Лео Меламед (Leo Melamed)

One of the most powerful figures in the financial world – Лео Меламед (Leo Melamed) – revolutionized futures trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. However, like his fellow financial genius George Soros, Melamed first had to take an amazing journey, which included eluding the Nazis and Russians, to get to the United States. IN 1939 year he and his family fled from Poland to Lithuania, but, when they got there, they needed a transit visa, to continue the journey. “Even my philosophical father, – told Melamed, – could not explain, how you can reduce a person's life to waiting in line for a piece of paper, which could mean the difference between life and death”. Crossing Siberia by train, young Melamed learned his first lesson in strategy – stay calm and focused under fire – because, to his amazement, father plunged into chess, obviously, oblivious to the chaos around him.