Cole Smead is expanding the C-suite at his $7.78-billion-AUM, 20-employee, 18-year-old fund firm in Arizona.

Conor William O'Callaghan Smead Capital Management Chief Operating Officer

Yesterday (January 6), Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management [profile], confirmed that he has appointed Conor O'Callaghan as the Phoenix-based asset manager's first ever chief operating officer. That, according to the Smead CM team, will put O'Callaghan in charge of the company's marketing, operations, and sales team.

O'Callaghan most recently served as a managing director at BTIG, a multinational investment bank, prime brokerage, and research and trading firm.

A spokesperson for Smead CM confirms that O'Callaghan started at the company yesterday, reporting to Cole Smead. Heather Peterson (director of marketing and brand development at Smead CM), Yelena Schubert (vice president of operations), and Dan Marshall (also VP of operations) will all report to O'Callaghan, as will Smead CM's sales team, the spokesperson confirms.

"Conor stood out for his exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and ability to execute," Cole Smead states. "We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and are confident that his leadership qualities will enhance our operations and support our mission to build wealth for our investors."

The Smead CM team lays claim to being the largest mutual fund shop based in Arizona and notes that the addition of O'Callaghan comes after Smead CM's AUM has more than tripled in four years. Indeed, O'Callaghan describes this as "such a pivotal time for the firm."

"I look forward to working alongside my talented colleagues as we continue to deliver an experienced value discipline for our investors who fear stock market failure," O'Callaghan states.

O'Callaghan joined BTIG after working as a managing director at Nomura and then Brownstone Investment Group. Earlier, he worked at Barclays, Clay Finlay, and Credit Suisse. He is an alumnus of Fordham University's School of Law and (twice over) of the University of Pennsylvania. 

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