Warren Stephens

Early life and education

Stephens was born in Little Rock, the son of Jackson T. Stephens and Mary Amerine Stephens. Warren's father, "Jack" Stephens, and his uncle, "Witt" Stephens, partnered as investors and financiers in the investment firm, Stephens Inc.

Warren began his education in Little Rock, and in 1975, graduated from Trinity Presbyterian High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1979 with a BA in economics, and received his MBA from Wake Forest University in 1981.

Career

Stephens joined his father and uncle in the investment banking business in Little Rock, which had 139 employees. At that time, the firm resembled and operated much like one of the old British merchant banks, investing the firm's and family funds in various businesses and ventures, and it still operates the same way today. Stephens Inc., is noted for handling the IPO of Wal-Mart Stores in 1970.

Stephens began work as an associate in the corporate finance department, concentrating on oil and gas. He became head of the department in 1983 and spent a lot of time on mergers and acquisitions. On February 18, 1986, Stephens was appointed president and CEO of Stephens Inc.

In 1990, he was the senior advisor to Tyson Foods in its acquisition of Holly Farms in a nine-month takeover battle. He is only the third chairman, president and CEO in the firm's more than 90 years of operations since 1933.

In 2006, Stephens acquired 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Stephens Inc., from the other family members.

Stephens is on the board of Dillard's.

In January 2025, Warren Stephens revealed his decision to step down from his role as CEO of Stephens Inc., to prepare to assume the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. His sons, Miles and John Stephens, have been named co-CEOs, representing the third generation of family leadership at the firm.

Political involvement and government service

A Republican, he supported Bob Dole in 1996, Steve Forbes in 1999, and has supported Mike Huckabee. Stephens was a bundler for Mitt Romney in 2012. He has been critical of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. During the 2020 presidential election, Stephens donated more than $3 million to super PACs supporting Trump. In the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, Stephens was a major financial backer of Asa Hutchinson and Nikki Haley. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Stephens also contributed to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supported Donald Trump, donating a further $1 million during the first half of 2025.

On December 2, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Stephens to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom in his second administration. At the time, Stephens had donated $6 million to Trump. On February 12, 2025, his nomination was sent to the Senate. His nomination was confirmed with a vote of 59–39 on April 29, 2025. He presented his credentials to King Charles III on May 21, 2025 at Buckingham Palace.

Philanthropy

Stephens was on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Washington and Lee University. Stephens and his wife Harriet are benefactors of various organizations, most notably the Episcopal Collegiate School and the Arkansas Arts Center, both in Little Rock.

References

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References

1. "Stephens History".
2. "W&L".
3. "University of Arkansas/Walton College/Arkansas Business Hall of Fame/Warren A. Stephens".
4. "Dillard's Board of Directors.".
5. Clarke, Paul. "Warren Stephens’ UK ambassador role triggers succession at family owned investment bank".
6. Schouten, Fredreka. (July 13, 2012). "Mitt Romney announces three bundlers". USA Today.
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8. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141213101915/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=125229&privcapId=32853718&previousCapId=266847&previousTitle=DILLARDS%20INC-CL%20A BusinessWeek profile]
9. Steven Barnes, 'PRIVATE SECTOR; Understatement, at $5 Billion', in ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 21, 1999 [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/21/business/private-sector-understatement-at-5-billion.html]
10. Schwartz, Brian. (July 31, 2023). "Almost all of Trump's biggest 2020 super PAC donors refrain from giving to his rivals". NBC News.
11. (February 1, 2024). "Trump spent more than $55 million in donor money on legal fees last year, filings show". Washington Post.
12. Woodward, Alex. "Reclusive Republican megadonor drops $50m into Trump super PAC". Independent.
13. Kamisar, Ben. (2025-07-31). "Trump's super PAC raises a massive $177 million, bolstering his political influence".
14. . (December 2, 2024). ["Donald Trump nominates billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens to be US ambassador to UK"](https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-nominates-investment-banker-warren-stephens-to-be-us-ambassador-to-uk-13265645). *Sky News*.
15. (2025). "Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office". New York Times.
16. (February 12, 2025). "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House.
17. Solomon, Scott. (2025-04-29). "Warren Stephens receives confirmation to serve as U.S. Ambassador to United Kingdom".
18. . (May 22, 2025). ["Court Circular: May 21, 2025"](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/court-circular-may-21-2025-tdgdl523f). *The Times*.
19. "Episcopal Collegiate School: History".
20. "The King of Little Rock".