Rehabilitation through philanthropy
TIM FAULKNER — Frank Quattrone continues to rehab the perception that he is the poster child for corruption in the late-90s tech boom by following the path of his late-80s counterpart Michael Milken, the Drexel junk bond king: remaking himself as a philanthropist. The former Credit Suisse First Boston investment banker, who helped bring Netscape, Cisco, Amazon, and many other notable tech companies public, has been named Chairman of the Board of the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation, a charity close to his heart and his wallet.
Just as Milken sought to reform his image as fraudster by quickly founding the Prostate Cancer Foundation upon his release from prison in 1993 and its 2003 follow-up, the DC-based think tank Faster Cures, Quattrone is playing up his contributions to the technology museum, affectionately referred to as the Tech.
Defenders of both high-profile financiers marred by legal scutiny would quickly point out their philanthropic endeavors predate any alleged wrongdoings. (Michael Milken co-founded the Milken Family Foundation in 1982 and the Milken National Educator Awards in 1985 while Quattrone has been involved with the Tech since its inception, a board member for over 10 years, and contributes to numerous other charities.) This only goes to show that if you harbor any intentions of engaging in legally questionable practices, you should make an early start in philanthropy. Certainly the mustachioed Quattrone must have found the 2004 Fortune cover story profiling Milken as the "The Man Who Changed Medicine", during the height of his legal battles, heart-warming and reassuring. [Updated.]