AFTAs 2014: Best Technology Executive, Buy Side—Bill Murphy, Blackstone

This individual award has never been as well contested and as diverse as it proved in 2014. Included among the finalists’ firms were a major university endowment, an insurer, a hedge fund, and an asset manager, in addition to Blackstone. Murphy and fellow finalist Uche Abolgu—CTO at Utimco in Austin, Texas—are even old friends. The choice was quite literally that close.
So what distinguishes Murphy, besides his self-admittedly unshakable resemblance to Steve Carell, and sense of humor to match? For one thing, it’s the space he’s in.
Private equity is more influential than ever in today’s investment environment, and has traveled a very long way from its roots when limited partners (LPs) in a fund asked for relatively little performance data of general partners (GPs) like Blackstone, both in terms of depth and frequency. Those days are well over, and the firm knew it needed a ringer when it hired Murphy to remake its infrastructure and innovations team.
With more private equity shops competing today, and many institutional investors preferring to keep their GP relationships as few and tidy as possible, sound technology is a requirement for attracting new capital. And Blackstone’s BX suite has rapidly evolved to match this requirement, remapping workflows, enhancing communication and reporting, and adding new and often exotic private investment types along the way.
What makes Murphy’s role ideally fit to Blackstone, however, is his entrepreneurial background—he was formerly a co-founder of Capital IQ before its acquisition by S&P—and highly successful guidance of its fintech investment program, which has funded or helped spin off more than 10 start-ups since its inception, most of them under Murphy’s watch. In many ways, the CTO represents the breed of technologist that investment managers now need to thrive: not only a strategy expert with the CFO’s trust and ear, but someone who can transact with a new group—and in some cases, new generation—of external partners to push things forward.
What makes Murphy’s role ideally fit to Blackstone is his entrepreneurial background and highly successful guidance of its fintech investment program, which has funded or helped spin off more than 10 start-ups since its inception, most of them under Murphy’s watch.
Indeed, it’s a model that most global sell-side firms are now actively pursuing, but one that few buy sides have the resources and unique leadership to pull off. In Murphy, Blackstone has found a genuine exception.
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Awards & Rankings
Witad Awards 2025: Legal/compliance professional of the year—Devi Shanmugham, Tradeweb
Devi Shanmugham, global head of compliance at Tradeweb, wins legal/compliance professional of the year in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Technology innovator of the year (end-user)—Ruchi Acharya Saraswat, RBC Capital Markets
Ruchi Acharya Saraswat, managing director, head of strategy and transformation, business and client services technology at RBC Capital Markets, wins technology innovator of the year (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Best company for diversity and inclusion (end-user)—BNP Paribas Portugal
BNP Paribas Portugal wins best company for diversity and inclusion (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Wellness/work-life balance award (end-user)—Sarah Mears, MUFG Investor Services
Sarah Mears, chief human resources officer at MUFG Investor Services, wins the wellness/work-life balance award (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Exchange professional of the year—Valerie Bannert-Thurner, Nasdaq
Valerie Bannert-Thurner, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the financial technology division at Nasdaq, wins exchange professional of the year in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Rising star (vendor)—Hannah Sayson, S&P Global Marketplace
Hannah Sayson, lead product manager of the S&P Global Marketplace, wins rising star (vendor) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Data science professional of the year (vendor)—Kaja Zupanc, Duco
Kaja Zupanc, head of machine learning at Duco, wins data science professional of the year (vendor) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Vendor professional of the year (data and operations)—Pooja Padgavkar, SmartStream Technologies
Pooja Padgavkar, senior consultant at SmartStream Technologies, wins vendor professional of the year (data and operations) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.