Jerry McMillan, WSN Global Head of Business Development, has spent the last 30 years championing the cause of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across Wall Street’s largest firms. Today, he brings his deep industry expertise and networks to WSN while also managing its DEI program.

Whilst most major financial institutions have only recently prioritized DEI as an important part of their business, Jerry has been somewhat of a pioneer throughout his nearly 40-year career. 

Jerry started his career at Lehman Brothers in the early 80s, which was a very different time for Black Americans on Wall Street. It was during his next move at Goldman Sachs in 1986, where he established mentoring programs for young minorities who in most circumstances would not have had knowledge of or the ability to access these types of opportunities. “I realized how fortunate I was to be in that position and immediately noticed how few there were on the trading floors with backgrounds that were similar to mine.” Jerry reflects. Saying he became increasingly motivated to help change that.

Jerry continued to champion access for minorities throughout his career. This includes  a 20-year span as a Director in Global Markets at Deutsche Bank, where he continued to build out a program of personal mentoring, speaking engagements at colleges and events, recruitment and education campaigns to provide opportunities for as many new candidates as feasible.

Fast forward to today, many of those young men and women Jerry introduced to banking now hold senior positions across major financial institutions around the world. In Jerry’s new role as a CEO of WSN Consulting, he is able to tap into those networks and relationships to generate further opportunities for the next generation of talented diverse individuals. While encouraging those he previously mentored to do the same as he has “to whom much is given, much is expected”. An ideal Jerry instills in those he has helped guide, he says “I want to ensure these opportunities will be fostered and advocated for by as many people possible. It’s how you begin to have real impact on wider communities.”

Since Jerry’s move to WSN Consulting, he has been able to help differentiate the firm from many of its competitors by establishing DEI programs internally that provide a new path for their clients to reach their own diversity targets. Alex Ciccotelli, CEO of WSN, comments “Jerry brings significant talent opportunities to our clients through his ability to identify and access a large pool of skilled and capable resources with minority backgrounds.”

Jerry has also obtained a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification for the firm to further support all the work he is doing in this space. “Joining WSN has given me the freedom to connect with people in our sector without the restriction of being tied to any particular banking institution, it makes for a more clear and open communication path,” Jerry says.

As the CEO, Jerry makes an effort to remain engaged and connected with the community while managing WSN’s DEI program.  He still speaks regularly at HBCUs and continues to mentor many young men and women of various backgrounds across the financial sector. Jerry’s focus is to ensure his legacy will continue to increase access to minority talent and reward those who may not have had those opportunities without his continued impact.