Board Member

Stephen Freidheim

Stephen Freidheim

Chief Investment Officer, Founder, Managing Partner, Cyrus Capital Partners L.P.

Stephen C. Freidheim is the chief investment officer, founder, and managing partner of Cyrus Capital Partners, an investment advisory firm with offices in New York and London. Before starting Cyrus in 1999, Freidheim held positions at Bankers Trust and Nomura Securities. He started his career at Kidder, Peabody & Co.

Freidheim has served on several corporate boards, including that of the airline Virgin America, which he also cofounded. He chairs CFR’s Investment Committee and the Executive Committee of the Board of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He serves as a trustee of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and the Advisory Board of Yale’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy.

Freidheim received a BA in economics from Yale University.

Diplomacy and International Institutions

What Does the G7 Do?
The Group of Seven (G7) has been a forum to coordinate global policy for fifty years, but experts are increasingly questioning the group’s relevance.

by CFR.org Editors June 10, 2025

United States

What Does the U.S. National Guard Do?
The National Guard is a special part of the U.S. military that answers to both state governors and the president. While it began as a “strategic reserve,” the guard has come to play an important role in domestic and overseas operations.

by Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman June 10, 2025

China

China’s Growing Influence in Latin America
For more than two decades, China has developed close economic and security ties with many Latin American countries, including Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. But Beijing’s increasing sway in the region continues to raise concerns in Washington, prompting greater U.S. engagement.

by Diana Roy June 6, 2025

Top Stories on CFR

Economics

The Dollar’s Global Role and the Financing of the U.S. External Deficit
There is too much talk about the dollar’s role as a reserve currency and too little talk about expectations of exceptional returns. Reserve accumulation hasn’t driven the financing of the U.S. current account deficit in recent years.

by Brad W. Setser June 8, 2025 Follow the Money

Europe

Growing Conflict and Uncertain Alliances: On the Future of European Security
On the eighty-first anniversary of D-Day, CFR President Michael Froman and senior fellows discuss the Trump administration’s diminished appetite for engagement in European security affairs—even as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on.

by Michael Froman June 6, 2025

Ukraine

The Senate’s New Ukraine Bill Will Not Work—But Here Is How to Fix It
The Sanctioning Russia Act would impose history’s highest tariffs and tank the global economy. Congress needs a better approach, one that strengthens existing sanctions and adds new measures the current bill ignores.

by Stephen Sestanovich June 4, 2025 Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security