Suzanne Shank, founder of the largest Black woman-owned financial firm inducted into The Bond Buyer Hall of Fame

Suzanne Shank is the founder of Siebert Williams Shank & Co. (SWS), the largest woman and minority-owned, non-bank financial firm in the United States. SWS became the largest finance firm following a 2019 merger with Williams Capital Group.

In 2010, the firm was in the top 10 list of senior managers of negotiated transactions. Since then, the firm has consistently ranked among the most active underwriters of publicly traded equity, investment grade corporate debt and municipal debt offerings, according to siebertwilliams.com.

“She is a visionary when it comes to growing our firm,” said Gary Hall, a partner at Siebert Williams Shank. “She’s a wonderful listener, extremely competitive and driven, but also very empathetic. I’ve learned from her more about the use of honey versus the use of lemon,” Hall added.

Shank was recently inducted into The Bond Buyer Hall of Fame, which recognizes and celebrates groundbreaking individuals who have left an indelible legacy on the business of municipal finance and the people and places it represents. Shank was one of five living honorees selected for the first-ever induction, with two others recognized posthumously.

“These individuals are standard-bearers, innovators, trendsetters,” said Michael Scarchilli, Editor in Chief of The Bond Buyer in a news release. “People who have had an indelible impact on the industry they’ve dedicated their professional lives to.”

In a statement, Shank praised her dedicated and hardworking staff for making her journey possible. “I am truly honored for this induction – alongside some remarkable industry peers – into the inaugural Bond Buyer Hall of Fame class,” she said.

Before creating SWS, Shank worked as a Design Engineer with General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division. She transitioned to Wall Street after her MBA, working at various boutique firms before starting Siebert Williams Shank in 1996. Shank has a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology

According to siebertwilliams.com, 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. Besides being named one of USA Today’s Women of the Century in 2020, the Black woman CEO was also inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni at the Georgia Institute of Technology and received the Savannah College of Art and Design Women of Vision Award recently.