- 11 - USA Awards 2024 - CEO TODAY - What is it about supporting and helping investors and businesses to succeed that drew you to the position you hold now, and what motivates you in your role? Calamos Investments has a legacy of excellence and a rich history spanning nearly five decades that has focused on delivering that excellence to its clients. Our founder, John P. Calamos, Sr., started the firm to achieve this goal and made great leaps in the investment world by pioneering the use of convertible bonds as an asset class to manage risk. His groundbreaking work, along with the two books he authored on convertibles, is still taught in business schools today. That legacy of innovation and commitment to growth resonated with me, and I am driven to uphold this tradition, particularly as Calamos continues to grow and expand. Can you explain how you and your team assist investors to avoid risk and provide solutions to build long-term success? In today’s complex environment, risk management is paramount. Our investment strategies are designed to address various market conditions that can impact performance. It starts with thoroughly grasping market dynamics and the impacts of economic factors, all while ensuring we meet the needs and demands of our clients. Each product is designed with a keen focus on the future. Our team is continuously evaluating its products and taking thoughtful steps to evaluate and manage risk in our investments, or in the case of Calamos Wealth Management, any risk present in our clients’ investment portfolios. Lastly, we communicate transparently, explaining complex concepts for our investors to provide a clear understanding of contributors and, where applicable, detractors of performance. Our regular client updates and personalized interactions foster a sense of partnership and enable clients to make informed investment decisions. You are on the board of various organizations that fuel your philanthropic interest. Why are these important to you, and does this interest ever merge with your position in Calamos Investments? My involvement in philanthropic organizations is driven by a genuine desire to make a positive impact beyond the financial world. Philanthropy provides a sense of purpose that exceeds profit margins and allows me to contribute to causes that matter, whether it’s education, community development or healthcare, as examples. As a proud Greek American, I work to preserve the heritage of my ancestors and the future prosperity of Greece, serving as a founding board member of The Hellenic Initiative - a global non-profit organization that brings together Diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes to invest in the future of Greece through programs focused on crisis relief, entrepreneurship, and economic development. My philanthropic pursuits aren’t isolated from my role at Calamos; they enrich it. They remind me that leadership is about balancing impact and empathy to institute a legacy of positive change. What are some of the features of Calamos Investments’ Calamos Aksia Alternative Credit & Income Fund (CAPIX), and what are the benefits for clients who take this up with your firm? Calamos Aksia Alternative Credit & Income Fund (CAPIX) is a private credit interval fund that provides investors with access to an institutional-quality portfolio of private credit investments – not just direct lending like many other funds. “Celebrating wins is important, because no achievement is too small, and small achievements add to profound change.”
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