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Gerry Cardinale

Founder, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer

RedBird Capital Partners

New York, NY, USA

Gerry Cardinale

Gerry Cardinale’s Biography

Gerry Cardinale is the Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm he established in 2014 to build high-growth companies alongside leading entrepreneurs across sports, media and entertainment, consumer and financial services. RedBird manages approximately $14 billion of capital on behalf of a curated group of global institutional and family office investors. Since inception, the firm has invested in more than 30 platform companies and completed over 80 add-on acquisitions representing total enterprise value exceeding $60 billion.

RedBird’s portfolio includes iconic properties, brands and founders such as Fenway Sports Group, Paramount Skydance, Artists Equity, A.C. Milan, the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network and the United Football League. The firm has also been an active investor in financial services, deploying over $1.8 billion across insurance, insurance distribution, and asset and wealth management through platforms including Arax, Bishop Street, and Obra.

Prior to founding RedBird, Cardinale spent... Gerry Cardinale is the Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm he established in 2014 to build high-growth companies alongside leading entrepreneurs across sports, media and entertainment, consumer and financial services. RedBird manages approximately $14 billion of capital on behalf of a curated group of global institutional and family office investors. Since inception, the firm has invested in more than 30 platform companies and completed over 80 add-on acquisitions representing total enterprise value exceeding $60 billion.

RedBird’s portfolio includes iconic properties, brands and founders such as Fenway Sports Group, Paramount Skydance, Artists Equity, A.C. Milan, the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network and the United Football League. The firm has also been an active investor in financial services, deploying over $1.8 billion across insurance, insurance distribution, and asset and wealth management through platforms including Arax, Bishop Street, and Obra.

Prior to founding RedBird, Cardinale spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Partner and senior leader in the Merchant Banking Division’s private equity business, overseeing investments across multiple asset classes. He worked with entrepreneurs and family businesses to create several multi-billion-dollar companies, including the YES Network, Legends Hospitality and Suddenlink Communications.

Cardinale serves on several portfolio company boards and is a Trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System and the U.S. Rowing Foundation. His philanthropy focuses on education, healthcare and international development. He holds an Honors BA from Harvard University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and an M.Phil from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. READ MORE VIEW LESS

Gerry Cardinale’s Newsfeed

Sports Business Journal

Influence 125: Gerry Cardinale, RedBird Capital Partners

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Barron's

Italian Govt Grants AC Milan's US Owner Italian Citizenship

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Gerry Cardinale’s Background

RedBird Capital Partners

Founder, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer

Jul 2013 - Present

New York, NY, USA

RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm that builds high-growth companies with strategic capital solutions to founders and entrepreneurs. The firm currently manages approximately $10 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of blue chip institutional and family office investors.

Goldman Sachs

Partner

Aug 1992 - Dec 2012

New York, NY, USA

Goldman Sachs is a global financial services company that focuses on the areas of investment banking, investment management and securities.

Gerry Cardinale’s Gallery

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners speaking at a SPAC and private equity event

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners giving an interview about SPACs, XFL and private equity

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners sharing his thoughts about SPACs, XFL, Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners speaking in his office about recent SPAC activity, Fenway Sports Group and the XFL

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners being interviewed about SPACs, XFL, Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital Partners having a discussion about SPACs, XFL, Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group

Current Board Positions

Paramount Skydance

Board of Directors

Santa Monica, CA, USA

Paramount Skydance is a major U.S. media and entertainment conglomerate formed in 2025, resulting from an $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global. The company operates in three segments: studios (film, TV, animation like Paramount Pictures and Skydance Animation), Direct-to-Consumer (Paramount+, Pluto TV), and TV Media (CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET).

EverPass Media

Board of Directors

Greenwich, CT, USA

EverPass Media is a premier streaming platform and media company that compiles and distributes premium live sports and entertainment content to commercial venues like bars, restaurants, and hotels.

USRowing Foundation

Trustee

The USRowing Foundation is responsible for fundraising for the United States Rowing Association (USRowing), established in 2022 to provide financial backing for rowing initiatives and the United States national rowing team.

AC Milan

Board of Directors

Milan, IT

AC Milan is a professional football club based in Milan, founded in 1899 and competing in the Serie A, the top tier of Italian football.

Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network

Board of Directors

2001 - Present

New York, NY, USA

The YES Network is the #1 Regional Sports Network in the US. It holds the exclusive local media rights of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets, Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, and the WNBA’s New York Liberty

Yankee Global Enterprises

Board of Directors

2001 - Present

New York, NY, USA

Yankee Global Enterprises is the corporate holding company of the New York Yankees and its affiliated businesses

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Previous Board Positions

OneTeam Partners

Board of Directors

Washington, DC, USA

OneTeam Partners is a partnership with the Players Associations of the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Its focus is on monetizing the Name, Image and Likeness (“NIL”) of each league's athletes.

RedBird QSR

Board of Directors

New York, NY, USA

RedBird QSR is a diversified quick-serve restaurant platform. It operates a range of businesses, primarily burger, chicken, taco and pizza franchises.

