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Guest Name
Peter J. de Silva
Peter De Silva
Guest Occupation
Author, chairman, CEO, president, executive committee member, public and private company director, trustee
Guest Biography

Author

Taking Stock,

Peter J. de Silva

Having held C-level positions at TD Ameritrade, Scottrade, UMB Financial Corporation, and Fidelity Investments, Peter de Silva had an insider’s view on the financial and leadership crisis that shook our country. That life experience, along with Peter’s work as a Harvard University Senior Fellow, board member, and his lifelong struggle with a debilitating disease, make him a unique voice—one you don’t want to miss.

Website: https://peterjdesilva.com/, Peter de Silva

Peter de Silva is a nationally recognized and highly accomplished financial industry executive. He is an experienced chairman, CEO, president, executive committee member, and public and private company director.  is also a trustee for national non-profit organizations and national charitable foundations. de Silva is also a former Harvard University Senior Fellow - Advanced Leadership Initiative. 

de Silva has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector of banking, institutional asset management and servicing, and wealth management. de Silva's experience also includes retirement, retail and institutional brokerage, trading, healthcare financial services and corporate services. He is recognized for his ability to drive outsized results by creating a compelling vision, building the strategy, aligning resources and executing the plan. de Silva shows strong executive leadership and possesses board credentials while being a highly engaged servant leader who is committed to developing talent and effective organizations. 

de Silva possesses board-related experience in strategy, audit and risk management. Currently on the boards of Edelman Financial Engines, Prosper Marketplace, Inc., Infosel, IRALOGIX, Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, the Robert W. Plaster Charitable Foundation, MRI Global, the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), the UMASS Dartmouth Foundation and the Commonwealth Corporation. He is happily married and is the proud father of two wonderful daughters.
 

RÉSUMÉ

10 Battle-Tested Life and Leadership Principles to Accelerate Your Growth and Open Your Eyes to New Ways of Conquering Problems ???? In Taking Stock, the reader follows Peter de Silva through his thirty-five-year personal and professional leadership journey as he develops from an aspiring leader to a nationally respected financial services industry leader. de Silva had a seat at the table with trailblazing leaders and industry icons during some of the most tumultuous events in recent financial history, including the 2008 financial crisis, a rapidly consolidating industry, and a global pandemic. An unexpected series of corporate buyouts forced de Silva to re-examine his role as a business and social impact leader. 

Ultimately, he became a Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow, tackling intractable social problems. He also came to terms with his Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, a debilitating neurological disease that he kept private for decades. Today, de Silva is a powerful advocate for CMT, and his story helps readers find purpose in life's third chapter. Inside the book, de Silva shares his ten essential life and leadership principles shaped from his time as a leadership practitioner. 

A noted executive, community leader, father, and husband, de Silva's experience in leading through crisis, uncertainty, and disruption shaped his worldview and his leadership approach. Taking Stock is the transformative tale of how one principled leader came to understand that vulnerability is a core component of leadership strength. Leaders from all walks of life and at all stages of their journey will benefit from his insights and perspectives. About the Author Having held C-level positions at TD Ameritrade, Scottrade, UMB Financial Corporation, and Fidelity Investments, Peter de Silva has an insider's view on the financial and leadership crisis that shook our country. 

That life experience-along with Peter's work as a Harvard University Senior Fellow; board member to private companies and nonprofit organizations; and his lifelong struggle with a debilitating disease-gives him a unique perspective, one you don't want to miss.

One of the principal lessons of the financial crises is the importance of accountability. Bailouts allow people and companies to escape the consequences of bad practices, but a system without accountability will not work in the long run. Americans love sports, and accountability is an essential part of any sport.

The key lessons for investors from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) are that: there is always a cycle; while each cycle is different, markets are pushed to extremes of valuation and sentiment; high returns come with higher risk; be skeptical of financial engineering or hard-to-understand products; avoid too much ..