Marco V. Masotti
Marco V. Masotti (born c. 1968) is a South African-born American lawyer. A partner at the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he leads the firm's private equity and investment funds businesses. He is recognized as one of the foremost fund formation attorneys in the United States. He is the controlling owner of the Sharks, a professional rugby union franchise based in Durban, South Africa.
Early life and education
Masotti, the child of an Italian immigrant father and a South African mother, was raised in the coastal town of Amanzimtoti, south of Durban.[1]
Masotti earned a B.A. (1988) and an LL.B. cum laude (1991) from the University of Natal (now the University of KwaZulu-Natal). While studying at the University of Natal, he focused on constitutional law for a post-apartheid South Africa. He then received an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992 as a Fulbright Scholar. In 1997, he clerked for apartheid activist Justice Albie Sachs at the Constitutional Court of South Africa during its first term under a final constitution. He subsequently settled in New York, where he built his legal career over more than three decades while maintaining close ties to South Africa.[2]
Legal career
Masotti joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as an associate in 1993. At the firm, he worked alongside his mentor Ted Sorensen, the former speechwriter and counsel to President John F. Kennedy.[3][4]
Over more than three decades at the firm, Masotti built the investment funds business and now serves as Global Head of Private Equity and Global Co-Head of Investment Funds. He is widely regarded as one of the leading fund formation attorneys in the United States, ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA. His client roster has included many of the largest private equity managers, including Apollo, KKR, General Atlantic, Oak Hill and TPG Inc.[5][1]
Masotti is a founding partner of the Paul, Weiss Sports Practice. He advised Clearlake Capital on its acquisition of Chelsea F.C. in 2022, for which The American Lawyer named him a "Dealmaker of the Year" in 2023.[5][6][3]
He has received multiple industry honors, including Law360 MVP recognitions in Fund Formation (2024), Private Equity (2018), and Asset Management (2016). He has been quoted in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on private equity market trends.[7][8]
Rugby ownership
Rugby remained a consistent interest throughout Masotti's professional career in New York. His path to club ownership developed through longstanding friendships with former Springboks captain François Pienaar and businessman Vincent Mai.[3][9] In early 2021, MVM Holdings acquired a 51 percent majority stake in the Sharks franchise, making Masotti the controlling partner. Masotti also holds a minority stake in Saracens F.C. of the English Premiership.[2][9]
During his ownership, Masotti has overseen the signings of several prominent Springboks, including Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, as part of a sustained effort to build a squad competitive in both the United Rugby Championship (URC) and European club competitions. He has also sought to grow the Sharks' profile in the United States, where Major League Rugby has expanded the sport's reach.[2][3]
Recognition
The Legal 500 Hall of Fame — Private equity (since 2024)
The American Lawyer — "Dealmaker of the Year" (2023)
Law360 — MVP, Fund Formation (2024); MVP, Private Equity (2018); MVP, Asset Management (2016)
Private Equity International — "100 Most Influential of the Decade" (2012)
Crain's New York Business — "40 Under 40" (2005)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Marco Masotti". Crain's New York Business. 2005.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Durban: the centre of his universe". SaffaMAG. January 6, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfreejacks - ↑ "Rugby in the DNA of Marco Masotti, the Sharks' new US investor". IOL Sunday Tribune. January 24, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Marco V. Masotti". Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
- ↑ "Paul Weiss PE Partner On The Evolution Of Sports Investing". Law360. October 31, 2025.
- ↑ "Private Equity's Trillion-Dollar Problem". The New York Times. December 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Executives Say Private Equity Fundraising Pressures Likely to Continue in 2023". The Wall Street Journal. December 28, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Change is hard, all the old habits exist. Rugby's old and stodgy". RugbyPass. July 23, 2022.
External links
Profile at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
References
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