Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on 30 August 1930. He studied at the University of Nebraska and at Columbia Business School, where he shaped his approach around the value investing of Benjamin Graham. He went on to run Berkshire Hathaway, turning a textile manufacturer into a diversified holding company, and became one of the best-known investors in the world.
In 1987 Berkshire bought a 12% stake in Salomon Inc., making Buffett a director, and in 1991 he became Salomon’s chairman during the Treasury-bid scandal. He has pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune, and in 2010 he founded the Giving Pledge with Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.