# Lynn Tilton

> Lynn Tilton is the founder, CEO and sole principal of New York-based Patriarch Partners, a family office and private investment firm established in 2000. Her career spans investment banking, distressed debt and operating troubled businesses, with past investments including MD Helicopters, Dura Automotive, Rand McNally and Stila. Job preservation and manufacturing are central to her stated mission.

- **Role:** CEO and Sole Principal at Patriarch Partners
- **Organizations:** Patriarch Partners, Papillon Partners, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Kidder Peabody, Amroc Investments, MD Helicopters (former CEO), Stila (former sole manager)
- **From:** The Bronx, New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA with honors in American Studies, Yale University, MBA in Finance, Columbia Business School
- **Known for:** Founded Patriarch Partners in 2000., Recognized as Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011., Received the 2014 ITA Achievement Award.

## Career timeline

- **1981** — Graduated from Yale and entered Morgan Stanley’s analyst program.
- **1983** — Left Morgan Stanley; managed restaurants while attending Columbia Business School.
- **1993** — Worked for Amroc Investments from Florida, commuting to New York.
- **1998** — Founded a bank-loan research and broker-dealer firm, Papillon Partners.
- **2000** — Founded Patriarch Partners.
- **2005** — Patriarch acquired MD Helicopters; Tilton later took a direct operational role.
- **2009** — Patriarch acquired Stila.
- **2011** — Received Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year recognition.
- **2014** — Received the ITA Achievement Award.
- **2017** — An SEC administrative law judge dismissed the fraud proceeding against Tilton and Patriarch entities.
- **2020** — Stepped down as MD Helicopters CEO on March 23.
- **2021** — Removed as Stila’s sole manager on April 30; the decision was subsequently upheld.
- **2024** — Listed as a manufacturing-session respondent at Yale’s December CEO Summit.

## Achievements

- Founded Patriarch Partners in 2000.
- Recognized as Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011.
- Received the 2014 ITA Achievement Award.
- Patriarch reports a cumulative history of ownership and restructuring involving more than 240 companies; this is a company claim, not a current portfolio count.

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Yale’s CEO Summit program listed Tilton, Founder & CEO of Patriarch Partners, as a respondent in its manufacturing session.
- **2023-12** — At Yale’s CEO Summit, she emphasized innovation, people, planning, process and urgency in turnarounds.

## Links

- Website: https://www.patriarchpartners.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynntilton
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LynnTilton
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClhWfsA0IqiQRi_-O1w2K9A
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynntilton/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnTiltonPage

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/lynn-tilton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08