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Philanthropy

Rhodes Trust

Selection Committee

Oxford, UK

The Rhodes Scholarship was first awarded in 1902 and is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, international scholarship programmes. It enables outstanding young people from all around the world to study at the University of Oxford.

Mount Sinai Health System

Board of Trustees

New York, NY, USA

The Mount Sinai Health System is a healthcare network that consists of eight campuses based in the New York Metropolitan area. It was established in 2013 as a collaborative effort between Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners.

Media

He’s Known as ‘The Godfather’ and Paramount Is Turning to Him in Its Battle for Warner

Article

Jan 2026

Gerry states the case for Paramount being the best buyer for Warner Bros. Discovery.

RedBird, a small firm doing big media deals

Article

Dec 2025

Gerry is featured in this article exploring the RedBird wingspan 'from Hollywood to AC Milan'.

Where the RedBird Grows

Article

Oct 2025

Dylan Byers' article focuses on the expansion and growth of the Redbird empire.

The Varsity | Gerry World

Podcast

Oct 2025

In this special episode, RedBird Founder Gerry Cardinale speaks to John Ourand about his investment philosophy for live sports; considers the question of whether leagues have become overvalued, and explains how technology can rescue legacy media from itself.

RedBird Capital’s $2 billion power play: Meet Gerry Cardinale, the private equity kingmaker behind the Paramount–Skydance deal

Article

Aug 2025

Gerry Cardinale as the dealmaker is the focus of this feature by Lily Mae Lazarus.

Sports sector can cope with Donald Trump’s tariffs, says AC Milan owner

Article

Apr 2025

Gerry Cardinale expresses his view on the likely effect of the trade tariffs introduced by Donald Trump on the sports industry.

CNBC Television | Gerry Cardinale

Video Interview

Nov 2024

RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale states that content could potentially turn out to be king in today's world. This extract comes from a conversation with CNBC’s David Faber during the CNBC Delivering Alpha Conference. Ben Affleck shared the platform with Gerry.

The Deal Episode 6: Gerry Cardinale

Podcast

Apr 2024

Gerry speaks to Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly about his wins, losses and some of the lessons learnt along the way in this podcast.

Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital and Zlatan Ibrahimović at the FT Business of Football 2024

Interview

Feb 2024

Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are interviewed exclusively at the FT Live's Business of Football Summit in London

With ‘Air,’ Gerry Cardinale is Ready for His Close-Up

Mar 2023

The first title to premiere under Affleck and Damon’s RedBird-backed Artists Equity banner, Air chronicles the origin of Nike's Air Jordan shoeline.

How Gerry Cardinale became the go-to dealmaker for the likes of the Yankees, AC Milan & Ben Affleck

Dec 2022

New York, NY, USA

Gerry Cardinale and his peers reveal the winning playbook for his $7.5 billion firm, RedBird Capital Partners.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to Start Film Production Company

Nov 2022

New York, NY, USA

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon plan to start an independent production company, called Artists Equity, and have obtained a minimum of $100 million in financing from the investment firm RedBird Capital Partners.

New York Yankees Investing in AC Milan as Part of RedBird Ownership Group

Aug 2022

RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale said the new ownership group's focus is to maintain "Milan's place at the summit of European and world football".

AC Milan’s new owners bet they can top miracle season

Jun 2022

London, UK

Gerry Cardinale sees continued success ahead for AC Milan, Redbird's recent acquisition.

XFL announces exclusive multi-year broadcast agreement with the Walt Disney Company and ESPN

May 2022

The XFL announced a new, global multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN, which includes exclusive broadcast rights for all gameday content, tentpole events and more, for its upcoming 2023 season through 2027.

Fenway Sports Group Closes Deal with Redbird and Lebron James

Mar 2021

New York, NY, USA

The Fenway Sports Group announced Wednesday “a significant investment in the Group by RedBird Capital Partners,” who are joined in the venture by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. The investment by RedBird into FSG is based on an enterprise valuation for FSG of $7.35 billion. RedBird is headed by founder and managing partner Gerry Cardinale.

Sportico Live: Business Beyond the Game

Panel Discussion

Dec 2020

For this Sportico Live event, Alex Rodriguez and Gerry Cardinale have a discussion with Sportico's Scott Soshnick about ARod's attempt to buy the Mets and Gerry's advice to the next generation of young entrepreneurs.

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Interviews

Puck Podcast | Paramount Isn't Giving Up Warner Bros. to NetFlix Just Yet

The Town Podcast

Dec 2025

Gerry is in conversation with The Town podcast host Matthew Belloni and talks about Paramount's bid for Warner Brothers.

RedBird Capital Partners’ Gerry Cardinale & Axios’ Dan Primack

Video of interview

Nov 2025

Gerry is interviewed by Axios business editor, Dan Primack, at Axios BFD: New York 2025.

RedBird's Gerry Cardinale Warns There Is An Asset Bubble In Sports Happening

Video of interview

May 2025

Gerry sits down with CNBC's Alex Sherman and they discuss the sky-high valuations and why some normalization needs to take place. They also talk about the current media landscape.

