Heather Paulson

Heather Paulson is an Operating Partner at BDT & MSD Partners, where she works with portfolio company leadership teams to drive consumer led growth, strengthen go to market execution, and build durable long-term value. She recently concluded a 17-year career at Nike, where she held senior leadership roles shaping strategy, leading enterprise transformation, building teams and businesses in the digital space, and driving marketplace and digital innovation. She began her career as a lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz and a hedge fund investor at TPG Axon and holds a BS from Cornell University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

In addition to her work with Bottom Line, Heather has spent more than two decades committed to improving educational outcomes and opportunity for low-income children. She began her nonprofit work with Youth INC, which builds the capacity of organizations serving young people in New York City. She was a Partner at Social Venture Partners Portland for fifteen years, including six years on the board, where she helped apply a venture philanthropy model to mobilize skills, capital, and networks to expand access to high quality, culturally relevant early learning. Heather currently serves as a Trustee of Oregon Episcopal School, providing strategic oversight and fiduciary leadership for one of the region’s leading independent schools.