Mac McQuown
Mac McQuown was a financial pioneer, innovator, entrepreneur and environmentalist, best known for pioneering the use of data analysis to create the first equity index funds, which launched a revolution in investing. Over the years, Mac had made an impact on sustainability, environmentalism, and engineering research. He went on to build or co-found numerous other companies, including Dimensional Fund Advisors, a pioneering quant-investing firm which creates “second generation” equity funds, and KMV, which was acquired by Moody’s Corporation in 2002 for its quantitative credit risk management tools. He was also the founder of Sonoma Valley’s Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery. Mac passed away in October 2024 at the age of 90.
Mac McQuown Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder and Director
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Consultant
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Founder and Director of Management Sciences Group
Academic History
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M.B.A., Finance
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B.S., Mechanical Engineering
EXPERTISE
A self-described “data dog,” Mac was a pioneer in the transformation of investing from guesswork into a science guided by academic research.
He became revered on Wall Street for having led a team of academics to create the first equity portfolio tracking an index at Wells Fargo.
He consulted for numerous multinational corporations and founded and built several companies in the finance and banking sector.
He applied a cross-functional approach to developing more than a dozen companies in the financial services, technology and fine wine industries.
EARLY CAREER
Mac served two years in the US Navy and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
He began working on Wall Street with Smith Barney and was acquired by Wells Fargo where he collaborated to pioneer the use of data to analyze the stock market and create the first equity index funds.
He co-founded Wells Fargo Investment Advisors, which is now part of the asset management firm BlackRock.
He co-founded and served as CEO of Diversified Corporates Loans, and founder of Dimensional, the first and leading small-cap "passively managed" equity fund.
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Mac was a dedicated environmentalist with a desire to combat climate change.
He was a firm believer in action by individuals to harness renewable energy resources and protect the environment.
He led his farms, Stone Edge Vineyard and Stone Edge Farm Winery, towards energy self-sufficiency.
RECOGNITIONS
2021 Order of Lincoln
2021 Bloomberg Markets' "Unsung Hero"
2020 Sustainability Icon Award from the World Sustainable Development Forum
2018 Fixed Income Analysts Society's Hall of Fame
2017 Northwestern Alumni Medal
PHILANTHROPY
Mac and his wife had given generously to support interdisciplinary research in various sectors.
They supported the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems that accelerated breakthroughs in complexity, networks, and data science.