Start of Main Content
People
David Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA
Hear from the Kabiller Science of Empathy Prize creator on why celebrating leaders who actively practice empathy is critical to success.
Never underestimate the dividends of connection
Everyone has an origin story for their passion. For Northwestern University Trustee David Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA, he discovered his passion for investing by asking, “Is there a best way to invest?”That passion would be put to the test at the beginning of his career when, just months after graduating from Kellogg and starting his first job at Goldman Sachs, the 23-year-old found himself in the midst of the 1987 stock market crash. He took a chance and quickly told his supervisor that he wanted to move to equities. The supervisor agreed, sort of: They made him resign first and reinterview for the position. (Spoiler alert: He got the job.)
“My biggest takeaway at the time was that we are all empowered to create change in our lives. Even small changes can create a lot of happiness,” said the co-founder and head of business development at AQR Capital Management.
Kellogg taught David more than investing: It shaped his leadership style. “I’ve always been about [the] team,” he said. “I don’t need my name in lights. I’d rather have a smaller part of something I believe in and that I’m proud of. There’s this stuff in the air at Kellogg, this authenticity and empathy for others, and you don’t even realize how unique it is.”
David considers empathy the “secret ingredient” in building trust and respect in relationships with others. “It is critical in the business world today, from client relationships to nurturing talent at every level of your organization,” he said. To that end, he established AQR's Quanta Academy, a holistic program designed to help AQR employees reach their full potential, whether professional or personal.
About David
Co-founder and Principal at AQR Capital Management, CFA
Watch David Kabiller’s conversation with Dean Francesca Cornelli about empathy and why he created the award.
“There’s this stuff in the air at Kellogg, this authenticity and empathy for others, and you don’t even realize how unique it is.”
“Empathy is an emerging buzzword in business and academia, but Kellogg has practiced it for decades.”
David
Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA
As a way to encourage empathy in business — and continue to create happiness — David established the Kabiller Science of Empathy Prize, which celebrates Kellogg’s strengths and rigorous approach to empathy while also stimulating new research.
Of his gift, David said, “Kellogg has always been the leading school that has embraced empathy as core to its culture and curriculum. I hope this award, the research and the conference will further our collective understanding of the role empathy has in sustaining an innovative capitalistic society with a heart.”
Of his gift, David said, “Kellogg has always been the leading school that has embraced empathy as core to its culture and curriculum. I hope this award, the research and the conference will further our collective understanding of the role empathy has in sustaining an innovative capitalistic society with a heart.”
Conversations with Distinguished Alumni
Hear from David Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA about his time at Kellogg, founding AQR and many of the valuable lessons he learned along the way. This discussion was part of the series, Conversations with Distinguished Alumni with Dean Cornelli.
