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.

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.

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.

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.