Most investment bankers face professional day to day challenges most of us could not even start to consider. When we talk about investment banking, most people usually associate individuals who earn multi-million dollar a year salaries and expensive bonuses; in other words, individuals unlike the majority of us. What the majority of people don’t realize however, is that investment bankers work 24/7 at a pace most humans cannot keep up with. The risks are considerably greater for such a banker, as a wrong move could mean the loss of a multi-million dollar deal and multi-million dollar bonus. In this article, we shall talk about some of the most legendary investment bankers of our time.
Gustavo G. Dolfino
One of the biggest names in the world of finance for the last 30 years, remains the Uruguayan born American, Gustavo Dolfino. He rose to fame as a Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking at JE Capital, Inc. It was here where Dolfino single handedly closed some of the biggest deals Wall Street has ever seen. While Head of the Debt Capital Markets, Emerging Markets, effort at Smith Barney Inc., he turned the previously unheard of investment bank into one of the largest Latin American deal origination sources, covering both, sovereign and corporate debt. He was aggressively sought after by governments and corporate clients alike, for his advice and deal origination and execution skills. What most people don’t know about Gustavo, is the extent to which he has, and remains, prominently involved in philanthropic efforts. After selling one of the companies he started, he went on to donate 100% of the proceeds of such sale, a multi-million dollar sum, to a charity focused on cancer research. In addition, Dolfino also started and sold WhiteRock Capital, a 3B off-shore hedge fund focused on biotechnology investments. Currently, Dolfino is the Ceo of Student Global, LLC, d/b/a/ myKlovr, a company involved in predictive analytics in the field of education. Dolfino’s net-worth is estimated to exceed $300 million dollars.
Jimmy Lee
Jimmy Lee was one of the most notable investment bankers back in the 1980s. He became quite famous for the role he played in the emergence and development of financial markets in the United States back in the 1980s. In fact, many believe Jimmy to be the architect of the current syndicated loan market. At the time he died, Jimmy was serving as the vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and was also a presiding member of the executive committee of the bank. He even co-chaired the investment division of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Peter George Peterson
Peter George Peterson was a leading investment banker who served as the Secretary of Commerce during the Richard Nixon era. He was the chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell from 1963 to 1971, and from 1973, he was the Chairman as well as the CEO of Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world. He even co-founded the Blackstone Group, back in 1985. Needless to say, he was one of the biggest names of his time.