• Born in 1952 in Savannah, Georgia
• Attended Georgia Institute of Technology and Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
• Co-founded Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC in 1996
• Named to Essence magazine's 2008 Power list, one of the top women in finance by US Banker Magazine, WealthManagerWeb.com, and American Banker Magazine, and one of the 50 Most Influential Black Women in Business by Black Enterprise magazine
• Net Worth in early 2019 estimated to be over $3 billion
Known for movies
Children of the Mist: The Lost Tribe 2005
as Actress
Contents
Who is Suzanne Shank?
Born on an unspecified date in 1952, in Savannah, Georgia USA, Suzanne Shank is an African-American civil engineer, businesswoman and CEO. She is definitely known to the world for a multitude of highly admirable business achievements, some of which have set new standards world-wide, one of them being the fact that she is the first African-American woman to be at the top of a publicly traded financial services institution. She has also had a massive number of other successes over the course of her sometimes lucrative businesswoman career since 1987.
Early Life: A Promising Child
Suzanne was raised an only child in her birthplace her father Roger Shank, who was a bus driver, and her mother Mary Shank, who was a school administrator. Her earliest interests are unknown, but there is the fact that she was a skilled writer among her peers. At the age of 10, she won an essay contest related to why she loved Savannah, and thus appeared at the opening of a new convention center. As for her education, she attended an unspecified local high school, from which she was directed towards social engineering by her high school guidance counselor. She first furthered her education by enrolling in the Georgia Institute of Technology, from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1983. However, after her short work experience related to submarine noise mitigation, she decided she wanted to pursue a different career, and in 1985 she enrolled into Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, from where she graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree in finance in 1987.
Career: A Fortuitous Path
As mentioned in an article published by New York Times that Suzanne herself wrote, entitled “From a Crisis, Opportunity”, she first started gaining experience on Wall Street in August 1987, even though that wasn’t recommended for someone with her degree. Then, in her own words: ‘Black Monday occurred two months later, and large financial firms started laying people off. I learned that business is cyclical and that out of crisis comes opportunity. Over the next 10 years, I worked for several companies, including James J. Lowrey & Company, a financial advisory firm.’ Over the years of garnering a good amount of invaluable work experience, Suzanne eventually met businessman Napoleon Brandford III, specifically around 1996.
The Founding of Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC.
In the same year, the two were approached by Muriel Siebert, a prominent businesswoman and the world’s first woman to buy her own seat on the stock exchange. She proposed the idea that the three of them should work together and form a municipal finance firm, to which Suzanne was to be CEO and Napoleon chairman. Suzanne gladly accepted and took up the position, and the firm Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC. has been blooming ever since. They were even able to navigate relatively easily through the financial crisis of 2008, while it was in 2010 in the top 10 municipal finance firms in revenue, which was the first such achievement for a minority- and woman-owned company. Suzanne retired in 2016.
Murel’s Legacy
Even though Muriel co-founded Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC. with Suzanne, Muriel Faye Siebert, also known as ‘The First Woman of Finance’, has had her own company Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. since 1967. Upon Muriel’s passing on the 24th of August 2013, at aged 84, Suzanne was appointed acting CEO of Siebert’s company, also known as the Siebert Financial Corporation. Suzanne often says that Muriel and Napoleon were the two main tutors that made her career much more prosperous. Muriel, as one of the two, has had a New York Stock Exchange room’s name dedicated to her in memoriam in 2016, which is the first time any such room was named after anyone – Siebert Hall.
Love Life: Her Husband and Family
As for Suzanne’s romantic involvements, there is virtually no information across authoritative sources regarding any of her partners. However, it is known that she is married, though the identity of her husband, the details of their wedding and the history of their relationship are a complete mystery. Together, they have two daughters, named Devin and Camryn, whose surnames and birthdates are also unknown. Lastly, there have not been any rumors surrounding Suzanne’s love life, and she has never been seen attending any public events in particular male company. She is thought to reside with her husband and daughters at an undisclosed location in the US.
Her Massive Fame
Suzanne is considered one of the most influential women in finance, and thus carries many titles that she’s accumulated over the years. One of the first was being named to Essence magazine’s 2008 Power list. She was also named one of the top women in finance in 2010 by US Banker Magazine, WealthManagerWeb.com, and American Banker Magazine. Black Enterprise magazine listed her as one of the 50 Most Influential Black Women in Business, and one of the 75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street. Additionally, Wharton School recognized her from over 100,000 graduates into its 125 Influential People and Ideas list. Lastly, she was named Entrepreneur of the Year by National Association of Securities Professionals.
She Helped Students
She was in 2010 situated in Detroit and working for her company, when she was asked to help and co-found an internship program that focuses on allowing job financing for inner-city students, named Detroit Summer Finance Institute. Even though the general view of the municipal finance sector is usually not as attractive as that of the corporate one, Suzanne took this opportunity to give back to the community in her own way, and thus helped educate various young people on how rewarding her profession can truly be.
Suzanne is #1
TheRichest.com often creates lists about some of the most influential figures from various career paths, and when it comes to Wall Street women in 2016, Suzanne was on top of the list. Ruth Porat and Abigail Johnson were right under her, in spite of the fact that their careers were blooming, while Suzanne’s was at its end. Consequently, Suzanne left the business as a champion of her craft.
What is Suzanne Shank’s Net Worth?
Have you ever wondered how rich Suzanne Shank is, as of early 2019? According to various authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total of Suzanne’s accumulated wealth is over a staggering $3 billion. She made her fortune by being the founding leader and CEO of Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC. for 20 years, and for managing to massively improve this company’s performance thanks to her innovational business strategies. Since Suzanne is retired, her net worth is not likely to increase.
Social Media Presence
Thanks to the ever expanding grasp that social media has on worldwide audiences, it is in the best interests of most celebrities to keep their fans informed about their activities and thus maintain and potentially increase their rating and profit. However, it doesn’t appear as though Suzanne is at all preoccupied with maintaining her involvement in this trend, seeing as her presence on social networks is all but ubiquitous at the moment. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in her name don’t exist.
Social profile links
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
