Early Life
Stephen Frank Mandel Jr. was born on March 12, 1956, in Darien, Connecticut. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1974. He then attended Dartmouth College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 1978. Mandel also holds an MBA from Harvard University, which he completed in 1982.
Rise to Success
Mandel's career began at Mars & Co as a senior consultant from 1982 to 1984. He then worked at Goldman Sachs as a consumer-retail analyst from 1984 to 1990. From 1990 to 1997, he served as a consumer analyst and eventually managing director at Tiger Management, where he was known as one of the elite "Tiger Cubs". In 1997, with backing from Julian Robertson, Mandel founded Lone Pine Capital, named after a Dartmouth College pine tree. Forbes recognized him as one of the highest-earning hedge fund managers in 2012, 2013, and 2018. Mandel transitioned away from managing investments at Lone Pine Capital in January 2019, but remains a managing director.
Key Business Strategies
Lone Pine Capital focuses on long/short equity strategies, investing in public companies globally. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental analysis approach to identify high-quality businesses with strong growth potential and sustainable competitive advantages. Mandel's strategy has involved favoring stocks that compound value through organic earnings growth.
Philanthropy
Mandel and his wife, Susan, founded the Zoom Foundation in 2001. He is also the chair of the national board of directors at Teach for America.