Robert A. Muh
Robert A. Muh | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1938 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, economist, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Known for | Co-founder and former CEO of Sutter Securities, Inc.; Board member at Sutter Securities Incorporated; Chairmanship roles at FINRA committees; Philanthropy including MIT Robert A. Muh Alumni Award |
Robert A. Muh (born January 7, 1938) is a prominent American entrepreneur, investor, economist, and philanthropist. He holds a board position at Sutter Securities Incorporated, an investment firm located in San Francisco, California.
Early life and career
Born on January 7, 1938, Muh grew up on Long Island in a family of Jewish immigrants originating from Germany and Austria. He completed his S.B. degree in Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1959. Subsequently, he earned both an MBA and a Master of Philosophy in finance from Columbia University. During his tenure as a finance instructor at Columbia Business School, he met Berit Spant, a graduate student; they later worked together at McKinsey & Co. and married in 1968. The couple has two daughters and three grandchildren.
Business career
Following his service as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Muh launched his professional journey as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company between 1966 and 1969. He progressed to become chairman of Newburger, Loeb & Co., a member firm of the New York Stock Exchange. In 1972, he joined Bear Stearns & Co., leading the Los Angeles corporate finance division, attained general partner status in 1982, and was senior managing director for the San Francisco office from 1984 to 1987. From 1987 to 1992, Muh held the presidency of Financial Services International Inc. In 1992, he co-founded Sutter Securities, Inc., a comprehensive investment-banking firm based in San Francisco, where he acted as CEO and president until 2020.
Muh has assumed leadership positions within regulatory bodies and industry organizations, including chairmanship of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) District Committee covering Northern California, Northern Nevada, and Hawaii. He also led the FINRA Small Firm Advisory Board and served as Vice Chair of the National Association of Independent Broker/Dealers (NAIBD). In September 2016, Muh was appointed to a three-year term on FINRA’s Board of Governors.
His academic contributions include roles as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School and previous teaching at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Muh has also been a board member for various corporations such as Sizzler International Inc., DayRunner, Inc., SOLA International Inc., Far West Financial, World Wide Restaurants, Dollar Rent-A-Car, and Koo Koo Roo, Inc.
Philanthropy and other interests
Muh established and funded the MIT Robert A. Muh Alumni Award in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences to recognize MIT alumni who have made notable contributions in these disciplines. Honorees include former Secretary of State George Shultz, Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun, former Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser, cellist Carlos Prieto, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert C. Merton. He maintains active involvement with MIT as a Life Member Emeritus of the MIT Corporation and has chaired the Humanities Visiting Committee while participating on multiple other visiting committees including that of the Sloan School. In 1989, he created the Muh Family UROP Fund to promote undergraduate research in management, economics, and political science.
Muh acted as trustee and chairman of the Board at the Culinary Institute of America, where he also co-chaired its investment committee. Together with his wife, he helped establish a New Works Fund at the San Francisco Ballet. Additionally, he served as trustee and Vice Chair for the Napa Valley Opera House, an institution they have strongly supported. Muh produced a musical homage to composer Harry Warren and performed narration for Copland's Lincoln Portrait with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall.
For more than four decades, Muh has been involved with KMW Farms as a partner; this operation bred Pine Chip, a trotter that secured the Breeders Crown title and set a world record in 1994. The Muh family also founded the Atlas Peak Foundation to advance education and cultural initiatives.
External links
- Official website of Sutter Securities, Inc.
- MIT Muh Award information
- Napa Valley Register feature; Arts supporter to serve as narrator for Boston Pops concert
- Napa Valley Register feature; Challenges and highlights of a classical music performance
- MIT profile on Robert A. Muh
- SF Gate article; Ballet in exile still requires opening night celebrations
- Chicago Tribune article; His most significant deal in life; Quotes from Bob Muh, Chris Gardner’s employer