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Who

Marron was a towering presence on Wall Street during his years as CEO of PaineWebber and chairman of UBS America. Today, as the founder Lightyear Capital, he carries more clout than any other private equity fund honcho with a measly $3 billion under his control.

Backstory

Donald Marron began his 40-year Wall Street career by working for himself, and he's finishing it up in the same way. The City University of New York grad worked briefly at the New York Trust Company before leaving at the age of 24 to go off on his own, founding D.B. Marron and Company and later starting Data Resources, a firm that provided economic data. McGraw-Hill purchased Data Resources in 1979 and Marron subsequently embarked on a 21-year career at PaineWebber, the last 18 of which he spent as CEO. When PaineWebber merged with UBS in 2000, Marron served briefly as chairman of UBS America. He stepped down in 2001, starting up Lightyear Capital with funding from his former employer.

On the side

One of the most prolific private art collectors in town, Marron was responsible for assembling PaineWebber's massive art collection during his tenure; the company acquired more than 850 contemporary works over the years by the likes of Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning, Frank Stella, and Gerhard Richter. A longtime supporter of the Museum of Modern Art—he's served as president and chairman of the board of trustees—he helped raise more than $1 billion for the museum's massive redesign. (The atrium is now named in his honor.) A longtime presence on the non-profit scene, he's also a trustee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering and New York University, along with Arthur Carter, Barry Diller, Ken Langone, Martin Lipton, Larry Fink and Michael Steinhardt, among others.

Personal

Marron and his first wife, Gloria, had two children together, Jennifer and Donald Jr. He had two more children with his current wife, Catherine Marron. The family resides at 720 Park Avenue, the same building that's home to Barnes & Noble chairman Len Riggio and his wife, Louise.