I’m no Whartonite, like fellow blogger and resident stock-man Simeon McMillan. Still, I can understand the tendencies of corruption, workaholism, and greed which pervade Huntsman, and really, every discipline at Penn.

Last Saturday, the Wharton Venture Capital Association and the Wharton Christian Group sponsored a talk by Bob Doll, the former President of Merrill Lynch. Doll discussed his methods of countering greed–concentrating on the power of faith, rather than the power of the dollar. Faith has played a role even in the high-paced world of I-banking and corporate mergers.

Bob Doll, dressed impeccably in a gray suit and sharp tie, looked more like a financially savvy John Edwards than a modest family man-turned portfolio manager. And Doll’s story was almost as impressive as the motivating factors behind it. After getting his MBA (W’80), he skyrocketed Oppenheim Funds to the “Top 25 Funds” list in 1988. From there, he moved on to serve as President and Chief Investment Officer at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. In 2006, on the cusp of declining fortunes, he moved to rechristen the company Princeton Portfolio Research & Management in an effort to improve credibility and revenues (improving creditability by naming a company Princeton? Wharton sure taught him to think outside of the box.) The day before he announced the name change, Doll received a call that his BlackRock of New York was staging a Hostile Takeover of his company.

Tensions ran deep and egos flared as executives jostled for top positions in the new supercompany. When Doll wrestled with his future he chose to seek “perspective”. “I asked myself-in 100 years, will this really matter? No.” BlackRock successfully merged with Merrill Lynch, and Bob Doll and his team currently manage $400 billion in equity assets.

Doll added that his sense of worth is rooted outside of his career, joking that “I drive a ‘94 Volvo that’s missing a hubcap”. His desire for balance, service, and integrity on the job stand in stark contrast to the values of his profession. Doll underscores that faith and the workplace are not mutually exclusive. And thankfully, I don’t need a Finance concentration to appreciate that.

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