EHI - Key Persons
Aaron Chan is Chief Financial Officer of Enlightened Hospitality Investments. At EHI, Aaron leads the firm's finance, compliance, and investor relations functions. Prior to joining EHI, Aaron was the interim Chief Financial Officer at Advent Global Opportunities, an affiliate of Advent International. At Advent, Aaron led the finance team of a global crossover fund that pursues a public and private equity investing strategy. Prior to Advent, he was Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Act II Capital, a global TMT sector focused long/short equity hedge fund based in New York City. At Act II, Aaron assumed broad leadership responsibilities for their flagship fund and helped launched their UCITS product and institutional managed accounts.
Aaron began his career at Ernst & Young in New York before joining Ramius Capital, a multi-strategy investment advisor as Vice President. After Ramius, he partnered closely with general partners to help launch and raise capital for two start-up hedge funds.
Aaron received his Bachelor of Accounting with Honors from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
- Founder of Union Square Hospitality Group
- USHG Founder
Danny is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Enlightened Hospitality Investments. Danny is also the Founder of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and the Founder and Chairman of Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK). USHG comprises some of New York's most beloved restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Ci Siamo, Daily Provisions and more.
Danny and his team have earned an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur in America and Humanitarian of the Year. His business book, Setting The Table, a New York Times best seller, examines the power of hospitality in restaurants, business, and life. A sought-after speaker and educator, Danny has set industry standards for innovative hiring practices, building culture, corporate responsibility, and leading change.
Danny serves on the board of Olo (NYSE: OLO), and formerly served on the boards of Sotheby's (NYSE: BID), The Container Store (NYSE: TCS), and Open Table (Nasdaq: OPEN) through its sale to Priceline. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity College.
As a Partner at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Harry Seherr-Thoss oversees sourcing, structuring, and diligence of new investments, and works alongside existing Partner companies to help them achieve their strategic growth initiatives. He also serves on the board of Joe Coffee, 7Shifts, Qu, and Culture Pop and is a board observer at Salt & Straw, Tacombi and Slutty Vegan.
Prior to joining Enlightened Hospitality Investments in March 2016, Harry was a growth stage investor at Tenfore Holdings where he focused on tech-enabled commerce and data businesses, and before that was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications group at Piper Jaffray & Co.
Harry graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Trinity College, where he earned a bachelor's of science degree in economics and received the Faculty of Economics Award.
As a Senior Investment Associate at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Johnny focuses on sourcing, structuring, and diligence of new investments and works alongside existing partner companies on strategic and growth initiatives. Previously, Johnny was an Investment Banking Associate in the Communications, Media & Entertainment group at RBC Capital Markets. Johnny received a B.A. in Economics and Government with distinction from the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Controller on the Finance and Operations Team
Larissa is the Controller on the Finance and Operations Team at Enlightened Hospitality Investments. Larissa has extensive experience auditing hedge funds, private equity funds and management companies. Prior to joining Enlightened Hospitality Investments in September 2022, Larissa was an Audit Manager in the Financial Services Group at Anchin, Block and Anchin. Larissa received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Syracuse University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
Mark is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Enlightened Hospitality Investments. Mark is actively involved in all of EHI's portfolio companies, and serves on the boards of Joe Coffee, Salt & Straw, Goldbelly, Dig, Banza, Restaurant Technologies, and Slutty Vegan and is a board observer at Madison Reed. Additionally, Mark sits on the board of Union Square Hospitality Group, is a member of the Council on Chicago Booth for the University of Chicago, is on the board of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, a leading contemporary dance company, and serves as Chair Emeriti of Jacob's Pillow Board, a dance school and performance space in the Berkshires, for over 20 years. In 2020, Mark was included in Nation's Restaurant News' Top 50 Technology Power List, which features the 50 most influential technology and innovation leaders in the restaurant industry.
Prior to founding EHI, Mark was head of the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Investment Banking group at Piper Jaffray & Co. He previously served on the boards of Trinity College, the Harlem Globetrotters, Centennial Communications, Citadel Communications, T/SF Communications (TSF), US Radio, and Leap Wireless (LEAP) where he also served on the Finance Committee and Transaction Committee during its sale to AT&T.
Mark earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor's degree in economics from Trinity College.
As a Vice President at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Paulina focuses on sourcing, structuring, and diligence of new investments and works alongside existing Partner companies on strategic and growth initiatives. She also serves as a Board Director at Chip City.
Prior to joining Enlightened Hospitality Investments in January 2021, Paulina was an Investment Banking Associate at Centerview Partners, working primarily with clients in the Consumer and Food & Beverage sectors. Paulina earned a bachelor's degree with honors in Chemical & Biological Engineering from Princeton University.
As a Vice President at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Perry Leavitt oversees sourcing, structuring, and diligence of new investments and works alongside existing Partner companies to help them achieve their strategic growth initiatives. She serves as a board observer at Madison Reed.
Prior to joining Enlightened Hospitality Investments in August 2022, Perry worked at Vestar Capital Partners, where she focused on private equity investments in the consumer and business services sector. Leading up to that, she was also an Investment Banking Analyst in the Power, Energy, and Infrastructure group at Lazard Frères. Additionally, Perry serves as the Co-Chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation's junior board and is a member of Planned Parenthood of New York's Young Visionaries committee.
Perry earned a bachelor's degree in Art History from the University of Chicago, where she received departmental and general honors, and a master's in business administration, with honors, from Harvard Business School.
As Executive Assistant, Stephanie provides comprehensive support to the Finance and Investment Team at Enlightened Hospitality Investments. Before coming to EHI, she served as an Office Coordinator and provided Executive Assistant coverage support to the VP's in engineering and the Head of Global Sales at Addepar, a wealth management platform. Previously, Stephanie supported a WSJ REAL Trends Top 80 Real Estate Team at Compass NY. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University- New Brunswick.
As an Investment Associate at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Theo focuses on sourcing, structuring, and diligence of new investments and works alongside existing partner companies on strategic and growth initiatives. Previously, Theo was an Investment Banking Analyst covering a broad range of industries at Moelis & Company. Theo received a B.S. in Global Business from Georgetown University.