Paul Singer
Paul Singer is the Founder, President, Co-CEO, and Co-CIO of Elliott Management Corporation, one of the world’s most influential and respected activist hedge funds. Widely regarded as one of the most formidable activist investors in modern finance, Singer is known for his disciplined, research-intensive approach and his willingness to engage in aggressive strategic campaigns to unlock shareholder value. Over several decades, he has led Elliott Management to become one of the largest and most successful hedge funds in the world, recognized for its expertise in distressed debt, special situations, and global activism. Beyond his leadership at Elliott, Singer is an active philanthropist whose initiatives support free-market economic research, rule-of-law programs, national security policy, and healthcare innovation. He is also a prominent commentator on economic and regulatory issues, frequently voicing concerns about excessive financial regulation, certain aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act, and policies that raise taxes on high-income earners. Singer’s influence spans finance, philanthropy, and public policy, making him one of the most widely followed and impactful figures in global investment management.
Paul Singer Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder, President, Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Chief Investment Officer
Academic History
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J.D., Law
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B.S., Psychology
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Founder and General Partner, Elliott Associates
Board of Fellows, Harvard Medical School
Advisory Member, Marketable Assets
Founder, The Paul E. Singer Foundation
Co-Founder, Start-Up Nation Central
Paul Singer founded Elliott Management in 1977 with just $1.3 million, and under his leadership the firm has grown into one of the world’s largest and most influential hedge funds, managing approximately $65 billion in assets.
Over nearly five decades, Singer has expanded Elliott into a diversified global investment platform with strategies spanning activist investing, distressed debt, private equity, commodity trading, and complex event-driven opportunities.
As a member of the firm’s Management, Risk, Valuation, and Global Situational Investment Committees, Singer helps guide Elliott’s high-conviction, research-driven investment approach.
He is widely known for his long and high-profile battle with the government of Argentina over defaulted sovereign bonds, a 15-year legal standoff that culminated in a $2.4 billion payout to Elliott in 2016.
Elliott has also executed notable private-market deals, including its 2018 takeover of AC Milan, which the firm later sold to RedBird Capital Partners in 2022 for roughly $1.2 billion.
RECOGNITIONS
Singer is frequently cited as one of the most influential and formidable investors in modern finance.
The Independent has described him as “a pioneer in the business of buying up sovereign bonds on the cheap, and then going after countries for unpaid debts,” while Fortune has called him one of the “smartest and toughest money managers” in the hedge fund industry.
His aggressive activist campaigns have led some commentators to label him a “vulture capitalist,” a term linked to Elliott’s work in distressed and sovereign debt.
Singer has been extensively profiled across leading global financial publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters, Institutional Investor, Business Insider, and Fortune.
PHILANTHROPY
Singer is an active philanthropist known for his support of LGBT equality, and The New York Times has credited him as “instrumental in the successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.”
He is the Co-Founder of Start-Up Nation Central, an organization strengthening ties between Israel’s tech ecosystem and the global innovation community.
Singer also serves as Chairman of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, supporting initiatives related to economic policy, free-market principles, national security, and public-sector reform.