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 Joe Grano is Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings LLC, a
company that advises private and public companies.
From 2001-2004, Mr. Grano was Chairman of UBS Financial
Services Inc. (formerly UBS PaineWebber). In addition
to being one of the financial services industry’s leading
executives, Mr. Grano is involved in a wide range of
educational and philanthropic endeavors. In 2002, Mr. Grano was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as
the Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
He relinquished his position in August 2005.
Mr. Grano joined PaineWebber in February 1988 as President
of Retail Sales and Marketing, and became President of
PaineWebber Group in December 1994. As President, he
oversaw a series of important and dramatic restructurings at
the firm, including the acquisition of Kidder, Peabody in
1995 and J.C. Bradford in 2000. Finally, Mr. Grano was
instrumental in helping to bring about the merger of
PaineWebber with UBS in 2000, when he was named
President & CEO of UBS PaineWebber and the following year
was named Chairman & CEO.
Prior to joining PaineWebber, Mr. Grano was with Merrill
Lynch for 16 years, holding various senior management
positions including Director of National Sales. In
1987, he was named the industry’s best retail marketing
executive in a survey conducted by Investment Dealers’
Digest. Mr. Grano was Chairman of the Board of
Governors of the NASD and a member of the NASD’s
Executive Committee.
Before joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Grano served in the U.S.
Special Forces (Green Berets). He became one of the
Army’s youngest officers, achieving the rank of Captain.
Mr. Grano holds Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from
Pepperdine University and Babson College as well as Honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Queens College, City
University of New York and Central Connecticut State
University. In addition he holds an Honorary Doctor of
Business Administration degree from the University of New
Haven. Mr. Grano served as Vice Chairman of the Queens
College Foundation Board of Trustees, and was on the Board
of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York and on the
Board of Lenox Hill Hospital. He is a member of the
Council for the United States and Italy, a member of the
City University of New York’s Business Leadership Council
and a former member of the National Board of D.A.R.E.
In 2004 Mr. Grano received the Sons of Italy Foundation
National Education & Leadership Award. In October 2002
he received the Corporate Leadership Award from the Thurgood
Marshall Scholarship Fund for his commitment to education.
In 2000, he became the 39th recipient of the USO Gold Medal
Award for Distinguished Service, and was named Business
Leader of the Year by Georgetown University’s School of
Business. In 1998 he received the “La Bellissima America”
award for his leadership role in preserving the heritage of
Italian-Americans, and in 1996, Mr. Grano was a recipient of
the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of
distinguished contributions to our country.
Affiliations
- Council for the United States and Italy
- City University of New York's Business Leadership
Council
- Board member of IPSA International
- Board member of 1800 Pack Rat
- Board Member, Ethoca
Awards & Honors
- 1998 Ellis Island Legends Award
- 2000 Business Leader of the Year, Georgetown
University's School of Business
- 2000 "La Bellissima America" award
- 2001 Man of the Year Award
- Corporate Leadership Award, Thurgood Marshall
Scholarship Fund, October 2002
- October 2002 USO Gold Medal Award for Distinguished
Service
- Federation of Italian-American Organizations of
Brooklyn 2004
- 2004 Recipient of
The
National Education & Leadership Awards(NELA)
sponsored by the Sons of Italy Foundation
- 2006
honored by the YMCA of Greater New York 32nd Annual
Dodge Award Gala for helping raise over $2 million
dollars to help YMCA sponsored programs.
- Nutley UNICO Special Pride in Heritage Award, 2009
Education
- Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Pepperdine
University and Babson College
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Queens
College, City University of New York
-
Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree
from University of New Haven
Guest Speaker
Philanthropic
- Long time supporter of the Yankee Foundation as a
fundraiser Chairman
- Ongoing supporter of the YMCA of Greater New York –
Virtual Y
-
Co-Chairman of Police Athletic League dinner in
honor of Commissioner Raymond Kelly in 2003
- Honorary Chairman, Coast Guard Foundation
- 2003
Chairman of Inner City Schools of the Archdiocese of
the City of New York fundraisers over several years
- Fervent supporter of Promise/Lenox Hill Hospital
Ronald McDonald House
- Avid supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation both personally and on a corporate level
-
Dinner Chairman of Cancer Research & Treatment Fund,
2007
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The leaders I most admire have never been those you see on the front pages or on
the evening news but rather those I call the ‘quiet heroes’ who, far from the
spotlights, motivate, teach, inspire, and that is … lead.
Joe Grano has done
that—in war, in the boardroom, and with his family and friends. He tells his
story as a great leader should— humbly, and with an eye to teaching readers how
they can benefit from his experiences.”
-George Pataki, Former Governor of New
York
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