A Wharton School dropout, Mr. Nelson Peltz is the chief executive officer of Triarc Cos. and is a billionaire. This former owner of Snapple, he also owns through Triarc, the Arby's fast food chain, as well as TJ Cinnamon and Pasta Connection. Mr. Peltz resides in Mt. Kisco, New York. He also owns Georgia O'Keefe's old Florida residence Montsorrel. Mr. Peltz first made it big with acquisition, merger of Triangle Industries and National Can 1985. Five years later, he sold the company for a huge profit. Mr. Peltz purchased Snapple in 1997 from Quaker Oats for $300 million, and sold it in 2000 for $1.5 billion.

Mr. Peltz has been CEO and a founding partner of Trian Fund Management, L.P., a management company for various investment funds and accounts, since November 2005. He has also been a director and chairman and CEO of Triarc Companies, Inc., since April 1993. The billionaire businessman also has interests in various investments.  He was chairman and CEO and a director of Triangle Industries, Inc. from 1983 until December 1988, when that company was taken over by Pechiney, S.A., a renowned international metals and packaging company. Mr. Peltz began his career in 1963 when he joined the food business run by his family.  

A director of H. J. Heinz Company, he is also a director of Deerfield Triarc Capital Corp., where he is chairman of the board. Mr. Peltz is co-chairman of the board of directors of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and chairman of the New York Tolerance Center. Mr. Peltz is also a member of the board of directors of The Prostate Cancer Foundation, the board of directors of the Trooper Foundation and the board of directors of PAL.

In 2006 Mr. Pentz got into a proxy fight with Heinz to get five members of his company Triarc on the board of Heinz. However, he could succeed in getting only two members on the board. A year later, his purchasing 3% share of Cadbury-Schweppes might have influenced the de-merger of Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages from the Cadbury Schweppes confectionary group.