Blue Heron Research Partners Announces Promotions
Richard ten Wolde Promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and Jelena Petrovic Stafford and Andrew Thell Promoted to Senior Directors at Blue Heron Research Partners
Blue Heron Research Partners is pleased to announce that Richard ten Wolde, previously Managing Director of Research, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Jelena Petrovic Stafford, previously Director of Researchers, has been promoted to Senior Director of Primary Research, and Andrew Thell, previously Director of Databases & Public Records, has been promoted to Senior Director, Databases & Public Records.
“These promotions reflect the evolution of Blue Heron’s research offering, our growth as a company, and highlight the exemplary work Richard, Jelena, and Andrew have delivered in both interview-based [Primary] and public records due diligence,” said David Rynecki, CEO and Founder of Blue Heron Research Partners. “During their tenures, they have demonstrated a methodical and measured ability to deliver the highest quality work, as well as continuous improvements. In promoting Richard, Jelena, and Andrew, we are recognizing the excellence and integrity of their work and their contributions over the past seven years.”
Ten Wolde joined Blue Heron in 2016 and has been a Researcher, a Project Manager, a Department Head, and Managing Director of Research. Prior to Blue Heron, he spent 10 years working as a senior equity analyst and portfolio manager at a pair of hedge funds, both of which stressed primary research and due diligence. Previously, ten Wolde was a financial reporter for 11 years, mainly working for The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones publications. He has an MBA in investment management and an MS in journalism from Columbia University.
During his tenure as Managing Director of Research, ten Wolde expanded Blue Heron’s ability to meet growing client demand for actionable, value-add diligence in real time through deeper industry expertise and new service offerings. As COO, ten Wolde will focus on the strategy and execution of all research production, product development, quality assurance and operations. Ten Wolde lives in New York City with his wife, son, dog, and dog-sized cat.
Petrovic Stafford joined Blue Heron in 2017 as a Research Correspondent and was promoted to Researcher and then Director of Researchers, where she oversaw researchers in 15 countries and nearly doubling the number of interviews delivered to clients. She has more than a decade of experience in security, defense, and energy, working in analytical and managerial roles on projects with several Western intelligence and defense agencies. She holds a PhD in war studies from King’s College London.
In her new role as Senior Director of Primary Research, Petrovic Stafford will lead the company’s Primary Research team as it delivers clear, reliable and actionable research to many of the asset management industry’s key players. In addition to her formal management responsibilities, Petrovic Stafford is an active participant in the Blue Heroines, an employee group that promotes education and equality among women at Blue Heron. She hails from Serbia and lives in the UK with her husband, daughter, three cats and a dog.
Thell joined Blue Heron in 2017 to develop a product line that augmented Blue Heron’s interview-based due diligence. He spent the previous 11 years at First Advantage BackTrack Reports conducting due diligence research for hedge fund and private equity investors and managing a team of researchers. Thell specializes in public records, databases, due diligence, fraud prevention and detection, and litigation research.
In his new role as Senior Director of Databases & Primary Research, Thell now oversees a team of more than 10 researchers focused on deep-dive records research. Thell is a mentor at Blue Heron. He graduated from George Washington University in 2005 with a BA in philosophy, minors in political science and art history, and was a Presidential Scholar and four-year member of the university’s honors program. He is licensed as a private investigator by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. He lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys hiking and fishing.
Blue Heron congratulates ten Wolde, Petrovic Stafford, and Thell as they continue to demonstrate the value of our research.