celebrating the irish in...then hsbc acquired household finance, one of the largest subprime...
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IRISH AMERICAIRISH AMERICA
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August/ September 2008 Canada $4.95 U.S.$3.95
Brendan McDonaghCEO HSBC
North America Holdings Inc.,represents the new
“Global Irish” who are joining
the ranks of corporate
America in increasing numbers.
IRELAND’S NEW LEADER
CANADA’S IRISH HERITAGE
CHICAGO’S IRISH ROOTS
DES BISHOP AS GAEILGE
THE WALL STREET
50Celebrating the Irish in
the Finance Industry
DISP
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ust six months after
assuming his job as head
of HSBC Finance in
North America, Brendan
McDonagh volunteered to
appear before Congress,
in March 2007, to address
the growing subprime
mortgage-lending crisis.
It was a typical move by the 49-year-
old Irishman who has become known
throughout his career for a straightfor-
ward type of management, which
addresses problems head on.
Like many other banking leaders,
McDonagh could have tried to duck and
dive on the issue and refuse to appear at
the televised hearings, but that was not
his way. Senate Banking Chairman Chris
Dodd was certainly appreciative.
“We take the situation very seriously
and we’re taking strong steps to correct
problems,” McDonagh told the legisla-
tors, and his bank directly proceeded to
do that, seeking to ensure above all that
a way was found for homeowners to
keep their properties. “Otherwise every-
one loses,” McDonagh notes.
HSBC had gotten caught up in the sub
prime crisis after it purchased
Household Finance in 2003, before
McDonagh took the top job.
Last year, the company wrote off $11.7
billion in bad debt as a result of the crisis,
but under McDonagh’s management the
worst of the crisis now seems over.
The subprime segment is but a very
small part of the global HSBC brand.
Forbes magazine recently rated HSBC
Holdings number one in its Global 200
ranking of companies worldwide.
The banking behemoth earned the dis-
tinction by showing a phenomenal annu-
al 26 percent growth in revenues, by
having 10,000 offices worldwide in 83
countries, and by having $2.3 trillion in
assets.
HSBC is the little foreign bank that
could. It started in Hong Kong in 1865
with just two branches, one in Hong
Kong and one in Shanghai, capitalizing
on the trade winds that were blowing
strongly between the Chinese capital and
the then crown colony.
At a time when the world center of
banking was London, HSBC’s incredible
growth since their modest colonial
beginnings has been staggering.
As CEO of HSBC North America (the
holding company for all of HSBC’s U.S.
and Canadian businesses; the company
serves nearly 68 million customers),
McDonagh has no doubt that the bank
has gone from strength to strength
because of its global reach.
In fact, the Dublin native embodies
HSBC’sBrendanMcDonaghis a newbreed ofinternationalIrishman.BY NIALL O’DOWD
PHOTOGRAPH BY:KIT DE FEVER
The GlobalIrishman
STREET50WALL
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 35
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36 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
the global nature of a bank that has man-
aged to bestride the world.
McDonagh’s stellar career in banking
was foreordained from an early age. Born
in 1958 on Dublin’s Northside, as
a kid he showed an aptitude for numbers,
which came in handy in the family
business.
His father was a butcher who supplied
meat to the Guinness Brewery and the
Rotunda Hospital.
“What we did in those days, because
my father had a cash business, we would
bring the cash home and I ran a ledger for
him and then we would cash checks for
our neighbors who were in the check busi-
ness and needed to pay salaries and wages.
So we ran a bank out of the dining room in
the evening time,” McDonagh recalls.
It was no surprise when McDonagh
took the economics and accounting route
and went to Trinity College Dublin to
study business and finance.
Once he qualified and anxious to see
the world, he sent his résumé out to sev-
eral international banks and waited. It
was 1979 and jobs were not plentiful in
Ireland in the pre-Celtic Tiger era.
The best offer was from a vaguely
exotic sounding company known as the
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in
London. His parents were surprised.
“They were a little shocked when they
realized it was based in the Far East and I
wasn’t just going over to London for a
job,” McDonagh remembers with a smile.
Thus began the journey from butcher’s
boy to HSBC’s top job in America.
McDonagh now oversees one of the top
10 financial services organizations in the
United States, with assets totaling $557
billion and over 40,000 employees.
The journey to the top was one that
would include living in eight different
countries and developing deep cultural
and business ties on several continents.
“A lot of us at HSBC have worked in
many countries, and that richness of
experience means that you have a deeper
understanding, a global understanding,
how things work in, and between, differ-
ent countries,” McDonagh explained in
our interview, which took place at
HSBC’s New York headquarters on Fifth
Avenue. “The foundation for us [HSBC]
is free trade. Globalization, at the end of
the day, is good for everybody,” he says.
McDonagh, who is now based at
HSBC headquarters in the Chicago
suburb of Mettawa, Illinois, worked
with several developing nations
early in his career.
“In those days we were headquartered
in Asia and most of our operations were
in the Far East and Middle East,” he
explains.
McDonagh was in Guam for six
months. Then he was sent to Brunei, in
Southeast Asia. His first managerial
position followed, in Hong Kong.
It was quite an experience.
“We had a very large cash department.
It was like mini Fort Knox, and I was the
operations manager.”
Soon after arriving in Brunei,
McDonagh met Kenane, an English
nurse and midwife, who would become
his wife. The newlyweds set out for
Oman, McDonagh’s next posting, where
he had to adjust to the life style of the
Middle East after the years in South Asia.
His globetrotting pace increased when
he was sent to Tokyo after Oman.
He enjoyed his time in Tokyo enor-
mously. It was the first of two postings in
Japan – the second came a few years
later, when he was sent to Kobe.
In Kobe, McDonagh’s Irish roots and
philanthropic leanings came into play.
He helped set up the Irish Network of
Japan which was an organization of
younger Irish who were living in Japan.
“Actually, three of us set up a St.
Patrick’s Night function in Kobe,” he
recalls. “We got various people to spon-
sor – to buy the Guinness and whatever.
We were planning to run it on the fly, but
people came from all over – we were
surprised by the numbers. We made a
handsome profit and found, through a
local priest, a Korean orphanage that
needed support. There’s a large Korean
population in Japan and they, largely, are
less well-off. The event became so suc-
cessful that it became an annual affair. I
think the orphanage is still wondering
who these crazy Irish people were who
were dropping money off with them
once a year.”
In 1993, McDonagh, on an upward
trajectory, was transferred to London,
thus ending his Asia sojourn. He says
that he learned “cultural sensitivity” dur-
ing his time overseas. “You value diver-
sity, you value, and you recognize, the
richness that each people can bring.”
Back in London, he was soon on the
move again, taking over the company’s
offshore operations in the Channel
Islands before going back to London and
joining the global headquarters staff.
LEFT: Fishing in Wisconsin with lifelong friend PadraicO’Beirn of Dublin.
BELOW: April 30, 2008:Celebrating the opening of HSBC North America’s new headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Mettawa, Illinois, with Group Chairman StephenGreen and Group Chief ExecutiveMichael Geoghegan of parent company HSBC Holdings plc.
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He made it to head of strategy there
before the call to come to the U.S. came.
He was sent over to run the retail and
commercial banking side of the U.S.
business, which was based in Buffalo,
New York. Soon he was made COO of
the banking operation.
Then HSBC acquired Household
Finance, one of the largest subprime
mortgage lenders, but also one of
America’s largest credit card companies.
When the company began suffering
under the subprime mortgage deluge, the
search for a topnotch executive ended at
McDonagh’s desk.
McDonagh moved to Chicago to
become CEO of HSBC Finance and to
deal with the subprime crisis, which he
has done successfully.
