Prakash A. Melwani is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and is based in New York.  He is Chief Investment Officer of the Private Equity Group and chairs each of its Investment Committees.

Since joining Blackstone in 2003, Mr. Melwani has led Blackstone’s investments in Kosmos Energy, Foundation Coal, Texas Genco, Ariel Re, Pinnacle Foods, RGIS Inventory Specialists, and Performance Food Group.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Melwani was a founding partner of Vestar Capital Partners and served as its Chief Investment Officer. Prior to that, he was with the management buyout group at The First Boston Corporation and with N.M. Rothschild & Sons in Hong Kong and London.

Mr. Melwani received a First Class Honors degree in Economics from Cambridge University, England, and an M.B.A. with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar and a Loeb Rhodes Fellow. Mr. Melwani serves as a Director of Acushnet Company, Kosmos Energy, Performance Food Group, Pinnacle Foods, RGIS Inventory Specialists, and Blackstone strategic partner, Pátria.