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