In February this year, he was promot-
ed to CEO of HSBC North America
Holdings Inc., which oversees both
HSBC Finance and HSBC Bank.
By now the McDonagh management
approach was tried and tested. He
expresses it this way:
“If you’ve got good ideas coming
from your team, try not to stop them.
Your job is to manage the bright people
around you and to be comfortable and
not be threatened by them. And if you
can trust them, and you think they have a
good idea, let them go for it.”
He is an innovator too. He and the
bank leadership have focused on green
technology and making the bank a car-
bon neutral one globally. He speaks with
pride of how all the office buildings in
HSBC will eventually conform to the
highest green standards. Their new head-
quarters outside Chicago was recently
featured in the New York Times because
of its green focus.
It would seem counterintuitive for a
bank chief executive to focus so intently
on this issue, but McDonagh is a new
breed of manager who realizes that green
technology benefits everyone, as does
good employee relations, another area he
spends considerable time on.
When the subprime mortgage crisis
hit, McDonagh worked hard to reassure
his work force and deal with the problem
head on.
“One of the first things I did was to go
on the road. There are close to 3000
managers around the country, and I spent
six weeks just talking to them.
Explaining, ‘This is the problem, this is
the size of it, this is what we’re going to
do. You’re over here, look after our
customers and meet our plan.’”
Many observers are predicting hard
economic times ahead, and McDonagh
himself sees the U.S. economy as being
at a critical crossroads.
“I believe that parts of America are
already in recession, but it won’t be that
deep and it won’t be that long,” he says,
adding reassuringly, “The American
economy is very resilient.”
Ireland, always close to McDonagh’s
heart, has changed enormously since he
left, and he is glad for that. “It has become
far more multicultural, which is a good
thing. For decades, the world took the
Irish in, and perhaps it’s our turn to take
other people in. We owe them that. We are
a very wealthy nation now, and we have
to start to help others,” he says.
McDonagh does his part. He is
involved with The American Ireland
Fund, a philanthropic organization which
supports cultural and educational groups
in Ireland, and also, through Enterprise
Ireland, he serves as an advisor for new
Irish companies seeking to enter the U.S.
market. His wife, Kenane, meantime, is
involved in charitable organizations in
the Chicago area, where their daughter
Alison is in school. The couple’s son,
Rory, following in his father’s footsteps,
is studying economics at Trinity College,
Dublin.
McDonagh, who sees the Irish economy
as now going through a difficult phase
after the heady days of the Celtic Tiger,
believes a highly educated work force,
preferably one that is flexible and multilin-
gual, can help Ireland find that “sweet
spot” in areas such as financial services,
and keep the economy turning over.
His own accomplishment embodies that
very successful aspect of the new Ireland –
its ability to compete globally. As one of
the first generation of the new “Global
Irishmen,” Brendan McDonagh is an
example of how much has changed since
the days when the Irish left on Famine
ships and were rarely heard from again.
He is living the dream of generations
of Irish to better themselves abroad.
Except in his case, he is proving it with
one of the world’s truly global compa-
nies. With their combined global visions
HSBC and McDonagh seem right for
each other.
“If you’vegot good ideascoming fromyour team, trynot to stop
them.Your jobis to manage
the bright people
around youand be
comfortableand not bethreatened by them.”
IA
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 37
PH
OTO
:KIT
DE F
EV
ER
Brendan McDonagh at HSBC New Yorkheadquarters on Fifth Avenue.
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 39AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 39
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Celebrating the Irish in the Finance Industry
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WALL STREET 50 SPONSORS
Irish America Magazine & FDextend a special thank you to all our sponsors for their support.
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Waterford Crystal
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DST Systems
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Wall Street Access
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The American Ireland Fund
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Enterprise Ireland
IDA Ireland
Tourism Ireland
IA.40.qxd 7/3/08 4:58 PM Page 40
John Brown Merrill LynchJohn J. Brown is Head of Global Markets &
Investment Banking Services (GMIS), Americas.
In this role, he manages all institutional operations
for Merrill Lynch for the Americas. From 2001 to
2007, his responsibilities at Merrill Lynch includ-
ed the Prime Broker and Swaps business, which
during that time saw an increase from $75 billion
in assets to $200 billion. Prior to his time at GMIS, Brown headed
Convertible Securities at Merrill Lynch for five years. His over 25
years of experience in global markets has also included time as head
of Convertible Securities for UBS and SG Cowen. Brown graduated
from St. John’s University in New York and holds a Series 3, 7, 24,
55, 63. He finds time to serve as a board member for Tuesday’s
Children, an organization which aims at providing programs
designed to help family members of victims of 9/11. Brown is a first-
generation Irish-American. His father hailed from County Mayo and
his mother from County Wexford. Brown is married with five chil-
dren.
42 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
STREET50WALL
Tom Connolly Goldman & Sachs Co.
As Managing Director at Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Tom Connolly heads the Leveraged Finance team
as well as the High Yield and Bank Loan Capital
markets businesses. He is a member of the firm’s
Firmwide Capital Committee, Mezzanine
Investment Committee and Allocation Committee.
In 1989, Connolly received a BA from Union College. He
worked for Bankers Trust Company for six years before joining
Goldman Sachs in 1996. Prior to his current position, Connolly
worked in High Yield Capital Markets in New York and was head of
European High Yield business and co-head of European Leveraged
Finance from 1998 to 2002. He was named Managing Director in
1999 and partner in 2004. Connolly is also a board member of Youth
I.N.C., a group dedicated to guiding nonprofit groups for children.
A Bronx native, Connolly is married with three children. He is first-
generation Irish-American. His father John was born in County
Monaghan and is the proprietor of the popular midtown pub and
restaurant Connolly’s; his mother Mary hails from County Mayo.
Charles CareyCME Group Inc.
Charles P. Carey is Vice
Chairman of CME Group.
Previously, he was Chairman of
the Chicago Board of Trade
(CBOT) which merged with
CME in July 2007, creating a
new company, CME Group Inc.,
a CME/Chicago Board of Trade
Company. Carey received a
B.A. in business administration
from Western Illinois University.
He served on the CBOT board
of directors in various roles,
including Vice Chairman, First
Vice Chairman and Full
Member Director. An independ-
ent futures trad-
er, Carey
became a mem-
ber of CBOT in
1978 and is a
partner in the
firm Henning
and Carey.
Carey has received a number
of civic, industry and communi-
ty service awards. Most recently,
he was presented with the
Western Illinois University
Distinguished Alumni Award.
Carey is also President of the
Chicagoland Sports Hall of
Fame, an organization that is
very active in providing scholar-
ships for underprivileged
youths. Carey’s great-grandfa-
ther Simon Carey immigrated to
Chicago from County Clare andmarried Roscommon-native
Mary O’Brien. On his mother’s
side, Carey traces his roots back
to Monaghan. He is married with
three sons.
ChristopherCondronAXA Financial
Christopher “Kip” Condron is
President and CEO of AXA
Financial, Inc., and a member of
the AXA Group
Management
Board. He
joined AXA in
2001, immedi-
ately following
his roles as
President and
COO of the Mellon Financial
Corporation and Chairman and
CEO of the Dreyfus Corporation.
Condron began his career at
C.S. McKee and Co. before
forming his own financial plan-
ning firm.
In 1989, Condron joined The
Boston Company, now Mellon
Private Asset Management,
where he was named executive
vice president. In 1995, he took
over responsibility for the
Dreyfus Corporation.
Condron received his bache-
lor’s degree in business from the
University of Scranton. He is
Vice Chairman of the Financial
Services Roundtable and serves
on its board of directors. He is
also the director and treasurer of
The American Ireland Fund, and
a trustee on the board of the
University of Scranton.
