Title: Vice President
Firm: Barclays Capital Inc.
Age: 39
Ahmad Thomas brings a unique vantage point to his position as vice president at Barclays, equally comfortable talking policy on Capitol Hill as he is discussing finance deals in boardrooms.
Thomas co-leads or leads California county and Silicon Valley public sector coverage at Barclays’ San Francisco office with deal experience of more than $10 billion in public debt financings. He’s expanded the firm’s work with Native American tribes and Silicon Valley corporate partnerships such as ChargePoint, which is working on a project to expand electrical charging facilities.
He joined Barclays in 2010 following five years working for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, as a senior aide on finance and economic policy.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say my experience with her probably informs what I do virtually every day from presentations to client materials,” Thomas said.
He described Capitol Hill as an intense pressure cooker where Feinstein instilled an attention to detail and an understanding of budget policy in her staff.
Thomas’ experience working on public policy and with elected officials has proved useful in working in public finance. “I think having this background has helped me speak a language that’s common to people on the other side of the table,” he said.
