George Herbert Walker IV


George Herbert Walker IV is the chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman, one of the largest independent, employee-owned investment management firms. During Walker's tenure, the firm survived the implosion of its corporate parent, Lehman Brothers, was repurchased by the employees and has been amongst the industry's best performers. Its growth has been most significant in global equity and fixed income strategies, alternative investments and amongst the largest institutional investors. He is the second cousin of President George Walker Bush. The firm's broad capabilities have enabled it to win numerous public strategic partnership mandates, most notably from Teacher Retirement System of Texas and the National Social Security Fund of China. Its community service programs, NB Impacts, have also been a hallmark.
Neuberger Berman has been named the #1 Best Place to Work in asset management, amongst firms with 1,000 or more employees by Pensions & Investments. The firm has been ranked amongst industry leaders as an employer over time.

Family

Walker comes from a successful family of industrialists and financiers, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Walker's great-grandfather, George Herbert Walker, was the founder of G. H. Walker & Co., a securities firm, which eventually became part of Merrill Lynch. An avid golfer, he was also the namesake of amateur golf's Walker Cup. His grandfather, George Herbert Walker Jr., was a co-founder of the NY Mets and his father, George Herbert Walker III, was U. S. ambassador to Hungary. Walker was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and has a younger sister, Carter. Walker's grand-aunt, Dorothy, married Senator Prescott Bush, father of U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush and grandfather of U.S. President George Walker Bush. He is thus the first cousin once removed of former President George H. W. Bush, and the second cousin of former President George W. Bush.
He is married to the former Nancy Dorn.

Education

Walker went to the University of Pennsylvania where he received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received a dual degree — a B.S. and a B.A., both Latin honors. He also received his MBA as a Palmer Scholar from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania after completing the 5 year MBA program. He was a member of the St. Anthony Hall fraternity.

Career

Walker began his career on Wall Street when he joined Goldman Sachs in the Merger Department in 1992. Six years later, in 1998, Walker became one of the youngest partners in the firm's history. He held several senior positions at Goldman, including co-head of the firm's Wealth Management business, and head of Alternative Investment Strategies. Walker was recruited to a rival investment bank, Lehman Brothers, to head its Investment Management Division, of which Neuberger was a part. Following Lehman's bankruptcy and the announcement of the sale of Neuberger, Walker assumed his present position.