Michael Dart

Member of the Advisory Board

Michael Dart is has over 20 years of consulting experience, and is currently a Senior Partner and Managing Director at Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), heading up strategy for their private equity practice. He has consulted for Microsoft, Nestle, Bank One (now JPMorgan) the leading largest private equity funds including Blackstone, TH Lee, The Carlyle Group, Bain Capital & Apollo. His expertise in helping develop creative strategies and understanding the trends that drive these changes places him in high demand. He is sought out by leading newspapers and has been quoted in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today on issues that relate to retailing/consumer goods.

At KSA he founded their private equity practice in 2003 and was promoted to his current position in 2008. He recently authored the key marketing message for KSA on “Weathering the Perfect Storm” that articulates how leading retailers are navigating the current economic crisis.

Prior to joining KSA Michael was a partner at Bain & Co. (14 years), working in the San Francisco and Chicago offices, and founded their South African office in 1994.

Michael was educated at University College, Oxford University in England. He won a scholarship to Oxford (1981) and was elected Class President of his college. He earned a B.A. in Modern History & Economics. He subsequently won the Thouron Fellowship which provided him with a full scholarship to The Wharton School Of Business, University of Pennsylvania. At Wharton he received his M.B.A. in Finance and was selected as the Class Graduate Speaker (1985).