David Kabiller


David G. Kabiller, CFA is the founder, founding principal, and head of business development of AQR Capital Management, along with Cliff Asness, John M. Liew and Robert Krail. He initiated AQR's international growth and its introduction of mutual funds as well as the creation of the AQR University symposia series and the AQR Insight Award for outstanding innovation in applied academic research. Kabiller established AQR's QUANTA Academy program, which is designed to help employees reach their full potential. The program offers a holistic approach, focusing on both professional and personal development.

Early life and education

Kabiller was born to a Jewish family, the son of Elaine and Irving Kabiller. He has one sister, Sari Kabiller Battista. He earned a B.A. in economics and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management, where he received an athletic scholarship to play tennis and was named to the Big Ten Conference Academic All-Conference team.

Career

After school, he worked as a vice president at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Kabiller has co-authored papers on topics including derivatives, enhanced indexation, securities lending, insurance-linked securities, hedge funds and the secret of Warren Buffett's investing acumen. “Buffett’s Alpha” received the 2018 Graham and Dodd Award from the Financial Analysts Journal for the year’s best paper. He was profiled in Scott Patterson's book The Quants.

Philanthropy

He is a member of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and large donor to both academic and athletic scholarship programs. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the AQR Asset Management Institute at London Business School and also serves on the board of trustees for the Terra Foundation for American Art. He is chairman of the Executive Council of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and donates $250,000 for a biannual Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine plus a $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine. He created the David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program, which provides mentoring and career development for Northwestern University athletes. In recognition of David’s multimillion dollar gift to endow the program, it was named in his honor in 2019. In 2017, London Business School honored David with an Honorary Fellowship for his service to the school and distinction in business.