David Komansky
{{Short description|American businessman and CEO of Merrill Lynch (1939–2021)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Komansky
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = David Herman KomanskyNew York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910–1965
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|04|27}}
| birth_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|09|27|1939|04|17}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| nationality =
| occupation = Banker
| years_active =
| known_for = Chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch & Company
| spouse =
| children = 2
}}
David Herman Komansky (April 27, 1939 – September 27, 2021) was an American banker who was chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch & Company.{{Cite news|date=2021-09-28|title=Komansky, CEO Who Led Merrill's Global Growth, Dies at 82|language=en|work=Bloomberg|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-28/david-komansky-ceo-who-led-merrill-s-global-growth-dies-at-82|access-date=2021-10-01}}[http://www.leadersmag.com/issues/2013.4_Oct/New%20York%20City/LEADERS-David-Komansky-Merrill-Lynch.html "Leadership Lessons: An Interview with David H. Komansky, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.,"] Leaders Online, 4 October 2013.{{Cite web|title=David H. Komansky Obituary (1939 - 2021) Westport News|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/westport-news/name/david-komansky-obituary?pid=200261312|access-date=1 October 2021|website=Legacy.com}}
Early life and education
Komansky was born in 1939 in Manhattan, the son of William Komansky (1901–1975),{{cite news |title=William Komansky |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/302295021/?article=e3107e75-e579-4f46-b457-ee8fc34b85fb&focus=0.7490804,0.39869192,0.84661657,0.44544813&xid=3355 |access-date=August 9, 2024 |work=The Miami News |date=December 24, 1975 |page=4}} a Ukrainian Jew who emigrated from Odesa as a child.New York, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794–1943 His mother, Mae Rachel Burke, was Irish Catholic.{{Cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Lananh|date=2021-10-05|title=David H. Komansky, Global-Minded Chief of Merrill Lynch, Dies at 82|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/business/david-h-komansky-dead.html|access-date=2021-10-05|issn=0362-4331}} His maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland.1880 United States census
He served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and then attended the University of Miami School of Business at the University of Miami in 1965. He dropped out of college without obtaining a degree.{{Cite news |date=October 5, 2021 |title=David H. Komansky, Global-Minded Chief of Merrill Lynch, Dies at 82 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/business/david-h-komansky-dead.html |work=The New York Times}} He later completed the highly selective Advanced Management Program for senior executives at Harvard University.{{Cite news |date=April 2020 |title=Building Relationships: An Interview with David H. Komansky |url=https://www.leadersmag.com/issues/2020.2_Apr/Purpose/LEADERS-David-Komansky.html}}
Career
In 1968, Komansky joined Merrill Lynch as a broker. He became a regional director in 1981 and an executive vice president in 1990. Komansky served as a director and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch from December 1996 to December 2002, and as a director, president and chief operating officer of the firm from January 1995 to December 1996. Komansky retired as chairman from Merrill Lynch in July 2003.
He served as a director of BlackRock and as a member of the international advisory board of the British American Business Council. He was also a member of the board of directors of London-based WPP plc, a business conglomerate. In 2001, he was appointed to the board of trustees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.{{cite web|title=Hospital Leadership - Board of Trustees|url=http://nyp.org/about/board-trustees.html|publisher=New York Presbyterian|accessdate=7 July 2019}}
=Philanthropy=
In July 2005, Komansky established the Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City to make medical care more accessible, advanced, and supportive of the needs of young patients and their families.
Personal life
He was married and had two daughters, Jennifer and Elyssa.
Death
Footnotes
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{C-SPAN|56850}}
- [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/westport-news/name/david-komansky-obituary?id=18643652 "David Komansky"] obituary at Legacy.com
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Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Category:Businesspeople from Manhattan
Category:American chief executives of financial services companies