Ken Wilcox

Ken Wilcox currently serves as Emeritus Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank and was both President and Vice Chairman of SPD Silicon Valley Bank, Silicon Valley Bank’s joint-venture bank in Shanghai.

Mr. Wilcox was previously the CEO of SVB Financial Group. In that role, he successfully pursued a strategy of expansion and diversification, while remaining focused on the group’s core niches of technology, life sciences, venture capital, and premium wineries.

Mr. Wilcox is a member of the Board of the Asia Society of Northern California, Treasurer of the Asian Art Museum, and a member of the 21st Century China Center Advisory Board. He is also Chief Credit Officer of Columbia Lake Venture Debt Fund; an adjunct professor and member of the International Advisory Board at Fudan University in Shanghai; and an advisor to a number of start-ups. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Wilcox was a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. 

In 2008, Mr. Wilcox was named “Banker of the Year” by American Banker. He earned the distinction of “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2009 and 2010. The Yangpu District of Shanghai has also honored Mr. Wilcox with an “Innovation Contributor Award.” In 2013, the Shanghai Municipal Government presented Mr. Wilcox with the “Magnolia Silver Award,” a municipal honor given to expatriates for their outstanding contribution to the city’s economic, social, or cultural development. 

Mr. Wilcox earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, as well as a PhD in German studies from Ohio State University.