Edward S. "Eddie" Lampert (born July 19, 1962) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman and investor

Investor

An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...

. He is the chairman of Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...

 (SHLD) and founder, chairman

Chairman of the Board

The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...

, and CEO of ESL Investments

ESL Investments

ESL Investments is a privately owned hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut and estimated to be worth over $9 billion as of 2004. ESL Investments are not associated with ESL International, the stock market investment technology company. The fund is managed by Edward Lampert, who found it in...

. Until May, 2007 he was a director

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 of AutoNation

AutoNation

AutoNation, the largest auto retailer in the USA, was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizenga, also founder of Blockbuster and Waste Management. The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The current Chairman and CEO is Mike Jackson, former CEO of Mercedes Benz North America...

, Inc. He previously served as a director of AutoZone

AutoZone

AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company went under the name Auto Shack...

, Inc. from July 1999 to October 2006.
Lampert graduated from Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 in 1984 (B.A.

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

, economics, summa cum laude), where he was a member of Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....

 and Phi Beta Kappa.
In July 1984, Lampert worked as an intern at Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...

, and then worked in the firm's risk arbitrage

Risk arbitrage

Risk arbitrage, or merger arbitrage, is an investment or trading strategy often associated with hedge funds.Two principal types of merger are possible: a cash merger, and a stock merger. In a cash merger, an acquirer proposes to purchase the shares of the target for a certain price in cash...

 department from March 1985 to February 1988.