USC Board of Trustees elects international executives as new members

William McMorrow and Heliane Steden bring their business acumen and leadership to their new roles

Contact: Eddie North-Hager at 213-740-9335 or edwardnh@usc.edu

March 30, 2015 — International executives William McMorrow ’69, MBA ’70 and Heliane Steden ’86 have been named to the USC Board of Trustees.

Both have served on the university’s President’s Leadership Council and supported USC in a variety of ways since graduating from the university. William McMorrow is chairman and CEO of Kennedy Wilson Holdings, an international real estate and financial services firm. Since McMorrow purchased the company in 1988, Kennedy Wilson has grown from one office and 11 employees to a firm with 25 offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Jersey and Japan.

“Bill McMorrow is a leader of great integrity and vision, and remains committed to ensuring that our students are prepared to thrive in our interconnected world,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “He has demonstrated unflagging dedication to his alma mater, and we all look forward to his contributions on the board.”

Since earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from USC, McMorrow has steadfastly backed real estate education and research at the university. He serves on the executive board of the Lusk Center for Real Estate and recently made a gift to establish the William J. McMorrow Global Real Estate Program at the USC Marshall School of Business. The program will enable undergraduate business majors to learn about international real estate firsthand through trips across the United States and abroad, while connecting them with industry mentors and targeted internship positions.

McMorrow also volunteers as a trustee of the Windward School and a member of the Loyola High School Board of Regents. In recognition of his extensive philanthropic work, he was honored with the 2005 Spirit of Chrysalis Award from Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless and low-income men and women re-enter the job market. His wife, Leslie McMorrow, also is active in philanthropy. Not only does she support USC and organizations such as the Los Angeles Ballet, but she also serves on the advisory board of the Rape Foundation and the California Institute of the Arts Board of Trustees.

Steden, who lives in Connecticut, is a managing director at Merrill Lynch and a member of the company’s flagship New York International Office. She provides private banking services to an elite group of clients in Mexico, where she was raised. She joined Merrill Lynch in 1999, after establishing a record of success while working for Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank. Her role on the USC Board of Trustees reflects USC’s growing East Coast and international presence.

“Heliane Steden’s vast and varied experience in international business make her an invaluable asset to our board,” Nikias said. “She has distinguished herself not only through her incisive investment acumen, but also through her abiding commitment to philanthropy. USC is very fortunate to have the benefit of her continued guidance and support in her new role as a trustee.”

Steden, who was a three-time All American women’s tennis player while at USC, holds the distinction of making the largest gift to the Trojan athletic department from a former USC female student-athlete. Her endowed scholarship for the Women of Troy tennis program primarily goes to an international student-athlete.

Born in Germany and raised in Mexico City, Steden moved to the United States in 1983 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration at USC and play for the Women of Troy. Steden was a member of USC’s 1983 and 1985 NCAA championship teams and captured three United States Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles crowns.

An elite athlete, she represented Mexico several times in the Federation Cup and won a bronze medal in the Pan Am Games in 1983. She was named Mexico’s top female athlete and was consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 players during her five-year professional career. Steden’s husband, Andy Sieg, is head of global wealth and retirement solutions for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. A former White House aide to the assistant to the president for economic and domestic policy, Sieg also serves on the boards of several nonprofit groups that help children gain literacy and life skills.

Steden and McMorrow will begin their service on the board in June.