Robert Jafek, chief executive officer for Gunnar Optiks and a member of the Eccles School of Business Advisory Board, will speak Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Child pavilion space on the 7th floor of the SFEBB. The Business Scholars Club has invited him to share his extensive experience as an analyst and business leader.
The event is free and open to all students.
Jafek’s career includes the following:
- Spent three years at Morgan Stanley, two as an analyst, then as a third-year associate.
- Started as an analyst for Tiger Management (also known as the Tiger Fund). It started with $8 million in capital, which increased to $7.2 billion by 1996. By 1997, it was the second-biggest hedge fund in the world. Jafek was with the fund through that explosive growth.
- After four years at Tiger Fund, Jafek spent another four years as the head of international trading at Nicholas Applegate Capital Management. He was a partner for five years at the firm.
- Jafek started Torrey Pines Capital Management in 2002 in San Diego, Calif., where he stayed for eight years.
- In 2010, he started Plumeria Advisors, a VC firm that acquired companies such as Skull Candy, Google, Gunnar Optiks and Worldmart Bahamas.
- In 2012, Jafek became the chief financial officer at RxSafe, where he has helped increase growth.
Jafek has used his skills and experience as a financial adviser as he served as a board member for Rising Star Outreach, which works with leprosy colonies in India providing services ranging from medical attention to school tutoring.
He has invested in several companies nationally and globally, helping them transition from small start-up businesses to powerhouse companies. He is married and has five sons.