Career
Koudounis began his financial career at Merrill Lynch[2] in 1988, immediately after graduating from Brown University. He then joined ABN AMRO's North American branch, where he spent 12 years as the head of fixed income.[4][5]
In 2008, Koudounis joined Mizuho Securities USA Inc. as executive managing director and head of fixed income,[6] overseeing trading, sales, and investment banking activities. In the following year, under his leadership, the fixed income division reported record earnings for the firm.[2] In 2010, at the age of 44, he was appointed president and CEO of the company, becoming the youngest CEO of a Wall Street firm up to that point in time.[2]
In early 2016, Koudounis was the designated CEO of Calamos Investments, an investment firm headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. He was appointed by founder John Calamos, Sr.[7] as part of Calamos' succession plan.[8] Koudounis oversees the business operations of the firm.[9]
Koudounis is the founder of the Chicago CEO COVID-19 Coalition, an organization created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide relief for the city and bring Chicago's business leaders together. The coalition distributed over $1.5 million in proceeds from its televised fundraising.[10][11]
Koudounis is a member of the Leadership Council at Concordia[12] and the Bretton Woods Committee.[13] He is a member of the board of trustees of the National Hellenic Museum,[14] and an executive advisory board member for the SEAL Future Foundation.[15] He is a founding board member and executive committee member of The Hellenic Initiative.[16] He is a member of Leadership 100[17] and Chairman of the Metropolis of Chicago Foundation.[18] In 2016, he was inducted as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Order of St. Andrew.
