Nasdaq Women in Technology: Danielle Tierney, Senior Advisor, Greenwich Associates

Danielle Tierney is a Senior Advisor at Greenwich Associates. Greenwich Associates is part of Crisil Limited (an S&P Global company), and has a nearly 50-year history as a leading provider of data, analytics, and insights to the financial industry. Danielle joined Greenwich’s Market Structure & Technology practice in 2019 to develop and launch the Regtech & Risk segment. While Danielle’s prior experience includes buy-side and sell-side equity analysis, as well as nearly 10 years in market structure and fintech advisory, her research has been focused on the world of market surveillance and trade compliance since 2012. We caught up virtually with Danielle to learn more about her career in capital markets and technology and to hear her advice for young professionals that aspire to be in the industry.

How has technology influenced your role at Greenwich and in capital markets?

I began my career on the fundamental analysis side of the industry, but my subsequent foray into fintech informed me just how much technology had always been crucial to my work. Upon entering the world of fintech analysis in 2010, I was fascinated to learn just how important the structural elements of capital markets were to market efficiency and stability—especially in the realm of compliance and risk. After originally focusing on market structure and technology in the Emerging and Frontier markets, client demand diverted my research focus to the then-fledgling world of trade surveillance and compliance. Regtech has generally remained undervalued in the industry, but these processes are essential to keep markets running. Since then, I have worked to emphasize the importance of investment in compliance technology infrastructure to proactively protect market integrity.

Throughout your career, what challenges have you been presented with that you’ve had to overcome?

Public speaking was a challenge during my early years in this field. In my role as an industry analyst and subject matter expert, frequently sharing my findings in public forums is a standard requirement of the occupation, but it was not originally a natural comfort area for me. After much practice—and many learning experiences—I no longer find public speaking to be automatically problematic, but the road to this comfort level was longer for me than it was for many of my colleagues. One helpful turning point during this route was realizing that sharing my research findings and insights effectively is more important than flawless delivery, which helped me stay focused on the message.

What advice would you give to young professionals that aspire to be in the financial, technology, and capital markets industries?

Trust your expertise when your viewpoints are questioned, but always remember to explore new data and consider alternate points of view; maintaining an open mind as well as confidence in your own judgements is a useful combination of principles for an analyst to uphold. Keep in mind that success in any field takes time to achieve; drive your independent professional development, and value the chances to learn from people who are willing to guide you. Also, learn from your mistakes and laugh at yourself every now and then—not taking yourself too seriously is key to supporting both creativity and enthusiasm.

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