Pamela Thomas-Graham
Encyclopedia
Pamela Thomas-Graham is an African American
businesswoman and corporate leader. She is a senior executive at Credit Suisse
, where she serves on the bank's 11-member Executive Board.
(B.A.
Economics
- magna cum laude), as well as a graduate of Harvard Business School
and Harvard Law School
, where she served on the Harvard Law Review
. She began her career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she was a summer associate in the investment banking division while she was student at Harvard Business School. The first African American woman to become partner at McKinsey & Company
, the international management consulting
firm, Thomas-Graham served clients in the retail, media and financial services industries. She also served as President and CEO of CNBC
where she led the $500 million network to become one of the most profitable cable TV properties in the nation. During her tenure, she hired such on-air talent as Jim Cramer, and she led the network to win its first Peabody Award with the Age of Wal-Mart documentary, the first of CNBC's longform documentaries. Thomas-Graham also served as Group President of Liz Claiborne
where she headed a $1.5 billion business unit which included the flagship Liz Claiborne label and 17 other brands. Prior to her joining the company, the Liz Claiborne brand label had suffered 25 quarters of decline, but during her tenure, the label was re-energized and reached top-line sales growth. She has served as Managing Director in the private equity group of a major New York-based asset management firm. She has served on several boards including the Clorox Company, the New York City Opera
, Parsons School of Design, and the Inner City Scholarship Fund.
She is the author of three books, Blue Blood, Orange Crushed, and A Darker Shade Of Crimson, published by Simon & Schuster
. The books have been translated into German and Japanese. She also serves as a member of the Economic Club of New York
, Council on Foreign Relations
and the U.S. Secretary of State's Committee on Transformational Diplomacy. Thomas-Graham has been honored by the National Urban League
, the Financial Women's Association
, the NAACP and Ms. Magazine
. She serves on the Visiting Committee at Harvard Business School and is a well-regarded expert on corporate management issues.
In 2010 she joined the Executive Board of Credit Suisse
as Head Talent Development and Communication.
Thomas-Graham is married to Lawrence Otis Graham
, a corporate and labor attorney and New York Times bestselling author of 14 books dealing with politics, business and culture. They have three children and live in the New York City
area.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
businesswoman and corporate leader. She is a senior executive at Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
, where she serves on the bank's 11-member Executive Board.
Life
Thomas-Graham is a phi beta kappa graduate of Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
- magna cum laude), as well as a graduate of Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where she served on the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
. She began her career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she was a summer associate in the investment banking division while she was student at Harvard Business School. The first African American woman to become partner at McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
, the international management consulting
Management consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
firm, Thomas-Graham served clients in the retail, media and financial services industries. She also served as President and CEO of CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
where she led the $500 million network to become one of the most profitable cable TV properties in the nation. During her tenure, she hired such on-air talent as Jim Cramer, and she led the network to win its first Peabody Award with the Age of Wal-Mart documentary, the first of CNBC's longform documentaries. Thomas-Graham also served as Group President of Liz Claiborne
Liz Claiborne
Anne Elisabeth Jane "Liz" Claiborne was a Belgian-born American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Claiborne is best known for founding Liz Claiborne Inc. which in 1986 became the first company founded by a woman to make the Fortune 500...
where she headed a $1.5 billion business unit which included the flagship Liz Claiborne label and 17 other brands. Prior to her joining the company, the Liz Claiborne brand label had suffered 25 quarters of decline, but during her tenure, the label was re-energized and reached top-line sales growth. She has served as Managing Director in the private equity group of a major New York-based asset management firm. She has served on several boards including the Clorox Company, the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, Parsons School of Design, and the Inner City Scholarship Fund.
She is the author of three books, Blue Blood, Orange Crushed, and A Darker Shade Of Crimson, published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. The books have been translated into German and Japanese. She also serves as a member of the Economic Club of New York
The Economic Club of New York
The Economic Club of New York is a non-profit and non-partisan membership organization located in New York City and founded in 1907. Its stated purpose is the promotion of the study and discussion of social, economic, and political questions....
, Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
and the U.S. Secretary of State's Committee on Transformational Diplomacy. Thomas-Graham has been honored by the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
, the Financial Women's Association
Financial Women's Association
The Financial Women's Association is a New York-based network of female professionals from various sectors of the financial world. The organization is focused on enhancing the role of women in finance, as well as fostering the development of young female leaders.- History :In 1956, eight women on...
, the NAACP and Ms. Magazine
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
. She serves on the Visiting Committee at Harvard Business School and is a well-regarded expert on corporate management issues.
In 2010 she joined the Executive Board of Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
as Head Talent Development and Communication.
Thomas-Graham is married to Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham is an African-American attorney, speaker, and a named best-selling author by The New York Times.-Biography:Lawrence Otis Graham was born in New York, New York and raised in Westchester County, NY....
, a corporate and labor attorney and New York Times bestselling author of 14 books dealing with politics, business and culture. They have three children and live in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area.
External links
- USA Today: USA Today profile- Pamela Thomas-Graham
- CNN Money interview: 2007 business interview of Thomas-Graham
- Interview of author Thomas-Graham: Thomas-Graham, Author
- Conde Nast Portfolio business magazine profile: Pamela Thomas-Graham business profile
- Simon & Schuster Author page
- The Black Collegian: Reflections on Success
- Celebration 50: What I Learned At Harvard Law School
- Ms. Magazine -profile of Thomas-Graham- Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year
- Charlie Rose interview of Thomas-Graham