Marion Swett Robinson ’65 built a distinguished and influential track record in global finance at a time when few women worked outside the home, let alone held leadership roles. Over four decades, she rose to senior positions at major financial institutions including Morgan Grenfell and Bankers Trust. As a founding member of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA” – celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year), she helped to formalize and standardize a growing market that would become a cornerstone of global finance.

 

At Bankers Trust, Marion played key roles in everything from deal execution and people management to product risk management, strategy, and legal advisory. She was widely known as a builder of teams, systems, and solutions. Whether turning around underperforming teams or designing an innovative credit risk management system, Marion approached each challenge with common sense, clarity, and a deep respect for the people she led and the managers she reported to.

 

Marion’s leadership was shaped by a steady commitment to solving problems and doing what was right. “No lying, cheating, or stealing,” she says, summarizing a personal philosophy grounded in her family values. Her success came not from following a set plan but from responding to opportunities, earning trust, and achieving consensus. “I found things that needed to be done and figured out how to do them,” she reflects.

 

In recent years, Marion’s activities have expanded to include wellness and personal development. She is a certified Reiki Master, trauma release practitioner, and ontological life coach. These practices, bolstered by personal experience, offer ways to support others with empathy and insight. “They’ve given me tools to listen more deeply and to be present for others,” she says.

 

Marion also remains active in the nonprofit world. She is a member of the boards of Colorado’s Mesa Verde Foundation and Rochester’s Finger Lakes Opera. “Board service expands the possibilities for making a real contribution,” she notes.

 

Marion came to Shipley in tenth grade as a boarder, joining a long line of family members, including her mother and grandmother, who had attended the School. She credits Shipley not only with providing a rigorous academic foundation, particularly in writing and literature, but also with helping her build friendships and a sense of belonging during a formative time in her life. “I had genuine friends,” she says. “We had each other’s backs.”

 

An experienced pianist trained at Rochester’s pre-eminent Eastman School of Music, Marion played for Upper School assemblies, including hymns often chosen just minutes beforehand by Headmistress Margaret Bailey Speer. This twice-weekly ritual left a lasting impression. “She was a significant presence—formidable, but someone I looked up to. She had an uncanny ability to read my mind,” Marion recalls.

 

Today, Marion continues to work in finance, strategy, and governance, also supporting others through her healing practices, board service, and community engagement. Her career has spanned continents and industries, but is unified by a steady throughline: a belief in thoughtful leadership, the power of well-constructed ideas, and the importance of human connection. She is thrilled to be back in her hometown of Rochester, NY, where she has reconnected with long-time friends and enjoys the many cultural and community opportunities (music, art, history, education, and more) that upstate New York has to offer.

 

“My education at Shipley was second-to-none, comprehensive and strong,” she says. “It gave me the foundation for a life—and a career—defined by clarity, curiosity, and purpose.”