Executive Leadership

Individual:
Andrew S. Duff, Chairman and CEO.

Andrew S. Duff

Chairman and CEO

Andrew S. Duff became chairman and chief executive officer of Piper Jaffray Companies following completion of our spin-off from U.S. Bancorp on December 31, 2003. He also has served as chairman of our broker-dealer subsidiary since 2003, as chief executive officer of our broker-dealer subsidiary since 2000 and as president of our broker-dealer subsidiary since 1996. Duff joined the Piper Jaffray Institutional Fixed Income Sales department in 1980 and was promoted to manager of Institutional Sales and Trading in 1994. He then served as president of the Individual Investor Services and Capital Markets areas until 1996. From 1996 through 2003, Duff served as president of Piper Jaffray and vice chair of U.S. Bancorp for the Wealth Management Group from 1999 through 2003.

Duff holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and attended the Advanced Executive Program at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Duff currently serves on the board of directors of the University of St. Thomas College of Business Strategic Board of Governors.

Tom Schnettler, Piper Jaffray

Thomas P. Schnettler

President and Chief Operating Officer

Thomas P. Schnettler is our president and chief operating officer. He previously served as vice chairman and chief financial officer, a position he held since August 2006. Prior to that, he served as head of our Corporate and Institutional Services business beginning in July 2002 and as head/co-head of our investment banking department beginning in 2000. From 1989 until 2000 he co-founded and led our healthcare investment banking group. Schnettler joined our investment banking department in 1986.

Schnettler earned a bachelor's degree in government from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. and has a law degree from Harvard Law School.

He serves on the board of directors of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and on the St. John's University Board of Regents.

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James L. Chosy

General Counsel

James L. Chosy is our general counsel and secretary. Chosy has served in these roles since joining Piper Jaffray in March 2001. From 1995 until joining Piper Jaffray, he was vice president, associate general counsel of U.S. Bancorp. He also served as assistant secretary of U.S. Bancorp from 1995 through 2000 and as secretary in 2000 until his move to Piper Jaffray. Chosy previously served as a lawyer for Deluxe Corporation and the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Minneapolis, Minn.

Chosy holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Chosy currently serves as a member of the board of governors of The Children's Theatre Company, the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater, and the board of advisors of the University of Minnesota Law School.

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Frank E. Fairman

Head of Public Finance Services

Frank E. Fairman is head of our Public Finance Services business, a position he has held since July 2005. Prior to that, he served as head of the firm’s public finance investment banking group from 1991 to 2005, as well as the head of the firm’s municipal derivative business from 2002 to 2005. He has been with Piper Jaffray since 1983. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Fairman was a consultant for Arthur Andersen & Co.

Fairman holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Fairman is a member of the board of the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Red Cross.

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R. Todd Firebaugh

Chief Administrative Officer

R. Todd Firebaugh is our chief administrative officer. Firebaugh joined Piper Jaffray as head of planning and communications in December 2003 after serving Piper Jaffray as a consultant since March 2002. He was named chief administrative officer in November 2004. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Firebaugh spent 17 years in marketing and strategy within the financial services industry. Most recently, from 1999 to 2001, he was executive vice president of the corporate management office at U.S. Bancorp, and previously served U.S. Bancorp as senior vice president of small business, insurance and investments.

Firebaugh earned a bachelor's degree in history from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration degree in marketing from New York University.

Firebaugh is a member of the advisory board of Solutran, Inc. and serves on the board of Admission Possible.

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Alex Ko Po Ming

Head of Piper Jaffray Asia

Alex Ko Po Ming joined Piper Jaffray as part of the firm’s 2007 acquisition of Hong Kong-based Goldbond Capital Holdings Limited, which he founded in 2003. Ko has more than 25 years of experience in banking and corporate finance in China and Hong Kong, and previously served as the chairman of the corporate finance business at BNP Paribas Peregrine Capital Limited. Ko is a member of the listing committee on the main board and Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He is an independent non-executive Director of Tianjin Capital Environmental Protection Company Limited, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Ko graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Brien O'Brien

Brien O'Brien

Head of Asset Management

Brien O'Brien is head of asset management at Piper Jaffray and serves as CEO of Advisory Research, Inc (ARI). Prior to joining ARI, he was the founder of Marquette Capital, an investment advisory firm that merged with ARI in 1996. A former vice president at Bear Stearns, O'Brien began his career with Oppenheimer & Co. He is a member of the board of trustees of Boston College, a member of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago Medical Center and a member of the board of trustees and chairman of the endowment committee of the Westminster School in Simsbury, CT.

O'Brien graduated with honors from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in finance and theology.

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Robert W. Peterson

Head of Global Equities

Robert W. Peterson is head of our equities business, a position he has held since August 2006. Peterson joined Piper Jaffray in 1993 and served as head of our Private Client Services business from April 2005 until obtaining his current position. Prior to that, he served as head of investment research from April 2003 through March 2005, as head of equity research from November 2000 until April 2003 and as co-head of equity research from May 2000 until November 2000. From 1993 until May 2000, he was a senior research analyst for Piper Jaffray. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Peterson was a senior consultant with Accenture, where he worked in the consumer products group.

Peterson graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in financial management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

Peterson serves on the advisory board of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson Funds Enterprise, an equity and fixed income student-run investment fund, and on the board of directors of Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare.

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Debbra L. Schoneman

Chief Financial Officer

Debbra L. Schoneman is our chief financial officer. She joined Piper Jaffray in 1990 in the firm’s accounting department, and has held several senior finance management positions, including finance director of both equity and fixed income capital markets and, most recently, treasurer.

Schoneman earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Minnesota State University Mankato in Mankato, Minn., and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. In addition, Schoneman holds the Certified Treasury Professional designation.

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David I. Wilson

CEO, Piper Jaffray Ltd.

David I. Wilson is chief executive officer of Piper Jaffray Ltd., responsible for the firm's European operations. He has significant investment banking experience, particularly in the health care sector. Wilson also has experience in the waste, support services, transport, engineering/construction, leisure, utilities and TMT sectors. He previously served as head of European investment banking.

Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Wilson served as joint head of U.K. investment banking group at ING Barings. He has spent more than 20 years in the investment banking arena, having founded the small company investment banking team at BTAB/Deutsche Bank and worked as head of smaller company corporate broking at UBS Warburg, which was top-ranked in the City of London in Reuters and Extel surveys. He also spent four years as an equity analyst at Lehman Brothers and Lombard Odier. Wilson graduated from Cambridge University.

Brad Winges.

Brad Winges

Head of Fixed Income Services


Brad Winges is head of fixed income services, encompassing sales, trading, underwriting and high-yield structured products at Piper Jaffray. Winges joined the firm in 1991 in municipal institutional sales and served as head of municipal sales, trading and underwriting from 2003 until obtaining his current position. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Winges was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Winges graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a bachelor’s degree in economics.