Phil Collins elected chair of UC’s Board of Trustees

Phil Collins is founder and CEO of Orchard Holdings Group, a private equity investment firm.

“It is an honor to serve in this role during such an exciting period of growth and momentum," said Collins. "I am grateful for the tremendous leadership of President Pinto and his team, and look forward to continuing to work with our great group of dedicated Trustees.”

Prior to founding Orchard, Collins was a partner and spent 10 years at a private equity firm in New York City and Menlo Park, California after a short stint at McKinsey & Company. He started his career during and after his time as a UC student working as an assistant and financial analyst for private investment pioneer Carl H. Lindner, Jr., the founder, chairman and CEO of American Financial Group. He has served on the board or as chairman of over 20 companies during his career.

Collins has strong ties to the University of Cincinnati. His parents, grandparents, wife and daughter attended UC. He is a director of UC Health, the university’s affiliated academic health system, serves as chairman of the Investment Committee that oversees the university’s $2 billion endowment and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the Carl H. Lindner, Jr. College of Business.

He and his wife, Lela, served as co-chairs of the university’s Bicentennial Commission, celebrating its bicentennial in 2019. As recognition for his work on behalf of the university, he received the Chairman’s Award from the UC Foundation and the Distinguished Service Award from the Lindner College of Business. In addition to his work at UC, he is a director of the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Cincinnati and served as a section chair for the $9 billion Harvard Campaign completed in 2018. He is active in the Cincinnati community and was a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 30.

Collins is a UC summa cum laude graduate, served as student body president and delivered the student commencement address. He also attended Harvard Business School, where he graduated with honors, and served as publisher and CEO of The Harbus News, the campus newspaper. He and Lela met in high school, attended UC together and were both born and raised in Cincinnati — where they returned to raise their two children after 15 years in Boston, New York and Silicon Valley.

Collins was appointed to a nine-year term on the UC Board of Trustees by Ohio Gov. John Kasich in 2016. His term expires in 2025.

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