John Burnett
Business Consultant, Op-Ed Writer, and Politics in New York
John Burnett is a financial industry professional with over 20 years of experience and has held leadership roles in risk management, compliance and operations at some of the world’s top financial services and business information companies; such as Citi, McGraw-Hill Financial, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.
In John's most recent leadership role with McGraw-Hill Financial, John’s responsibilities included operational risk and efficacy of internal controls for pricing and analytics of physical commodity markets in petroleum, petrochemicals, gas, electricity, steel and metals. In addition to enhancing operational performance, John advises on risks related to acquisitions, joint ventures and channel partner relationships.
In previous corporate roles, John developed risk assessment programs that captured intrinsic and residual risks coupled with mitigating controls to maximize enterprise value. Additionally, John managed operational controls for structured financing and investment products, mutual funds, unit trusts, annuities, CDOs, corporate and individual retirement plans, bank financing and investment instruments to include CDs, HELOC, corporate financing and cash management.
His practical business acumen is matched only by a strong sense of civic responsibility, lending his time to several community-based organizations and advising entrepreneurs of tomorrow. John is currently servicing his community through various not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves as president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Alumni Chapter - Alpha Gamma Lambda (“Harlem Alphas”) based in Harlem, NY.
John understands the importance of education, giving back to his alma mater and serving the broader community. He is a board member of New York University’s Alumni Association, a Strategic Advisor for New York State Republican Party and former candidate for New York City Comptroller.
John has published articles in a variety of blogs, magazines and newspapers. He is a current contributor to The Street (which has more than 70 million unique monthly views) on topics related to finance, investments and economics.
John holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Leadership and Management Studies from New York University, and is the recipient of a Founders’ Day University Honors Scholar Award. He also holds an MBA from The Johnson School of Management at Cornell University.