Married with three children,
Condron is a third-generation
Irish-American with roots in
counties Donegal and Cork.
John ByrneBank of America
As the Regulatory Relations
Executive for Bank of America,
John J. Byrne coordinates
relationships with federal regula-
tors, analyzes regulatory propos-
als and identifies emerging
regulatory risks.
Byrne joined Bank of America
in 2005 as senior vice president
for AML Strategies. The
company has an affiliate in
Dublin called
Banc of America
Ireland Leasing
Co., Ltd.
Byrne, who
received the
American
Bankers
Association Distinguished
Service Award in 2006, earned
his BA from Marquette
University and a law degree
from George Mason. He is a
member of the bar in both the
District of Columbia and
Pennsylvania.
A second-generation
Irish-American, Byrne’s father’s
family hailed from counties
Galway and Carlow, while his
mother’s family have roots in
counties Sligo and Galway.
He says that his appreciation
for the importance of
participating in the political
process – a keystone of Irish
culture in the U.S. – stems
from several Irish role models,
including his father.
Erin CallanLehman Brothers
Erin Callan is a powerhouse
in the investment banking divi-
sion of Lehman Brothers where
she served as CFO from
September 2007 through June
2008.
Before joining Lehman
Brothers, Callan was an associ-
ate at the law firm of Simpson,
Thatcher & Bartlett in New
York, specializing in corporate
taxation. For the past few years,
Callan has been a member of the
investment bank’s Senior Client
Council. She is a multi-year
recipient of the Chairman’s
Award for Client Service and
President’s Corporate
Citizenship Award, a senior
leader of WILL (the women’s
network at Lehman Brothers)
and has been honored by the
Women’s Bond Club as its 2006
Merit Award Winner.
Callan graduated magna cum
laude from
Harvard in
1987, where
she earned a
BA. She also
holds a JD from
New York
University
School of Law, 1990.
A third-generation Irish-
American, Callan traces her
father’s family to County
Roscommon and her mother’s to
County Donegal. A New York
City native, she is married and
owns three dogs.
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 43
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Hillary Cullen UBS Private Wealth Management
Hillary Cullen joined UBS Financial Services
in 1998 through its predecessor firm Paine Webber
and currently works as the Vice President of
Investments at UBS. She is a member of the
Sage/Swaser Group in the Private Wealth
Management office at UBS and holds the Private Wealth Advisor
designation.
Cullen graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in
Mathematics. She is a former Associate Director of international sales
for International Strategy & Investments (ISI), a leading macroeco-
nomic research firm. She started her career as a portfolio assistant at
Morris & McVeigh, LLP, a trust and estate law firm. Cullen then
worked for the Archdiocese of New York with charitable fund-raising
and development. She is member of the board of advisors for
Cathedral High School in New York and is a member of The American
Ireland Fund. Cullen is third-generation Irish-American. Her father’s
family hails from Blackwater, County Wexford and her mother’s
family from County Clare. Her Irish heritage gives her pride in where
she comes from, in her family and her faith.
Noel B. DonohoeMerrill Lynch
In January 2008, Noel B.
Donohoe was named co-chief
risk officer of Merrill Lynch.
Prior to joining Merrill Lynch,
Donohoe, who has more than 20
years of risk management expe-
rience in the financial services
industry, was chief operating
officer and a partner of Dune
Capital Management, working
with risk management, finance,
investor reporting and opera-
tions. Before Dune Capital
Management, he was with
Goldman Sachs, where he was
head of
Firmwide Risk
and responsible
for global mar-
ket risk across
all the trading
and private equi-
ty businesses.
Donohoe
graduated with a Bachelor of
Commerce from University
College Dublin, and is a fellow
of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in Ireland.
Born in Monaghan, he makes
a point to travel back to Ireland
for at least two weeks each sum-
mer. Donohoe believes his Irish
upbringing has played an impor-
tant part in his life, allowing him
to look on the brighter side of
issues, and to use humor as a
way of breaking down barriers.
Craig DonohueCME Group Inc.
Craig Donohue has served as
Chief Executive Officer and a
director of the
board of CME
Group since
July 2007. Prior
to his current
position,
Donohue served
CME for years
in a variety of roles, among
them CEO of CME Holdings. In
addition to serving on CME’s
Board of Directors, Donohue is
a Director of FXMarketSpace
and the Brazilian Mercantile &
Futures Exchange S.A.
(BM&F).
After receiving a BA from
Drake University in 1983,
Donohue earned a Juris
Doctor from John Marshall
Law School in 1987, a Master
of Laws degree in Financial
Services Regulation from IIT
Chicago-Kent College in 1989,
and a Master of Management
degree from Northwestern
University in 1995.
Donohue, who is Chairman of
the Board of the National
Council on Economic Education
(NCEE), a nonprofit organiza-
tion, is a third-generation
Irish-American with roots in
County Cork. He lives in
Northbrook, Illinois, with his
wife and their three children.
David Dempsey Bentley Associates L.P.
David Dempsey, who has over 28 years of experi-
ence as an international investment banker specializ-
ing in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, is a
Managing Director at Bentley Associates L.P. in New
York. Prior to joining Bentley, Dempsey worked with
a number of banks in New York and London, on the merger and acquisi-
tion and corporate finance sides and also with a major management con-
sulting firm. He began his career at the Chase Bank in London after com-
pleting his term as Secretary General of AIESEC International in
Brussels, and also serves as the director of The New Ireland Fund, Inc., a
closed-end diversified investment company with 80 percent of its assets in
a portfolio of Irish securities. He is an Advisory Board member for the
Pennell Venture Partners Marathon Fund L.P., a private equity fund, and is
also the founder of the China Investment Group, LLC. Dempsey grew up
in Dublin and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from University
College Dublin and his MBA from Fordham University. He has served
as a Visiting Professional at New York University, is a commercial
pilot and Master Flight Instructor in his spare time, and lives in New
York City with his wife Deborah and their daughter.
Anthony ConroyThe Bank of America
Anthony Conroy is a
Managing Director and Head
Trader for BNY ConvergEx
Execution Solutions LLC, a
member of BNY ConvergEx
Group. He oversees broker-
assisted trading and is responsi-
ble for the coordination and
deployment of customized trad-
ing solutions designed to meet
clients’ investment strategies.
A member of
the senior man-
agement team of
BNY ConvergEx
Execution
Solutions,
Conroy, who has
more than 20
years of direct investment and
trading experience, began his
career as a Vice President and
Sales Trader at Shearson
Lehman Brothers. Prior to join-
ing BNY ConvergEx Group,
Conroy served as a head trader
and portfolio manager for
Merrill Lynch Investment
Management’s hedge fund unit.
An active member in the secu-
rities industries’ Wall Street
Committee for St. Jude’s
Children’s Hospital, Conroy is a
third-generation Irish-American
who traces his roots on his
father’s side to County Clare,
and is very proud of his Irish
heritage. A graduate of St. John’s
University, where he received
his BS in Finance, he is married
with five children.
Noreen CulhaneN Y Stock Exchange
As Executive Vice President
for the New York Stock
Exchange’s Global Corporate
Group, Noreen Culhane manages
Business Development, Client
Service, Marketing, Sales
Support, and the Initial Public
Offering process and Structured
Products for the Exchange’s
business worldwide.
A first-generation Irish-
American with roots in County
Kerry, Culhane believes that
strong relationships founded on
mutual trust and respect are
essential to economic growth
and peace and that Ireland and
the U.S. should lead the way and
be a model for others.
