The Columbia Business School community has lost an extraordinary colleague and friend in Margaret M. Cannella '76, who passed away peacefully over the Thanksgiving weekend. A devoted member of the Columbia Business School community, Cannella left an indelible mark on the institution through her leadership and commitment. After retiring from JP Morgan in 2009, she began working with Oaktree Capital and also joined the School’s Finance and Economics Division as an adjunct professor, teaching seminars she developed on leveraged finance and credit markets. In 2013, she expanded her impact at the School when she accepted the role of administrative director of the Private Equity Program. A hallmark of her legacy at the School is the successful Private Equity Fellows Program she created, which is now in its fourth year. Cannella gained her deep understanding of financial services from spending more than 30 years in the industry across the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Prior to joining the Business School, she was the global head of credit research and US corporate strategy at JP Morgan, where she built the top-ranked US equity and global credit research groups. She had previously spent 10 years at Citigroup as head of global research and senior analyst in the Corporate Finance Analysis Division, and before that, she held a career-launching role in investment banking at Chase Manhattan Asia Limited in Hong Kong. Known for her superlative skills as an analyst, Cannella was named to the Fixed Income Analyst Hall of Fame in 2007 for her publications on the credit crisis. As a sell-side bond analyst from 1992 to 2004, she was ranked number one or two in the Institutional Investor Survey for her coverage of retail and consumer products companies. During her life, Cannella played a prominent role in a variety of nonprofits, including board positions with Princeton in Asia and with Global Communities, a microfinance organization with a focus on the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
"These worthy institutions are undoubtedly better thanks to Margaret’s generosity of time, knowledge, expertise, and ideas," said Dean Glenn Hubbard. "Likewise, Columbia Business School has been tremendously fortunate to rely on Margaret’s wisdom and inspiring involvement over the years. She will be deeply missed."
A wake is planned for November 29 from 3–5 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. and November 30 from 2–5 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. at the Walter B. Cooke Funeral Home at 325 East 87th Street, New York, NY. A funeral is planned for 10 a.m. on December 1 at Saint Joseph’s Church Yorkville at 404 East 87th Street, New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Cannella's honor to Princeton in Asia, 194 Nassau Street, Suite 212, Princeton, NJ 08542.