Ken Griffin: Founder and CEO of Citadel
Business Owner · Financial Services
Ken Griffin ran a mail-order software firm from his high-school bedroom and now owns 80 percent of Citadel, one of the world's largest hedge funds. He made the largest private art purchase on record in 2015.
About Ken Griffin: Founder and CEO of Citadel
Kenneth Cordele Griffin (born 1968, in Daytona Beach, Florida) is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder, chief executive officer, co-chief investment officer and 80% owner of Citadel LLC, a multinational hedge fund, and owns Citadel Securities, one of the largest market makers in the United States. As of January 2026 he had an estimated net worth of $51.2 billion, making him the world's 34th-richest person. Griffin was the son of a building-supplies executive who held various jobs, including project manager at General Electric. His grandmother, Genevieve Huebsch Gratz, inherited an oil business, three farms and a seed business after her husband and several relatives died. He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, as well as in Texas and Wisconsin, attended Boca Raton Community High School, where he was president of the math club, and while still in high school ran a discount mail-order education software firm, EDCOM, out of his bedroom. In 2015 Griffin made the largest private art deal in history, buying Willem de Kooning's Interchange and Jackson Pollock's Number 17A for $500 million. Forbes included him in its 2023 list of America's Most Generous Givers, having donated $1.56 billion to causes in education, economic mobility and medical research. He has also contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to political candidates and causes, usually Republican or conservative, and is a member of The Business Council. Sources: English Wikipedia (Ken Griffin (businessman), accessed September 2026).
Basic Information
Founder, CEO and co-CIO, Citadel LLC; owner, Citadel Securities
Company Details
Citadel LLC / Citadel Securities
Hedge Funds, Market Making
Related Business Owner
Latest Articles
Alana Evans Net Worth in 2026 – Income Sources, Career & Earnings
Amy Lee Net Worth 2026: Income Sources, Evanescence Career & Personal Life
Abz Love Net Worth 2026: Five Star’s Career, TV Comeback & Income Breakdown
