Speaker

Roy C. Smith

Emeritus Professor of Management Practice NYU Stern School of Business

Roy C. Smith is Professor Emeritus of Management Practice at the Stern School of Business, New York University. Prior to his retirement in 2017 after 30-years at Stern, he was the Kenneth Langone Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship, and a Professor of International Business. Prior to assuming these positions he was a General Partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co., which he joined in 1966, specializing in international investment banking and corporate finance. He was President of Goldman Sachs International Corp. while resident in the firm’s London office in the 1980s.

In addition to various articles in professional journals and op-ed pieces, he is the author of ten book on global finance and markets, entrepreneurship, and corporate governance and business ethics, including Adam Smith and the Origins of American Enterprise, Governing the Modern Corporation, and Paper Fortunes – The Modern Wall Street.

Professor Smith received his B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960, and his M.B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1966. He and his wife Marianne live in Naples, FL and Chatham, Mass.

Moderator

Victor Germack

President and co-founder of RateFinancials, Inc.

Victor F. Germack’s background is in investment banking and senior operating management. He is the President and co-founder of RateFinancials, Inc. an independent firm that rates the accounting, reporting and governance of U.S. and foreign companies, which has uncovered serious quality of earnings deficiencies and accounting problems. He is also the founding partner of Heritage Capital Corp., a middle market investment bank focused on technology clients. He has often spoken publicly on the 2008 great recession and the role of accounting.

Prior to founding Heritage Capital in 1977, he had a lengthy career in operating management. Mr. Germack directed marketing for the Hertz Corp. and was president of a subsidiary of The Allen Group, Inc., a $350 million manufacturer of automotive products. He started his business career with PriceWaterhouse. He has served on several private and pubic boards of directors. Mr. Germack received his B.S. cum laude from Fordham University and his M.B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1966. He lives with his wife, Lori, in New York City.