Background and career
Mark Richard Walter (born May 22, 1960) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $345 billion in assets under management. He is also the CEO and co-chairman of TWG Global, an American multinational holding company. Walter is best known for his investments in professional sports. He is the owner and chairman of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, the Women's National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Sparks, the motorsports organization TWG Motorsports, and the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). In addition, he owns part of the Billie Jean King Cup.
Walter grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His father, Ed, worked at a local concrete block manufacturing plant. He graduated from Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School in 1978. Walter attended Creighton University, where he studied accounting and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 1982. He graduated from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1985.
In 1996, Walter, Tom Irvin, and Steven E. Johnson co-founded the Liberty Hampshire Company. In 1999, he helped found Guggenheim Partners with assistance from Guggenheim family heir Peter Lawson-Johnson II; he now serves as its CEO. Through his work at Guggenheim, he got to know future investment partner Todd Boehly, who spent 14 years with the firm. In May 2024, Walter co-founded TWG Global and is its CEO, co-chairman, and 21% owner. He is the controlling shareholder of Delaware Life Holdings, LLC, and serves on the board of EquiTrust Life. Walter has a personal stake in Beyond Meat. In 2021, it was reported that Walter had purchased numerous commercial and historic buildings in Crested Butte, Colorado, where his family frequently takes vacations. In September 2025, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated that he had a net worth of $13.3 billion.
Walter uses sports to advertise his insurance companies, particularly TWG Global subsidiary Gainbridge, headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana. It has sponsored racing team Andretti Global since 2018 and the Indianapolis 500. In 2021, it bought the naming rights to the home arena of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, now known as Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It also signed Fever basketball player Caitlin Clark as a brand ambassador in 2024.
Walter owns 27% of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. In 2012, he led Guggenheim Baseball Management's $2.15 billion purchase of the team using cash from Guggenheim's investments in insurance and annuities. Walter and his partner investors provided collateral to the insurers, including Dodgers shares, Walter's stake in Carvana, and various Wendy's hamburger franchises. His personal contribution was reportedly $100 million, with Guggenheim Partners-related businesses contributing another $1.213 billion. The precise amount from insurance companies has been disputed, with The Wall Street Journal estimating a contribution of "at least $300 million" and LA Weekly putting the figure at $100 million. Other members of the Guggenheim consortium include Peter Guber, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stan Kasten, Todd Boehly, Bobby Patton, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Alan Smolinisky, and Robert L. Plummer. Guggenheim's investments in sports have been questioned by industry commentators as riskier investments than insurance. After insurers reportedly contributed at least $300 million to the Dodgers' bid, government regulators investigated the arrangement but declined to take further action.
Walter appointed Kasten to run the team. Under Walter, Kasten, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the team became baseball's "most perennially competitive team" and won the World Series in 2020, 2024 and 2025. Less than a year after Guggenheim bought the team, the Dodgers signed a television deal that increased their payroll.
