As AUM Surpasses $35 billion, Calamos expands leadership team to spearhead further growth
Calamos Investments, a leading global asset manager, announced that the firm has hired Dan Dufresne, former executive at Citadel LLC for two decades, as Chief Operating Officer. The announcement, made by John Koudounis, Calamos President and CEO, follows the successful execution of the firm’s growth strategy.
President and CEO Koudounis stated, “Dan brings to the firm extensive operational and financial experience and expands the bench of our senior leadership team. While the firm has accomplished much due to our focused growth strategy and strong investment performance in recent years, those successes simply point to how much further we can go. His decision is an affirmation of our recent accomplishments and commitment to innovative investment solutions for our clients. Dan’s experience and capabilities will help us continue on this path,” Koudounis said.
“Since I named him as CEO almost five years ago, John Koudounis and I have collaborated on a long-term plan for the firm’s continuing success into the future. Dan’s appointment is an integral step that reinforces the strong foundation we have built in the last few years,” said John Calamos Sr., Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer.
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“John Calamos has been a pioneer and innovator in our industry for over 40 years. Today, he and John Koudounis have firmly positioned Calamos Investments for success for the next 40 years and beyond with a focus on continued innovation and delivering world class products for clients. I am excited to join a firm with such an incredible heritage and promising future,” Dufresne said.
Dufresne spent 21 years at Citadel, where he served as Global Treasurer, Global Head of Operations, and Global Head of Counterparty Strategy. He was CEO of multiple Citadel broker-dealer entities and a Portfolio Committee member of both Citadel and Citadel Securities for many years. He retired from the firm in 2020.
He has served on key finance industry forums including 11 years on the New York Federal Reserve’s Treasury Market Practices Group, and 11 years on the US Treasury Department’s Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, where he was Vice-Chair through September 2020. He was named to Crain’s Chicago Business “Forty Under Forty” in 2009.
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Founded in 1977, Calamos is an active manager that specializes in risk-managed strategies and pioneered investing in convertible securities and liquid alternatives. Koudounis joined the firm as Chief Executive Officer in 2016. During his tenure, AUM has nearly doubled to $35 billion.
As of December 31, 2020, five Calamos funds are ranked in the top 1% of their Morningstar category while 11 are in the top 10%. The Calamos Market Neutral Income Fund, one of the first liquid alts mutual funds launched in 1990, is now one of the largest mutual funds in the liquid alternatives category at over $10 billion AUM.
“During the market volatility and uncertainty of the pandemic, investors have responded to our strategies that help them manage risk and minimize market downside. Our portfolio managers and the rest of the investment team have demonstrated exceptional performance. Dan’s contributions will support the firm’s ongoing focus on our clients as we help them meet their financial goals,” Koudounis said.
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