From Swampoodle to Mellon Bank CEO

“Swampoodle” was a Philadelphia neighborhood where many Irish immigrants settled in the early twentieth century, among them Martin G. McGuinn’s grandparents. McGuinn’s story is very much that of the fulfillment of the American Dream, a proud Irish-American’s story of rising from these modest beginnings to eventually become CEO of one of America’s leading financial institutions. Born in 1942, McGuinn grew up in Princeton, New Jersey , graduated from Villanova’s college and law school, served in the Marine Corps in Viet Nam, and practiced law on Wall Street before joining Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh. He spent 25 years there rising to CEO. This is the story about how he got there, the challenges along the way, and successes and disappointments. It’s a story about how hard work and good fortune can produce success in the corporate world, in an industry and a community that provides a lesson that will resonate with many. It is also a lesson in “giving back,” sharing his good fortune with others through philanthropy and commitment to community.

Martin G. McGuinn, Jr. was Chairman and CEO of Mellon Financial Corporation (now BNY Mellon) from 1999 to 2006. He received bachelor’s and juris doctor degrees from Villanova University, and then served for three years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a captain, including a tour in Vietnam. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Villanova in 2013. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Palm Beach, Florida.