership, which is deeply rooted in collaboration. I am grateful to have been a part of Nouryon’s significant growth journey and look forward to continuing to make an impact for the business and the more than 270 portfolio companies that comprise Carlyle’s family of partners in my new role.”

Elder holds a B.S. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA with honors from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

As of March 31, 2022, Carlyle has $325 billion of assets under management. Carlyle employs nearly 1,900 people in 26 offices across five continents.