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M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Antonio Weiss

Working For All?:  A Clear-Eyed Discussion of the Role of Corporations in Our Economy 

With Chief Justice Leo E. Strine Jr. and John Haigh 
November 13, 10:10-11:30am, Weil Town Hall (Belfer B-L-1)

 

There is much debate about whether shareholder capitalism is somehow broken, in a way that fails to serve society as a whole, as well as the long-run interests of the corporation.  Please join the leading jurist in the field, Chief Justice Leo Strine of Delaware; M-RCBG Senior Fellow, Antonio Weiss and M-RCBG Co-Director, John Haigh for a discussion of the state of play and proposals for reform, including Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Accountable Capitalism Act.

 

Study Group Suggested Pre-reading:

Antonio Weiss headshot

Antonio Weiss served as Counselor to the Secretary at the United States Department of the Treasury, where he worked on domestic and international issues related to financial markets, regulatory reform, job creation, consumer finance, and broad-based economic growth. Since joining the Obama Administration, he served as the point-person on the debt crisis in Puerto Rico, working closely with members of Congress to pass legislation to allow an orderly restructuring of the Commonwealth’s debt. This has been called the most significant piece of economic legislation in 2016. Mr. Weiss led Treasury’s debt management team that oversees the Nation’s finances and initiated the most comprehensive review of the Treasury market in nearly two decades. Mr. Weiss advised the Secretary on the implementation of financial regulatory reform and policy issues related to financial stability, including the work of the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s review of potential threats to financial stability arising from asset management products and activities. Mr. Weiss coordinated the Department’s housing finance policy efforts and oversaw the Department’s housing programs aimed at assisting struggling homeowners, which received additional funding during his tenure at Treasury.  Mr. Weiss also led Treasury's review of developments in fintech, including the publication of a white paper on marketplace lending, which made several recommendations to enhance consumer and small business protections in this emerging sector. In recognition of his achievements at Treasury, Mr. Weiss was presented the Alexander Hamilton Award, which is the Department’s highest honor. Prior to joining Treasury, Mr. Weiss served in various leadership roles at Lazard in New York and Europe, including as Global Head of Investment Banking. He has advised many of the world’s leading corporations on their most significant strategic decisions.  From 2000 to 2009, Mr. Weiss was based in Paris, where he was Vice Chairman of European Investment Banking following the introduction of the single currency and during the financial crisis. Mr. Weiss is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  He has participated in numerous public policy forums on topics ranging from financial regulation to housing finance reform, and co-authored a Center for American Progress report, which recommended a more progressive tax regime and a balanced approach to long-term debt reduction. He has been a Trustee of various non-profit organizations and was Publisher of the leading literary quarterly, The Paris Review. Mr. Weiss earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale College and M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar and Loeb Fellow.  He is married with three sons. His faculty sponsor is Richard Zeckhauser, Frank Plumpton Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. Email: antonio_weiss@hks.harvard.edu