David H. Komansky

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Biographical Information

"Raised in a modest Bronx neighborhood not far from Yankee Stadium, Komansky eventually moved with his parents to Florida. While he kept his affection for the Yankees, he embraced life in the Sunshine State and attended the University of Miami School of Business. After a stint in the Coast Guard, he began his Merrill Lynch career in 1968, working as a $650-a-month salesman in the company's Forest Hills, N.Y., office.

"Komansky held a succession of management positions across Merrill Lynch's major business areas, which involved everything from heading up the company's real estate business to helping build its capital-markets franchise. Along the way, he found time to complete the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1990. In 1995, he was named president and chief operating officer of Merrill Lynch, a post he held until becoming CEO a year later. In 1997, he also took on the position of chairman of the board... Komansky has also been involved in a variety of civic activities. In addition to serving on the School of Business Board of Overseers, he has served on the boards of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York City Investment Fund, among others. In 2005, he and his wife, Phyllis, provided funding for the Komansky Center for Children's Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is a member of the board of directors of asset management, risk management and advisory company BlackRock Inc., and serves on the International Advisory Board of the British-American Business Council."

Affiliations

• Chairman Emeritus, Merrill Lynch & Co.