Michael Forman is Chairman and CEO of FS Investments, a Philadelphia-based alternative investments asset manager. Michael founded FS Investments in 2007 after a successful career as both a corporate and securities lawyer and a serial entrepreneur. The firm is an outgrowth of Michael’s simple vision: help investors access alternative investments historically available only to large institutions and the wealthiest individuals.
Since its founding, FS Investments has grown from a small, innovative start-up to an organization that manages over $75 billion in assets across a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies for institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. With ten offices and over 500 employees, the firm has been recognized as an industry leader. FS Investments was named one of “Philly’s Coolest Companies” by Philadelphia Magazine in 2015 and one of Greater Philadelphia’s Healthiest Employers by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2019.
A native of northern New Jersey, Michael attended the University of Rhode Island. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Political Science, and he went on to earn a JD from Rutgers Law School. In 2013, Michael was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Philadelphia.
Michael lives in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia with his wife and three daughters who, as a family, created a foundation that devotes resources to civic and charitable organizations supporting education, the arts, childhood nutrition, women’s rights and animal welfare. In 2021, Michael co-founded the Forman Arts Initiative (FAI) with his wife, Jennifer Rice. FAI is a platform to connect and support artists and cultural organizations in Philadelphia through programming, exhibition commissions, financial support and advocacy. In 2023, Michael and Jennifer were recognized by University of the Arts as Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts recipients in acknowledgment of their contribution to the arts and cultural spaces.
Michael’s commitment to the Philadelphia region extends to board service at several institutions, including Drexel University and The Center City District Foundation. He also serves as the Founding Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Equity Alliance. His civic leadership has garnered recognition by the community and his peers, including the 2022 Corporate Leadership Award from the Community College of Philadelphia, the 2019 Americanism Award from the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia as well as a special honor from Mural Arts Philadelphia in 2017 for his dedication to the city’s public art initiatives. In 2019, Mr. Forman co-founded Fitler Club, a diverse and civically engaged private lifestyle club located in Center City, Philadelphia.
