Women-Owned Brokerage Award
Dana Telsey
Firm: TELSEY ADVISORY GROUP
Dana Telsey knew from the very beginning that she wanted to work on Wall Street – and someday carve her name into the bedrock that forms the very foundation of its firms.
Telsey met Ron Baron, a family friend and chief executive of Baron Capital, when she was 13 and learned that she shared his passion for finance. It was then that a mentor-student relationship began, and thus, Telsey’s journey.
In 1982, Baron took on Telsey as a summer intern, and she learned the value of consumer retail research firsthand. Upon completing college, she joined the firm full-time in 1984. Telsey left Baron in 1991 and joined brokerage C.J. Lawrence, where she applied her knowledge of research and analysis on the sellside. After three years, she joined Bear Stearns, where she could take advantage of the firm’s major investment-bank presence and gravitas.
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Over 12 years, she grew the Bear research team from one analyst to 18 people. But noticing the big brokers’ shift toward execution and away from research, she left in 2006 and founded Telsey Advisory Group.
There is always something more you can do for the client, Telsey told Traders. When I left Bear to start my firm, I wanted to be the best and focus on fulfilling all of my clients needs and desires. With my team, I can now do this.
Telsey won the Traders Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2011.
Starting with just four people in 2006, Telsey has grown the firm to 70 people and its research coverage from 38 companies to 145. She expanded the firm with a nine-person trading desk, and it is now a registered broker-dealer that also provides investment-banking services.
We provide high-touch and high service in the small and mid-cap space, and that is something I am very proud of, she said. “I’ve always had a passion and love for what I do. It’s exciting to be in control of your own destiny.”
And that she is. Telsey continues to be hyper-engaged in building her team, offering the highest caliber of service and rewarding her staff. For her, continuing to evolve and be the premier research boutique is a never-ending task.
There is always more to do, she said.
