Robert J. "Bob" McCann
Robert J. “Bob” McCann was named the Chief Executive Officer of UBS Group Americas on December 1, 2011. He has led its Wealth Management Americas division and served as a member of the UBS AG Group Executive Board since October 27, 2009.
Career
UBS Group Americas
Robert J. “Bob” McCann was named CEO UBS Group Americas in December 2011. McCann remains head of Wealth Management Americas and a member of the UBS AG Group Executive Board, roles he took on when he joined the firm in October 2009.
WMA's 7,000 financial advisors manage $832 billion in client assets . As CEO of UBS Group Americas, McCann coordinates WMA, the Investment Bank and the Asset Management divisions, which do business in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and South America.
McCann has worked with various securities associations and exchanges. He is a former governor of FINRA and board member of the Securities Industry Association.
Revitalizing America: Presidential Conversations About Reigniting the Economy
Investor surveys revealed a dramatic increase in pessimism over the short-term U.S. economic outlook. In particular, they were concerned about the staggering federal debt burden and unemployment. In an effort to address these concerns, Wealth Management Americas conceived Revitalizing America, a key initiative that consists of high-profile speaking engagements along with programs aimed at shaping common ground and exploring ways to reignite the U.S. economy. To date, McCann has presided over several conversations with Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, in which they shared their views on today’s economic challenges and how the country as a whole can work together with the best outcome for future generations. The conversations focused on some of the critical drivers of U.S. competitiveness, including fiscal reform, education and job creation.
Partnership with the Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative
The William J. Clinton Foundation and WMA formed the CEO-UBS Small Business Advisory Program, a philanthropic partnership aimed at boosting business and job growth by bolstering the knowledge and skills of small business owners in underserved communities. The Foundation’s Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative (CEO) and WMA recently concluded the six-month pilot mentorship program in the New York City metropolitan area, where small business owners received guidance from a UBS financial advisor, along with access to WMA clients who are experienced business leaders. In 2012 this programme was rolled out across twenty small firms in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Merrill Lynch & Co.
McCann’s career at Merrill Lynch & Co., which began in 1982, spanned 26 years. Prior to his departure in January 2009, McCann was Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch and President of Global Wealth Management.
During his tenure, McCann held a variety of executive leadership positions. As Head of the Global Equity Trading & Markets Division, he was responsible for trading and risk management activities relating to Merrill’s equity products, which provided issuers and investors access to world markets through the global underwriting, trading and distribution of stocks. In 1998, McCann took over the Global Institutional Client Division, where he was responsible for all debt and equity client relationships, overseeing more than 4,000 institutional investor clients worldwide. In 2001, McCann became a member of the Executive Management Committee and was named Head of Global Securities Research and Economics, responsible for all equity, fixed income and economic research worldwide.
Charitable and other nonprofit pursuits
Bethany College's McCann Learning Center and McCann Family Investment Fund
McCann is the founder of the McCann Learning Center at Bethany College, his alma mater. The mission of the center is to enhance the learning skills of all students, transform the college experience of students with learning disabilities and support the heightened performance of faculty and staff.
McCann also established the McCann Family Student Investment Fund, which enables Bethany students to serve as investment professionals in managing and investing endowment funds. They research stocks, make investment recommendations and execute trades, applying the knowledge they gained in the classroom to real-world financial markets.
In 2010, McCann was awarded with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Bethany College.
American Ireland Fund
McCann first got involved with The American Ireland Fund in 1998. Through his involvement with the American Ireland Fund, his focus has been on education and intercultural communication, where he helped raise funds to build a grade school in Northern Ireland dedicated to integrated education. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.
In 2006, McCann was a recipient of AIF's Leslie C. Quick Jr. Leadership Award.
No Greater Sacrifice
McCann is an Executive Patron and member of the Presidents Circle of No Greater Sacrifice, an organization that funds the education of children of military personnel who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.
Education
McCann graduated from West Virginia’s Bethany College in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was later awarded a fellowship through the Sid W. Richardson Foundation to attend the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, where he earned an M.B.A. in 1982.
Personal life
McCann was born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, he and his wife Cindy, have two daughters, Meredith and Madeline, and live in New Jersey.