Vito D. Gala

Biography

Vito D. Gala is the Global Head of Systematic Investing and Quantitative Research at Morningstar Investment Management LLC. He oversees the firm’s global systematic investing business and platform, spanning research, development, and portfolio management of quantitative investment strategies. He is a senior member of the Quantitative Strategies and Americas Investment Committees.

Previously at PIMCO, Dr. Gala led the research and development of advanced quantitative investment strategies and firmwide alpha capture programs. He served as a senior advisor on various firm committees and oversaw PIMCO’s research partnership with the Center for Decision Research at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Prior to joining PIMCO, Dr. Gala was a finance professor at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and London Business School. His research has been widely presented at academic conferences, seminars, and industry events worldwide, and has been recognized with numerous grants and awards, including the Crowell Memorial Prize from PanAgora Asset Management and twice the Lehman Brothers Fellowship for Research Excellence in Finance Prize. His work has appeared in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Empirical Finance, and Journal of Monetary Economics, as well as in edited volumes such as the Handbook of the Equity Risk Premium. His research has also been featured in major media outlets, including the Financial Times and Forbes. He remains active in academic research and serves as an expert reviewer for leading peer-reviewed journals, research funding agencies, and finance conferences.

Dr. Gala has taught extensively across undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, doctoral, and executive education programs. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Financial Institutions Group at Credit Suisse and was previously a consultant at Bain & Company.

Dr. Gala has over 25 years of combined academic and financial services experience. He graduated summa cum laude with double honors in financial economics from Bocconi University and holds an MBA and PhD in Finance from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Academic Areas

• Finance