Lowell Milken, cofounder of Knowledge Universe and a longtime leader in education reform and philanthropy, has built a wide-ranging career focused on improving teaching quality and expanding access to effective learning models. After an early career in law and finance, he helped develop Knowledge Universe into one of the world’s largest private education companies, spanning early childhood learning, professional development, and technology-enabled instruction. As chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, he has created nationally recognized programs such as the Milken Educator Awards and TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. Known for his strategic vision and commitment to education innovation, Milken is a defining figure in modern philanthropic efforts to strengthen America’s schools.

Ken Langone, cofounder of Home Depot, is one of America’s most respected entrepreneurs and dealmakers, helping turn a radical big-box retail concept into one of the largest home-improvement chains in the world. After early success on Wall Street as an investment banker, Langone helped finance and launch Home Depot in 1978, and the company’s explosive growth made him a billionaire. Known for his blunt, patriotic style and deep loyalty to employees, he is also a major philanthropist—funding medical research, education, and veterans’ causes, including a landmark gift to make tuition free at NYU’s medical school. Langone remains a prominent voice on business, capitalism, and civic leadership.

Christian Dumolin, chairman and co-ceo of Koramic Investment Group, is one of Belgium’s most respected industrial and investment leaders, known for transforming a traditional brick-manufacturing company into a diversified European holding with interests spanning real estate, manufacturing, financial services, and private equity. After joining the family business in the 1970s, he led its international expansion, later steering Koramic into a broad investment platform focused on long-term value creation and operational excellence. Dumolin has served on numerous corporate boards, becoming a key figure in Belgium’s entrepreneurial landscape, while his philanthropic work in culture, education, and regional development underscores his influence beyond business.

Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, is one of the most influential investors in modern finance, credited with building the firm’s real estate arm into the world’s largest private property platform. Joining Blackstone in 1992, he pioneered the company’s massive expansion into opportunistic real estate, logistics, hospitality, and large-scale global acquisitions, including the Hilton Hotels deal—one of the most profitable private equity investments in history. As COO, Gray now helps steer Blackstone’s multi-trillion-dollar asset management strategy across private equity, credit, infrastructure, and insurance. Known for his analytical discipline, bold dealmaking, and philanthropic leadership in cancer research, Gray is a central architect of the firm’s rise to global dominance.

John Griffin, founder of Blue Ridge Capital, became one of the most respected hedge fund managers of his generation through his disciplined long/short equity strategy and reputation for deep fundamental research. A protégé of legendary investor Julian Robertson at Tiger Management, Griffin launched Blue Ridge in 1996 and built it into a multi-billion-dollar “Tiger Cub” fund known for concentrated bets on high-quality growth companies and sharp downside hedging. After closing the fund in 2017 to devote himself to philanthropy, he became CEO of Blue Ridge Foundation and a leading donor to education and medical research, combining investment principles with data-driven social impact initiatives.

John Goff, billionaire investor and founder of Crescent Real Estate and Goff Capital, built one of the most successful real estate and private investment enterprises in Texas. After joining the fledgling Crescent Realty Trust in the early 1990s, he helped grow it into a multibillion-dollar office and mixed-use portfolio, later engineering its sale to Morgan Stanley and reacquiring major assets during the financial crisis at steep discounts. Through Goff Capital, he has expanded into hospitality, aviation, and energy, while backing high-growth ventures and serving as chairman of luxury travel company Omni Hotels & Resorts. Known for contrarian timing, discipline, and opportunistic dealmaking, Goff remains a defining figure in modern Texas business and real estate.

John Calamos, founder and global CIO of Calamos Investments, is a pioneering figure in convertible securities and risk-managed equity investing. After serving as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, he launched his investment firm in 1977 with a strategy centered on convertibles—an overlooked asset class he helped bring into mainstream institutional portfolios. Under his leadership, Calamos Investments grew into a multibillion-dollar asset manager serving global institutions, public funds, and private wealth clients, while Calamos became known as a leading author and educator on volatility, capital structure, and portfolio construction. His disciplined, analytical approach has earned him a reputation as both an innovator and one of the most respected long-term investors in modern finance.

Joel Greenberg, cofounder of Susquehanna International Group (SIG), is one of the most influential and discreet figures in quantitative trading and options market making. Launching SIG in 1987 with a small group of poker-playing colleagues, Greenberg helped pioneer a probabilistic, game-theory-driven approach to trading that became the firm’s hallmark and propelled it into a global powerhouse across equities, options, fixed income, private equity, and venture capital. Known for his analytical rigor and long-term investment vision, he also helped lead major early bets such as SIG’s stake in ByteDance. Greenberg remains a defining, though intentionally low-profile, architect of the modern quantitative finance ecosystem.

Jerry Yang, cofounder of Yahoo!, is one of the earliest architects of the modern internet, helping transform a Stanford hobby project into one of the first global web portals and a defining tech company of the 1990s. After stepping down from Yahoo!, Yang went on to establish AME Cloud Ventures, becoming a major early-stage investor in data-driven startups and emerging technologies. Known for his long-term vision, deep technical roots, and influential role in bridging Silicon Valley with Asian markets, Yang remains a respected entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist shaping the next generation of innovation.

Jeffrey Talpins, founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Element Capital Management, is a leading architect of the “modern macro” hedge fund era. Launching Element in 2005 after distinguished fixed-income roles at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, Talpins built the firm into a multi-billion-dollar platform famed for its disciplined, systematic global-macro strategies and strong historical performance. Under his leadership, Element returned 21 % annualized since inception and at one point managed over $18 billion in assets. Talpins also channels his success into high-impact philanthropy, including conservation, education, and peace initiatives through the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation.

Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of DAMAC Properties, is one of the Middle East’s most prominent real estate developers, known for transforming Dubai’s skyline with luxury residences, branded towers, and large-scale master-planned communities. Starting as a catering entrepreneur serving energy companies across the Gulf, Sajwani shifted into property development in the early 2000s, building DAMAC into a multibillion-dollar enterprise recognized for partnerships with global brands such as Versace, Fendi, Cavalli, and Paramount Hotels. With projects spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, London, and beyond, Sajwani has become a defining figure in luxury real estate and one of the region’s most influential business leaders.

Jerry Jones, billionaire businessman and owner of the Dallas Cowboys, transformed the franchise into the most valuable team in global sports through bold management, aggressive marketing, and a relentless focus on brand expansion. Since purchasing the Cowboys in 1989, Jones has overseen multiple Super Bowl victories, built state-of-the-art facilities like AT&T Stadium and The Star in Frisco, and reshaped NFL business economics through media deals and sponsorship innovation. A polarizing yet visionary figure, he has turned the Cowboys into a cultural and commercial powerhouse while becoming one of the most influential owners in professional sports.

Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, leads North America’s largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer, a company he and his family built into a dominant force in the industrial and construction supply chain. After taking over the business at a young age following his father’s passing, Zekelman expanded the company through bold acquisitions, vertical integration, and major investments in advanced U.S. manufacturing. Known for his outspoken advocacy of domestic industry and blue-collar jobs, he has positioned Zekelman Industries as a key supplier to infrastructure, energy, and commercial projects across the continent.

Omar Al Futtaim, vice chairman and CEO of the Al-Futtaim Group, oversees one of the Middle East’s largest and most diversified conglomerates, with operations spanning automotive, retail, real estate, finance, and logistics. Under his leadership, the Dubai-based family empire—known for partnerships with brands such as Toyota, Lexus, IKEA, and Marks & Spencer—has expanded across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Al Futtaim has guided the group’s transformation through digital modernization, large-scale real estate developments, and strategic global acquisitions, solidifying its position as a cornerstone of regional commerce and one of the UAE’s most influential private enterprises.

Dmitry Rybolovlev, billionaire investor and art collector, built his fortune through his majority stake in Uralkali, one of the world’s largest potash producers, before divesting and shifting into global investments. Known for high-profile real estate purchases across Monaco, Switzerland, the United States, and Greece, he has also been a major figure in the international art market, assembling a celebrated—and controversial—collection of masterpieces. As owner of AS Monaco FC since 2011, Rybolovlev has guided the club through periods of strong performance, including a Ligue 1 title. Despite legal disputes and intense media attention, he remains one of Europe’s most notable and influential private investors.

Gary Klesch, founder and chairman of the Klesch Group, is a veteran industrialist known for acquiring and restructuring distressed industrial and commodity businesses across Europe. Since launching his firm in 1990, he has built a portfolio spanning chemicals, metals, refining, and energy, often stepping into complex turnaround situations that larger corporations avoid. With a reputation for decisive management, deep operational expertise, and a contrarian investment approach, Klesch has transformed underperforming assets into competitive enterprises while establishing the Klesch Group as a major player in European heavy industry.

Jeffrey Gundlach, founder and CEO of DoubleLine Capital, is one of the most influential bond investors of his generation, often referred to as the “Bond King” for his prescient calls on interest rates, credit cycles, and macroeconomic trends. After rising to prominence at TCW, he launched DoubleLine in 2009, quickly attracting tens of billions in assets and building a reputation for disciplined portfolio construction and rigorous market analysis. Known for his outspoken commentary and data-driven contrarian views, Gundlach has become a key voice shaping fixed-income strategy and broader market sentiment across Wall Street.

Jeff Greene, billionaire real estate investor, built his fortune by making one of the most successful bets against the U.S. housing market before the 2008 financial crisis, using credit default swaps to hedge his property portfolio. After the crash, he expanded his holdings across South Florida, Los Angeles, and New York, developing and acquiring high-end residential, commercial, and hospitality properties. Known for his contrarian instincts and disciplined approach to leverage, Greene has also pursued ventures in education and sustainability while maintaining an active role in philanthropy and public policy. His investments continue to shape key real estate markets nationwide.

Jay Schottenstein, chairman and CEO of American Eagle Outfitters and head of the Schottenstein family’s retail empire, has spent decades shaping some of America’s most recognizable consumer brands. Under his leadership, American Eagle evolved into a multibillion-dollar global apparel company, driven by strong lifestyle positioning and the runaway success of Aerie. Beyond fashion, Schottenstein oversees a vast portfolio that spans furniture retail, real estate, and private investments, including leadership roles within Schottenstein Stores Corporation. Known for his disciplined operational approach and long-term family stewardship, he remains one of the most influential figures in the U.S. retail sector.

J.B. Pritzker, billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and the 43rd governor of Illinois, is a prominent member of the Pritzker family whose fortune stems from the creation of the Hyatt hotel empire and a vast portfolio of industrial holdings. Before entering politics, he founded and led private investment firm Pritzker Group, backing technology, manufacturing, and venture capital ventures and helping shape Chicago’s modern startup ecosystem. As governor since 2019, Pritzker has focused on economic development, infrastructure, education, and social policy, leveraging both his business background and philanthropic commitments to influence public life on a statewide and national scale.