Barbara Moakler Byrne
About Barbara Moakler Byrne
Barbara’s first job was taking thorns off of roses at her aunt and uncles’ flower shop - a skill that serves her well to this day. She is an experienced independent board director, corporate advisor, and senior executive with 30+ years of experience counseling CEOs and boards on complex global issues and transactions. A Vice Chairman of Barclays until 2018, Barbara worked closely with Fortune 500 and startup boards throughout her investment banking career and advised on some of the biggest and most creative transactions across a broad range of industries. She held senior leadership positions in both the Energy and Technology Investment Banking Groups. Expert in risk management, M&A, and global markets, she is an innovative problem solver who finds major market opportunities in disruption. Barbara understands the priorities of private and public investors and the keys to building long-term value. An early leader in social-impact investing, she pioneered several social initiatives that paired clients with NGOs and governments to promote sustainable development and shared growth. A member of the World Economic Forum’s Gender Parity Task Force, she worked constantly to advance next generation women leaders, especially in her industry and those where women leaders were few. During her investment banking career, where she was the first woman named Vice Chairman of Lehman Brothers and Barclays, she appeared consistently on lists of the top women on Wall Street. She was top five of American Banker’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Finance” for eight consecutive years through 2017. She received American Banker’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Finance in 2018. Barbara cares deeply about education and access. She was a first generation scholarship student at Mount Holyoke College, where she served as a Trustee for 10 years , and today is an Executive in Residence at Columbia Business School.