Dimon To Address HBS Students at Class Day

Amidst the worst financial crisis in a generation, the chief executive of one of the world’s largest banks will address Harvard Business School graduates.

In a press release issued earlier this week, school officials announced that James L. Dimon—chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase—will return to his alma mater to speak at Class Day on June 3.

Dimon was heralded last month by the Financial Times as one of the 50 people who will lead the way out of the crisis.

The announcement generated excitement among students, who said that they were looking forward to hearing Dimon’s opinions and knowledge about today’s economy.

“He’s a great speaker, has a lot to say, and has a very broad perspective leading a large financial institution through these times,” said second-year MBA student Filipp M. Brunshteyn.

During the economic crisis, JPMorgan has at times been at the center of the media spotlight, purchasing Bear Sterns’ assets last March after the investment bank’s collapse.

JPMorgan also accepted $25 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program last October.

Second-year MBA student Mahshid Pirzadeh said students were looking forward to hearing what Wall Street firms are doing right.

“It will be interesting to gain his perspective on future changes in financial markets,” Pirzadeh said. “He will be more serious than some [speakers] in the past, but that’s a function of the economy.”

An active alumnus, Dimon received his MBA from HBS as a Baker Scholar—a student in the top five percent of his class—in 1982.

He has served in executive roles at American Express, Travelers Group, and Smith Barney before moving to Bank One Corp., which later merged with JPMorgan.

Dimon currently serves on the board of the Business School and spoke on a panel at its centennial celebration in October.

HBS spokesman Brian Kenny said that the school is pleased to have Dimon deliver the Class Day address.

“He’s someone I would point to as a person who’s talking about solutions in the midst of crisis,” Kenny said. “We think he’s a great choice.”

—Staff writer William N. White can be reached at wwhite@fas.harvard.edu.