A native New Yorker, Culhane
obtained an undergraduate
degree from the College of
Mount St. Vincent, where she
serves on the board, and a
graduate degree in education
from the College
of New
Rochelle. She
also completed
the Advanced
Management
Program at
Harvard. She
serves on the Operations
Committee for the NYSE and the
Fund Raising Board of the
Borough of Manhattan
Community College. She is a
board member of the Marco Polo
Network, and a member of the
Economic Club of New York.
IA.42-52.qxd 7/10/08 4:21 PM Page 43
John Duffy • KBW IncIn 2001, John Duffy was named Chairman and
CEO of Keefe, Bruyette &Woods, Inc., a firm that
he has been with for more than 28 years. He had
served as the President and Co-CEO since July
1999. In the nine years previous, Duffy was the
executive vice-president of the Investment
Banking Department within the firm.
Duffy’s prior employment was with Standard &
Poor’s Corporation as vice president. After attending the City College
of New York, where he earned his BA in economics, Duffy received
his MBA from Bernard Baruch College Graduate Program of the
City University of New York. Duffy is active on the board of trustees
of the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, University
College, Dublin. He also serves as the chairman of the Investment
Committee of the Cardinal & Gold Fund of Cardinal Hayes High
School, Bronx, New York. In 2006, Duffy gave the keynote address
at Irish America’s Wall Street 50 dinner, and was honored by the
Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the United States. His mother is
from NewTongore, County Leitrim and his father is from Culleens,
County Sligo.
44 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
STREET50WALL
Robert Charles Golden Prudential Financial
Bob Golden joined Prudential in 1976 and is now
Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial.
Under his leadership, Prudential founded a technolo-
gy and call center in County Donegal, which now
employs 700 people. Golden, who earned his BS
and MBA from Fordham University, serves as first vice chair and
director of HeartShare Human Services of New York, a nonprofit
organization for children in need. In 2000, he received the Ellis Island
Medal of Honor. In 2001, he was named Man of the Year by Catholic
Charities of Brooklyn and by the New York Aquarium. In 2002,
Golden was named Man of the Year by Catholic Big Brothers, and in
2006 was named a Distinguished Irish-American by New York City
Comptroller, William Thompson. Golden is a Knight of Malta and a
Knight Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre. A third-generation Irish-
American with roots in County Mayo, he is a member of the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the St. Patrick
Society of Brooklyn. He and his wife Maureen live in Staten Island
with their two children, Katie and Bobby.
Mary CallahanErdoesJP Morgan Private Bank
Mary Callahan Erdoes is Chief
Executive Officer of JPMorgan
Private Bank and Chairman of
Global Wealth Management. As a
member of the JPMorgan Chase
Executive Committee, her
responsibilities include working
with the firm’s ultra high net
worth clients.
Since joining J.P. Morgan in
1996, Callahan Erdoes has served
in a variety of roles including
head of Investment Management
and Alternative
Solutions for the
Private Bank
and CEO of
JPMorgan
Private Bank.
An Illinois
native, Callahan
Erdoes is fourth-generation Irish-
American. Her great-grandpar-
ents emigrated from Counties
Cork on her father’s side and
Tipperary on her mother’s. She
received her B.S. from
Georgetown University and her
M.B.A. from Harvard Business
School. A member of the Young
Presidents’ Organization, she
serves on the Board of Directors
of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
Callahan Erdoes lives with her
husband and three daughters in
New York City.
Michael FarrellMetLife
Michael K. Farrell is an execu-
tive vice president at MetLife
and is responsible for the organi-
zation’s Independent Distribution
Group and
MetLife
Resources which
services the not-
for-profit com-
munity. Prior to
joining MetLife
in 2001, Farrell
held the positions of president,
Mutual Benefit Pension
Corporation and senior vice pres-
ident, sales and marketing for
Mutual Benefit Life Insurance
Company. He has served as
national sales director for
ReliaStar Retirement Plans,
member of the board of directors
of Employee Benefit Plans, Inc.,
vice president of Mutual Benefit
Investment Advisory Corp. and
director of Essex Corporation.
He currently serves on the Board
of Directors of NAVA.
Farrell, who graduated from
Fairleigh Dickenson University
and went on to attend the
Columbia University School of
Management, is active in several
community organizations includ-
ing St. Vincent’s Home and
School Association, Integrity
House Drug Abuse Center, the
Fordham Gridiron Club, and the
Boys and Girls Club of Newark.
A second-generation Irish-
American, he traces his father’s
family to Tuam, County Galway.
Terrence DuffyCME Group Inc.
Terrence A. Duffy has served
as Executive Chairman of CME
Group since July 2007. He was
Vice Chairman of the Board of
CME Holdings Inc. from its for-
mation in August 2001 and of
the Board of CME from 1998 to
April 2002. In 2002, Duffy was
appointed by President Bush to
serve on a National Saver
Summit on
Retirement
Savings. The
following year,
he was con-
firmed by the
U.S. Senate as a
member of the
Federal Retirement Thrift
Investment Board (FRTIB). He
serves on several boards includ-
ing FXMarketSpace Limited and
World Business Chicago. His
involvement extends to the
Economic Club of Chicago and
the President’s Circle of the
Chicago Council on Global
Affairs. Duffy is involved in the
Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
and Saint Xavier University. In
2007, he received a Doctor of
Humane Letters from DePaul
University. Duffy attended the
University of Wisconsin-
Whitewater. He calls his third-
generation Irish heritage a source
of “great pride,” and traces his
father’s family to Westport,
County Mayo. He lives in
Lemont, Illinois with his wife
and twin sons.
Bryan T. DurkinCME Group Inc.
Bryan T. Durkin has served as
Managing Director and Chief
Operating Officer of CME Group
Inc. since July 2007. He previ-
ously held a variety of leadership
roles with Chicago Board of
Trade from 1982 to 2007, most
recently as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating
Officer. He also served as
Chairman of the Joint
Compliance Committee for all
U.S. futures exchanges and repre-
sented CBOT on various industry
panels concerning trading prac-
tices and trading operations.
Durkin, who has also been an
adjunct faculty member of Lewis
University's MBA program,
teaching courses in organization-
al behavior and management, is
a second-generation Irish-
American who traces his roots to
County Mayo on both sides. He
credits his Irish immigrant
grandparents with “paving the
way” for his
“beautiful and
productive life,”
adding: “The
Irish have
proven to be a
resilient and
giving culture
and I am most grateful to be a
part of that legacy.” He has a
Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration and an MBA
from Lewis University. Durkin
lives in Chicago with his wife
and four children.
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Michael Grealy Bank of Ireland Group
Michael Grealy is CEO for Alternative
Investments and International Distribution in the
Capital Markets Division of the Bank of Ireland
Group. As CEO, Grealy oversees the Group’s
interests in international and alternative invest-
ments, including being the Chairman of both
Iridian Asset Management and Guggenheim Advisors, and board
member of Paul Capital Investment. He is also responsible for the
distribution of investment products through the group’s international
sales and client service platform in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the
UK, and Europe. Prior to joining the Bank of Ireland Group, he
worked with Boston Scientific, Baxter Healthcare, Digital Equipment
Corp. and Seagate Technology.
He is the President and Director of the Board of the New Ireland
Fund in New York. Grealy is a co-founder and director of Coláiste
Lurgan, an educational institution in the Connemara Gaeltacht dedicated
to the promotion of Irish language and culture. Grealy received a B. Ed.
from University College, Dublin and a M.Sc. Management from Trinity
College, Dublin; he is also a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers.
46 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
STREET50WALL
Donald Keough Allen & Company
Donald Keough became Chairman of Allen &
Company, Inc., in 1993 following his retirement as
President, COO of the Coca-Cola Company.
