Carlyle spokesman Randall Whitestone departs

Randall Whitestone, the personable spokesman of Carlyle Group, has left the global buyout shop after six years.

Whitestone last day at Carlyle was Dec. 31, according to Whitestone’s boss, Chris Ullman. “Randy has decided to move on to seek new challenges,” Ullman said in a statement. “We greatly value his many contributions to Carlyle, and we wish Randy the best. He is a personal friend and a friend of the firm.”

Whitestone joined Carlyle in fall 2011; he served as Carlyle’s director of communications for the Americas, Ullman said. He oversaw and was involved with many key areas including the firm’s Illuminate thought leadership program, executive communications, as well as day-to-day media relations, Ullman said.

Whitestone is a former business journalist. He spent six years at Bloomberg, where he covered private equity and leveraged buyouts from 2001 to 2004, his LinkedIn profile said. He joined Lehman Brothers in 2005, where he was a senior vice president, global head of corporate communications for investment management and mortgage capital divisions.

Lehman, then an investment banking giant, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2008. Neuberger Berman was part of Lehman and spun out of the firm. Whitestone then served as Neuberger’s global head of communications for three years until 2011, his LinkedIn said.

“It’s been an honor to work with friends and professional colleagues at Carlyle, and after six great years, I am excited for my next chapter,” Whitestone said in a statement.

Action Item: Contact Ullman at media@thecarlylegroup.com

Photo of back view of executive standing toward door courtesy of leolintang/iStock/Getty Images