How Dan Chung Rebuilt Alger Management After Losing 35 Staff on 9/11
Fred Alger Management lost 35 employees on 9/11. CEO Dan Chung rebuilt the firm and is still picking market winners today.
Dan Chung didn't plan to lead Fred Alger Management through its darkest chapter — he survived 9/11 by chance, and then inherited the impossible job of rebuilding a firm that lost 35 people in the attacks. That's not a restructuring challenge. That's grief plus leadership at the same time.
The human toll alone would have shuttered most shops. Thirty-five staffers gone in a single morning. Chung stepped up anyway, holding the investment operation together while the rest of Wall Street watched to see if Alger could even survive. It did. That tells you something about the culture he built — or refused to let die.
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Decades later, Chung is still in the chair as CEO and chief investment officer, still hunting for the market's next big winners. That kind of staying power is rare in an industry where fund managers flame out, get acquired, or simply drift. His longevity signals conviction — in the process, in the firm, and in growth investing as a discipline worth defending through every cycle.
For retail traders, Chung's story is a masterclass in institutional resilience. The firms that survive catastrophe — and keep compounding — are usually the ones with a repeatable, disciplined edge. Alger's growth-focused approach has kept it relevant across multiple market regimes, from the dot-com bust to the post-pandemic rate shock.
If you're building a watchlist or vetting fund managers, firms with this kind of institutional memory and leadership continuity deserve a closer look. Continue reading at US Top News and Analysis.
