For more than a decade, Ralph Thurman has been an operating partner and senior advisor in the private equity industry. He has led several companies as they transition from the private to the public sector and completed more than $2 billion in acquisitions, equity investments, and other transactions across several industries in Europe and North America.
In his current role, Ralph Thurman draws from decades of experience as an executive and entrepreneur. Before entering the private equity industry, he founded Viasys Healthcare Inc., which was created through the acquisition of 23 independent companies. Viasys had one of the most successful IPOs in the medical technology industry and quickly increased more than fourfold in value over five years before Thurman led its sale to Cardinal Health.
Ralph Thurman also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Corning Life Sciences Inc., which he grew from $700 million to more than $2 billion in global sales. He led a spinoff strategy that resulted in $3 billion incremental market value for shareholders and launched two new companies, Covance and Quest Diagnostics. Prior to Corning, Thurman was president, CEO, and director of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals Inc., which became a top 10 company in its industry under his direction. He also led the integration of Rorer with Rhone Poulenc Santé and Revlon Healthcare. A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Ralph Thurman has sat on the university’s Pamplin School of Business Board of Trustees. He was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2004, when he was the university’s commencement speaker. Thurman also completed the Wharton Corporate Governance.