William Danoff
William A. Danoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) |
| Education | Harvard College (B.A), The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
| Occupation | Portfolio manager |
| Employer | Fidelity Investments |
| Known for | Manager of Fidelity Contrafund |
| Spouse | Ami Kuan Danoff |
William Danoff (born 1959–60) is an American investment manager who is known for being a vice-president and portfolio manager of Fidelity Contrafund.[1] For a time, the Contrafund was one of the largest managed stock or bond mutual funds run by one person.[2]
Early life and education
Danoff received a degree in history from Harvard in 1982 and an MBA from Wharton in 1986.[3]
Career
First joining Fidelity as an analyst in 1986, Danoff trained under Peter Lynch, who managed Fidelity's Magellan Fund in the 1970s.[4][2][5]
William Danoff became a manager of Fidelity Investments's flagship mutual fund Fidelity Contrafund in 1990. He was the sole manager of the fund from 1990 until 2025, when Jason Weiner and Asher Anolic were named as co-managers of the fund along with Danoff.[5]
Prior to the appointment of Weiner and Anolic, Contrafund was one of the largest sole-manager funds in the world.[2][6]
As of 2025, Fidelity Contrafund holds $280 billion in assets and is one of the largest actively-managed mutual funds.[5][6]
Philanthropy
Danoff and his wife have been board members and supporters of Harvard College, as well as several community organizations in Greater Boston.[7] Brown University named a residence hall and planned life sciences research laboratory after the couple, "in recognition of a generous gift."[7][8]
See also
References
- ^ "William Danoff — The Lone Wolf". Retirement Corporation of America. 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
- ^ a b c Zweig, Jason. "The $108 Billion Man Who Has Beaten the Market". WSJ. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "William Danoff". Harvard Hillel. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Randall, David (September 14, 2015). "Fidelity's Danoff is face of key man risk as he hits 25-year mark". Reuters. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c Gyftopoulou, Loukia (April 11, 2025). "Contrafund's $145 Billion Man Gets Help After 34-Year Solo Run". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Greengold, Robby (April 11, 2025). "Fidelity Contrafund's Will Danoff No Longer Running It Solo". Morningstar. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ a b McGregor, Amanda (October 19, 2022). "In recognition of a generous gift, Brown University names the William and Ami Danoff Residence Hall". Brown University. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Clark, Brian (September 12, 2024). "Brown names William A. and Ami Kuan Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories in recognition of generous gift". Brown University. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2025.