Seán O’Dowd Bio

Name:
Seán O’Dowd

Location:
New York City

Biography
Seán is a Managing Director at Silvercrest Asset Management, a $22 billion RIA headquartered in NYC, where he runs the Family Business Advisory Group. Prior to joining Silvercrest he spent 13 years at Bessemer Trust where he helped create Bessemer Trust’s Family Company Advisory group, which provided corporate finance advisory services to clients. These services included advising on liquidity events, independent valuation analysis, restructurings and business success planning. He has also worked in investment banking within Lehman Brothers’ Power Group and corporate finance and valuation work at Ernst & Young and KPMG. Seán holds Bachelors of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He is also a CFA Charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. Seán is a member of the board of directors for Saugatuck Nursery School in Westport, CT, where he serves as Treasurer. He is also an avid fan and overseas season ticket holder to Glasgow Celtic Football Club and actively participates in fundraising activities for the Celtic FC Foundation in the NYC area. He lives with his wife, Kristan, and their two girls, Maeve and Emily, in Norwalk, CT.

What, for you, is the importance of our global diaspora and how do you contribute to its success?
As a first generation Irish-Canadian, with a father from Kilglass, County Sligo, I grew up proud of my Irish heritage and worked hard to maintain bonds with family members in Ireland. This pride has only grown with time. Whenever I travel, I always try to connect with people of Irish heritage and create meaningful friendships across the globe. Through programs like the Washington Ireland Program and the Celtic FC Foundation, I’m able to keep making these connections while giving back to the diaspora.

Tell us how you connect to Belfast:
My father, Patrick O’Dowd, spent time working in Belfast in the 1950s and I have several family members in and around Belfast. Also, my best mate from business school, Martin Cullen, is a native of the city as are a number of my close friends in NYC and CT.

You know you’ve got Belfast heritage when…:
All weekends and holidays are scheduled around Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland Football games.