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Lynn Forester de RothschildAmerican-British businesswoman
Date of Birth: 02.07.1954
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Education
- Legal and Business Career
- Telecommunications Industry
- TPI
- FirstMark Communications, Inc.
- Sale of FirstMark
- Current Business Engagements
- Political Involvement
- Inclusive Capitalism
- Inclusive Capitalism Conferences
- Inclusivity Initiatives
- International Engagement
Early Life and Education
Lynn Forester de Rothschild was born in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, to Annabel (née Hewitt) and John Kenneth Forester. She grew up in Oradell, New Jersey, as the only girl among three brothers.
Education
Rothschild attended Pomona College and Columbia Law School, where she participated in Daniel Patrick Moynihan's successful Senate campaign. She also studied international law at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Legal and Business Career
Legal CareerAfter law school, Rothschild worked as an attorney for four years at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
Telecommunications Industry
In the 1980s, Rothschild worked for telecommunications billionaire John Kluge, helping him acquire small companies that held local cellular network licenses. She then invested in the North American and European telecommunications business in a partnership with Motorola.
TPI
From 1984 to 1989, Rothschild served as Executive Vice President for Business Development at Metromedia Inc.'s TPI, a wireless data and cellular telephone company owned by Motorola in Latin America. Under her leadership, TPI tripled its size and revenue per customer, while cash flow grew threefold compared to the US average. She sold her stake in TPI to Motorola in 1995 for a reported $80-100 million.
FirstMark Communications, Inc.
In 1995, Rothschild founded FirstMark Communications Inc., a broadband wireless company, in the United States. In 1997, she sold her US interests to focus on international opportunities. In 1998, she established FirstMark Communications of Europe with the goal of creating a pan-European broadband Internet company.
Sale of FirstMark
After securing licenses in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Finland, she built a 20,000-kilometer fiber network across 15 countries. The company was sold in June 2000 for $1 billion in financing, the largest private equity placement in the history of Europe's competitive telecommunications sector.
Current Business Engagements
As of the early 2020s, Lynn is a board member of Estée Lauder Companies, The Economist Group, Bronfman E.L. Rothschild LP, and Christies International. She is also a former board member of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and General Instruments, Inc.
Political Involvement
Democrat to Republican to DemocratRothschild has been active in political and social issues, including addressing income inequality, supporting small and mid-sized businesses, microfinance, business ethics, and women's rights. She funded the presidential campaigns of both Bill and Hillary Clinton since 1992. In the 2008 presidential election, she initially supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy but switched to Republican candidate John McCain after Barack Obama emerged victorious. By the 2016 election, she had returned to the Democratic fold, hosting a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Inclusive Capitalism
In 2012, Rothschild co-chaired the Henry Jackson Society's (HJS) Inclusive Capitalism Initiative, which aimed to mitigate the consequences of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the associated Occupy Wall Street movement.
Inclusive Capitalism Conferences
On May 27, 2014, Rothschild convened the Inclusive Capitalism Conference in London with the aim of adapting the capitalist system to work for a larger share of the population. The conference featured opening remarks from Prince Charles and Bill Clinton. A second conference was held in London on June 26, 2015.
Inclusivity Initiatives
In 2006, she was appointed a member of the United Nations Advisory Group on Inclusive Financial Services. She is the Chair of the American Patrons of Tate (F.A.I.) and a member of the International Advisory Council of Columbia Law School. Additionally, she is a trustee of the ERANDA Foundation (the Rothschild family foundation), the Outward Bound Trust, the Deutsche Bank Alfred Herrhausen Society for International Dialogue, and the Deutsche Bank Global Commercial Microfinance Consortium Advisory Board. She is also a member of the McCain Institute Council.
International Engagement
Rothschild is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (US), Chatham House (UK), the Institute for Strategic Studies (UK), the International Advisory Board of Asia House (UK), and the Foreign Policy Association (US).
