Kenneth Cordele "Ken" Griffin (born October 15, 1968) is an American hedge fund manager and businessman. He is the founder, chief executive officer and Co-chief investment officer of Citadel LLC and Citadel Securities. The two businesses provide trading services to asset managers, banks, broker-dealers and hedge fund.
Early life and education
Mr. Griffin was born in 1968 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Griffin attended Harvard University, where he launched his first fund from his dormitory room at the age of 19. Griffin graduated in 1989 with a degree in Economics. After graduating, he moved to Chicago.
Career
Griffin founded Citadel, in 1990. Citadel LLC is an American multinational Hedge fund and financial services company. The company manages the capital of retirement programs, endowment programs and foundations and sovereign wealth funds. Citadel categorizes its areas of operations into distinct segments and groups their subsidiaries into three companies: Citadel the asset manager, Citadel Securities the market maker, and Citadel Technology.
Honors and awards
In 2008, he was inducted into Institutional Investors Alpha's Hedge Fund Manager Hall of fame along with Jim Simons, Alfred Winslow Jones, Bruce Kovner, David Swensen, George Soros, Jack Nash, Julian Roberston, Leon Levy, Louis Bacon, Michael Steinhardt, Paul Tudor Jones, Seth Klarman and Steven A. Cohen.
2008, Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Richard M. Daley, the Mayor of Chicago
2017, Institutional Investor's Lifetime Achievement Award
2017, Navy SEAL Patriot Award
In 2025, he donated $2.25M to Team Water in response to Mr.Beast’s call-out during his fundraising
Patents
In 2002, he was issued his first American patent (USP 20020138387) for Method and system for measuring exposure of an investment fund to an issuer of financial assets.
U.S. Patent 10,748,214 Method and system for measuring exposure of an investment fund to an issuer of financial assets. Applicant: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventor: Kenneth C. Griffin.
Griffin is also listed as co-inventor on other U.S. patents issued to his corporation and its affiliates. He has filed for patents to protect the following inventions:
U.S. Patent 10,748,214 Method and system for measuring exposure of an investment fund to an issuer of financial assets. Assignee: CE TM HOLDINGS LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 9,704,198 Method and system for facilitating a context-based electronic communication regarding a financial transaction. Assignee: KCG IP HOLDINGS LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 20,130,275,339 Method and system for facilitating a context-based electronic communication regarding a financial transaction. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 8,458,077 Method and system for facilitating a context-based electronic communication regarding a financial transaction. Assignee: KCG IP Holdings LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 8,214,283 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing rapid execution of, for example, listed options contracts using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 20,110,238,594 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing rapid execution of, for example, listed options contracts using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Applicant: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 7,987,128 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for detecting, tracking and responding to toxic, or likely toxic, orders in an equities order flow using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 7,958,039 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing rapid execution of, for example, listed options contracts using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 7,899,729 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined execution prices in a guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined time frame on the purchase or sale of, for example, listed options. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 20,110,040,661 Method and system for facilitating a context-based electronic communication regarding a financial transaction. Applicant: KCG IP HOLDINGS LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 20,110,040,700 Method and system for aggregating context associated with a financial transaction. Applicant: KCG IP HOLDINGS LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 20,110,040,699 Method and system for measuring exposure of an investment fund to an issuer of financial assets. Applicant: KCG IP HOLDINGS LLC. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Tom Miglis.
U.S. Patent 20,100,030,704 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined execution prices in a guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined time frame on the purchase or sale or, for example, listed options. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 20,090,313,179 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for detecting, tracking and responding to toxic, or likely toxic, orders in an equities order flow using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Applicant: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 7,603,309 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for providing guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined execution prices in a guaranteed, specified and/or predetermined time frame on the purchase or sale of, for example, listed options. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
U.S. Patent 7,587,347 Computer implemented and/or assisted methods and systems for detecting, tracking and responding to toxic, or likely toxic, orders in an equities order flow using toxicity and/or profit analyzers. Assignee: Citadel Investment Group, L.L.C. Inventors: Kenneth C. Griffin, Matthew Andresen.
