Shundrawn A. Thomas is a professional investor and corporate executive with 27 years of high-impact leadership within the world's premiere financial services institutions. He has earned an industrywide reputation as an innovator in investment management and a champion of socially responsible investing. As an executive, he is a pacesetter in diversity-filed organizational transformation and he serves as as a trusted strategic advisor to the C-suite and boards of directors. Shundrawn is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Copia Group (TCG), a private investment firm which provides capital solutions for lower middle market companies and drives social impact through the power of scalable businesses.
Prior to founding TCG, Shundrawn served as President of Northern Trust Asset Management, a leading global investment manager with then $1.3 trillion in assets and served as a member of the executive management group of Northern Trust Corporation. His executive roles included Head of FlexShares ETFs, President of Northern Trust Securities, and Head of Corporate Strategy.
His previous executive roles include Head of Funds and Managed Accounts, President of Northern Trust Securities, and Head of Corporate Strategy. Prior to joining Northern Trust, he served as a vice president in the equities division of Goldman Sachs and was previously employed with Morgan Stanley, holding positions in fixed income sales, trading, and research. Shundrawn recently announced his departure from Northern Trust to co-found a new, diverse-owned and led firm that will provide debt and equity solutions to privately held U.S. companies. A key focus will be identifying untapped market opportunities and partnering with women and ethnically diverse business operators.
Highly respected for his authentic leadership style, Shundrawn has earned numerous industry accolades over the years. Black Enterprise Magazine identified him as one of 2011's "75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street" and again in 2017 as among the Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America." In 2020, he was identified by Savoy Magazine as one of the "Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. In 2021, ThinkAdvisor selected Shundrawn as a member of the 2021 class of industry luminaries and InvestmentNews honored him with a lifetime achievement award for leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Shundrawn completed his bachelor's degree in accounting from Florida A&M University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, with concentrations in accounting and finance. With a lifelong passion for learning, he has also completed executive leadership programs in corporate strategy at Chicago Booth and corporate governance at University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business.
Shundrawn serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE: RGA), a leading global life and health reinsurer and as a trustee for the Financial Accounting Foundation. A devoted husband and father of two sons, Shundrawn is also actively involved in civic organizations serving as a trustee for Rush University Medical Center and Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago. Shundrawn is a frequent public speaker, media commentator and lecturer and has authored four books including Discover Joy in Work: Transforming Your Occupation into Your Vocation, published in 2019.