Meet the Speakers: Todd G. Sears, Director and Head of Americas Diversity & Inclusion at Credit Suisse
2010 Diversity Leadership Forum Workshop: The Business of Diversity & Inclusion: Defining the Journey
Subject Matter Expert: Todd G. Sears, Director and Head of Americas Diversity & Inclusion at Credit Suisse
Todd Sears is responsibility for the firm’s diversity strategy and implementation across investment banking, private banking, asset management, shared services and IT.
Todd joined Credit Suisse from Merrill Lynch, where he worked for eight years, having most recently served as Head of Strategic Initiatives and Best Practices and a Divisional Diversity Manager for the Global Wealth Management business. As Head of Strategic Initiatives and Best Practices, he was responsible for implementing US strategies to increase both headcount and revenue from diverse financial advisors, ultimately contributing to revenue growth of 21.2% from those advisors in 2007. He also increased the net diverse financial advisor headcount by 5.6% during the same year.
Prior to his role in Diversity, Todd was a Senior Financial Advisor in Merrill’s Global Wealth Management Group for five years, ranking in First Quintile of Merrill Lynch advisors for 16 consecutive quarters. As a financial advisor, Todd established and led a national team of financial advisors focused on the financial planning needs of the LGBT community, the first of its kind on Wall Street, managing over $1.5B.
Prior to Merrill Lynch, Todd worked was a Vice President in investment banking at DeSilva & Phillips LLC, a media mergers & acquisitions firm for three years, where he worked on over 65 transactions. He began his career at Schroders & Co, the UK investment bank, as a transportation analyst.
In the community, Todd is a member of: the Lambda Legal National Leadership Council, the Williams Institute Founders Council, the Lambda Legal Planned Giving Council, the Out & Equal New York Regional Council and the NY LGBT Center’s Corporate Council. He is a member of the SIFMA Diversity Board as well as the Corporate Diversity Board of the Asia Society. Most recently, he joined the Corporate Board of the National Council for Research on Women. He is also a co-founder and co-chair of Jeffrey FashionCares, an annual fashion event, which has raised over $3.2mm for LGBT causes over the past seven years.
Todd is a graduate of Duke University. Todd and his partner, Chris Garvin, an architect, live in Manhattan.