Shaw Will Lead Industry-First Initiative to Increase Diversity in Alternative Investment Industry

ALT Finance Corporation (“AltFinance”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Marcus Shaw as its Chief Executive Officer. Shaw is a visionary leader with extensive experience in the technology, investment, and non-profit sectors. In his new role, he will guide AltFinance in its mission to increase diverse representation across the alternative investment industry.
Marcus Shaw

Today, Shaw will launch the application for the AltFinance Fellowship program at Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College.

The program was developed in conjunction with the four HBCUs, Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), a national nonprofit working to transform our country’s leadership pipelines and close the racial wealth gap, and representatives from Apollo Global Management, Ares Management, and Oaktree Capital Management.

The AltFinance Fellowship will introduce students to investing and operations and tap into their entrepreneurial spirit—key elements of a career in the alternative investment industry.

The fellowship is open to sophomores and juniors at the four HBCUs and will provide one-on-one coaching, a career roadmap, custom curriculum, workshops and networking/relationship building, engagement with alternative investment firms, and scholarships to ease the financial burden on students.

Shaw will continue to build and implement the program as it prepares to welcome its first eligible class in Spring 2022.

As CEO, he will also work with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to create and launch a virtual institute. The virtual institute will be launched in 2022.

“AltFinance is uniquely committed to building and expanding pathways for Black students at HBCUs toward careers in alternative investment management. We believe there is no one better suited to lead our efforts than Marcus, who brings more than twenty years of financial and non-profit experience,” said Trey Pruitt, President, ALTFinance Board of Directors.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Marcus to AltFinance and look forward to working together to drive increased diversity in the alternatives industry.”

Shaw has spent more than 20 years as an executive in the financial industry with positions at Height Analytics, Piedmont Investor Advisors, and Banc of America Securities. Most recently, he served as chief executive at The Company Lab, a nonprofit startup accelerator supporting entrepreneurial growth in southeast Tennessee. Shaw has also led programs dedicated to innovation, equity and development of young professionals at the Montgomery TechLab and MLT.

“HBCUs are a valuable, yet often overlooked, part of the global talent landscape.

As alternative investments become a bigger part of the economy, we are excited to partner with leading firms to ensure HBCU students are exposed to career pathways and positioned for success in the industry,” said Shaw.

Shaw earned his MBA from Duke University, a B.S. in Mathematics from Morehouse College, and another in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech.
The selection comes after an extensive search by The Diversified Search Group.