Meet The Chairman
Darren Wallis
Partner and Porfolio Manager
Permit Capital, LLC
Chairman, 2008 MAC Conference
Mr. Wallis is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of Permit Capital, LLC. He leads the direct private equity efforts and fund of funds investment activities of the firm. Permit Capital is an independent investment firm that structures, originates and manages portfolios of securities and other investment opportunities for high net worth individuals, family offices, endowments, and other institutions. Their investments span many different asset classes and vehicles, both domestically and internationally, including public and private equity, distressed debt, real estate, venture capital, and hedge funds.
Prior to joining Permit Capital, Mr. Wallis was Managing Partner of Osage Ventures. During his career at Osage, Mr. Wallis was responsible for all fund activities including strategy, deal sourcing, negotiation and execution, portfolio management, and harvesting. Before Osage Ventures, Mr. Wallis was a Director of Corporate Development for SAP AG, the largest business software company in the world, and later, a Senior Director of SAP’s Corporate Finance group. Mr. Wallis focused on the strategy, build out, execution and integration of the company’s global merger, acquisition, investment lifecycle and minority investment activities. He led numerous of these investment initiatives and helped supervised the investment activities of SAP Ventures.
Prior to his tenure at SAP, Mr. Wallis was a Venture Partner of Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, an international private equity firm with over $600 million of committed capital that invests in expansion stage companies. Prior to Cross Atlantic, Mr. Wallis was associated with Sullivan & Cromwell, the Wall Street law firm, as a member of their Mergers and Acquisitions group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wallis was a Senior Consultant with Accenture Technology Labs, the research and development arm of Accenture, where he analyzed and explored new and emerging technologies for global clients.
Mr. Wallis is an active participant in the greater Philadelphia business and nonprofit community. He has been recognized in 2007 by the Philadelphia Business Journal with its prestigious “40 Under 40” Award, which honors individuals committed to professional excellence and community involvement. Mr. Wallis is also a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, where he currently commands the rank of Lieutenant in the Inactive Ready Reserves. He was accepted into the Naval Nuclear Power School.
Mr. Wallis received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and studied law and capital markets at Duke Law School, where he received a J.D. cum laude. He currently resides in Wayne, PA, with his wife Alison and his two daughters and son.
Mr. Blumenthal is a Senior Client Partner in the Philadelphia office of Korn/Ferry International and a member of the firm's Global Technology and CIO practices. Previously, Mr. Blumenthal was a senior partner with Heidrick & Struggles, where he founded its Mid-Atlantic technology practice in 1999. His placements include CEOs, Board Members, VP Sales, CIOs and other senior executives of public companies, private equity/venture capital funded companies, professional services firms and economic development organizations.
While his search practice is national, Mr. Blumenthal has a strong professional commitment to the Delaware Valley. He served on the Board of the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group, and will be the Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Conference in 2007. He also served on the marketing committee of the Association for Corporate Growth (M&A East) and is a longstanding member of the Eastern Technology Council where he chaired its Human Capital Initiative.
Mr. Blumenthal began his career in sales and marketing at IBM. He was recruited to AT&T at its divestiture as a platform speaker and motivational marketer to help shift the company from a monopoly to a competitive environment. He was then promoted to Data Branch Manager where he built and led the top branch in the United States.
Prior to his search career, Mr. Blumenthal built, staffed, and managed New Jersey's premier career consulting firm where he consulted and coached business executives. Mr. Blumenthal has been the subject of articles, radio broadcasts and expert panels dealing with employment trends and recruiting strategies.
Mr. Blumenthal earned his undergraduate degree from Colgate University.
Mr. Mulvanerty is a graduate of Fordham University where he received a Bachelor of Science in marketing/management and a Master of Science in counseling and personnel services. Mr. Mulvanerty is on the Board of Directors of Wheels of Wellness, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing non-emergency medical transport to the needy ill and handicapped of the Philadelphia area.