Robert G Wilmers

Early life

Robert George Wilmers was born on April 20, 1934, one of three children of Charles Wilmers, an executive with the Belgium utility holding company, Sofina, who would eventually become its president, and his wife Cecilia. He grew up in New York City and Belgium.

He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard College, and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Career

He started his career at Bankers Trust, served in New York City Government under Mayor John Lindsay, then went on to work at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company.

He has served as chairman and CEO of M&T Bank and its subsidiary, Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (M&T Bank) since 1983.

In 1992, the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management named Wilmers Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year. In 1991, the Greater Buffalo Chamber of Commerce named him Western New Yorker of the Year. He has received honorary degrees from Canisius College (1988), from Niagara University (1991) and from the State University of New York at Buffalo (2004). He was cited by The Buffalo News in 1987 and 1994 as a Citizen of the Year. Wilmers received the 2005 American Banker Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, Wilmers was awarded Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the President of France. In December 2011, he was named Banker of the Year by American Banker.

He served as chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation in 2008-2009, chairman of the New York State Bankers Association in 2002 and as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 1993 to 1998.

In January 2017, the rising value of bank stocks meant that Wilmers was now a billionaire.

Personal life

His wife Elisabeth Wilmers is French, and they have owned Château Haut-Bailly since 1998, as well as the nearby property Château Le Pape since 2012.