18 Sep 2019
Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products, today announced the appointment of Frances Fragos Townsend, Executive Vice President for Worldwide Government, Legal and Business Affairs at MacAndrews and Forbes Incorporated (“MacAndrews & Forbes”) to the firm’s International Advisory Board, as of August 1, 2019.
Ms. Townsend brings more than 25 years of international policy, legal and business strategy experience. She has served as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Government, Legal and Business Affairs at MacAndrews & Forbes, a diversified global investment firm, since January 2013, and previously served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Government, Legal and Business Affairs from October 2010 to December 2012. In her role, Ms. Townsend supports MacAndrews & Forbes’ portfolio companies’ growth, advising them on business development, legal and compliance issues across the globe.
Previously, Ms. Townsend was a corporate partner at international law firm Baker Botts L.L.P. Earlier in her career, she served in the administrations of former presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. This experience included serving as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and chairing the Homeland Security Council. She was the first Assistant Commandant for Intelligence for the U.S. Coast Guard and spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice in various senior positions.
“Frances brings a wealth of knowledge and experience through her work in the U.S. market, which has been and continues to be a core growth region for us,” said Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp. “As a forward looking firm, we continue to search for the best and most strategic counsel from a diverse range of relevant practice areas and look forward to welcoming Frances to our board.”
Ms. Townsend received numerous accolades for her public service accomplishments and continues to remain involved in international policy as a member of the Boards of the Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a senior national security analyst at CBS. In addition to Ms. Townsend’s professional background, she also plays an active role in the oversight of companies across the private and public sectors. She serves as a director on the board of four public companies including: Freeport McMoRan, Western Union, Scientific Games and SciPlay.
“Investcorp has built an impressive global firm through its expansion to new geographies and investment strategies,” said Townsend. “I look forward to collaborating with its other board members and management team to continue working towards its ambitious growth plans in the years to come.”
Investcorp’s International Advisory Board is chaired by Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp. It meets annually and provides advice and guidance to the Firm. It consists of Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel, President of the Foreign Policy and United Nations Association of Austria, and former Federal Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs of Austria; Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, former German Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman, Munich Security Conference and Global Head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Allianz; Ana Palacio, former Foreign Minister of Spain and Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Marketing, AREVA; Deepak Parekh, Chairman of India’s premier housing finance company HDFC Ltd; Dr Mohamed A. El-Erian, Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz SE and former CEO and Co-Chief Investment Officer of PIMCO; Dr Ann-Kristin Achleitner, a business economist and Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance Studies at the Technical University of Munich (TUM); Sir Michael Fallon, previously a member of the British parliament serving as Secretary of State for Defense from 2014 – 2017; and Professor Frederick Ma Si-Hang, Independent Non-Executive Director of FWD Group and former Chairman of MTR Corporation.