In 2004, Coca-Cola re-elected Keough to the
post of director. Keough also serves on the boards
of IAC/InterActive Corp., Global Yankee Holdings, Convera
Corporation, and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. He has received various
honors in his career, including honorary doctorates from the
University of Notre Dame, his alma mater Creighton University,
Emory University, Trinity College, Dublin, University College
Dublin, and Clarke University. The University of Notre Dame’s high-
est honor, the Laetare Medal, was presented to Keough in 1993. In
1995, he established the Keough-Naughton Institute of Irish Studies
at the University of Notre Dame. He was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Art & Sciences in 2002 and inducted into the
Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame in 2003. Keough
received honorary Irish citizenship in June, 2007.
Denis KelleherWall Street Access
Denis Kelleher is Founder and
CEO of Wall Street Access, a
diversified financial services
organization with expertise in
money management and trading
for institutions and hedge funds.
Billions of dollars are processed
through Wall Street Access
annually and it is a member of
the New York Stock Exchange.
Kelleher began his career in
1958 as a messenger with
Merrill Lynch, where through
dynamic financial talent, he rose
dramatically through the compa-
ny ranks until 1969 when he
founded Ruane
Cunniff and its
Sequoia Fund.
In 1981 he
founded Wall
Street Access.
Kelleher, a
native of
County Kerry, Ireland, is a grad-
uate of St. John’s University,
where he served as Chairman of
the Board for the last eight
years. He is Director of The
New Ireland Fund and member
of the Staten Island Foundation.
He was proud to be recognized
with the Ellis Island Medal of
Honor in 1995. In 2005,
Kelleher was Grand Marshal of
the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in
New York City. He is married
with three children and seven
grandchildren.
Sean KelleherWall Street Access
As managing director of Wall
Street Access, the financial
services
organization
founded by his
father Denis
Kelleher, Sean
Kelleher has
helped guide the
firm through
successful ventures in online
brokerage, institutional
research and trading and asset
management.
In 1992, Kelleher joined the
firm as a clerk and now
manages a team of more than 50
analysts, traders and salespeople.
A graduate of Wagner College,
Kelleher now serves on the col-
lege’s alumni board. He also
serves as co-chairman of the
Staten Island Film Festival and
is the co-founder of the Gerry
Red Wilson Foundation to sup-
port spinal meningitis research.
Kelleher, who spent the sum-
mers of his youth in Ireland,
working the bog, says the cata-
lysts behind his love for Irish
culture are his family and play-
ing Gaelic Football in his
father’s village in County Kerry.
He lives on Staten Island, New
York with his wife Wendy and
their three children, Maggie,
Jack and Denis.
Michael HigginsCIBC
Michael Higgins is Managing
Director and Head of Real Estate
Finance at CIBC World Markets.
CIBC is a leading financial insti-
tution and one of the largest in
North America, with total assets
exceeding $200 billion and
offices around the world.
Higgins is one of the most
active and respected real estate
finance execu-
tives in the U.S.
He has experi-
ence in all
aspects of the
real estate indus-
try and has been
involved in the
financing and advisory of over
$50 billion of commercial real
estate transactions.
A native of County Mayo,
Higgins earned a Bachelor of
Commerce degree from National
University of Ireland, Galway,
where he serves on the founda-
tion board. He also holds a
Master of Science degree in Real
Estate Finance from New York
University.
Higgins, who is married and
has four children, is a member of
The American Ireland Fund. An
avid golfer, he served as chair-
man of the AIF’s golf outing at
Baltusrol, New Jersey in 2004.
James HoganHSBC
As Executive Vice President
of HSBC Holdings PLC/HSBC
Bank USA, James Hogan is
responsible for Trade and Supply
Chain and Global Transaction
Banking at HSBC. He joined
HSBC in 1987 and has served in
a variety of positions across a
number of disciplines within the
HSBC Group. Hogan oversees
the Trade and Supply Chain
business, which provides adviso-
ry services, financing, and sup-
port for companies in North
America, carrying out cross-bor-
der trade with the rest of the
world. With HSBC’s history of
servicing the international trade
needs of companies worldwide,
he plays an integral role in the
continuation of HSBC’s commit-
ment to support international
networks across emerging and
developed markets.
Hogan was
born and raised
in Dublin, and
graduated from
the University of
Dublin with a
Bachelor of
Commerce. He
serves on Goal USA’s advisory
board, and says being Irish “pro-
vides a firm foundation to live
and work anywhere in the world,
which is based on a combination
of pride, dynamism, resilience
and good humor.” He is married
to Josie, and is an avid golfer
and long distance runner.
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Thomas Lynch Milkie/Ferguson Investments
As Vice-President/Investments and registered
principal of Dallas-based Milkie/Ferguson
Investments, Thomas Patrick Lynch works closely
with clients assisting them with stock selection,
asset allocation and risk management. Lynch not
only works with clients but also manages Milkie-
Ferguson advisors outside of the company’s central Dallas office.
A graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City, Lynch has over
20 years of experience as an investment adviser and stockbroker. As a
specialist in stocks and IRA rollovers, he has been honored with Top
Producer awards.
A married father of two, Lynch honors the motto on the Lynch
Family Coat of Arms, “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful). The sec-
ond-generation Irish-American remains always faithful to his family’s
roots in counties Roscommon and Cork. He and his wife have worked
with Project Children, a program that brings Protestant and Catholic
children to the U.S. from Northern Ireland each summer. Lynch’s pride
in his heritage has led him to be an active member of the Irish-
American society in Dallas, Texas where he currently resides.
JosephMcAlindenCatalpa Capital
Joseph McAlinden established
Catalpa Capital LLC in March
2007 and serves as its Chairman
and Chief Executive. For 12
years prior to Catalpa,
McAlinden worked at Morgan
Stanley Investment Management
as Chief Investment Officer.
A native of Newark, New
Jersey, McAlinden graduated
from Rutgers University with a
B.A. in Economics and is a
Chartered Financial Analyst. He
began his career
on the floor of
the New York
Stock Exchange
over 30 years
ago. A first-gen-
eration Irish-
American, his
father hails from
County Down and his mother is
a native of Scotland. McAlinden
is married with five children. He
serves on the Board of the
Convent of the Sacred Heart and
on the New York Board and
Dinner Committee of The
American Ireland Fund. Of his
Gaelic roots he says: “My good
fortune to have experienced a
taste of the ‘American Dream’
may have defined for others the
tapestry of what I am, but, for
me, my Irish heritage defines the
fabric of who I am.”
Meg McCarthyAetna Inc.
As Chief Information Officer
(CIO) and Senior Vice President
of Procurement
and Real Estate,
Meg McCarthy
is responsible for
all information
technology serv-
ices, process and
performance
improvement, procurement and
real estate at Aetna Inc. Prior to
being named CIO in 2005,
McCarthy was Vice President and
Head of Business Solutions
Delivery at Aetna.
McCarthy received her
Master’s of Public Health degree
in Hospital Administration from
Yale University and received her
B.A. in Philosophy from
Providence College. Before work-
ing for Aetna, she was Senior
Vice President of Information
Technology at CIGNA.
McCarthy’s military experience
includes U.S. Navy Medical
Services Corps; Lieutenant at
Bethesda Naval Hospital; and
U.S. Navy Reserves, Lieutenant
Commander. A third-generation
Irish-American whose father’s
family came from Kerry,
McCarthy is a member of the
Ancient Order of Hibernians and
calls her Irish heritage a source of
“strong spirit, personal warmth,
and perseverance.”
Joseph Manning Merrill Lynch & Co.
