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John W. Thiel
Former Vice Chairman of Global Wealth & Investment Management
Bank of America
Mr. Thiel was formerly the vice chairman of Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) at Bank of America. In this role, he served as an advisor to the head of GWIM as well as the Bank of America and GWIM management teams. Prior to this position, Mr. Thiel was head of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management from April 2001 through December 2016.
Mr. Thiel joined Merrill Lynch in 1989 as a financial advisor in Tampa, Florida. He was then selected to join the Global Private Client Division leadership team, later serving as the director in both Oakbrook and Northbrook, Illinois. In 2000, Mr. Thiel joined the Private Banking & Investment Group, opening the private wealth management business in the Pacific Coast Region as regional managing director. During that time, he also led the firm’s Leadership Advisory Council to Management between 2003 and 2005. Beginning in 2006, he was head of the Private Banking & Investment Group.
Outside of his responsibilities as vice chairman of GWIM, Mr. Thiel served as a member of the Board of Directors of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. Mr. Thiel also served on FINRA’s board as an industry governor from 2015 through 2017. He is currently a member of the FINRA Foundation board of directors.
Before joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Thiel led a distinguished career in public accounting and the insurance industry. His background includes tax and estate planning experience, with financial operating expertise as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with KPMG. Mr. Thiel also served as a senior instructor of the Dale Carnegie Professional Selling courses, helping countless students improve their skills
A vocal advocate for cancer research, Mr. Thiel serves as chairman of the Manhattan Region Financial Service Cares Board of the American Cancer Society. He supports his alma mater by serving on the board of the Florida State University Foundation as the past Chairman.
Mr. Thiel received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Florida State University and became a CPA in 1985.
