AGE: 61 OCCUPATION: Executive chairman, Hyatt

A cerebral and savvy dealmaker, Pritzker (reported net worth: $1.8 billion) spent a good chunk of last year unwinding his extended family’s sprawling business holdings. Today he has more equity in Hyatt, the centerpiece of the Pritzker empire, than any of his relatives. He also spearheads the prestigious Pritzker prize, the architectural equivalent of the Nobel.

MORE ON PRITZKER: Our 2002 profile of the Pritzker dynasty

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Photograph: Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune