Siebert Williams Shank Co-Founder & CEO Suzanne Shank Inducted into Bond Buyer Hall of Fame
December 6, 2022—Suzanne Shank, president and CEO of Siebert Williams Shank & Co. (SWS), the nation’s largest woman- and minority-owned, non-bank financial firm, is part of a select group of U.S. finance industry leaders recently inducted into the inaugural Bond Buyer Hall of Fame. Ms. Shank was one of just five living honorees selected for the first-ever induction, with two others recognized posthumously.
Michael Scarchilli, Editor in Chief of The Bond Buyer said, "These individuals are standard-bearers, innovators, trend-setters — people who have had an indelible impact on the industry they've dedicated their professional lives to."
Ms. Shank was recognized for blazing a trail over the course of her 35-year career. In 1996, she co-founded the firm with Muriel Siebert, the first woman to shatter Wall Street’s glass ceiling by owning a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. After years of industry growth, and following a 2019 merger with Williams Capital Group, Siebert Williams Shank is the recognized #1 MWBE firm in both municipal and corporate bond underwriting.
SWS counts 74 Fortune 100 companies among its clients and in the last year is credited with 65 bond deals worth $8.1 billion. Recent municipal bond deals done by SWS as bookrunner have ranged in size from $3 million to $1.75 billion for the state of California, the largest transaction ever senior-managed by an MWBE firm.
“I have had the great fortune to have accomplished, trailblazing partners as well as hardworking, dedicated employees who have made my journey possible. I am truly honored for this induction – alongside some remarkable industry peers – into the inaugural Bond Buyer Hall of Fame class,” said Suzanne Shank.
Ms. Shank sits on several prominent boards, including CMS Energy, Rocket Mortgage, Spelman College Board of Trustees, Wharton Graduate Advisory Board, The Kresge Foundation and The Skillman Foundation. She has won dozens of accolades throughout her career, including being one of USA Today's Women of the Century.
Gary Hall, Partner, and Head of Investment Banking for Infrastructure & Public Finance at Siebert Williams Shank said, “Suzanne Shank is the best embodiment of leading by example. She is the hardest working and most tenacious competitor I have ever met, period. Moreover, her commitment to decency and treating all with common respect is infectious.” Mr. Hall is on the board of The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and former chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
Hall of Fame Class Leaves an “Indelible Legacy” on U.S. & Global Finance Sector:
The Hall of Fame induction took place at a national infrastructure conference in Washington D.C., with honorees recognized as “groundbreaking individuals leaving an indelible legacy” on the municipal finance industry. Bond Buyer is a leading municipal finance news outlet
Other 2022 Bond Buyer Hall of Fame Inductees Include:
BEN WATKINS —Since 1995, Watkins has been Director of the Florida Division of Bond Finance and past vice chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, plus former chairman of the Committee on Government Debt for the Government Finance Officers Association.
JOHN WHITE— For 30 years, White served as CEO of PFM, a financial advisory powerhouse that has grown from a single office with five employees to a top-ranked municipal advisory firm, with more than 350 employees in 30 offices across the country.
ROGER DAVIS — Over the course of his 50-year career, Davis has had a lead role in more than 1,000 transactions in roughly 25 states and territories, at head of the law firm Orrick's public finance law group.
DAVID ANDERSEN — During a four-decade career, Andersen has changed the industry's underwriting landscape, achieving a 30th straight year of being the top competitive underwriter in the industry. Andersen serves with Bank of America Securities.
Bond Buyer Also Recognized Two Inductees Posthumously:
CLAIRE COHEN — A pioneer with extensive knowledge and analytical insights of state government credits, while at Moody’s Investor Services and later Fitch Ratings, Cohen influenced generations of analysts in the foundational industry credit approaches.
FRANK HOADLEY — A longtime Wisconsin capital finance director, Hoadley was a standard bearer for state debt management and champion for stronger and clearer disclosure language in financial documents.
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