You won’t want to miss hearing from Tad Edwards, a 39-year veteran of the financial services industry, as he reveals his unconventional business story of how, through faith and principled leadership, his company overcame a challenging season in which long-time corporate names in the financial industry were disappearing or being absorbed by banks.
Today, Mr. Edwards is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co which was founded at the height of this financial crisis in 2008. While many viewed the events during this time with fear, Tad saw a competitive opportunity. He recognized in the midst of the turmoil, the industry was losing sight of what mattered most— putting their clients’ interests first and building a great culture based on trust, integrity and respect.
To fill this void, Tad envisioned a private, entrepreneurial firm, dedicated to providing informed investment advice, in a high-touch, service-oriented atmosphere, focused on clients and helping them meet their financial goals. He named the firm for his father, Benjamin F. Edwards.
Before founding Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., Tad worked his way up the corporate ladder at A.G. Edwards, a firm founded by his great-great-grandfather. He started out in the company’s Personnel Department in 1977 and later worked with clients as an advisor and eventually a branch manager. After about 20-years at the firm, Tad moved to the firm’s corporate headquarters as a regional manager, and later as the director of the Sales and Marketing division. As division director, he assumed responsibility for a number of core functions including the fixed income and NASDAQ trading desks; equity research; private client services; investment advisory programs and services; syndicate; and corporate communications.
He also served on the boards of directors for A.G. Edwards, Inc., and its brokerage subsidiary, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. In 1998, he was named vice chairman of the holding company board and appointed president of the brokerage in 2001. He was also a member of the firm’s executive committee. In 2002, he returned to branch management and remained on the brokerage board.
A graduate of Trinity University in Chicago, Tad also completed the Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School of Business (1983), the Graduate Management Program at Washington University (1983), and the Executive Leadership Development Program at the Harvard Business School (2011).
He is married with two children and enjoys reading and golf.
