Piercing the Irish Ceiling: The Story of a Boston Irish Catholic Who Reached the Top of the American Investment World

With candour, self-deprecating humour, and an insider's look at the American investment world, industry leader Robert E Riley shares his experience of climbing his way from the bottom rung at Putnam Investments to the top position, eventually becoming CEO. Relying mainly on his characteristic resolve, and despite historic deep-seated prejudice against Irish Catholics in the Boston investment community, Riley is a striking example of success in the face of adversity. In this part memoir, part historical narrative, investment industry leader Riley reveals what life was really like for a middle-class Irish Catholic young man growing up in Boston during the 1930s and 1940s. Riley's tale portrays his incredible life in an accessible style punctuated with humour and humanism. With wide-ranging appeal, Riley's tale will inspire anyone from any background. His is the true story of how a man, armed only with unflappable determination, challenged the status quo -- and won.

About the Author :
Robert E. Riley was born, raised, and worked for most of his professional life near Boston, Massachusetts. A third-generation Irish American, he traces his ancestry in Ireland to Counties Cavan and Galway. Long-considered a builder and a driving force at Putnam Investments, he climbed his way up the corporate ladder to become CEO of that company. His distinguished career also includes positions as senior vice president of American Express, chairman and CEO of several Prudential subsidiaries; an executive vice president of their parent company, Prudential Financial Inc.; president and chief operating officer of the Dreyfus Corporation; and president and CEO of the Kennedy family office. A graduate of Boston College High, College of the Holy Cross, and Harvard Business School, Riley is currently a director and chairman of the Investment Committee of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a trustee associate and member of the Investment Committee of Boston College High School, and chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Cohasset Library Trust.

Review :
"A century after thousands of Irish immigrants struggled to gain a foothold in Boston... Bob Riley took the Boston financial world by storm by becoming CEO of one of the city's major investment institutions, an almost unheard of achievement at that time by an Irish Catholic. In so doing, he paved the way for others with his working-class background, talent, and determination to reach the highest pinnacles of a profession that had, to that point, hung the twentieth-century's equivalent of the "No Irish Need Apply" sign on its boardroom door. Piercing the Irish Ceiling is a poignant reminder that overcoming great odds is part and parcel of the human spirit." --Stephen Puleo Author, Dark Tide; Due to Enemy Action; The Boston Italians; and A City So Grand "[Riley] writes in much the same way that he conducted himself during his long, successful business career: directly and confidently, offering unblinking assessments of members of his family across generations, of the jobs he has held, and of the people he has befriended in eighty years of hard-work living." --Tom Mulvoy Fformer managing editor, The Boston Globe; editor, Dorchester Reporter and Boston Irish Reporter "A remarkable story... You've made me aware of a different Boston." --Jill Ker Conway, author, The Road from Coorain: Recollections of a Harsh and Beautiful Journey into Adulthood; former President, Smith College "Bob Riley's success story reminds us that a value-based education, a tireless work ethic, faith in one's Creator and one's self, and a loving family provide a formula for a full and rewarding life." --Former United States Senator Paul G. Kirk Jr.