M. Lewis Jr. Managing Director & Co-Chairman, Investment Banking. Lazard Fréres & Co. L.L.C. New York, NY Age: 50. Bottom Line: Lewis joined the investment banking arm of this global financial services firm in 2004. By year-end 2005, M&A revenues at Lazard increased by 40% to $674.5 million. He spent the majority of his career at Morgan Stanley, where he was elected managing director in 1989, becoming the first African American to do so. Co-head of the Global Banking Department, Lewis’ department accounted for more than $2 billion in revenues.
William E. Lighten. Managing Director, Mortgage Capital Division/ Chairman & CEO, Lehman Brothers Bank FSB. Lehman Brothers Bank New York, NYAge: 42. Bottom Line: As global head of Lehman’s Mortgage Capital Division, Lighten has been instrumental in building the firm’s securitization and mortgage loan origination businesses worldwide. The industry veteran also serves as chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers Bank FSB and a member of the firm’s powerful management committee. Over the course of his 15-year career at the investment bank, Lighten helped to build one of Wall Street’s leading structured finance franchises and remained as global head of the business for over a decade. Lehman Brothers has $20.6 billion in assets under management as of March 2006.
James Mason. Managing Partner Parish Capital Advisors L.L.P. Chapel Hill, NC. Age: 37. Bottom Line: In just three years, Mason and his partners have raised more than $1 billion and closed the first private equity fund. Set up as a fund of funds, Parish pumps money primarily into early-stage venture capital funds and small- and middle-market buyout funds. Parish’s portfolio includes Ascend Ventures, which has about $160 million in capital under management. Some of Mason’s experience stems from serving as an M.B.A. adviser. He was formerly director of private investments for Duke University Management Co., where he oversaw $2 billion in private equity.
Wendell McCain. Managing Partner Parish Capital Advisors L.L.P. Chapel Hill, NC. Age: 36. Bottom Line: McCain is recognized as a leader among emerging private equity managers. He has spent the last 10 years focused on alternate asset cla
sses. In his current position he seeks not only
to create wealth among institutional investors but to ultimately influence public policy decisions. The 2005 Eisenhower Fellow went to China to learn firsthand about the country’s economy. Prior to founding Parish Capital, McCain served as vice president of BancBoston Ventures, where his group managed a $600 million diversified private equity portfolio.
Reuben R. McDaniel III. Co-Chairman & President Jackson Securities Atlanta, GA. Age: 44. Bottom Line: With McDaniel at the helm, Jackson Securities has sustained double-digit revenue growth and diversified revenue streams by establishing a corporate finance group, an institutional sales and trading group, and a wealth management group. In June 2005, Jackson Securities, which ranked No. 7 on the BE INVESTMENT BANKS list that year, merged with Berean Capital Inc. to form a firm with greater geographic coverage. The result: a more than 13% increase in revenues.
Raymond J. McGuire. Managing Director &Co-Head, GlobalInvestment Banking Citigroup New