Robert G. Wilmers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert George Wilmers (1934-04-20)April 20, 1934 New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2017(2017-12-17) (aged 83) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Phillips Exeter Academy |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Title | Chairman and CEO,M&T Bank |
| Term | 1983–2017 |
| Spouse | Elisabeth Wilmers |
Robert George "Bob" Wilmers (April 20, 1934 – December 16, 2017) was an Americanbillionaire banker.[1][2] He was the chairman and CEO ofM&T Bank from 1983 until his death in 2017, except for an 18-month break in 2005 - 2006.[1][2][3]
Robert George Wilmers was born in New York[4] on April 20, 1934, as one of three children to Charles Wilmers, an executive with the Belgium utility holding company,Sofina, who would eventually become its president, and his wife Cecilia. He grew up in New York City and Belgium.[5] His sisterMary-Kay Wilmers is the editor of theLondon Review of Books, the well-known literary journal.
He graduated from thePhillips Exeter Academy andHarvard College (1956),[6] and attended theHarvard Graduate School of Business Administration.[1]
He started his career atBankers Trust Co. in 1962,[6][1] served in New York City government under mayorJohn Lindsay as a financial official in the 1960s,[6] then went on to work atMorgan Guaranty Trust Company.
He served as chairman and CEO of M&T Bank[1][2] and its subsidiary, Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (M&T Bank) since 1983.[1]
In 1992, theState University of New York at Buffalo School of Management named Wilmers Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year. In 1991, the Greater Buffalo Chamber of Commerce named him Western New Yorker of the Year. He received honorary degrees fromCanisius College (1988),Niagara University (1991) and theState University of New York at Buffalo (2004). He was cited byThe Buffalo News in 1987 and 1994 as a Citizen of the Year. Wilmers retired as CEO in 2005 but returned 18 months later after his successor, Robert Sadler, stepped down from the post[6] and later received the 2005 American Banker Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, Wilmers was awarded Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the President of France. In December 2011, he was named Banker of the Year by American Banker.[7]
He purchased Chateau Haut-Bailly, a winery inBordeaux, France, in 1998.[8]
He served as chairman of theEmpire State Development Corporation from 2008 to 2009, chairman of the New York State Bankers Association in 2002 and as a director of theFederal Reserve Bank of New York from 1993 to 1998.[citation needed]
In 2011, he was named "banker of the year" byAmerican Banker.[9][10]
In 2016, together with several partners, he purchased a group of newspapers in western New England, includingThe Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, MA.[11]
In January 2017, the rising value of bank stocks meant that Wilmers had become a billionaire.[12]
His widow Elisabeth Wilmers is French, and they ownedChâteau Haut-Bailly from 1998 until his death, as well as the nearby property Château Le Pape from 2012 onwards.[13]
Wilmers died at his home in New York City on December 16, 2017.[14][15] The cause of death was a heart attack while recovering from a recent surgery.[8]