Leon 'Lee' G. Cooperman is an American businessman, the self-made billionaire Founder and Chairman of Omega Advisors, a major hedge fund specializing in long/short value investing. Born in The Bronx, New York, in 1943, his childhood was marked by a working-class background; his father was a plumber and mother was a homemaker.

Cooperman graduated from Hunter College (1965) and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1967. His career began with an extraordinary 25-year tenure at Goldman Sachs, where he served as Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management (leading the bank's investment committee). His philosophy centers on disciplined, fundamental value investing and high-impact philanthropy.

• Omega Advisors (Founder & Chairman): The core private asset, a major hedge fund that closed to external capital in 2018 (converting to a family office), specializing in long/short equity value investing.
• Goldman Sachs (Former Chairman & CEO of Asset Management): His foundational career role (25 years).
• Controversy: He was charged with insider trading by the SEC in 2016 (settling for $4.9 million without admitting or denying guilt).
• Philanthropy: He is a Giving Pledge signatory and has donated over $100 million to Hunter College (his alma mater) and medical research (Mt. Sinai).

Leon Cooperman's strategic genius was his commitment to fundamental value investing (identifying undervalued companies). He founded Omega Advisors in 1991 with his former partners from Goldman Sachs, quickly growing it into a major global fund. His structural contribution is tied to the successful institutionalization of fundamental value investing in the hedge fund industry.

His career faced a major crisis in 2016 when the SEC charged him with insider trading (alleging that he used confidential information from a natural gas company he controlled). He settled the charges for $4.9 million in 2017. He closed Omega Advisors to external capital in 2018, converting it into a family office. His wealth is secured by the long-term, superior returns generated by his fund's successful value strategies.

Leon Cooperman is a Giving Pledge signatory. His structural social impact is tied to his funding of educational opportunity for students from low-income backgrounds. He has donated over $100 million to Hunter College (his alma mater), creating scholarship programs and establishing the Cooperman College Scholars program to support underprivileged students attending Ivy League schools.

His structural contribution is tied to his belief in capitalism as a force for social mobility and his commitment to high-impact philanthropy.

Leon Cooperman maintains the professional, composed style of a Wall Street executive. His attire is consistently bespoke, favoring dark, tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects stability and immense financial authority, typical of a leader in the global hedge fund sector.

Residing in Short Hills, New Jersey, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to investment strategy, financial discipline, and high-impact philanthropy.