Joseph R. Manning joined Merrill Lynch as an
analyst on the Risk Arbitrage desk after complet-
ing an MBA in Finance from New York
University. He then moved on to become a credit
analyst and trader on the Convertible Desk and to
earn his Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
In 2003, Manning joined Merrill’s Prime Brokerage business and was
promoted to the Head of U.S. PB Sales. Currently, he leads a sales
and relationship management team in the Global Markets Financing
& Services division.
Manning’s financial efforts extend into the social sector. He was
one of the founders of The Manhattan Society, an organization raising
funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is a supporter of the
Wall Street Friends of St. Christopher, and is a charter member of the
President’s Council for his alma mater, Assumption College.
A member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Manning is a sec-
ond-generation Irish-American, tracing his family to County Cork on
his father’s side and Kerry on his mother’s side. He is married with
three children.
Sean T. KilduffUBS
As Senior Vice President of
Investments at UBS Private
Wealth Management, Sean T.
Kilduff focuses on delivering
customized solutions to high net
worth individuals and families.
He also serves as Senior Portfolio
Manager in the Portfolio
Management Program concentrat-
ed on developing customized
investment strategies that utilize
strategic and
tactical asset
allocation
models.
Born and
raised in New
York City,
Kilduff is a
graduate of St. John’s University
with a B.S. in Finance. He began
his career at Shearson Lehman
Brothers and spent nine years at
Morgan Stanley Global Wealth
Management before moving his
team and practice to UBS Private
Wealth Management. A first-gen-
eration Irish-American, Kilduff’s
mother was born and raised in
Dublin and his father is from
Westmeath. He notes, “Having
visited my grandmother in Dublin
often, Ireland became a big part
of my life from an early age. As a
result, I gained a true appreciation
for the world famous warmth and
incredible wit of the Irish people.”
Kilduff lives in Rockville
Centre, New York with his wife
Jean and their four children.
Catherine KinneyNYSE Euronext
Catherine R. Kinney is Group
Executive Vice President and
Head of Global Listings, NYSE
Euronext, and a member of the
NYSE Euronext Management
Committee. Based in Paris, she is
responsible for overseeing the
company’s global listings and
NYSE Euronext marketing and
branding.
Kinney joined the NYSE in
1974 and has held management
positions in several divisions,
including Technology Planning,
Sales and Marketing, Operations
and Regulation. In 1986, she
became responsible for
managing trading-floor
operations and technology.
Kinney graduated magna cum
laude from Iona College and
completed the Advanced
Management Program, Harvard
Graduate School of Business.
She is a member of the boards
of Georgetown University and
Catholic
Charities.
A second-
generation Irish-
American,
Kinney’s pater-
nal grandfather
was from
County Mayo and her paternal
grandmother was from
Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan.
Her maternal grandfather was
from County Sligo and her
maternal grandmother was from
County Leitrim.
IA.42-52.qxd 7/10/08 4:45 PM Page 47
Liam McGee Bank of America
Liam E. McGee is President of Global
Consumer and Small Business Banking for Bank
of America, which serves nearly 56 million con-
sumer and small business households in the U.S.,
Canada and Europe.
McGee joined Bank of America in 1990 and
has broad leadership experience in consumer and commercial
banking, as well as technology and operations. In 2001, he was
appointed president of the Bank of America Consumer Bank.
Active in civic affairs and education, McGee is a member of the
National Urban League Board of Trustees and the Arts & Science
Council in Charlotte, North Carolina. He recently served as chairman
of the board of trustees of both the University of San Diego and the
United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
A native of County Donegal, Ireland, McGee grew up in Southern
California and speaks Spanish fluently. A graduate of the University
of San Diego, he has a master’s degree in business administration
from Pepperdine University, and a law degree from Loyola Law
School. McGee and his family live in Charlotte.
48 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
STREET50WALL
Kathleen Murphy INGKathleen Murphy is Chief Executive Officer of
ING U.S. Wealth Management. Her responsibilities
include leading the Retirement Services and Retail
Annuity businesses of ING, which had pretax earn-
ing in 2007 of over $1 billion, as well as ING’s
Broker Dealer network, one of the largest independ-
ent broker dealer systems in the country. As CEO,
Murphy is charged with leading thousands of employees and well over
150,000 distribution partners to drive growth and value creation while
continually enhancing the company’s competitive positioning. Murphy
joined ING in 2000, after ING’s acquisition of Aetna Financial
Services. Prior to this acquisition, she served as General Counsel and
Chief Compliance Officer of Aetna. Murphy holds a Juris Doctorate
degree with highest honors from the University of Connecticut, and
graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both
Economics and Political Science from Fairfield University. She is
third-generation Irish-American – her father Charles Murphy’s family
hailed from Cork, while her mother, Christine Connor’s family were
from Kerry. Murphy is married to George Hornyak and they have a
son, Jack.
AnthonyMurphyHSBC
Anthony (Tony) Murphy is sen-
ior executive vice president of
strategy implementation at HSBC
North America Holdings Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of
HSBC Holdings plc
(NYSE:HBC). In previous roles
with HSBC, Murphy was Head of
Portfolio Management for HSBC
North America and President and
Chief Executive Officer of HSBC
Securities (USA) Inc. Before
joining HSBC
in 1990, he held
positions at
Towers, Perrin,
Forster and
Crosby, HSBC
James Capel &
Co. and Nomura
International, based in London.
Throughout his career, Murphy
has been a consistent advocate for
enhancing workplace diversity
and a promoter of community
outreach initiatives in the educa-
tion field. Born in Dublin, he
earned his degree in Mathematics
and Physics from Trinity College,
Dublin. He holds a Ph.D. in
Theoretical Physics from Oxford
University, and is a Fellow of the
UK Institute of Actuaries. Married
with two children, aged 19 and
13, Murphy counts trekking and
photography among his many
interests.
Conor MurphyMetLife
As vice president and head of
investor relations for MetLife,
Conor Murphy
manages coordi-
nation and exe-
cution of pre-
senting MetLife’s
financial results
and strategies to
the analyst and
investor commu-
nity. Murphy was appointed to
his current position in November
2007. He has been with MetLife
since October 2000 after seven
years with PWC LLP. Conor
spent his early career with Grant
Thornton LLP in Dublin.
A past president of the
Association of Chartered
Accountants, Murphy is a certi-
fied public accountant and mem-
ber of the Massachusetts Society
of CPAs.
Murphy is known for telling
people, “I’m a Donegal man, my
home (and heart) has always
been Donegal, where the third
generation of Murphys still run
the family store, ‘Murphy of
Ireland.’ ” Murphy resides in
Westchester County, NY with his
wife Ani and sons Jack and
Aidan but remains close to his
family who still live in Donegal.
His favorite quote, “We are our
father’s sons,” comes from
Douglas Hyde, the first President
of Ireland, and reflects his great
admiration for his father.
ThomasMcInerney ING
Thomas J. McInerney is the
Chairman & CEO of ING
Insurance Americas and also
serves on the
ING Group
Executive
Board. He is
responsible for
all United States
Financial
Services (USFS)
businesses, which includes
retirement, investment, mutual
funds, insurance, employee ben-
efits, reinsurance and asset man-
agement products and services
across the United States.
McInerney was president of
Aetna Financial Services and
joined ING after they acquired
Aetna Financial in December
2000. After graduating with hon-
ors from Colgate University in
1978 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Economics, McInerney
received a Master of Business
Administration degree, with a
concentration in Finance and
Investments, from the Tuck
School of Business at Dartmouth
College in 1982.
