Arizona Coyotes Owner, Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo announced today that Xavier A. Gutierrez has been named as the club's new President, CEO and Alternate Governor. Gutierrez becomes the first Latino team President & CEO in NHL history. Mr. Gutierrez has a 20-plus-year career as a business executive, investor and dealmaker focused on investment management, corporate strategy & operations, finance, and business development, and joins the Coyotes from his position as Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group.
"I am very proud to name Xavier as the first Latino team President and CEO in NHL history," said Meruelo. "This is a historic day for the Coyotes and the entire NHL. I have known Xavier for over a decade, and he is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of business and investment experience. We share the same approach to business and his intellect, leadership skills, and strategic mindset made him the clear choice to be our new CEO. He is a leader with tremendous vision and integrity, and I have the utmost confidence that he can help the Coyotes become a world class organization on and off the ice."
"I am extremely grateful to Mr. Meruelo for this opportunity to lead the Coyotes which he loves so dearly and honored to become the first Latino team President and CEO in NHL history," said Gutierrez. "This is a very special and proud day for me, my wife Jericca, our son Xavi, and our entire extended family. Mr. Meruelo and I share the same vision to make the Coyotes a world class organization that is innovative in our efforts to connect with and grow our fan base, continue to be a leader in our community, and develop great relationships with our business partners. We want to build a financially stable and prosperous organization for the long term, and our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup to our great fans in Arizona. I'm very excited to get started."
As Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group, Mr. Gutierrez focused on investments, operations, strategic development, and investor client servicing & outreach. Mr. Gutierrez was based in the firm's Santa Monica, California headquarters and was a member of Clearlake's Executive Committee and contributor to its Investment Committee. Clearlake is a leading private investment firm founded in 2006, managing over $17 Billion of institutional capital since inception whose senior investment principals have led or co-led over 200 investments in technology, industrials and consumer companies.
Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served as Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Group, the family office of US Latino business executive and Coyotes Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo, and President & Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Investment Partners, the firm's investment affiliate. At Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez oversaw investments and acquisitions, and was responsible for deal origination, underwriting, execution, and capital sourcing. He also helped lead the strategic management of 40-plus portfolio companies across industries including: Banking & Financial Services; Hospitality & Gaming; Media; Infrastructure; Restaurant & Food Services; Real Estate; Public Equity; and Private Equity.
Prior to Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez was Principal & Managing Director with Phoenix Realty Group, a national real estate private equity firm managing approximately $1 billion in institutional capital from leading public pension funds, banks and insurance companies. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez has held positions with the law firm of Latham & Watkins, the investment bank Lehman Brothers, and worked as a financial analyst in the League Office of the National Football League.
Mr. Gutierrez is currently a Shareholder and serves on the Board of Directors of Commercial Bank of California (CBC). CBC is a privately held, full-service commercial bank based in Los Angeles/Orange County with over $1 billion in assets, making it the largest Latino-owned bank in California.
From January 2016 until September 2017, Mr. Gutierrez was appointed and served as a voting member of the US Securities Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies, which provided a formal mechanism for the SEC to receive advice and recommendations on privately held small businesses and publicly traded companies with a market capitalization less than $250 million. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez previously served on the Board of Directors of Sizmek, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: SZMK), an advertising technology company.
Mr. Gutierrez has been very active with several non-profit, academic, and philanthropic organizations. Currently, Mr. Gutierrez serves on the Board of Regents of his alma mater, Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA). He also serves on the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of the California Community Foundation (CCF), a public charitable organization founded in 1915 that stewards nearly $1.7 billion in assets and manages more than 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies for the greater Los Angeles community. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), a Washington DC-based trade association founded in 1971 that serves as the largest network of diverse-owned and emerging private equity firms and hedge funds in the United States. Mr. Gutierrez also currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the national organization focused on providing financial support for US Latinos to pursue higher education.
Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served on the Board of Directors of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the national organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the 4million+ Hispanic/Latino-owned businesses in the United States. Mr. Gutierrez also previously served on the Board of Trustees for Southern California Public Radio, on the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA), the Board of the Harvard Club of Southern California, the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors, and the Young Alumni Committee of the Harvard Alumni Association.
Mr. Gutierrez is a proud graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts (AB) cum laude in Government from Harvard University, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Stanford Law School. Mr. Gutierrez and his wife Jericca and son Xavi live in Paradise Valley, Arizona.