Brian Moynihan

Brian Moynihan, 65, fought hard for his power. He had to. Almost immediately after being promoted to Bank of America’s CEO in 2010, he had to defend the bank against an onslaught of near calamities related to the Great Financial Crisis. He spent nearly his entire first year in charge fighting to ensure the bank had enough capital on hand in case of a failure, including controversially receiving a $5 billion investment (a gesture of faith) from Warren Buffett. The following year, Moynihan fought off a call for the Treasury Department to break up the bank. He righted the ship and helped the bank generate $200 billion in profit over the 10 years starting 2014, according to the 2023 annual report, including $29 billion last year alone. In January he became chancellor of his alma mater, Brown University, where he’ll oversee its 54-member governing body.