Daniel Coleman
Daniel B. Coleman (born August 1964 in Birmingham) is a former equities trader and the 16th president of Birmingham-Southern College. He succeeded interim president Bradley Caskey in December 2018.
Coleman earned his bachelor of arts in English language and literature in 1986. He began his investment career that same year as an equity options trader in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office of O'Connor & Associates, a Chicago, Illinois-based trading firm. The company was acquired by the Swiss Bank Corporation in 1992, and Coleman was promoted through offices in Chicago, Tokyo and New York City while also earning a masters in business administration from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. While there, he met
SBC became part of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) in 1998. Coleman moved to Stamford, Connecticut and rose to head of global equities. He and Brooke returned to Birmingham with their three children in 2009, moving into the Theodore Swann residence on Redmont Road which they had purchased in 2003 and fully restored. In 2010 Coleman began a 3-year term on the board of trustees for Birmingham-Southern College.
In October 2010 Coleman joined Global Electronic Trading Company (GETCO) of Chicago, a pioneer of rapid automated trading, as global head of equities and client services. In 2012 he was promoted to CEO as co-founders Stephen Schuler and Dan Tierney stepped away from day-to-day management. Getco's profits declined by as much as 90% in 2012 with reduced market volatility and trading activity. Nevertheless, with backing from Jefferies Group Inc., Getco completed a $1.4 billion takeover of the troubled Knight Capital Group in July 2013, forming KCG Holdings. KCG reported granting Coleman $10.4 million in compensation that year.
Coleman, who had been commuting from Birmingham, stepped down from KCG when it was acquired by Virtu Financial in 2017. He subsequently served on incoming Mayor Randall Woodfin's transition team, and later co-chaired his financial advisory team. He rejoined BSC's board in 2018, and was a member of the 2021 class of Leadership Birmingham. He also participated in endowment boards for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Build-Up Birmingham.
Coleman was announced as President of Birmingham-Southern in November 2018 and took office on December 3 of that year. He has also served as an adjunct professor of finance, and taken classes at the college. Coleman is also employed as a part-time advisor by OCA Ventures of Chicago, and Bain & Company of Boston, Massachusetts.
| Preceded by: Bradley Caskey |
President of Birmingham-Southern College December 2018 |
Succeeded by: ' |
References
- Beaird, Ann (Summer 2007) "Restoring Chaucer Hall." Alabama Heritage. No. 85, pp. 17-23
- Adams, Cathy C. (April 2009) "Architecturally Exact: With the help of a talented crew of artisans, a Birmingham couple lovingly restores a masterpiece on the mountain" Portico
- "Coleman Takes Reins at Getco." (February 27, 2012) Traders Magazine
- McCrank, John (April 3, 2014) "KCG paid chief executive Coleman $10.4 million for 2013." Reuters
- "BSC Names Birmingham Native, Successful Global CEO, as 16th President." (November 15, 2018) Birmingham-Southern College media release
- "BBJ 2020 CEO Awards: Daniel Coleman." (January 14, 2021) Birmingham Business Journal
- Coleman, Daniel (February 22, 2022) "Man Wakes From 35-year Cryogenic Freeze To Find A New Birmingham" Comeback Town
- Banks, Richard (March 28, 2024) "BSC’s Daniel Coleman talks about his years-long effort to save the school and what happens next." WBHM.org