James A. Runde

James A. Runde is a Wall Street investment banker, author and corporate director specializing in strategic and financial advice. He is an Advisory Director and former Vice-Chairman of Morgan Stanley. In May 2014, Runde celebrated a rare milestone on Wall Street: 40 years as an investment banker, all at the same firm. Runde is one of America's longest-serving investment bankers at a single institution, and was honored by Morgan Stanley for his length of service as well as ongoing contributions to the firm. Over the course of his career, he has served as a trusted advisor to many of the world's leading companies, with a focus on the transportation and infrastructure industries. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Kroger Co., one of the nation’s largest grocery retail chains. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Burlington Resources, a large U.S. oil and gas company as well as a trustee of The Morgan Library & Museum.
In September 2016, Runde’s debut book entitled “Unequaled: Tips for Building a Successful Career through Emotional Intelligence” was published by John C.Wiley & Sons, Inc. Drawing from the author’s 40 years industry experience and adapted from his presentations to major corporations and universities, Unequaled is a guide to getting ahead and achieving professional goals, with a particular focus on soft skills or emotional intelligence. Unequaled has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, Business Insider and Knowledge@Wharton.
In 2003, Runde was named to the Business Advisory Committee of the Northwestern University Transportation Center, a leading interdisciplinary education and research institution dedicated to the long-term improvement of domestic and international systems for the movements of materials, people, energy and information.
In terms of public service, in 2007 Runde was selected to serve on a blue ribbon panel along with Speaker Newt Gingrich, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Senator Bob Kerrey to develop a national strategic plan to defeat Alzheimer's disease.

One of ten children, Runde grew up in Sparta, Wisconsin. Following his high school graduation, he accepted a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship and enrolled in Marquette University in Milwaukee. In 1969, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for five years on the nuclear energy staff of Admiral Rickover. While on active duty, he attended George Washington University School of Business and earned a master's degree in finance.

James Runde continues to be involved with his alma mater, and in 2000 he was elected to the Board of Trustees of Marquette.

Runde joined Morgan Stanley in 1974 as an Associate. He was promoted through the ranks, ultimately achieving the position of Vice Chairman. While at Morgan Stanley, Runde was a protégé of the late S. Parker Gilbert. His current position with Morgan Stanley is Advisory Director.

Throughout his 40-year career at Morgan Stanley, Runde is best known for his role in advising the United Parcel Service on its initial public offering in 1999. He also played a key role in the privatization of Conrail and the initial public offering of China Eastern Airlines. In addition to advising clients, Runde advises generations of younger investment bankers and gives his fellow bankers tactical advice on how to handle client relationships, deals and competitors.[2]

In 2007, Runde was selected to serve on the Alzheimer’s Study Group, an independent, bipartisan panel created to evaluate the government’s current efforts to combat the disease. Runde served on this study group with Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Former Senator Bob Kerrey. In January 2011, President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act ("NAPA") into law. This landmark legislation creates a national strategic plan to overcome the Alzheimer’s disease epidemic based on the recommendations of the Alzheimer’s Study Group.

Runde was selected to be a member of the Advisory Council of American Corporate Partners (“ACP”), a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting veterans in their transition from the armed services to the civilian workforce. He serves on this council with General David Petraeus, Former Clinton Advisor and Senior Managing Director of Lazard Frères Vernon Jordan Jr. At The Morgan Library, Runde and his wife are financial supporters of exhibitions that are of interest to children. They recently underwrote exhibits of The Little Prince, Beatrix Potter and Babar the Elephant.

Runde is a member of the Economic Club of New York, whose members are representatives from the top executive levels of business, industry and finance.

Runde has spoken at international industry forums concerning post office strategy and financial issues.

• "Laying the Foundation of the Future UPU Postal Strategy". Report of the 2006 UPU Strategy Conference, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 14 to 16, 2006

Runde speaks about a variety of talent strategy subjects at Morgan Stanley, on university campuses and at conferences.

• "View from the Top: The Journey from George Washington to Industry Leadership". The New York Palace, New York, NY, November 3, 2011, https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/GEW/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=114455

• "A Conversation on Leadership: The Role of Men in Promoting Women to Positions of Power". Impact Center, New York, NY, January 25, 2011, http://www.the-impact-center.org/programs_2011_jan25/

• Marquette University Finance Students to Visit Morgan Stanley hosted by Jim Runde, New York, NY, October 16, 2010, http://aimprogramblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/marquette-university-finance-students.html

Also one from 2013…http://www.marquette.edu/magazine/recent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1358178635&archive=

• "Careers in Finance". Keynote Speaker at 2008 Annual Finance Conference, Harvard Business School Finance Club, Boston, MA, November 8, 2008, http://2008.hbsfinanceconference.com/keynotes.php

• Presentation to Prospective Employees of Morgan Stanley at a Speech at Morgan Stanley that was referenced in Fast Company "Careers: Rules of Engagement", by Shawn Graham, October 23, 2007, http://www.fastcompany.com/661090/careers-rules-engagement

Runde is a frequent contributor to The Journal of Applied Corporate Finance on infrastructure financing techniques and the railroad industry.

• Runde, James, et al. "Public Pensions and U.S. Infrastructure Investment: The Perfect Partnership?" Volume 24, Issue 2, 2012 http://www.morganstanley.com/views/jacf/archive/21e9c676-d81f-11e1-8510-13de465f364e.html

• Runde, James, et al. "Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships: 'Partnerships' Come to Fruition" Volume 23, Issue 3, 2011 http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hanke-jacf-v23n3-2.pdf

• Runde, James, et al. "Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships Re-Defined: An Increased Emphasis on 'Partnerships'" Volume 22, Issue 2, 2010, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-6622.2010.00275.x/abstract

• Runde, James. "Rail Companies: Prospects for Privatization and Consolidation". Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Volume 19, Issue 2, 2007

• Runde, James. "Rail companies and capital markets", in Competition in Europe's Rail Freight Market, published by Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), January 2007. Press Release.

James Runde and his wife Barbara currently reside in Chappaqua, New York and have three grown children.

As a result of his many years as a banker at Morgan Stanley, Marquette University's College of Engineering awarded James Runde with its Professional Achievement Award.