Nicole was appointed Executive Vice President & Co-Head, Global Banking and Markets, U.S. in November 2024. In her role, Nicole is responsible for scaling our U.S. platform as we deliver for our clients and continue to keep our Bank safe.

In her previous role, as Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Nicole ensured compliance, AML and financial crimes risks were managed effectively against heightened regulatory expectations.

Nicole also stood up the Bank’s first Internal Controls unit and built strong teams across our global footprint to proactively identify risk.

She is a seasoned leader with diverse expertise across Risk Management, Global Banking and Markets, and International Banking. 

Aasem is global head of Investment Banking Client Services and global head of the Cross Markets Group. He is also head of the Dallas office and head of Investment Banking in the Southern region in the US. Aasem is a member of the Firmwide Client Franchise Committee, Investment Banking Operating Committee, and the Investment Banking Executive Committee. Prior to his current roles, Aasem was co-head of Latin America and head of Investment Banking in Latin America. Previously, he was global head of Chemicals in Investment Banking. Earlier in his career, Aasem was a member of the Equity Capital Markets Group. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 as an analyst on the Mortgage-Backed Trading desk and was named managing director in 2008 and partner in 2016.

Aasem is chair of the President’s Advisory Board of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is on the Board of Trustees of Kenyon College, and serves on the boards of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU), the Tate Lecture Series at SMU, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Not Impossible Labs, and the Dallas Stars Ownership Advisory Group. He is also a member of the CEO Advisory Council of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Financial Sector Advisory Council.

Aasem earned a BA in Political Science, with distinction, from Kenyon College in 1996

Rachel Racz Is Head of Listings for Texas, Southern U.S. and Latin America region. In this role, she oversees New Listings, as well as the retention of Listings and U.S. IR Services across Texas, the Southern US and Latin America regions.

Rachel Racz brings over 15 years’ experience across every aspect of the capital markets environment with deep expertise in the oil and gas industry. Racz is a Nasdaq alumna who previously oversaw Nasdaq’s listings franchise in Texas, responsible for client relationships and driving new listings growth. Racz left Nasdaq in 2019 and has subsequently held senior leadership positions across corporates, investment firms, and industry bodies focused on business development, client engagement, and strategic investor relations.

A Texan born and raised, Rachel understands our clients and the unique local dynamics like no other – and she will be a powerful advocate for the interests and needs of our clients across the region.

Rachel is a graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Global Business and Political Science.

She resides in Texas with her husband and three children.

Todd Milbourn serves as the 10th dean for the Edwin L. Cox School of Business. He holds the Tolleson Chair in Business Leadership and the Andrew H. Chen Endowed Chair in Financial Investments. An experienced and visionary academic leader, he is dedicated to advancing teaching and research, supporting top academic talent, and engaging the business community to help prepare the next generation of business leaders for the opportunities ahead. He is an innovative leader with a strong passion for entrepreneurship. 

Milbourn is charged with building on Cox’s legacy of exceptional student outcomes, as well as record breaking job placements and average base salary to accelerate Cox’s ascent. He embraces SMU’s unique role in helping to stimulate and drive the economic engine and entrepreneurial ecosystem of first Dallas, then Texas and beyond. Under his leadership, Milbourn will position Cox at the intersection of driving innovation and economic growth in an increasingly collaborative and technologically integrated world. 

Milbourn came to SMU from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was the Hubert C. and Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance. In his 25 years at Washington University, Milbourn recruited leading faculty from top universities, expanded the Ph.D. program, led the rollout of several specialized master’s programs and facilitated the establishment of four new research centers. In his most recent role as deputy dean, he helped lead the school’s strategic efforts to align with the broader university’s strategic plan and increase engagement with the St. Louis business community. 

Milbourn is an expert on valuation, corporate finance, credit ratings and corporate governance, including executive compensation and its impact on long-term shareholder value, corporate decision-making and firm performance. He has been retained as an expert by private firms and the U.S. Department of Justice.

He is a coauthor of The Value Sphere: Secrets of Creating and Retaining Shareholder Wealth and has published articles in leading scholarly journals, including Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Management Science, Journal of Accounting Research and RAND Journal of Economics.

Milbourn previously taught finance at the London Business School and the University of Chicago before joining Washington University. He earned a Ph.D. in finance in 1995 at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Indiana. He received his bachelor’s degree in in 1991 in economics, finance and mathematics from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

Milbourn is positioned to elevate SMU Cox’s national reputation and standing in the Dallas community while expanding research, prioritizing industry collaboration, and ensuring graduates are equipped with the skills necessary for success in today’s dynamic global marketplace.