Kenneth D. Moelis (born 1958) is an American billionaire investment banker. He is also the founder, chairman and CEO[1] of Moelis & Company, a global independent investment banking firm.
Ken Moelis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth D. Moelis 1958 (age 65–66) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (BS, MBA) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder, Moelis & Company |
| Spouse | Julie Lynn Taffet |
| Family | Cindy S. Moelis (sister) Robert S. Rivkin (brother-in-law) |
Early life and education
editMoelis was born in 1958,[2] the son of Gaye (née Gross) and Herbert I. Moelis, president of Equity Leasing Corporation, an office equipment company in New York, of which his grandfather, Paul I. Gross was its retired president.[3] His father is also a breeder of thoroughbred race horses at his CandyLand Stables in Middletown, Delaware.[4] Moelis holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Masters of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[5]
Career
editMoelis began his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1981 where he would ultimately serve as a managing director working for Michael Milken in the firm's Los Angeles office. Following the collapse of Drexel, Moelis left with a portion of his team to join Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette where he served as head of its corporate finance investment banking division.[6] Under Moelis, DLJ emerged as a prominent investment banking firm in Los Angeles in the 1990s.[7][8]
Following the acquisition of DLJ by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2000, Moelis was named head of US investment banking of the combined firm in September 2000.[9] However, his tenure at CSFB would be short, announcing his departure for UBS (then known as UBS Warburg) just months later taking the core of his team with him, including a number that would later join Moelis & Company.[10][11] Moelis recruited more than 70 senior investment bankers to UBS within three months of his arrival.[12]
In his six years at UBS, Moelis ultimately assumed the role of president of UBS Investment Bank and was credited with the build-out of UBS's investment banking operation in the United States. By the end of 2006, UBS was ranked Top 4 in the global fee pool for the first time.[13]
Moelis founded Moelis & Company along with several fellow senior UBS investment bankers that included Navid Mahmoodzadegan, Jeff Raich, John Momtazee, Elizabeth Crain and Warren Woo.[14][15][16]
Other affiliations
editMoelis received both his undergraduate degree and MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981.[5] Today he is a member of the Wharton board of overseers.[17] Moelis is chairman of the Tourette Association of America and is on the board of governors of Cedars Sinai Hospital.[citation needed] Moelis is a member of the Hillcrest Country Club.[citation needed] In 2011, 2014, and 2016, he was included in the 50 Most Influential ranking of Bloomberg Markets magazine.[citation needed]
Personal life
editIn 1983, Moelis married Julie Lynn Taffet in a Jewish ceremony at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst, New York.[3] His sister, Cindy S. Moelis, was appointed director of the Presidential Commission on White House Fellows and is married to Robert S. Rivkin who was appointed by President Barack Obama as the 21st General Counsel of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT)[18][19]
References
edit- ^ "Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer". www.businessroundtable.org. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Julie L. Taffet Is Wed to Kenneth Moelis on L.I." The New York Times. 1983-12-25. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ a b "Julie L. Taffet Is Wed to Kenneth Moelis on L.I." The New York Times. 1983-12-25. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ "Cindy Moelis and Robert Rivkin Marry". The New York Times. 1988-05-08. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ a b $5 Million from Alumni Julie and Ken Moelis to Support Wharton Sports Business Initiative. University of Pennsylvania Almanac, March 4, 2008
- ^ "Moelis to Leave CSFB for Smaller UBS Warburg". Los Angeles Times. 2000-11-22. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ Holson, Laura M. (2000-08-13). "Drexel Alumni Move Onward". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ Holson, Laura M. (2000-08-13). "Los Angeles, Back on the Money Map". New York Times. Los Angeles (Calif). Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ "Credit Suisse Assigns Executives". The New York Times. 2000-09-11. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ Atlas, Riva D. (2000-11-22). "Credit Suisse Is Losing Another of Its Top Bankers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ McGeehan, Patrick (2000-12-06). "Two Dozen More Bankers Leave Credit Suisse for UBS". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (16 March 2007). "Future of UBS Executive Part of Wall Street Chatter". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ "Moelis Leaving UBS : The Memo". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ "Ex-UBS executive Moelis opens firm". Los Angeles Times. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ "Ken Moelis parts ways with UBS". Los Angeles Times. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ Tom Petruno (2008-08-05). "His firm has skin in the game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ "Penn: Office of the University Secretary: Boards of Overseers". secure.www.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
- ^ "Appointments and Resignations - Ambassador to France: Who is Charles Rivkin? - AllGov - News". AllGov.com. 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- ^ "All in the Family - Husband, Wife, Brother all Make Obama's Team | Carol Felsenthal". Huffingtonpost.com. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
External links
edit- The dealer's got a hot hand. Los Angeles Business Journal, October 21, 1991
- Ken Moelis Waits for Bat Phone to Ring as Wall Street Rebounds. Bloomberg, August 10, 2009
- The Networker:. Dealmaker, April/May 2008
- Check Your Premises: An Objectivist's View of the Modern World. Adam Smith Institute YouTube Channel, December 2, 2015
- Drexel's Heir. Fortune, April 14, 19967