John S. Koudounis

John Spiro Koudounis
Born	Chicago, Illinois
Citizenship	American
Education	Bachelor's degree
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupations	President & CEO
Years active	1984-present
Employer	Calamos Investments

John Spiro Koudounis is an American business executive, and president and chief executive officer of Calamos Investments. Previously, he was the president and chief executive officer for Mizuho Securities USA Inc., a subsidiary of the Japanese banking and holding company Mizuho Financial Group. ^[1] He is a regular commentator on television and financial news programs. ^[2]

Koudounis is the founder of the Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition and a member of the Leadership Council at Concordia as well as the Bretton Woods Committee. He is a board member of the National Hellenic Museum, a patron of Prince's Trust International, and an executive advisory board member for the SEAL Future Foundation. ^{[3] [4]}

Early life and education

Raised in Chicago, Koudounis attended Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois, where he was class president. He played basketball and American football. ^[2] In 1988, he graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, receiving a double major in International Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs and Economics. ^[5] He also interned for Senator John Chafee and at Kidder Peabody, where he was working during the Black Monday crash in 1987. ^[5]

Career

Koudounis began his financial career at Merrill Lynch. ^[2] He then joined ABN AMRO's North American branch, where he spent 12 years as the company's head of fixed income. ^[6]

In 2008, Koudounis joined Mizuho Securities USA Inc. as executive managing director and head of fixed income, ^[7] where he oversaw trading, sales, and investment banking activities. In the following year, his division earned more than the entire firm had in its history. ^[2] In 2010, he was appointed president and CEO of the company, at the time becoming the youngest CEO of a Wall Street firm at the age of 44. ^[2]

In early 2016, Koudounis was the first designated CEO of Calamos Investments, a global investment management firm headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. He was appointed by founder John Calamos, Sr. ^[8] as part of Calamos' succession plan. ^[9] Koudounis leads the firm's business activities, including executing the firm's growth strategy and expanding the firm's global footprint. ^[10]

Koudounis is the founder of the Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition, an organization created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide relief and recovery for the city and bring Chicago's business leaders together in a time of need. The initiative focused on four areas in COVID-19 recovery: food, shelter/homelessness, counseling services, and personal protective equipment. The Coalition distributed over $1.5 million in proceeds from its telethon. ^{[11] [12]}

Koudounis is a member of the Leadership Council at Concordia ^[13] and the Bretton Woods Committee. ^[14] He is a member of the board of trustees of the National Hellenic Museum, ^[15]  and an executive advisory board member for the SEAL Future Foundation. ^[16] He is a founding board member and executive committee member of The Hellenic Initiative. ^[17] He is also a member of Leadership 100 ^[18] and Chairman of the Metropolis of Chicago Foundation. ^[19] In 2016, he was inducted as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Order of St. Andrew. ^[20]

Personal life

Koudounis is married and has twin daughters. ^[2]

See also

• Financial services
• List of Brown University people

References

1. Gara, Antoine (January 4, 2016). "Mizu-Who? The Japanese Bank That Wants To Be The New Face Of Wall Street". Forbes. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
2. Michalakis, Dimitri C. (September 13, 2014). "Conquering Wall Street and possibly Pennsylvania Avenue: Mizuho Securities CEO John Koudounis". Neo Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
3. "The Hellenic Initiative Board of Directors Executive Committee". The Hellenic Initiative. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
4. "Board of Trustees". National Hellenic Museum. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
5. Dodson, Meaghan (December 29, 2014). "Brown Grads Dominating Business in the United States". Go Local Providence. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
6. "Mizuho Securities USA Appoints Eleven Senior Officers to Its Fixed Income Team". Reuters. July 30, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2015.^{[ dead link ]}
7. Faux, Zeke (September 7, 2012). "Mizuho Plans to Expand in Derivatives, U.S. CEO Koudounis Says". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
8. "John P. Calamos". www.calamos.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
9. "LEADERS Interview with John Koudounis, Chief Executive Officer, Calamos Investments". www.leadersmag.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
10. "John P. Calamos, Sr. Announces the Appointment of John Koudounis as Calamos Investments' Chief Executive Officer". Reuters. March 14, 2016.
11. "Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition". Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
12. "In The News". Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
13. "Concordia Welcomes John S. Koudounis to The Leadership Council". Concordia. December 16, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
14. "Personal Members | The Bretton Woods Committee". www.brettonwoods.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
15. "Board of Trustees". www.nationalhellenicmuseum.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
16. "Leadership * SEAL Future Foundation". sealff.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
17. "Who We Are". The Hellenic Initiative - Global. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
18. "About Us". www.l100.org. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
19. "Metropolis of Chicago Foundation - Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago". www.chicago.goarch.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
20. "Patriarch Bartholomew Bestows Honor of Archon to John Koudounis of Calamos Investments". GreekReporter.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2021.