Team

Lei earned his M.B.A and M.A. in International Relations from Yale University and a B.A. in Economics from Renmin University. Prior to founding Hillhouse with Michael, Luke, and Tracy in 2005, Lei worked at the Yale University Endowment, which became Hillhouse’s first investor. Lei also spent two years as an investment analyst covering Southeast Asia and Africa.

Lei is an avid snowboarder. When he’s not in the office or meeting with entrepreneurs, Lei can be found on the slopes, usually with Michael in tow. Despite their best efforts, their kids are still faster and more stylish than they are.

Michael heads Hillhouse’s healthcare investing and is a founding member of the firm. Prior to Hillhouse, Michael was an equity research analyst with CICC. Michael graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with an M.B.A. and he also holds a B.S. in Engineering from Shanghai Maritime University.

Michael picked up his first snowboard at Squaw Valley over 25 years ago and has been hooked ever since.

Joe is a Partner and Co-head of the Real Assets Team of Hillhouse. Prior to joining Hillhouse, he was managing director and partner at Warburg Pincus from 2005 to 2020, leading its real estate business in Asia as co-head from 2008 to 2012 and sole head from 2012 to 2020. Prior to Warburg Pincus, Mr. Gagnon worked for General Electric Capital, where he served as a manager of business development with GE Real Estate in Tokyo. Joe graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.S. in Mathematical Economics.

Joe is recently married, but still gets to keep his long hair - both of which are evidence of his negotiating prowess.

Sean is a Partner and Head of the Global Investment Team of Hillhouse. Sean and his team are active across sectors and geographies with a focus on global LBOs and carve-outs. Prior to joining Hillhouse in 2017, Sean was a former Managing Director at Warburg Pincus. He joined Warburg Pincus in 1996 and spent 20 years with the firm across New York and London. Prior to Warburg Pincus, Sean also previously worked at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs. Sean received an A.B. in economics from Harvard College magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Sean was awarded a Varsity letter in ice hockey in college, but prefers to ski and mountain bike now. He enjoys a good suffer-fest, having recently completed the Haute Route backcountry ski trail and the Leadville 100 mountain bike trail.

Adam was Hillhouse’s first external counsel at our founding. He joined Hillhouse in 2012 as our General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Adam currently oversees a team of over 20 legal, compliance, and tax lawyers from across the globe. Previously, he practiced law in the United States, including for O'Melveny & Myers LLP. Adam holds a J.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a B.A. from Doane College, and has been admitted to practice law in California and Nebraska.

Adam grew up in a small town of 500 people in central Nebraska and still owns cattle on his family’s ranch. Despite currently living in an apartment in Hong Kong, Adam’s young daughters are hard at work trying to convince him to get a pony as their next pet.

Tracy was Hillhouse’s very first employee in 2005. At Hillhouse, she has worked across our investment, value creation and business teams. Prior to Hillhouse, Tracy worked with China Securities Co., Ltd. Tracy holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an M.S. in Management from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a B.S. from Beijing Normal University.

Tracy is passionate about empowering women in the workplace. She is extraordinarily proud that around 50% of Hillhouse employees and partners are women.