Mario Gabelli, founder and CEO of GAMCO Investors, is one of Wall Street’s most respected value investors, known for applying fundamental research and private-market valuation techniques to public equities. After beginning his career at Loeb, Rhoades & Co., Gabelli launched GAMCO in 1977 and built a multibillion-dollar asset management firm specializing in value, merger arbitrage, and global equity strategies. His disciplined approach emphasizes cash flow, asset value, and management quality, often coupled with active engagement in corporate governance. Beyond finance, Gabelli is a major philanthropist and art collector, supporting education, cultural institutions, and charitable causes worldwide.

Larry Fink, cofounder, chairman, and CEO of BlackRock, built the world’s largest asset manager by combining risk management discipline with vast global reach. Since launching the firm in 1988, he has grown BlackRock into a financial powerhouse overseeing trillions in assets through index funds, ETFs, and institutional mandates, anchored by the Aladdin risk analytics platform. Fink is one of the most influential figures in modern finance, shaping discussions around markets, corporate governance, and sustainability, while maintaining close relationships with governments and CEOs worldwide. His leadership has made BlackRock a central force in global capital allocation.

Kenneth Fisher, founder and executive chairman of Fisher Investments, is one of the most influential voices in modern investing, known for combining empirical market research with accessible financial commentary. Since launching Fisher Investments in 1979, he has grown the firm into a multi-hundred-billion-dollar global asset manager serving private clients and institutions across North America and Europe. A bestselling author and longtime columnist, Fisher popularized the use of price-to-sales ratio in stock analysis and has written extensively on behavioral finance and investor psychology. With a career spanning five decades, he remains a leading advocate of evidence-based investing and long-term market discipline.

Jamie Dinan, founder and CEO of York Capital Management, is one of the most respected figures in the hedge fund world, known for his disciplined event-driven and distressed investing strategies. After losing his entire savings during the 1987 market crash, Dinan rebuilt his career and launched York in 1991 with just $3.6 million, growing it into a multibillion-dollar global firm with offices in New York, London, and Hong Kong. Renowned for his resilience, rigorous analysis, and long-term perspective, Dinan also holds ownership stakes in major sports franchises and is an active philanthropist in education and healthcare.

David Booth is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors, the global investment firm he launched in 1981 after studying under Eugene Fama at the University of Chicago. His firm pioneered factor-based investing and now manages over $800 billion in AUM. A major philanthropist, he gifted $300 million to name Chicago Booth School of Business. 

Clifford “Cliff” Asness is the co‑founder, Managing Principal & Chief Investment Officer of AQR Capital Management, a quantitative investment firm managing roughly $120 billion in assets. A PhD from the University of Chicago and former Goldman Sachs quant strategist, he popularized factor-based investing and author of influential research on value, momentum, and market efficiency.

Charles Brandes is an American billionaire investor and value‑investing legend who founded Brandes Investment Partners in 1974. A protégé of Benjamin Graham, he built the firm into a global value-management powerhouse with upwards of $95 billion in assets at peak. Brandes authored Value Investing Today and remains deeply philanthropic, supporting causes such as the Salk Institute and diabetes research institutes.