Corporate History

Corporate Risk Solutions, LLC (CRS) traces its origin to a single engagement more than 25 years ago, when the operations partner at Clayton & Dubilier (now Clayton, Dubilier & Rice), a leading private equity investment firm, became frustrated with his firm's ability to procure insurance for its portfolio companies. That partner, Martin Dubilier, hired Joseph F. Coughlin in a stewardship role and, more pointedly, to serve the role of outsourced risk manager for his firm.

Mr. Coughlin and his client quickly realized that his role brought significant value to the firm and to all of its portfolio interests - and could do the same at all private equity firms.

Over the next 15 years, Mr. Coughlin refined this cutting-edge function at numerous private equity firms - working as de facto risk manager or in close collaboration with the firm's in-house risk management team. He built that company, JFC Consulting, into the largest centralized block of private equity insurance buying-power in the industry. In 2000, with his sights set on new horizons, Mr. Coughlin sold JFC Consulting to a leading insurance broker.

In 2002, he went on to found CRS based on an expanded business model. CRS would serve the entire alternative investment universe, work with all insurance brokers the world over and work closely with more than 50 insurance markets to drive transparency for its clients.

The new firm quickly gained a reputation for mirroring the pace and tempo of private equity investment - pulling together in hours or days intricate deals that took months to seal in the corporate insurance world. Today, CRS professionals generate substantial value for 80-plus sponsored firms and work daily with several hundred portfolio companies worldwide - bringing to bear solid insurance market relationships, global industry and investment knowledge, and a unique, liberating role as an independent third-party fiduciary acting on each client's behalf.

CRS currently operates worldwide from offices in Larchmont, New York City and Atlanta. The firm provides sophisticated, comprehensive risk management advisory services to alternative investment firms, including private equity funds, hedge funds, distressed debt, energy funds and real estate investment funds.

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