Chavon Sutton To Lead NYC Bureau of Asset Management’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Chavon Sutton will step into a newly created role as the director of Diversity and Inclusion within New York City’s Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) where she will support all of the agency’s efforts to expand engagement with and utilization of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) and emerging manager firms for the New York City pension funds. She will also work to further workplace diversity initiatives with investment managers, MWBE groups, and service groups and service providers.

With over 10 years of experience in banking and investment management, Sutton brings a wealth of financial services experience to BAM’s diversity efforts, as well as a journalistic background, which she credits for her honed communications skill, having written articles about personal finance, the global markets, and economics for Forbes.com, Reuters News, and CNNMoney.com.

“I laugh when people talk about certain skill set,” Sutton told Black Enterprise. “My journalism background is my secret weapon, and it is what has helped me communicate with people in plain English, especially when you work in the financial services industry.”

Sutton began her finance career as a credit analyst covering financial institutions at Bank of America, before moving on to RBC Capital where she worked as a corporate banker. Prior to joining New York City Comptroller as director, she was vice president at JPMorgan’s Asset and Wealth Management division, where she provided clients customized investment advice and solutions across a variety of asset classes and strategies. While at JPMorgan, she managed client relationships consisting of high- and ultra-high net worth individuals, endowments and foundations, totaling approximately $150 million in investable assets. She most recently served as an independent adviser at a small emerging manager, Momentum Advisors L.L.C.

“The Director of Diversity and Inclusion is a critical new position within our Bureau of Asset Management and Chavon Sutton is the person for the job,” said New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. “With years of rich and relevant experience across the financial sector, Chavon brings expertise, energy and perspective to our team. I am confident she will hit the ground running and that her work will have a positive impact on the fund’s portfolios.”

A native of Newark, New Jersey, Sutton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Arts in Journalism as well as a Masters of Business Administration from New York University.