A fourth-generation Irish-
American with roots in Counties
Clare and Cork, McInerney’s
great-grandparents, both mater-
nal and paternal, came to the
United States in the 1840’s and
50’s.
SeamusMcMahonBooz & Company
Seamus McMahon is the Vice
President of Financial Services
at Booz & Company, based in
New York. A partner in Booz
from 1991-1995, he went to
HSBC Bank USA and then
rejoined the firm in October
2006. In his current position
McMahon leads the commercial
banking practice in the United
States. Prior to rejoining the firm
McMahon held leadership posi-
tions at other consulting firms
and had line responsibilities at
Toronto Dominion Bank and
HSBC Group.
McMahon, whose roots are in
counties Monaghan and
Tipperary, attended Trinity
College, Dublin where he gradu-
ated with a BA in Economics.
Asked what his Irish heritage
means to him, McMahon
answers, “My Irish heritage
anchors me and
secures my
sense of commu-
nity – especially
important in
fast-moving
New York.”
McMahon cur-
rently serves on the board of the
National Council on Economic
Education and on the Advisory
Board of Enterprise Ireland. He
has two children and lives in
New York.
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John T. O’NealDST Systems, Inc.
As vice president of DST Systems, Inc., and presi-
dent of DST Securities, Inc., John O’Neal developed
the most widely used mutual fund accounting system
in the country, the DST Portfolio Accounting System
(PAS). And after 30 years with DST, he continues to
work in business development and special projects.
O’Neal, who holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the
University of Missouri, Kansas City, and retired from the Missouri
Army National Guard in 1992 as a Lt. Colonel, continues to research
his Irish ancestors who emigrated in the 1790s. He supports various
Irish organizations including the Irish Museum and Cultural Center of
Kansas City, and the Celtic Fringe of Kansas City.
In 2006, O’Neal was honored with the Greater Kansas City Irish
Unification Award by the AOH of Kansas City for his work improving
communications between various Irish organizations.
O’Neal currently resides in Overland Park, Kansas with his wife. He
is dedicated to ensuring that his two children and three grandchildren
know and celebrate their Irish heritage.
Thomas RyanING Capital
Thomas Ryan is Managing
Director and Regional Head of
the Americas
for the Financial
Engineering
Group at ING
Capital based in
New York. He
is the youngest
managing direc-
tor in ING Capital and under his
leadership the group has grown
to be the largest revenue-genera-
tor for ING Capital in the region.
Ryan joined ING 14 years ago
after a short period at NCB
Stockbrokers in Dublin. He
moved to New York in
November of 2001 to help
develop the Financial
Engineering business for ING in
the U.S. and was made regional
head of the group in 2003.
Ryan has a degree in Business
Studies from the University of
Limerick and received a master’s
of science in Economics from the
Center for Economic Research in
Tilburg, the Netherlands. Since
coming to New York as a student
many years ago, Ryan is fulfill-
ing a dream by working in the
finance sector with ING.
A member of The American
Ireland Fund, Ryan is also on the
advisory committees of the
SDLP USA and the University
of Limerick Foundation. He
lives in New York with his wife
Dawn and their daughter Alice,
born in March 2008.
Arthur Ryan Prudential Financial
After 14 years as Chairman
and CEO of Prudential Financial,
Inc., one of the largest diversified
financial institutions in the
world, Arthur F. Ryan retired in
May 2008. When Ryan took the
position in 1994, he became the
first Chairman and CEO in the
company’s history to be elected
from outside the company.
Prior to joining Prudential
Financial, Ryan was President
and COO of Chase Manhattan
Bank. Ryan was named chair-
man of the American Council of
Life Insurers in October 2003.
He is also
co-chair of the
New Jersey
Performing
Arts Center.
Ryan is a
member of the
Council on
Foreign Relations and the board
of trustees of New York
Presbyterian Hospital,
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
He serves as co-chair of the
board of Achieve, Inc., an organ-
ization created by U.S. gover-
nors and business leaders to pro-
mote high academic standards
for public schools in the U.S.
Ryan, who graduated from
Providence College with a
degree in mathematics, is a sec-
ond-generation Irish-American
whose family hails from County
Tipperary. He is married with
four children.
Brian A. Ruane The Bank of New York Mellon
Brian Ruane is Executive Vice President and Head
of Financial Institutions at The Bank of New York
Mellon. He is responsible for relationships and busi-
ness development for Broker/Dealers, Banks and
Hedge Funds globally. Ruane also sits on the Board of
Pershing LLC, the bank’s NYSE Broker/Dealer and
BNY Mellon Financial Services PLC, the bank’s Irish domiciled bank.
Ruane graduated from Colaiste Eanna in Dublin in 1982. In 1989, he
graduated from The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in the
U.K. and Ireland. In 1995, he received his MBA from The Zarb School of
Business, New York, and in 2004, he was asked to sit on The Federal
Reserve’s Working Committee on the Future of the U.S. Treasury Market.
His father comes from Crossmolina, County Mayo and his mother is from
Drumhaldry, County Longford. He and wife Anna Lynch, who is from
Dublin, live in New York with their four children.
Ruane sits on the advisory boards of the UCD Michael Smurfit
School of Business, Dublin, and the Zarb School of Business, New
York.
JohnO’Donoghue SG Cowen & Co. LLC
John F. O’Donoghue is the
Head of Equities at Cowen &
Company LLC and a member of
the firm’s Executive Committee.
As such, O’Donoghue oversees
the firm’s research sales, sales
trading, and all trading areas of
the firm, along with strategic
planning and expansion of the
firm’s franchise.
Prior to join-
ing Cowen in
2005,
O’Donoghue
was Managing
Director and Co-
Head of Trading
at Credit Suisse
First Boston and was a member
of that firm’s Global Equity
Operating Committee. Prior to
that, he was a partner at
Schroders PLC and spent 24
years working with Schroders,
including six years as Managing
Director.
A native of County Down,
O’Donoghue received an honors
B.Sc. degree in Economics from
Queen’s University in Belfast.
He moved to the United States
in 1980 and has been active in
the American Ireland Fund, serv-
ing on the last seven chairman’s
committees for the annual New
York Gala. O’Donoghue also
serves on the QUB Advisory
Board (US) and is married with
two sons.
Ciaran O’KellyBank of America
Ciaran O’Kelly is Head of
Global Equities at Bank of
America, with responsibility for
cash and derivatives sales and
trading, institutional sales, elec-
tronic trading, NYSE Specialist,
prime brokerage and equity capi-
tal markets.
O’Kelly joined Bank of
America in 2002 as Head of
Equity Trading, with a mandate
to significantly grow the firm’s
Global Equities business.
During his tenure at the firm, he
has held leadership roles across
Markets and Banking, including
Head of U.S. Equities and Head
of Equity Capital Markets.
Prior to joining Bank of
America, he worked at Citigroup
/Smith Barney for 11 years, most
recently as Head of Equity
Trading from 2000 to 2002.
O’Kelly, who received a
Bachelor of Business Studies
from Dublin City University in
1989, is a mem-
ber of New York
University’s
Glucksman
Ireland House
and The
American
Ireland Fund
(AIF). He has served on the
chairman’s committee for the
annual AIF New York gala for
seven years. O’Kelly lives in
Manhattan with his wife Lisa
and their three sons.
IA.42-52.qxd 7/10/08 4:45 PM Page 49
52 IRISH AMERICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2008
James SweeneyMFS
James Sweeney is the Vice President of
the Broker/Dealer Division of MFS Fund
Distributors, Inc.
