Mr. Karim Samii is the founder president of Pardus Capital Management L.P. Given the fact that hedge funds are now the new blackboards on which dreams of high finance take shape, Mr. Karim Samii, who enjoyed a successful career at the investment firm W.R. Huff in Morristown, New Jersey, made the decision to start his own hedge fund on a bright, snowy morning in December 2003, when he and his wife were visiting his in-laws in Hamburg. While jogging around the lake, he asked himself where he wanted to be five years from then. “It's a big bet, but if you are confident that you're good, you should take the plunge," Mr. Samii had said just weeks before Pardus was launched on April 1, 2005. Pardus Capital has been an “activist” and is already earning a reputation as a renegade hedge fund.

Recently, Mr. Samii, has expressed his desire to delay strategic decisions on French car parts manufacturer Valeo's future until the May 21 annual meeting. Mr. Samii, whose company has 12.4 pct in Valeo, has plans to present his own slate of candidates for the board, including himself and another director from Pardus. Valeo (Nachrichten) has confirmed getting an indication of interest from an investment fund regarding the company's share capital. According to media reports, the approach is from Apollo Investment Management of the US. Mr. Samii said they thought it was not for outgoing directors to decide on such a strategic move. He said he favored the idea of a combination between Valeo and US rival Visteon Corp but did not rule out alternative options.
Earlier, Pardus and Liberation Investments, two of health club operator Bally's largest shareholders, waged a months-long battle with the club operator's management. The dissident shareholders could not oust Bally's chief executive, but managed to elect their nominee to company's board.