Daniel Loeb

Benjamin Wachenje

Title: Founder and CEO, Third Point LLC

Born: December 18, 1961, Santa Monica, California

Education: BA in economics, University of California, Berkeley/Columbia University

Early Marker: Worked as director of corporate development at Chris Blackwell's legendary independent record label, Island Records.

Big Idea: As famous for his caustic letters to CEOs as for his financial savvy, he uses his activist hedge fund, named for a Malibu surfing spot, to return troubled companies to profitability by replacing management he considers to be greedy and underperforming.

Wave of the Future: Activist investing

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CNBC25: Rebels, Icons and Leaders