# Sylvia Kwan

> Dr. Sylvia Kwan is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Ellevest, the New York-based investment advisory firm built to help women build and manage wealth. A Stanford PhD and holder of both the CFA and CAIA designations, she designed the gender-aware investing algorithm at the core of Ellevest's platform and, in 2025, succeeded founder Sallie Krawcheck to lead the company. With more than three decades in financial services, including founding-team roles at Financial Engines and a stint at Charles Schwab, Kwan is a leading voice on impact investing, alternatives, and closing the gender wealth gap.

- **Role:** CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Ellevest
- **Organizations:** Ellevest, Financial Engines, Charles Schwab, SimplySmart Asset Management, Exit 182 Group, LLC, Lotus Campaign, ADISA (Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association), CAIA Association
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Brown University, Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Created the first gender-aware investing algorithm, informed by research on women's lived financial realities., Became CEO of Ellevest in 2025 while continuing to serve as Chief Investment Officer., Founding member of the Financial Engines investments team, helping manage over $14B in AUM for 200,000+ accounts.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Held senior roles in financial services, including at Charles Schwab.
- **1990s-2000s** — Founding member of the investments team at Financial Engines, helping manage over $14B in AUM across 200,000+ client accounts.
- **2010** — Co-founded SimplySmart Asset Management, a boutique RIA offering fully customized global investment solutions.
- **2015** — Joined Ellevest as Chief Investment Officer, designing the firm's gender-aware investing algorithm.
- **2025** — Succeeded founder Sallie Krawcheck as CEO of Ellevest while continuing as Chief Investment Officer.

## Achievements

- Created the first gender-aware investing algorithm, informed by research on women's lived financial realities.
- Became CEO of Ellevest in 2025 while continuing to serve as Chief Investment Officer.
- Founding member of the Financial Engines investments team, helping manage over $14B in AUM for 200,000+ accounts.
- Co-founded the boutique RIA SimplySmart Asset Management in 2010.
- Holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
- Director of Exit 182 Group, LLC, sharing fiduciary oversight of Grinnell College's multibillion-dollar endowment.
- Board member of ADISA and of the Lotus Campaign, a nonprofit addressing homelessness through housing.
- Helped grow Ellevest's community to more than 3 million members.

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Became sole CEO of Ellevest, succeeding founder Sallie Krawcheck while retaining the Chief Investment Officer role.
- **2025** — Featured speaker at the Milken Institute Global Conference 2025 on women, wealth, and impact investing.

## Links

- Website: https://ellevest.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviakwan
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/ellevest
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellevest/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ellevesting

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sylvia-kwan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-24