Jeffrey Shames

Jeffrey Shames is the Senior Strategy Advisor of Rockefeller Capital Management, where he helps drive firm-wide growth strategy.

Previously, Jeff was the Chairman and CEO of MFS Investment Management and served on the Board of Trustees of the MFS Funds. He joined MFS in 1983 as an industry analyst, then became a portfolio manager, Chief Equity Officer, President, and board member. He retired as CEO in 2002 and as Chairman in 2004.

Jeff was a senior advisor to Morgan Stanley from 2010 to 2013, responsible for advising the President of Investment Management and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Wealth Management.

Jeff earned his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and his M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In between college and graduate school, he served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He is an Executive in Residence at the MIT Sloan School of Management, lecturing in finance, leadership, and global health management, and serving as a member of the Advisory Boards of the MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Master’s of Finance Program, and MIT Leadership Center.

Jeff is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the X Prize Foundation, City Year, Summer Search, Tufts Medical Center, and the Berklee College of Music. He also serves on the boards of several startups.