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The CEO's interests range from banjo and bluegrass to philanthropy and support for higher education.

The University of Arizona 2008 Executive of the Year finds success in all walks of life. From leading a multibillion dollar private equity firm to competing in endurance horseback riding and playing the five-string banjo, F. Warren Hellman, chairman and co-founder of Hellman & Friedman LLC and founder of the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, is far from the business-as-usual CEO.

The Eller College of Management honored Hellman for his significant accomplishments in business and philanthropy at the annual Executive of the Year Luncheon on Friday.

“Warren Hellman is an unconventional but exceptional leader,” said Paul Portney, dean of the Eller College. “It’s important for our students to connect with executives of his caliber, and at the same time understand that personal passions can play a central role in a career. The fruits of Mr. Hellman’s success have benefited many individuals and organizations – ranging from the clients whose money he has invested to the poverty-level uninsured to young assistant professors to bluegrass music lovers.”

A lifelong financier, Hellman co-founded the private equity investment firm Hellman & Friedman in 1984. Respected for its distinctive investment philosophy and approach, Hellman & Friedman has raised and managed more than $16 billion of committed capital and has invested in more than 50 companies during its 23-year history.

Prior to 1984, Hellman was a general partner for a Boston-based venture capital firm called Hellman, Ferri Investment Associates and Matrix Partners.

Hellman is a director of various public and private companies including Levi Strauss & Co., D.N. & E. Walter & Co. and the Sugar Bowl Corp., and has made an extraordinary commitment to higher education. Through a series of funds that offer major support to promising assistant professors at a number of colleges and universities, Hellman has invested in young faculty.

His interests and commitments extend beyond the boardroom to civic life and community service. Hellman’s activities include past and present leadership positions in The San Francisco Foundation, the (California) Governor’s Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, The Brookings Institution, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Free Clinic, which was founded by his daughter, and Voice of Dance.

He has a keen interest in competitive racing and playing the banjo. He founded and sponsors the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, has twice completed the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile foot race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif., and five times completed the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile horse race over the same course.

He is a five-time age group national champion in Ride and Tie, which is a combination of cross-country running and endurance horseback riding. In 2005, Hellman was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Established in 1983 by the Eller of College of Management National Board of Advisors, the Executive of the Year Award honors individuals who exemplify executive qualities in private enterprise and public service.

Past award recipients have included James E. Press, Toyota Motor Sales; Robert A. Eckert, Mattel Inc.; Andy Grove, Intel; Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix Suns; Donald Rumsfeld, G.D. Searle & Co; and R.E. “Ted” Turner, Turner Broadcasting Company.