Susan Kilsby
{{Short description|American investment banker and businesswoman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Susan Kilsby
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Susan R. Saltzbart
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|55|2014|06|23}}{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
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| nationality = American
| education =
| alma mater = Wellesley College
Yale School of Management
| occupation = Banker and businesswoman
| title = Chairman, Shire
| predecessor =
| successor =
| known for =
| boards = Shire
BBA Aviation
Fortune Brands Home & Security
Goldman Sachs International
| spouse = {{marriage|Richard Philip Kilsby|1994}}
| parents =
| children =
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| website =
}}
Susan R. Kilsby (nee Saltzbart, born {{birth based on age as of date|55|2014|06|23|noage=y}}){{citation needed|date=April 2025}} is an American investment banker and businesswoman. She is the chairman of Shire.
Early life
Kilsby, a native of New Jersey, was born circa 1958/59.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/f44f35c4-bba6-11e5-b151-8e15c9a029fb|title=Shire deal demonstrates Kilsby's M&A acumen|last1=Massoudi|first1=Arash|last2=Ward|first2=Andrew|date=15 January 2016|website=Financial Times|access-date=18 January 2019}}{{cite news|author=Jill Treanor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/23/shire-chairwoman-susan-kilsby-merger-expert |title=Shire chairwoman Susan Kilsby: mergers expert now resists one | Business |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2016-04-14}} She earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from Wellesley College and a master in business administration from the Yale School of Management.{{cite web|title=Credit Suisse Group Ag-Reg: Susan Saltzbart Kilsby|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=1919066&privcapId=405739|website=Bloomberg|access-date=4 September 2017}}
Career
Kilsby began her banking career at First Boston in the 1980s. She spent most of her career as an investment banker, working for Bankers Trust, Barclays de Zoete Wedd and Credit Suisse.{{cite web|title=Leadership: Susan Kilsby|url=https://www.shire.com/who-we-are/leadership/board-of-directors/susan-kilsby|website=Shire|access-date=4 September 2017}} While at Credit Suisse she is known for having advised Coca-Cola and Fortune Brands.
In 2002, she became the first woman to head a mergers and acquisitions department of any major bank, and she was co-chief executive of European M&A until 2009. She gave up a part-time advisory role at Credit Suisse when she took on the role of chairing Shire.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/23/shire-chairwoman-susan-kilsby-merger-expert|title=Shire chairwoman Susan Kilsby: mergers expert now resists one|last=Treanor|first=Jill|date=2014-06-23|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-08-03}}
Kilsby has been on the board of Shire since September 2011 and the chairman since April 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.shire.com/who-we-are/leadership/board-of-directors |title=Board of Directors |website=Shire.com |access-date=2016-04-14}} She became a non-executive director of BBA Aviation in April 2012,{{cite web|title=Board of directors|url=http://www.bbaaviation.com/global-reach/management/board-of-directors|website=BBA Aviation|access-date=4 September 2017}} Fortune Brands Home & Security in July 2015,{{cite web|title=Governance|url=http://ir.fbhs.com/directors.cfm|website=Fortune Brands Home & Security|access-date=4 September 2017}} and the first female non-executive director at Goldman Sachs International in May 2016.{{cite news|last1=Kleinman|first1=Mark|title=Goldman Lands Kilsby As First Female Director|url=http://news.sky.com/story/goldman-lands-kilsby-as-first-female-director-10272044|access-date=4 September 2017|work=Sky News|date=6 May 2016}}
In October 2019, Kilsby was appointed Senior Independent Director of Diageo plc in October 2019 after serving as a Non-Executive Director from 2018 and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee since 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/board-of-directors/susan-kilsby|title=Susan Kilsby|access-date=18 May 2023}}
Personal life
Kilsby met her husband, Richard Philip Kilsby when they were both managing directors at Bankers Trust. They married in 1994.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/02/style/weddings-susan-r-saltzbart-richard-p-kilsby.html|title=WEDDINGS; Susan R. Saltzbart, Richard P. Kilsby|date=2 October 1994|website=New York Times|access-date=18 January 2019}}
References
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Category:Wellesley College alumni
Category:Yale School of Management alumni
Category:American investment bankers
Category:American women bankers
Category:American chairpersons of corporations
Category:American women in business