Could Women Have Saved Lehman Brothers?

Picture a group of top-notch trust officers. Estimate how much they make in a year.  Compare your estimate with the annual fortunes – typically between $10 million and $20 million – received by the top 50 employees of Lehman Brothers before it collapsed. (The top 50 were subordinate to Lehman's corporate officers, whose presumably higher earnings went on public record.)

"The one thing which is most startling about this list," Felix Salmon observes, "is the number of women on it: exactly zero. One can’t help but suspect that the all-male culture at the upper reaches of Lehman was a corrosive and damaging thing, which in some way helped lead to the bank’s demise."

Woman are thought to be more prudent investors, on average, than men. Would a healthy infusion of female managing directors help Wall Street manage its greed?

If so, help may be on the way. Watch for alumnae of Westover School.