Lawrence Siff
Lawrence Siff is the founder and CEO of Neptune Advisors, LLC., a consulting firm focused on strategically positioning middle market companies for accelerated growth.
Mr. Siff has advised hundreds of CEOS and Boards on maximizing corporate value. He is the Founder of the Annual Pathway to Platinum Conference designed for CEOS to share best practices in management and oversight. Mr. Siff, a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow, currently serves on the Board of Directors of Jones & Vining and Mason Companies, Inc. and is an Industry Advisor for Silverwood Partners, a boutique investment bank. Mr. Siff serves as an independent board member and is the Chair of Strategic Planning, Investment, Compensation and Benefit Committees. He is a Trustee of the Museum of Science (Executive Committee), Chairman of the Asia-America Chamber of Commerce, a Founder of the Private Director Association of New England, a Director of the New England Business Association, a member of the MA Senate Business Advisory Council, a Director of the Two Ten International Foundation (Executive Committee) and the Winsor School Corporation. Mr. Siff is the past Chairman of the Brimmer and May School and a past Director of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).
Prior to Neptune Advisors, Mr. Siff was Principal and Managing Director of Gordon Brothers Group, a $50 billion investment and transaction advisory firm. At Gordon Brothers Group, Mr. Siff founded the consumer products and branding businesses, which grew to become two of the firm’s largest divisions. As its Director of Strategic Acquisitions, he led acquisitions ranging from $5 million to $1.2 billion. Mr. Siff served on the Executive Committee and was an advisor to GBMP, an equity and debt fund. Over his 30‐year career as a growth‐oriented corporate executive, Mr. Siff led manufacturing, technology, consumer, wholesale and retail businesses. He was the President and CEO of Babystripes, Inc., an online retailer of luxury baby gifts, and the President and CEO of Cherry Tree Products, Inc., a manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of high‐end children’s clothing. Mr. Siff was the President and CEO of Ambassador Shoe, B‐W Footwear Inc. and B/W/A International, where he established operations at 38 factories in 9 countries and successfully sold the company to strategic acquirers. Mr. Siff began his career at Procter and Gamble where he created the Wholesale Club Division which today accounts for over $3 billion in sales.
Mr. Siff is a recognized expert in corporate governance. Most recently, he has been a speaker at the National Directors Institute (Chicago), The Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals (NYC), the Chief Executives Officer’s Club (Boston), and the Asia America Chamber of Commerce (Boston). Mr. Siff has been a speaker for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (NYC), Armanino McKenna Technology Forum (San Francisco) and a lecturer at Brandeis University International Business School, Babson Olin Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School. He has been an Instructor for Pinnacle Solutions Exit Planning Advisor Certification and a contributor to Forbes. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and the Executive Program at Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck Business School
David L. Donabedian, CFA
Chief Investment Officer
Dave Donabedian is chief investment officer of CIBC Private Wealth, serving in that capacity since 2009. His responsibilities include chairing the Asset Allocation Committee, as well as providing oversight of internal investment strategies and the external manager selection platform.
As a leading investment expert, Dave frequently appears on television networks, including CNBC and Bloomberg Television, and provides insights in publications such as Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal. Previously, from 1996-2006, he was managing director and chief economist at Atlantic Trust, serving on the Asset Allocation, Multi-Manager, and Investment Policy committees and leading our Baltimore and Washington, D.C., offices. Prior to becoming CIO for Atlantic Trust, Dave served in a similar capacity at Ashbridge LLC, a Philadelphia-based multi-family office.
Dave received a Bachelor of Science in economics and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University with a concentration in finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.
In 2016, Dave received Family Wealth Report’s award for Leading Individual – Multi-Family Office.