The Belk College of Business is pleased to welcome Hugh McColl, retired chairman and CEO of Bank of America, for the Spring 2022 C-Suite Speaker Series, one of the Belk College's signature events. The event will feature a fireside chat with Belk College Dean Jennifer Troyer.
Thursday, February 17
10-11 a.m.
Via Zoom Webinar
About the Speaker
Hugh McColl is a philanthropist, civic leader and the retired chairman and CEO of Bank of America. During his tenure, Mr. McColl grew the institution more than 50-fold, as the bank greatly expanded its offerings of financial products and services, entered new markets across the United States and around the world, and became an industry leader in retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking.
Following two years in the U.S. Marine Corp., the Bennettsville, South Carolina, native began a career in banking in 1960 at what would become North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) as a management trainee. He became NCNB's president in 1974 and chairman and CEO in 1983.
In 1991, he engineered NCNB's merger with C&S/Sovran, resulting in the formation of NationsBank. In April 1998, NationsBank and San Francisco-based BankAmerica announced a merger to create Bank of America, with headquarters in Charlotte.
He retired from Bank of America in 2001. That year, he co-founded Falfurrias Capital Partners, a private equity firm.
Mr. McColl also has founded several other businesses following retirement from Bank of America, including McColl Partners, a middle-market investment bank; McColl Brothers Lockwood, a business advisory firm; McColl Garella, an investment banking company focused on serving firms owned by women; and MME, a New York-based gallery and art dealer.
In early 2021, he partnered to create Bright Hope Capital LLC, which aims to bolster minority-owned businesses in the Charlotte region.
He has received many awards over his career. In 1989, Mr. McColl was named one of the "25 Most Fascinating People" by Fortune. In 1993, he was named "Banker of the Year" by the American Banker and Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Financial World. He has been inducted into the North Carolina and South Carolina business halls of fame and was named The News & Observer's inaugural "Tar Heel of the Year" in 1997.
He earned his bachelor's in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About the Series
The C-Suite Speaker Series (formerly CEO Speaker Series) features alumni and friends of the college who are in leadership positions (at the level of CEO, chairman, executive leadership, etc.). The series brings business leaders to the UNC Charlotte campus to present and interact with undergraduate and graduate students.