It’s not easy being a Black woman in finance, but Suzanne Shank makes it look like a cakewalk.
Shank, who is the president and CEO of Siebert Williams Shank & Co. (SWS), the nation’s largest woman- and minority-owned, non-bank financial firm, was recently inducted into the inaugural Bond Buyer Hall of Fame, presented by financial publication The Bond Buyer.
The program recognizes and celebrates groundbreaking individuals who made their mark on municipal finance enterprising. Shank, along with five other honorees, were recognized for their significant contributions over the course of their storied careers.
“These individuals are standard-bearers, innovators, trend-setters — people who have had an indelible impact on the industry they’ve dedicated their professional lives to,” said Michael Scarchilli, Editor in Chief of The Bond Buyer in a news release shared with ESSENCE.
Shank co-founded her firm in 1996 and toppled industry barriers over the course of her more than 35-year career.
“I have had the great fortune to have accomplished, trailblazing partners as well as hardworking, dedicated employees who have made my journey possible. I am truly honored for this induction – alongside some remarkable industry peers – into the inaugural Bond Buyer Hall of Fame class,” Shank said in a news release.
The honor is a weighty one, as there are only 627 venture-capital firms are majority-owned by women and/or ethnic minorities in the United States as of last year.
“Suzanne Shank is the best embodiment of leading by example,” Gary Hall, Partner, and Head of Investment Banking for Infrastructure & Public Finance at Siebert Williams Shank. “She is the hardest working and most tenacious competitor I have ever met, period. Moreover, her commitment to decency and treating all with common respect is infectious.”