Marc Leder

Marc J. Leder is Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a Boca Raton-based private equity firm he co-founded with Rodger R. Krouse in 1995. Sun Capital says it has invested in more than 570 companies worldwide with revenues exceeding $50 billion since inception.

Leder began his career at Lehman Brothers in New York after graduating from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He rose to Senior Vice President before leaving Lehman to start Sun Capital with Krouse.

At Sun Capital, Leder is a member of the Executive Committee, which oversees and manages the firm’s overall strategy. His work has focused on leveraged buyouts, investment banking, and business operations for more than 30 years. Sun Capital’s stated model is operationally driven private equity: partnering with management teams, improving operations, and using add-on acquisitions to accelerate value creation.

Leder is also active in philanthropy and sports investments. His profile notes that he sits on the Board of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of the International Council for Museum Berggruen in Berlin. He has also participated in Josh Harris-led sports investments, including the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Crystal Palace F.C., Real Salt Lake, and the Washington Commanders.

• Sun Capital looks for businesses “in growing markets with tangible performance improvement opportunities” across services, food and consumer, and industrials and distribution.
• The firm’s stated investment criteria are $50 million to $300 million of equity investment and more than $3 million of EBITDA.
• Sun Capital targets corporate carve-outs, founder- or family-owned businesses, sponsor-to-sponsor transactions, and add-on acquisitions for existing portfolio companies.
• Add-ons are central to the strategy: Sun Capital says about 50% of all deals in its history have been add-on acquisitions.
• Leder and Krouse wrote that Sun Capital initially focused on “companies that others overlooked” because they required substantial help and support, and that the firm has emphasized rolling up its sleeves and providing operational support since its earliest deals.
• The firm emphasizes operational resources, management-team partnership, and its “Sun Transformation System” for revenue growth, cost reduction, culture building, and process improvement.