Unequaled

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James A. Runde is a trusted adviser to a number of the world's leading companies, both as an investment banker and as an independent corporate director. He is the longest-serving investment banker at a single U.S. firm, having spent over 40 years at Morgan Stanley. Jim is a director of the Kroger Company, the large national grocery chain, and previously served as a director of Burlington Resources, a large exploration and production company. He is also a trustee of the Morgan Library and Marquette University.

Jim grew up in Sparta, Wisconsin. He was awarded a scholarship from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and pursued an electrical engineering degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee. Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for five years while also earning a master's degree in finance from George Washington University School of Business.

Jim is well known for his role advising UPS on its famous and difficult decision to go public. He is widely recognized for his transportation and infrastructure expertise, and has testified before Congress.

Within Morgan Stanley, Jim's skills as a banker became legendary, as it became apparent that Jim was equally effective in the technology and energy sectors as he was in transportation. Jim was appointed vice chairman. In addition to his client-facing roles, Jim was asked if he could educate other bankers about emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), trust-based client relationships, and other soft skills. It ...