News

Richard ten Wolde Promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and Jelena Petrovic Stafford and Andrew Thell Promoted to Senior Directors at Blue Heron Research Partners

Blue Heron Research Partners is pleased to announce that Richard ten Wolde, previously Managing Director of Research, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Jelena Petrovic Stafford, previously Director of Researchers, has been promoted to Senior Director of Primary Research, and Andrew Thell, PI, previously Director of Databases & Public Records, has been promoted to Senior Director, Databases & Public Records.

“These promotions reflect the evolution of Blue Heron’s research offering, our growth as a company, and highlight the exemplary work Richard, Jelena, and Andrew have delivered in interview-based primary research and public records due diligence,” said David Rynecki, CEO and Founder of Blue Heron Research Partners. “During their tenures, they have demonstrated a methodical and measured ability to deliver the highest quality work, as well as continuous improvements.”

Ten Wolde joined Blue Heron in 2016. Previously, he spent 10 years as an equity analyst and portfolio manager at two hedge funds, and was a financial reporter for 11 years, mainly at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. He has an MBA in investment management and an MS in journalism from Columbia University.

As Managing Director of Research, ten Wolde expanded Blue Heron’s ability to meet growing client demand for actionable, value-add diligence through deeper industry expertise and new service offerings. As COO, he will focus on the strategy and execution of all research production, product development, quality assurance, and operations.

Petrovic Stafford joined Blue Heron in 2017 as a Research Correspondent and was promoted to Researcher and then Director of Researchers, where she oversaw researchers in 15 countries and nearly doubled the number of interviews delivered to clients. She has more than a decade of experience in security, defense, and energy, working on projects with several Western intelligence and defense agencies.

In her new role as Senior Director of Primary Research, Petrovic Stafford will lead the company’s Primary Research team. She holds a PhD in war studies from King’s College London.

Thell joined Blue Heron in 2017 to develop a product line that augmented Blue Heron’s interview-based due diligence. He spent the prior 11 years at First Advantage BackTrack Reports conducting due diligence research for institutional investors. Thell specializes in public records, databases, fraud prevention and detection, and litigation research.

In his new role as Senior Director of Databases & Public Records, Thell oversees a team focused on deep-dive records research. Thell graduated from George Washington University in 2005 with a BA in philosophy and was a Presidential Scholar. He is licensed as a private investigator by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

For more information, contact media@blueheronrp.com or visit www.blueheronrp.com.