Vice Chairman & Managing Director of GCM, Morgan Stanley. Recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as One of the “Most Powerful Women in Corporate America”.

Melissa James is Vice Chairman of Global Capital Markets (GCM), Morgan Stanley, where she runs the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts for the division. She also serves as an outside Advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Investment Committee. Melissa has been recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Corporate America”, and the “Top 75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street”. The Network Journal has recognized her as one of the “25 Influential Black Women in Business”.

Melissa provides risk management oversight and governance for all lending businesses in GCM, optimizing capital, liquidity and balance sheet. In her current capacity, she has advised clients on a wide variety of corporate finance related matters including acquisitions, divestitures, capital structure optimization, balance sheet management and ratings advisory. She also sits on the board of Global Capital Markets and is a member of the Asset Liability Committee for the Securities Division, the Securities Division’s Diversity Council and Morgan Stanley’s Women’s Business Alliance Steering Committee.

A topic of great value in today's C-Suite. Peter Dean
Compassion is empathy in action. Thank you for that! Gabe Tuan
Thank you so much. Inspired as always by you and your guests! Hilary Arenstein

In this episode of Intersections, Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa has a conversation with Melissa James on the topic “Business and Social Responsibility (A Wall Street Perspective)”.

We are living in a time of radical change. No longer is it sufficient for corporations to only maximize shareholder value. Investors, employees, customers and communities are expecting businesses to offer products and services that serve the social good. And to create cultures of inclusion and diversity that value people of all backgrounds. What can we learn from a pioneering Wall Street leader about how to bring social change to big business - and to be part of the change ourselves?

“Mistakes are a part of being human.”

Melissa James

The episode “Business and Social Responsibility (A Wall Street Perspective)” offers key insights on:

How to practice one’s own personal leadership in an imperfect but evolving world
What’s real - and what’s hype - in how corporations are pursuing social impact today
The re-orientation and re-tooling a business has to do to become a more purpose-driven organization