Sam Zell is a global, industry-agnostic entrepreneur and investor. He has a long track record of turning around troubled companies and assets, leading industry consolidations, and bringing companies to the public markets. His current investments are in: energy, logistics, manufacturing, communications, healthcare, and real estate.

Sam is the Chairman of Equity Group Investments, the private investment firm he founded more than 45 years ago. He also chairs five companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange: Equity Residential, the largest apartment REIT in the country; Equity LifeStyle Properties, a manufactured home community and resort REIT; Equity Commonwealth, an office REIT; Covanta Holding Corporation, an international owner/operator of energy-from-waste and power generation facilities; and Anixter International Inc., a leading global provider of communications, security, and wire and cable products.

Sam also founded and chaired Equity Office Properties Trust, the largest office REIT until its 2007 sale for $39 billion in the largest leveraged buyout at the time. In addition, he introduced the first Brazilian and Mexican real estate companies, respectively, to the New York Stock Exchange through Equity International, a second private investment firm he founded to focus on real estate-related businesses in emerging markets.

Sam is an active philanthropist with a focus on entrepreneurial education. Through the Zell Family Foundation, he has led the sponsorship of several leading entrepreneurship programs, including: the Zell/Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business; the Zell Fellows Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management; and the Zell Entrepreneurship Center at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC). The Zell Global Entrepreneur Network (ZGEN) unites the students and alumni of these programs and actively provides them with connections, opportunities, mentorship and support. Sam also sponsors the Samuel Zell/Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Real Estate Center. He holds a JD degree and a BA from the University of Michigan.

Sam was recognized in 2017 by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. Also in 2017, Sam debuted his book, Am I Being Too Subtle? (Penguin RandomHouse), in which he shares fundamentals and philosophies that made him a self-made billionaire.

Interviewer

Rick Jones, Partner, DECHERT

Rick Jones, co-chair of Dechert’s global finance and real estate practice groups, focuses his practice on sophisticated, capital markets and mortgage finance transactions. Under his leadership, the 150 attorney practice is recognized by industry publications and legal directories for showing strength in providing lenders with innovative deal structuring, creative financing strategies and efficient execution.

The "highly regarded" Mr. Jones is noted in Chambers, USA for his expertise in an array of high-value real estate financing matters. Mr. Jones is cited in Chambers, USA as a "first-class professional." In addition Legal 500, US recognizes the “creative structuring advice” he provides particularly on CMBS transactions and CRE CLOs. Widely recognized as a leader in the industry, he received the CREFC Founders Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for his leadership.

Mr. Jones frequently publishes and speaks on a wide range of issues affecting the capital markets and mortgage finance markets including topics like CRE CLOs, LIBOR replacements, risk retention, and new financial structures. He is the founder of, and principal author of, the Dechert blog - Crunched Credit, which takes a critical look at the global financial markets.

Mr. Jones graduated from Washington and Lee University, B.A., magna cum laude and the University of Virginia, S

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