Ken Griffin, The CEO of Citadel:

Career History

•  Kenneth Cordele Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel.
•  In 1987, Mr. Griffin began his career as a 19 year old sophomore at Harvard University by trading from his dorm room with a fax machine, a personal computer, and a telephone. He drew the attention of hedge fund pioneer and co-founder of Chicago-based Glenwood Partners, Frank Meyer, earning him the opportunity to establish what would one day become Citadel.
•  In 1990, after graduating from Harvard with a degree in economics, Mr. Griffin founded Citadel and has continued to serve as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer. Today, Citadel is recognized as one of the most respected and successful investment firms in the world that manages over $30 billion in capital for its partners.

Core Beliefs

• Mr. Griffin is passionate about philanthropy and has supported educational and cultural causes that drive community engagement and improvement. He has given over $1 billion to many organizations including The University of Chicago, the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, The Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. He is also a proud supporter of his alma mater, and in 2014, he donated $150 million to support need-based financial aid at Harvard that was the largest gift in the university's history at the time.
• Along with a core belief in philanthropy, he also strongly believes in actively participating in civic and cultural institutions in his own Chicago community. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Public Education Fund, and the Board of Trustees for the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and The University of Chicago. He is also a member of numerous business organizations, including G100, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the Economic Club of Chicago.
• Mr. Griffin also has a core belief of investing in real estate. He currently owns the most expensive home ever sold in the US, a penthouse overlooking Central Park in New York City, that he bought last year for $238 million. In recent years, this billionaire has reportedly spent more than $750 million on real estate in Chicago, New York, Miami, Palm Beach, and London.
• Along with a core belief in real estate investment, Mr. Griffin also strongly believes in investing in art. He has made headlines for spending millions of dollars to curate his personal collection of classic artwork from such artists as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Paul Cezanne, and Jasper Johns.