COB, CEO
Henry A. Fernandez is the Chairman of the Board (COB) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading global provider of investment decision tools including indexes, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and climate and sustainability data.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)[[2]](https://www.royaltypharma.com/our-firm/meet-the-team/henry-fernandez/)[[3]](https://latinodonorcollaborative.org/directors/henry-a-fernandez/) Under his nearly three-decade leadership, MSCI has grown into a premier firm with over USD 2.7 billion in revenues, a market cap exceeding USD 40 billion, more than 6,000 employees across 25+ countries, and clients in over 100 countries representing the world's largest investors.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez) Fernandez has been recognized as one of Barron’s World’s Best CEOs in 2019 and 2021, and in 2025, TIME named him one of the 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders for advancing tools like the Net-Zero Tracker and Energy Transition Framework.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)[[4]](https://time.com/collections/time-100-climate-2025/7326554/henry-fernandez/)
Born in Mexico City and raised in Nicaragua, Fernandez began his career as a diplomat at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Washington, D.C. (1976-1979), founded Ferco Partners, Inc., a private-equity firm in Mexico (1991-1993), and served as President of HispaniMedia, Inc.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)[[3]](https://latinodonorcollaborative.org/directors/henry-a-fernandez/) He then spent over two decades at Morgan Stanley as a Managing Director, focusing on emerging markets strategy, equity derivatives, M&A, and corporate finance, before joining MSCI in 1998 and leading its transition to a public company in 2007.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)[[2]](https://www.royaltypharma.com/our-firm/meet-the-team/henry-fernandez/) Fernandez holds a BA in economics from Georgetown University (summa cum laude), an MBA from Stanford University, and pursued doctoral studies in economics at Princeton University.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)[[2]](https://www.royaltypharma.com/our-firm/meet-the-team/henry-fernandez/)[[3]](https://latinodonorcollaborative.org/directors/henry-a-fernandez/) He serves on boards including Stanford University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and is involved in climate initiatives like the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.[[1]](https://www.msci.com/discover-msci/our-leadership/henry-a-fernandez)
View full insider profile →
