Thomas Sandell

Swedish badminton prodigy attended college outside Stockholm. Stint in Paris covering European stocks for Atlantic Finance then MBA at Columbia. Joined legendary investment banker Ace Greenberg at Bear Stearns 1988. Memorable assignment: worked on billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's bid for Chrysler. Launched hedge fund Sandell Asset Management 1998. Funds returned between 5.5% and 9% in 2010; focus on capital preservation. Firm now manages $1 billion, down from $7.5 billion 2 years ago.