Eric Hovde
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Eric Hovde is an active entrepreneur who has started and managed numerous business enterprises. He serves as the Chairman and CEO of Sunwest Bank. He is also the President and CEO of Hovde Capital Advisors, LLC, an asset management firm, and president, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of Hovde Private Equity Advisors, LLC, a private equity firm. Mr. Hovde is responsible for day-to-day oversight of the portfolio investments managed by Hovde Capital Advisors LLC. He provides oversight to portfolio companies for the firm’s private equity fund through strategic direction and guidance.
Prior to Hovde Capital and Hovde Private Equity, Mr. Hovde founded Hovde Financial, where he established and developed a top-tier investment bank in the bank and thrift industry. Prior to forming Hovde Equity Advisors, LLC, Mr. Hovde led Hovde Capital Advisors’ merchant banking activities using the firm’s proprietary capital to acquire numerous controlling interests in community banks.
Additionally, Mr. Hovde is the Chairman and CEO of H Bancorp LLC, a private bank holding company with banking operations on both the East and the West coasts. He is CEO and co-owner of Hovde Properties, LLC, a third-generation family company that he develops and manages real estate in the Madison, Wisconsin, area. He oversees the company’s management and serves on the Board of Directors.
Mr. Hovde’s expertise in the financial services industry and investment management areas has allowed him to be part of television and print media, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Hovde and his brother, Steve, created the Hovde Foundation, which actively supports two central missions- clinical research searching for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and improving the lives of vulnerable children worldwide. Charity is a central driving point in any Hovde related business.
Mr. Hovde has actively participated in funded relief programs in Africa, South America, Latin America and the United States. Additionally, he founded Hovde Houses, which are homes that provide shelter, supportive services, education, and love to vulnerable street children. The Hovde Foundation has established Hovde Houses in Mexico City, Peru, Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya. Mr. Hovde also co-founded an apartment complex with case work managers and job training for homeless families in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.
Mr. Hovde earned his degrees in Economics and International Relations at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He resides in Madison, Wisconsin, and is married with two children.