Carnegie Investment Counsel has promoted Ben Connard, CFA, to Chief Investment Officer, formalizing a leadership role that has been developing since he joined the firm in connection with its expansion into Stamford, Connecticut in early 2025. In his new position, Connard will lead Carnegie’s investment strategies and oversee portfolio construction across equity and fixed income asset classes, working to enhance collaboration across the firm’s 10 U.S. offices.
Connard brings two decades of investment management experience to the role. Prior to joining Carnegie, he spent nine years as a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Eagle Ridge Investment Management and 11 years as an Analyst at Laidlaw Group. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, Statistics, and Economics from Williams College and is a member of the CFA Society of New York. Since joining Carnegie, he has served on the firm’s Investment Committee and has been instrumental in integrating investment perspectives and sharing best ideas across offices.
His appointment builds on Carnegie’s long-standing philosophy of bottom-up fundamental analysis, long-term investing, and disciplined portfolio construction. The firm said Connard’s elevation to CIO will not disrupt existing client relationships with advisors and portfolio managers — he will continue to work directly with clients, maintaining Carnegie’s emphasis on personalized service and customized portfolio management.
Carnegie Investment Counsel is a fee-only registered investment adviser with $7 billion in assets under management, serving families, business owners, and institutional clients across its national platform.
KEY QUOTES:
“The primary benefit of our mergers has been the acquisition of talented people. Last year when we added a team in Stamford, Connecticut, we identified Ben Connard as a potential successor to the Chief Investment Officer role here at Carnegie. Now that he has spent a year on our investment committee, my confidence is even greater that he has the discipline to lead the investment team.”
Richard Alt, CEO, Carnegie Investment Counsel
“Carnegie has always been grounded in a disciplined, long-term approach to investing. Our focus is on understanding the underlying businesses we invest in and building portfolios that can perform through a full market cycle. As Chief Investment Officer, my goal is to ensure that every portfolio manager and advisor across the firm is positioned to deliver consistent, long-term outcomes for our clients.”
Ben Connard, Chief Investment Officer, Carnegie Investment Counsel
