James J. Schiro

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James Joseph Schiro
BornJanuary 2, 1946 (1946-01-02)
Brooklyn, New York
DiedAugust 13, 2014 (2014-08-14) (aged 68)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSt. John's University (New York City)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCEO of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Zurich Financial Services.
SpouseTomasina Schiro
ChildrenJustine, James Jr

James Joseph Schiro (January 2, 1946 – August 13, 2014) was an American businessman who became CEO of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Zurich Financial Services and was a director of number of multinational companies including of PepsiCo, Philips and Goldman Sachs.

Early life[edit]

James J. Schiro was born on January 2, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York.[1] Schiro was of Italo-Albanian (Arbëreshë) heritage from Sicily, by Contessa Entellina. He received a Bachelor of Science from St. John's University in New York City in 1967, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.[1][2][3] He was a Certified Public Accountant.[2]

Career[edit]

In 1967, he joined Price Waterhouse and worked in various managerial positions. In 1994, he became Chairman of the Board and senior partner. In 1998, after the merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, he became CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers.[4] From 2002 to 2006, he served as the CEO of Zurich Financial Services. He served on the Boards of Directors of PepsiCo, Philips, Goldman Sachs and REVA Medical.[1][3]

He served on the board of the Geneva Association, where he was involved with the International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics, and he was a member of the European Financial Services Roundtable.[1] He also sat on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study, on the Business Council of the World Economic Forum and on the Board of Directors of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.[1][2] He was the former Chairman of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Vice Chairman of the American Friends of Lucerne Festival.[1][2][5] He was a member of the Independence Standards Board of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Public Accountants.[3] He served as Treasurer and Executive Committee member of the United States Council for International Business, the British-North American Committee, the Tri-State United Way Board of Governors, and Board member of the United States-China Business Council.[3]

Honors and politics[edit]

He served on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, St. John's University, and on the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in Beijing.[2][6] He received the Avenue of the Americas Association's Gold Key Award in 1992, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1994, and the American Jewish Committee's National Human Relations Award in 1997.[3]

A Republican, he supported John McCain for President in 2000 and 2008, and George W. Bush in 2004.[1] He supported Al D'Amato and Rudy Giuliani.[1]

Personal life[edit]

He was married to Tomasina Schiro, and they have two children, Justine and James Jr.[1][3]

He died in Princeton, New Jersey on August 13, 2014, of multiple myeloma. He was 68 years old.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "James J. Schiro". www.nndb.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e "James J. Schiro CPA: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Businessweek.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Ellis Island Medals of Honor Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Peter Lattman, Goldman Announces Changes to Its Board, The New York Times, April 2, 2012
  5. ^ Lucerne Festival Archived 2012-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ St. John's University Board of Trustees Archived 2011-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Thomas, Landon Jr (2014-08-19). "James Schiro, Goldman's Lead Director, Dies at 68". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-08.