Finance Conference 2024

The 17th Annual Finance Conference: Save the Date!

Leading figures in global security, technology, and monetary policy will highlight the annual Boston College Finance Conference on May 3, 2024. Among the speakers will be former U.S. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, Artificial Intelligence researcher and innovator Anima Anandkumar, and former Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren.

The Finance Conference brings together academic researchers, policy makers, and leaders in financial services, who engage with alumni and other conference participants on urgent issues affecting the industry. Registration opens April 4 with limited spaces available. The daylong conference is entirely in-person and free of charge.

All sessions will take place on Boston College’s Chestnut Hill Campus in the Robert J. Murray ’62 and Family Function Room on the 4th floor of Yawkey Athletic Center. There will be a reception open to all participants on the evening before the conference (in Gasson Hall 100) and immediately following the conference.

Check this page for further information about speakers and registration, along with a full schedule.

Keynote Speakers

General James Mattis - 3

 

General James N. Mattis

During his 44 years in the Marines, General James N. Mattis rose from an 18-year-old reservist to the highest rank of four-star general. He capped off his military career as head of the U.S. Central Command, where he was in charge of all American forces serving in the Middle East and oversaw operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, and Yemen. He retired from the post in 2013. Four years later, in 2017, he answered the call to serve again, as U.S. Secretary of Defense—the first member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet cleared to take office. He served as Defense Secretary for two years before resigning with distinction.

Anima Anandkumar - 1

 

Anima Anandkumar

Anima Anandkumar is a leading academic researcher with equally deep experience in business and practical applications. She specializes in using AI in cloud computing to solve real-world problems. Anandkumar is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in computer science, Senior Director of AI Research at NVIDIA, and a Bren professor at Caltech. She formerly served as Principal Scientist at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Eric Rosengren - 2

 

Eric Rosengren

Eric Rosengren is a 35-year veteran of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, serving the last 14 of those years as President and CEO. He served on the Fed’s Open Market Committee during some of the most turbulent periods in the past 50 years, leading the Boston Federal Reserve Bank through the Great Financial Crisis and the pandemic. Rosengren’s deep understanding of financial markets and financial institutions enabled him to play a central role in designing and operating emergency facilities to bolster the national economy.

Watch the Videos

Missed the 2023 Finance Conference? Video recordings of all of the speakers are now available. 

Malcolm Gladwell, "The Dorothy Margaret Rose Knight Economic Keynote Discussion: The Problem with Meritocracy"

Watch the Video

Meghan O'Sullivan, "The State of the Globe: A New Geopolitical Landscape"

Watch the Video

Lawrence Makovich '77, "Climate Change: Confronting the Costs and Benefits of Harnessing Energy"

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Richard Clarida and Marc Seidner '88, P '24, "Economic Overview and Implications"

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Marc Seidner '88, P '24 and Richard Bernstein, "Time to Rewrite Our Investment Playbook?"

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Finance Conference Co-Chairs

Marc Seidner ’88, P'24
Chief Investment Officer, Non-traditional Strategies
PIMCO

Daniel E. Holland III ’79, P’07, ’08
Chief Operating Officer
Shield Capital

Jonathan Reuter
Associate Professor of Finance
Carroll School of Management
Boston College

Andy Boynton ’78, P’13
John and Linda Powers Family Dean
Carroll School of Management
Boston College


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