Joseph Willett is an American

investment banker Investment banking is an advisory-based financial service for institutional investors, corporations, governments, and similar clients. Traditionally associated with corporate finance, such a bank might assist in raising financial capital by unde ...

who served as the

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

(CFO) of investment bank Merrill Lynch & Co. from 1993 to 1998. He would go on to serve as the

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

(COO) Merrill Lynch's European operations from 1998 to 2002, succeeded by

Andrea Orcel Andrea Orcel (; born May 14, 1963) is an Italian investment banker who is CEO of UniCredit. He was the president of UBS, UBS Investment Bank from November 2014 to September 2018. He was poised to take on the role of Chief Executive of Banco Sant ...

Early life and education

He attended

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ) is the List of municipalities in Maine, second most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with the city's population at 37,121 as of the 2020 United States census. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, Augusta, the sta ...

graduating in 1973 with degrees in economics and mathematics, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' and in

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. He went on to attend the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

for his M.B.A. in 1975.

Career

Willit worked at

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and financial services holding ...

–a firm later absorbed to create

JP Morgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is the largest bank in the United States, and the world's largest bank by mark ...

–during the 1970s, eventually rising to become a Vice President at the firm. While at Chase, he worked primarily in their financial policy division. He first joined Merrill Lynch & Co. in 1992, working in their

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

offices as director of financial planning. He was appointed the

(CFO) of the firm from 1993 to 1998 after which he was asked to serve as the

(COO) Merrill Lynch's European operations.

Personal life

Willett lives in

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban commuter town, bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown M ...

with his wife, Janice and three children. On January 18, 2012, he donated $3.5 million to the University of Rochester to fund scholarships and faculty positions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willett, Joseph Bates College alumni American investment bankers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) People from Ridgewood, New Jersey

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References