Thomas W Strauss

Bio

Mr. Strauss is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ramius, a Cowen Group Company and a member of Cowen Group's Executive and Operating Committees. From 1995 to 2009, Mr. Strauss was a Managing Member and a member of the Executive Committee of Ramius LLC. Mr. Strauss was also the Chief Executive Officer of the Fund of Funds Group. From 1963 to 1991, Mr. Strauss was with Salomon Brothers Inc. He was admitted as a General Partner in 1972 and was appointed to the Executive Committee in 1981. In 1986, he became President of Salomon Brothers and a Vice Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Salomon Inc, the holding company of Salomon Brothers and Phibro Energy, Inc. From 1986 through 1991, Mr. Strauss was responsible for the firm's Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, Asset Management and International Activities. During his first nine years at Salomon Brothers, he served in various Fixed Income Sales and Sales Management capacities. From 1972 to 1981, Mr. Strauss managed the Government Securities, Money Market and Foreign Exchange departments. In 1978-1979, with the advent of listed Fixed Income Futures and Options trading, he separated the firm's Proprietary Trading activities from the traditional client based business, which provided the foundation for Global Proprietary Trading in New York, London and Tokyo. From 1981 to 1986, Mr. Strauss was responsible for the development of the firm's international business in Europe and the Far East, including both Sales and Trading and Investment Banking. From a single office in London in 1971, the firm built an international presence in Europe, Asia and North America. In 1986, he further became responsible for the Global Investment Banking, High Yield and Equity businesses and several years later initiated the firm's Global Asset Management efforts. In 1993, Mr. Strauss became Co-Chairman of Granite Capital International Group, a private investment management firm, where he developed an Absolute Return Alternative Asset Class investment business. In July of 1995, he joined Ramius. Mr. Strauss is a former member of the Board of Governors of the American Stock Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Public Securities Association, the Securities Industry Association, the Federal Reserve International Capital Market Advisory Committee and the U.S. Japan Business-Council. He is a past President of the Association of Primary Dealers in U.S. Government Securities. Mr. Strauss currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the U.S.-Japan Foundation and is a member of the Boards of Trustees and Executive Committees of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Strauss is also Trustee Emeritus of Riverdale Country School and Vice President and Treasurer and member of the Board of Trustees of the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation