Brian Stern

Brian E. Stern is an Operating Partner at Starboard Capital Partners, a private-equity firm founded in 2004 and based in Southport, Connecticut, that sponsors and invests in lower-middle-market companies. He joined the firm after a corporate career spanning roughly 35–40 years, the bulk of it at Xerox Corporation.

Stern began his career at Rank Xerox in England in sales before leaving to earn an MBA at Harvard Business School (having been accepted at both Harvard and Wharton). He also spent time as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. He joined Xerox's U.S. corporate headquarters in 1976, holding finance and product-development roles, and rose through senior strategy and operating positions: he headed Corporate Business Strategy (1992–1994), was President of the Office Document Products Group (1994–1999), Senior Vice President (1996–1999), and Senior Vice President and President of Xerox Technology Enterprises (1999–2001). He is frequently described as having served as Xerox's Chief Strategy Officer.

Over his career Stern held numerous board seats connected to Xerox and its ventures, including Fuji Xerox, Inxight Software, Integic, Esselte AB, New England Business Services, and chairman of Mondus.com; he was also elected an outside director of HON Industries (office furniture) from the Xerox executive ranks. Since leaving corporate life (around 2008) he has worked as an entrepreneur and investor, which is the context for his operating-partner role at Starboard.

Stern is well known in Westport, Connecticut, where he has lived since 1977. He served on the town's Board of Finance for more than 15 years — including as chairman from 2014 to 2022 — before resigning in February 2024.

• Operates as an operating partner within a private-equity sponsor model — bringing decades of large-company operating and strategy experience (Xerox senior leadership, BCG) to lower-middle-market portfolio companies rather than writing seed-stage angel checks.
• Starboard's stated approach: "actively listens to business owners" and "matches its knowledge and capital resources to their business goals," aligning management and investor interests, enhancing operations and oversight, making strategic add-on acquisitions, and supporting value creation.
• Sector emphasis on business services, healthcare and healthcare services, franchising, and niche manufacturing.
• Invests alongside a network of private-equity funds, family offices, and institutional co-investors, partnering with management teams and entrepreneurs on control and recapitalization transactions in the ~$15M–$300M enterprise-value range.