Charles's Expertise

Charles Corpening is Senior Managing Director and Head of the Investment Team for Ariel Alternatives, LLC. He serves on the firm’s Investment Committee. Mr. Corpening brings decades of Wall Street experience to his role with Ariel and has significant investment and board level experience in transportation and logistics, industrials, and franchise businesses. Additionally, he is skilled in serving on boards during dynamic and challenging transitions such as companies seeking aggressive growth via acquisitions, as well as organic turnarounds.

Prior to Ariel, Mr. Corpening also served as Chairman and Founder of Joshua Partners, personal investments focused on lower and middle market private equity opportunities.

Previously, Charles was a longtime partner with Citigroup Venture Capital (CVC) and helped lead the Industrials effort for Court Square Capital Partners. Prior to joining CVC, Mr. Corpening was a private equity executive with The Rockefeller Group and Roundtree Capital, after beginning his career as an investment banker with PaineWebber in the M&A and Merchant Banking groups.

Mr. Corpening is a graduate of Princeton and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School. He currently serves as on the board of directors of Sorenson Communications and Action Resources. Charles has served on the board of directors of public companies such as Chase Industries, Kemet Corporation and DAVCO Restaurants (the largest Wendy’s franchisee); and private companies with public indebtedness such as FastenTech, Inc and Royster-Clark, Inc. In addition, Mr. Corpening is Chairman of the Trustee Board of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. He is a family man, married with five sons and one granddaughter.