About Us
Atherton Consulting Group, LLC was founded for the purpose of helping investment management, wealth management and entrepreneurial ventures capture a clear and compelling vision, evaluate and choose a competitive strategy, implement decisively, and engage employees, partners and owners effectively. We bring twenty-five years of successful experience in private equity real estate and venture leasing investing along with seasoned leadership in the wealth management industry as part of our value proposition. We know how to uncover the issues, we understand the competitive landscape and, most importantly, we know how it feels to be in your seat as leaders.
We help companies both develop the appropriate strategy and successfully implement their plans. This usually requires a strong collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) and the senior leadership team of the organization. Because strategy and implementation almost always involve some change of direction and reallocation of resources and people, we work closely with the leadership team to adapt in the dynamic process of implementation of strategic initiatives.
Team
Jim Keene, CFA, MS is the Managing Director of Atherton Consulting Group, LLC.
Jim has 25 years experience as a leader and portfolio manager in the investment industry in commercial real estate, venture leasing and wealth management, including leading 75 people in a $2 billion regional team at Wells Fargo Private Bank. At Atherton Consulting, he is involved in strategy consulting, investment process and philosophy and executive/team development. He is passionate about developing leaders to realize their greatness and increase their impact.
Since completing an MS at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2010, Jim has consulted and coached leaders in the wealth and investment management industry in the U.S., Canada, Singapore and India. He has developed and facilitated high quality professional development workshops/trainings entitled Networking for Career and Life Success; High Performing Investment Teams; Influencing Without Formal Authority and Executive Presence: What is It, Why Does It Matter and How to Develop It. Jim has also developed webinars on Mentoring and Executive Presence for CFA Institute. He also runs a workshop through Stanford Continuing Education entitled “Financial Advisors: Finding & Evaluating Your Perfect Match.”
He graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University in Business Administration. He taught Alternative Investments in a Master’s Degree program at the University of San Francisco; co-authored a book Retire on the House: Using Real Estate to Secure Your Retirement (Wiley) and authored research articles on the business development process for wealth managers and alternative investments for RIAs and Family Offices.
Jim is the Past President of the CFA Society of San Francisco; President Emeritus of The Cancer Support Community – San Francisco – East Bay; Past President of his class at Stanford Graduate School of Business; and has served on several advisory groups/task forces at the CFA Institute. He serves on the Northern California Council for Syracuse University.
Wendy Richards, MBA, is a Strategic Partner with Atherton Consulting Group, LLC
A visionary Strategic Advisor & Board Member, Wendy brings hands-on C-Level experience creating powerful marketing programs and high-value strategic partnerships for growth. She delivers bespoke leadership development and coaching for executive teams.
As a virtual Chief Marketing Officer serving investment management clients, she applies her expertise in B2B marketing, digital distribution and sales channel management to launch and grow new products and services while instilling critical skills in the team. The founder and CEO of MarTel Advisors, Inc., her clients include Makena Capital Management, Altegris Investments and Millburn Ridgefield.
An inspiring Executive Leader, Mentor and Coach, Wendy brings innovative interpersonal development to the C-Suite. By designing and delivering custom leadership programs, she empowers innovation and collaboration to drive business expansion.
Independent Board Member and Senior Advisor to a leading European family-held corporation, Wendy advises on strategic initiatives, capital investment and organizational effectiveness. Beyond the boardroom, she is entrusted with development of the senior leadership team to build agile management and ensure effective family succession.
Named to Fortune's "Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in Europe", Wendy was instrumental in the design, financing and roll-out of the first digital mobile networks across Europe. Based in Brussels with AirTouch (Vodafone) and London with HSBC Investment Bank, she became a recognized expert in M&A integration and the art of the global strategic alliance. An experienced McKinsey & Co. strategist, Wendy earned her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Arjay Miller Scholar; and her BA, Stanford University, Phi Beta Kappa. She serves on the board of 100 Women in Finance, Northern California Education Committee.
Jim and Wendy are members of Consultants Collective – Management Consulting for the Future of Business (https://www.consultantscollective.net/)