There’s tremendous demand out of America for European football, says AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale

Video of interview

Jul 2024

Gerry joins Jessica Gelman, Kraft Analytics Group CEO, on ‘Squawk Box’ and they talk about AC Milan’s partnership with Kraft Analytics Group and the rise of soccer’s popularity in the U.S.

CNBC interview | Skydance's David Ellison and Redbird Capital's Gerry Cardinale

Interviewee

Jul 2024

Following the announcement of the Skydance/Paramount deal, David Ellison and Gerry Cardinale are interviewed by CNBC. Gerry discusses the interim period before closing the deal.

RedBird Capital Partners’ Cardinale on Investing in Sports

Apr 2022

New York, NY, USA

In this interview with Bloomberg, Gerry Cardinale discusses his experiences investing in sports.

Are You Not Entertained?: Gerry Cardinale

Dec 2021

New York, NY, USA

Gerry Cardinale joins the 'Are You Not Entertained?' podcast to discuss Redbird's portfolio of global investments in sports, including those in professional sports leagues and sports content & technology, sports financing, and his view of where the sports world is heading in 2022.

Are You Not Entertained?: Gerry Cardinale

Jul 2020

New York, NY, USA

Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital shares his expertise as an elite athlete and a successful investor, and discusses sports franchise investment in a post-COVID world.

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Awards & Recognition

Most Influential: Gerry Cardinale

Honoree

Dec 2024

Gerry Cardinale was recognized as the most influential sports business leader in the industry.

Influence 125: Gerry Cardinale, RedBird Capital Partners

Honoree

Aug 2025

Influence 125 honors the 125 most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century and have named Gerry Cardinale on its list.

Variety Honors

Honoree

Gerry has been honored as an influential business leader in the global media industry by Variety500 every year since 2020.

Most Influential: Dealmakers & Disrupters

Honoree

2022

Gerry Cardinale was recognized for RedBird's recent acquisition of AC Milan, relaunching the XFL, and other sport-related deals and acquisitions.

Inc.'s 2020 PE 50

Honoree

2020

New York, NY, USA

Redbird Capital Partners was named one of the 50 Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs in Inc. magazine's annual list. This list recognizes PE Firms that support founder-led companies as they grow and find their place in the marketplace.

The People Who Influenced Sports Business In 2020

Honoree

2020

Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital Partners, was honored as the most influential businessperson in the Sponsors & Dealmakers category. SBJ highlighted Redbird's recent acquisition of the XFL with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and the firm's 85% stake in French soccer club Toulouse FC.

Variety Honors

Gerry Cardinale was recognised by Variety500 as one of most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry in 2020.

Chief Investment Officer, Asset Management & Servicing

Winner 2019

RedBird Capital Partners was recognized for its unique structure which allows for a longer buy-and-hold strategy, than other private equity firms.

Forbes | Top 50 Dealmakers

2012

New York, NY, USA

The Forbes Top 50 Dealmakers list focuses on fund performance, exits, and recent success in raising money instead of raw fund size.

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Speaking Engagements

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Panel member

Mar 2023

Boston, MA, USA

Gerry Cardinale took part in a panel titled 'Investing in Global Sports: Creating Value While Building Dynasties'. The panel covered a range of topics, including the recent boom in global investments in sports teams, record franchise and club sales in the NFL, NBA and Premier League, and more.

The New York Times DealBook Summit

Dec 2022

New York, NY, USA

Ben Affleck and Gerry Cardinale discussed their new studio venture, Artists Equity. Their goal is to reimagine the relationships between studios, artists and crews working in the entertainment industry.

Sportico Live

Featured Speaker

Aug 2020

Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital joined this Sportico online event to discuss NFL Valuations. The event was held in conjunction with the release of the Sportico's first NFL Valuations Report and featured some of the NFL’s most accomplished executives on the business of football.

2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Panel Member

2020

Boston, MA, USA

Gerry Cardinal, Saquon Barkley and other panelists discuss the passage of California’s Fair Pay to Play Act.

Leaders: The Sport Business Summit

Panel Member

2020

Abu Dhabi, AE

RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale participated on a panel titled "Financing the Future: How Sport's Next Decade Will Be Funded" at the 2020 Leaders in Sports Business Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Bloomberg Business of Sports Podcast

Guest Speaker

May 2018

New York, NY, USA

Managing Partner of RedBird Capital, Gerry Cardinale covers a broad array of topics, including his pivotal role in establishing the YES network and Legends Hospitality, controlled by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. He also touches upon team valuations and the best investment options in professional sports.

2018 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Panel Member

2018

Boston, MA, USA

Gerry Cardinale participated on a panel at SSAC18 titled 'Nothing But Net (Present Value): Investing and Innovation in Sports'.

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Gerry Cardinale’s Education

University of Oxford

Rhodes Scholar, M.Phil in Politics & Political Theory

1989 - 1991

Harvard University

AB with Honors, magna cum laude

1985 - 1989