Robert F. Greenhill (born 1936) is an American businessman widely credited with helping create and pioneer the modern mergers and acquisitions advisory business on Wall Street.[1][2] He is the founder and chairman of Greenhill & Co., an investment bank headquartered in New York City.[1][3][4][5]
Greenhill was born in 1936 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[6] He graduated from Yale University in 1958, and he received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1962, where he was a Baker Scholar.[2]
He joined Morgan Stanley in 1962 and became a partner in 1970.[1][3] In 1972, he created and directed its mergers and acquisitions department, the first of its kind on Wall Street, during which time he was credited with pioneering the modern investment banking analyst program.[1][3][5] In the 1980s, he sat on its management committee.[1] From January 1989 to January 1999, he served as its vice chairman, and from January 1991 to June 1993, as its president.[1][3] From 1993 to 1996, he served as chairman and chief executive officer of Smith Barney.[1][2][3][5] He also served on the board of directors of The Travelers Companies during that time.[1][3]
In 1996, he founded Greenhill & Co.[2][3] He served as its chief executive officer from its creation in 1996 to 2007.[1][2][3] It was incorporated in 2004.[1]
He sits on the board of trustees of the American Enterprise Institute, and on the international advisory board of the British-American Chamber of Commerce.[2][4][5]
He is married to Gayle Greenhill.[5] She is the former chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Center of Photography.[7] Harvard Business School named Greenhill House in their honor, and their three children and their spouses are all graduates of the school.[8]
