NAPERVILLE, Ill., March 30, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- John P. Calamos, President and Chief Investment Officer of Calamos Asset Management, Inc., has announced the promotions of Steve Klouda, Roman Pundur, and Fabian Valencia to vice president.
Steve Klouda
Steve Klouda has been appointed Vice President of Portfolio Management and Research. Mr. Klouda works directly with senior portfolio managers on all investment strategies and serves a liaison role with brokers, clients and sales staff. He is responsible for researching prospective holdings and disseminating information on positions currently held in the portfolios. He is also responsible for monitoring the various fundamental and technical factors of the companies Calamos follows.
Mr. Klouda joined Calamos in 1994 in inside sales, moving into research and portfolio administration the next year. He has a B.A. degree in marketing from North Central College and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), he also holds Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses.
Roman Pundur
Roman Pundur has been appointed Vice President of Research and Trading, where he develops trading opportunities. He joined Calamos following three years in research and trading and two years on the trading floor at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Mr. Pundur has been with the firm since 1994 and is responsible for the analysis, administration and trading of investment-grade portfolios for the firm.
Mr. Pundur has a B.A. from Western Illinois University and has completed coursework towards an M.S. in Financial Markets and Trading at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He holds Series 7 and 55 licenses.
Fabian Valencia
Fabian Valencia has been appointed Vice President of the Information and Systems Group. He joined Calamos in 1996 and has since held several programming positions in the firm. Mr. Valencia has prior professional programming experience. He attended the University of Azuay in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Commenting on the promotions, Mr. Calamos said, "I am pleased to announce these promotions and recognize the important contributions these individuals have made to our firm. Each has provided leadership in their areas of expertise, and we are confident in the experience and insight they bring to our team. We appreciate their contribution to our company's impressive growth over the past several years."
About Calamos Asset Management, Inc.
Calamos Asset Management, Inc. is an independent asset management firm specializing in convertible bond research and management. Headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, Calamos provides professional money management services to clients that include major corporations, public and private institutions, pension funds, insurance companies and individuals. The firm has experience in convertible bonds since 1977 and currently manages approximately $4.9 billion in assets. The firm also is investment advisor to a family of six mutual funds.