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Warren Stephens

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American businessman (born 1957)

Warren Stephens
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Presumptive nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump (elect)
SucceedingJane D. Hartley
Personal details
BornWarren Amerine Stephens
(1957-02-18) February 18, 1957 (age 67)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
SpouseHarriet Stephens
Children3
RelativesJackson T. Stephens (father)
EducationWashington and Lee University (BA)
Wake Forest University (MBA)
OccupationChairman, President, and CEO of Stephens Inc.

Warren Amerine Stephens (born February 18, 1957) is an American businessman. He is the chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Stephens Inc., a privately held investment bank. Stephens lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

On December 2, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced Stephens as his nomination for United States ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Early life and education

Stephens was born in Little Rock, the son of Jackson T. Stephens and Mary Amerine Stephens. Warren's father, "Jack" Stephens, and his uncle, "Witt" Stephens, partnered as investors and financiers in the investment firm, Stephens Inc.

Warren began his education in Little Rock, and in 1975, graduated from Trinity Presbyterian High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1979 with a BA in economics, and received his MBA from Wake Forest University in 1981.

Career

Stephens joined his father and uncle in the investment banking business in Little Rock, which had 139 employees. At that time, the firm resembled and operated much like one of the old British merchant banks, investing the firm's and family funds in various businesses and ventures, and it still operates the same way today. Stephens Inc is noted for handling the IPO of Wal-Mart Stores in 1970.

Stephens began work as an associate in the corporate finance department, concentrating on oil and gas. He became head of the department in 1983 and spent a lot of time on mergers and acquisitions. On February 18, 1986, Stephens was appointed president and CEO of Stephens Inc.

In 1990, he was the senior advisor to Tyson Foods in their acquisition of Holly Farms in a nine-month takeover battle. He is only the third chairman, president and CEO in the firm's more than 90 years of operations since 1933.

In 2006, Stephens acquired 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Stephens Inc from the other family members.

Stephens serves on the board of Dillard's.

Political involvement

A Republican, he supported Bob Dole in 1996, Steve Forbes in 1999, and has supported Mike Huckabee. Stephens was a bundler for Mitt Romney in 2012. He has been critical of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. During the 2016 election, Stephens and his brother Jackson Stephens were major financial supporters of the Stop Trump movement.

During the 2020 presidential election, Stephens donated more than $3 million to Super PACs supporting Trump. In the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, Stephens was a major financial backer of Asa Hutchinson and Nikki Haley. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Stephens also contributed to MAGA Inc., a Super PAC aligned with Donald Trump.

In December 2024, he was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as US ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Philanthropy

Stephens served on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Washington and Lee University. Stephens and his wife Harriet are benefactors of various organizations, most notably the Episcopal Collegiate School and the Arkansas Arts Center, both in Little Rock.

References

  1. "Warren Stephens". Stephens.
  2. "Trump picks investment banker Warren Stephens as UK ambassador". BBC News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Stephens History". Stephens. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "W&L". Washington & Lee.
  5. "University of Arkansas/Walton College/Arkansas Business Hall of Fame/Warren A. Stephens". Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  6. "Dillard's Board of Directors". Bloomberg Business Week. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014.
  7. ^ Steven Barnes, 'PRIVATE SECTOR; Understatement, at $5 Billion', in The New York Times, November 21, 1999
  8. Schouten, Fredreka (July 13, 2012). "Mitt Romney announces three bundlers". USA Today. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  9. "Warren Stephens". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023.
  10. BusinessWeek profile
  11. Mider, Zachary (March 21, 2016). "Arkansas Billionaire Warren Stephens A Leading Stop-Trump Donor". Southwest Times Record. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  12. Schwartz, Brian (July 31, 2023). "Almost all of Trump's biggest 2020 super PAC donors refrain from giving to his rivals". NBC News.
  13. Reston, Maeve; Morse, Clara Ence; Knowles, Hanna (February 1, 2024). "Trump spent more than $55 million in donor money on legal fees last year, filings show". Washington Post.
  14. Woodward, Alex. "Reclusive Republican megadonor drops $50m into Trump super PAC". Independent.
  15. "Donald Trump nominates billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens to be US ambassador to UK". Sky News. United States. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  16. "Episcopal Collegiate School: History". Episcopal Collegiate School.
  17. "The King of Little Rock". Barron's.
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