Sweeney joined MFS in 1997 from
Smith Barney, Inc.,
where he had held
positions as Divisional
Sales Director and
Senior Sales Director
of Mutual Funds since
1991. Prior to that he
held sales manage-
ment positions in the Direct Investments
Department of Shearson Lehman
Brothers, and from 1981 to 1986 he
worked for Prudential-Bache Securities in
the Direct Investment and Legal
Departments. He is a graduate of the
University of Notre Dame and New York
University School of Law.
A second-generation Irish-American,
Sweeney said: “The history of the Irish
teaches us that adversity can be overcome
with a positive attitude, hard work and a
sense of humor.” His father’s family is
from County Mayo, his mother’s from
County Clare.
A native of Queens, Sweeney works in
New York City and is married with two
children.
Maureen White takes her Irish heritage very
seriously– she’s helping to build a new Irish-
American Cultural Center in New York City. White,
who is Chairman of the Board of Overseers of The
International Rescue Committee (IRC), has been
active with a number of organizations which focused
on international humanitarian issues. But her Irish
roots are very close to her heart, and so is her hus-
band, financier Steven Rattner, who is supportive of her efforts. The
couple recently opened their home on Fifth Avenue, New York City, for
a fundraising event for the Irish-American Center with actor Gabriel
Byrne, who is also on board on the project, serving as the special guest.
White was also a guest speaker at the Irish-American Forum in New
York last November – she spoke on philanthropy. A third-generation
Irish-American with roots in Cork and Kilkenny, she served as National
Finance Chair of the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and was
the National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee for
five years. She also had a career in international economic research,
working with the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London and
the Nomura Research Institute in Tokyo, and First Boston Corporation
and Globe Finlay International.
White, who received her BA from Mount Holyoke College and her
MSc from the London School of Economics, is currently on the Board
of the International Women’s Health Coalition and the Chatham House
Foundation. She and husband Steven, have four children.
Steven Rattner is Managing Principal of Quadrangle
Group LLC, a private investment firm with more than
$6 billion of assets under management. Quadrangle
invests in media and communications companies
through separate private and public investment strate-
gies and across all asset classes through its asset man-
agement business. Quadrangle has offices in New York,
London and Silicon Valley and will be opening an
office later this year in Hong Kong. Prior to the formation of
Quadrangle in March 2000, Rattner served as Deputy Chairman and
Deputy CEO of Lazard Frères & Co. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Rattner founded the firm’s Media and Communications
Group and was involved in
many of the largest and most
important transactions in the
industry. Rattner received his
BA in economics from Brown
and was later awarded the
Harvey Baker Fellowship. He
is a former Chairman of thir-
teen.org and is also a Trustee
of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, and an Honorary
Trustee of the Brookings
Institution.
Sharon SagerUBS Private WealthManagement
Sharon Sager, Senior Vice President,
Investments, is a Private Wealth Advisor at
UBS Financial Services Inc. A 25-year veter-
an of the financial securities
industry, Sharon previously
worked in the textile industry.
She graduated from the
College of Mount St. Vincent,
Riverdale, New York, with a
bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
Later, she obtained the
Certified Investment Analyst (CIMA) degree
from the Investment Management Consultants
Association. In 1983, she began her financial
career at Kidder Peabody & Co., which
merged with Paine Webber in 1995 and UBS
in 2000. Sager is a member of the board of
directors of C-CAP (Careers Through
Culinary Arts Program), former co-chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Women’s
Venture Fund, a not-for-profit micro lender,
and served in the President’s Circle of the
James Beard Foundation. In 2006, 2007 and
2008 Sager was named one of Barron’s Top
100 Women Financial Advisors. Sager is a
second-generation Irish-American and, true to
her roots, she holds membership in the Irish
Georgian Society and the New York Irish
History Roundtable. Her father’s family the
O’Tooles are from County Galway, while her
mother’s, the Carrolls, hail from County Cork.
Brian SweeneyMarco Polo Network
Brian Sweeney is one of the founding
members of Marco Polo Network, which
was established in New York City in 2001.
He currently serves as managing director of
the financial services firm with a special-
ized focus on emerging markets.
With offices across the major emerging
markets, Marco Polo Network is one of the
fastest growing platforms capitalizing on
global demand for emerging market invest-
ments and the growth of new marketplaces
across the globe. Sweeney, who has over
15 years experience in
trading and operations,
is responsible for client
strategy and sales of
equities, futures and
fixed income to Quant
Funds and Proprietary
Trading Desks in
Europe and the USA. He began his career
at Citigroup before becoming an options
specialist on the NYSE floor, and devel-
oped his emerging markets expertise while
at the Standard Bank of South Africa.
A Dublin native, Sweeney was educated
at Terenure College and University College
of Dublin, where he received a B.A. in
Economics and English. He resides in New
York City with his wife, Fabienne and two
children Liam and Xavier.
STREET50WALL
Maureen White • IRC / Steven Rattner • Quadrangle Group LLC
Husband and wife honorees help promote Irish culture in New York City
Maureen White with Gabriel Byrne at afundraiser in her Manhattan home forThe Irish-American Cultural Center.
IA.42-52.qxd 7/3/08 5:58 PM Page 52
The mere act of flying into Chicago is a reminder of the
Irish impact upon the city. O’Hare International Airport is
named after Lt. Commander Edward Henry “Butch”
O’Hare. The U.S. Navy’s first flying ace, O’Hare was
awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Pacific
during World War II. On November 26, 1943, O’Hare par-
ticipated in the first night attack on Japanese forces. The
29-year-old’s plane was shot down and never recovered.
After the war, Chicago Tribune publisher Colonel Robert
McCormick suggested changing the name of Chicago’s
Orchard Depot Airport in honor of O’Hare.
Bridgeport
1Take a ride through Bridgeport, the South Side neigh-
borhood settled by 19th-century refugees from the
Great Hunger who built the Illinois & MIchigan (I&M) Canal
that connected Chicago to the world. Bridgeport also sent
Edward J. Kelly and the father-and-son Richard J. and
Richard M. Daley to City Hall to become the most power-
ful mayors in the country. Some of the old Canal-era hous-
es are still visible.The novel Galway Bay coming out in
February tells the story of the earliest Chicago Irish.
Gaelic Park
2Opened in 1985, Gaelic Park is a venue for Irish sports, music
and culture, as well as an annual festival.The park also hosts
Chicago Gaelic Athletic Association events, including hurling and
soccer. Gaelic Park, 6119 W. 147th St., Oak Forest, IL, 60452.Tel.
708-687-9323.
Old St. Patrick’s Church
3Founded by Irish immigrants in 1846, the church
survived the great fire of 1871, and still serves
over 3,000 households. Designed by Architect
Thomas O’Shaughnessy, the church features beauti-
ful stained-glass windows (pictured left) which
helped earn it a spot on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1977. Old St. Patrick’s Church: 700
W.Adams St. Chicago.Tel: (312) 648-1021.
Irish-American Heritage Center
4The IAHC was opened officially by Irish presi-
dent Mary Robinson in 1991.The complex fea-
tures a library, museum and even the Fifth Province
pub.The center regularly hosts talks, concerts and
other events.Address: 4626 North Knox Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60630.Tel. 773-282-7035.
Chicago Irish ImmigrationSupport
5Founded in 1998, CIIS continues the tradition of assisting new-
comers to Chicago.Address: 640 North LaSalle Street, #390
Chicago, IL 60610.Tel: 312-337-8445.
6Annual noteworthy Irish events include the Chicago Irish Film
Festival, the IAHC’s annual Fest and, of course, the Chicago St.
Patrick’s Day Parade, which marches north up Columbus Drive
before concluding at Buckingham Fountain.
“Irish” Places to See in Chicago
IA.69.qxd 7/3/08 9:41 AM Page 69
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