As a founding partner of the Ares Group, Jon is integral in all functional disciplines of the Company, including managing and directing major strategic initiatives and, wherever possible, identifying revenue opportunities and enhancing profitability. Jon has structured and negotiated billions of dollars in various licensing and capital raising transactions with companies in various industries in the United States, Asia, Europe and South America.
Prior to forming the Ares Group, Jon pursued a diverse career in structuring and negotiating complex transactions. Most recently, Jon was a Vice President in Credit Suisse's Leveraged Finance Origination and Restructuring Group, where he structured and executed leveraged loan and high yield bond transactions, primarily in the mergers and acquisition context. Prior to working in investment banking, Jon was a corporate attorney with Latham & Watkins. Jon began his career working at Panasonic's corporate headquarters in Japan, as one of their lead patent infringement litigation and licensing negotiators with major consumer electronics corporations, including Sony, Samsung, Microsoft and GE. Through this broad range of experiences, Jon has developed a unique global perspective and approach to negotiating and structuring complex domestic and cross-border transactions.
Jon holds a JD and an MBA from Columbia University. He also holds a degree in Government from Harvard University. Jon is a member of the New York State Bar Association and is fluent in Japanese and Spanish.