Brady
Dougan was born on
August 30, 1959 in Urbana, Illinois. Brady grew up in Murphysboro, a city of
8,000 in rural Illinois more known for producing coal than top level
executives. Like many top executives education helps get one up the ladder. He
earned a B.A. in Economics in 1981 from the University of Chicago. Brady went
on to earn an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business in 1982.
Brady
went to work for Bankers Trust, the pioneering finance house that also launched
the careers of other high-flying bankers. He then joined Credit Suisse’s
American investment bank, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) in 1990 and rapidly
rose through the ranks.
In
2005 CSFB and Credit Suisse’s businesses merged and Brady became head of the
new bank’s investment banking division. He worked closely with then CEO Oswald
Grübel to try and blend Credit Suisse’s Swiss and American units into one bank.
Oswald retired in 2007 and Brady took his place.
In
the process Brady became the first American CEO of the Swiss bank. He is known
for his attention to detail, a sharp mind, and a ferocious work ethic. He has a
punishing work routine starting work early and working for 18 hours a day.
These traits landed him the top post. He follows up on those that have given
personal deadlines to see if the tasks were completed.
When
he arrived as the new CEO it was reported that the expensive cars at the
headquarter parking lot kind of disappeared as his preferred vehicle is a
Toyota Prius.
When
the market was booming he warned that there may be negative days ahead although
the magnitude was much harder. Brady is credited with leading the bank away
from the subprime meltdown that UBS suffered. He moved quickly than other Swiss
bank rivals to lower the bank’s risk profile.
Brady
is known to shun parties that other members of Wall Street like to attend. He
is known to be more of the private type and is an avid runner.
