Gautam was born and raised in New Delhi, India. He came to the U.S. at the age of 20 on a one-way ticket with $750 in his pocket and big investment dreams.

He earned his Ph.D. in Finance and Econometrics with specialization in Investments from the University of Florida at the age of 24. He had a successful career in investment consulting becoming a partner in Hewitt Associates. After 15 years, he gave up his steady job and an upcoming IPO to pursue his passion of starting and running own investment management firm – High Pointe Capital Management.  His perseverance as an entrepreneur enabled him to grow High Pointe from $1 million to $1 billion at its peak. 

Even as a full time entrepreneur, he always made time his favorite cause – financial education. For two decades, he contributed his time to bring excellence to the investment profession by his work with the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Chicago.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management invited Gautam to lecture in its Value Investing class for many years. As the popularity of his lectures grew, the University invited him to serve as a Lecturer of Finance. In this two-year role, he designed and taught an MBA level course entitled The Business of Investing.Gautam has written and published articles on a broad variety of investment topics. Recently, Gautam has focused his research and speaking engagements on ESG investing, including a feature printed in a joint publication by the CFA Institute and United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment. He has been quoted widely by various media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, Fox Business, BBC, National Public Radio, and Chicago Tribune.