Leslie's Expertise

Les Brun is Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ariel Alternatives, LLC, where he chairs the investment committee. He is also a board director for platform company, My Code—a leading multicultural media and marketing services firm. Les has over 44 years of investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory experience, including as founder, CEO and chairman emeritus of Hamilton Lane, a leading global private markets investment management firm. In addition to his role at Ariel Alternatives, Les is chairman and chief executive officer of Sarr Group, LLC, a diversified holding company for his personal investments. He is the former lead director of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. and was formerly chair of its board. Les currently serves on the board of directors of Corning, Inc. He is also a senior advisor to G100 and World 50, the leading private platform for a peer-to-peer community of CEOs, board directors, C-suite executives, and emerging enterprise leaders at globally respected organizations. Les is also an advisor in Bank of America’s enterprise executive development program, where he helps coach and develop executives. He serves as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Les brings extensive experience as a corporate director and was formerly lead director of Merck & Co., Inc., chairman of the board of directors of CDK Global, Inc., chairman of the board of directors of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., and chair of the compensation committee of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He was a board member of the Richcourt Group, a Hamilton Lane company specializing in hedge fund of funds management. In addition, Les was chairman of the U.S. Small Business Administration SBIC advisory council, and a member of the committee for the reinvention of the Small Business Administration. He holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus. Les was previously named by the NACD as one of America’s top 100 corporate directors and was inducted into the 2019 business hall of fame for Philadelphia Inquirer’s industry icons.