Mr. Girod began his professional career in the financial information industry in 1974 at SEI Corporation (Nasdaq:SEIC), Wayne, PA where he served as a founding shareholder and VP of Software Development. SEI is a leading provider of outsourced asset management, investment processing and investment operations solutions. He co-developed what was at that time the first online, real-time, interactive trust accounting and investment processing system called Trust-Aid.
Mr. Girod then joined CDA Investment Technologies Inc. in Silver Spring, MD in 1984 as a partner and VP of Software Development where he was responsible for transforming the company from print-based products and services to an electronic-based information company. CDA was a provider of institutional ownership information and portfolio performance analytics. CDA was acquired by Thomson Financial, a division of Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI) in 1987 where he remained as CEO until 1995. During that time, he acquired nine companies and expanded CDA’s business internationally.
In 1995, Mr. Girod formed Financial Insight Systems Inc (FIS) in Rockville, MD, a web-based application service provider and information company servicing Wall Street and the financial community. FIS developed and managed the web-based information portals for many financial institutions including the Nasdaq Stock Market. Additionally, FIS developed and managed the information system which fed company fundamental and financial data to the Nasdaq’s Listing and Qualification system. FIS was acquired by EDGAR Online (Nasdaq:EDGR) in 2000 where he served on the Board and remained as President until 2002.
In 2005, Mr. Girod joined Convergent Wealth Advisors in Rockville, MD as a partner and served as President until 2010. Convergent is an independent Wealth Advisory firm that provides wealth management services with over $10.1 billion in assets under advisement. Convergent, which was acquired by City National Bank (NYSE:CYN) in 2006, pioneered the open architecture investment approach which is now standard practice in the industry.
Today, Mr. Girod serves as Founder and Managing Partner of SSL Services in Potomac, MD. SSL is in the business of managing patents and intellectual property. Additionally, he is an active investor in numerous information-based ventures; a founding investor in Congressional Bank, a Potomac, MD-based community bank; and has served on numerous boards of both private and public corporations.
Mr. Girod received a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University in Villanova, PA.
Albert E. Girod
