The Blackstone Group announced that Laurence A. Tosi will join the firm as chief financial officer. Mr. Tosi was previously the chief operating officer for the global markets and investment banking group of Merrill Lynch & Co. Before, he was senior vice president and finance director responsible for Merrill Lynch’s global 2,600-person finance organization, including worldwide accounting, regulatory reporting, budgeting and corporate development.
Mr. Tosi will serve on Blackstone’s executive committee. He is expected to take up his position after 2008 summer. Michael Puglisi, Blackstone’s current chief financial officer, will remain as a senior managing director and a member of senior management. He will work closely with Mr. Tosi in the finance group, while also taking leadership of other firm matters and special projects for Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone’s co-founder and CEO, and Tony James, its president and chief operating officer.-Business Wire
