History |
- The Davy story
- Against the odds
- New ideas, new opportunities
- New environment, new rules
- Building a global network
- Growing wealth
- Davy today
The Davy story
The Davy story is one that parallels Ireland and its economic development. James Davy, on the advice of his UCD economics professor, decided to enter stockbroking after graduating with a degree in Economics. In 1926, a few years after Irish independence, James became a member of the Dublin Stock Exchange and was soon joined by his brother Eugene to establish J&E Davy, with its first office located on Westmoreland Street.
Against the odds
At the time, Irish stockbroking was dominated by brokers who trained in London and lacked a more specific Irish perspective. The bulk of business consisted of buying and selling major British-quoted shares for private clients. It was in this environment that J&E Davy set about building up a stockbroking business. Over the next two decades the two brothers gradually built up the company by tapping into the slowly emerging Irish middle class. Thanks to their combined talents and hard work they earned a reputation for trust, honesty and integrity - values that hold true today.
The Thirties, Forties and Fifties were times of gradual but steady change for Ireland as the country found its feet and established its own industries and infrastructure. The Davy brothers worked with many of the leading banks, solicitors and accountancy firms, offering sound financial advice and building a solid, well-connected business network. While the core of the business was stockbroking, the brothers were on the boards of many companies and national organisations and both played key roles in guiding and shaping the changing economic landscape.
New ideas, new opportunities
By the time their respective sons, Brian and Joseph, joined the business in the early Sixties the Irish economy was really starting to open up. And with the new generation came new ideas and new opportunities. Before entering the Dublin market Brian spent time in London and on Wall Street and recognised new directions in which Davy could develop. This required introducing new skills and talents to the company. The first step was to establish a dedicated research expertise, delivering greater insights into Irish companies, the local economy and its potential for investors and companies alike. Just like the founding partners, the new breed of Davy talent approached the challenges and opportunities with unique local insights, innovation and energy.
New environment, new rules
During the Sixties and Seventies Davy was instrumental in bringing about the move from private to institutional investors as pension funds and merchant banks were established. They mapped out the way for institutional investment in Ireland, offering sound advice and putting effective principles in place, backed up by a professional research-based service. Indicative of the high regard in which Davy was held by its corporate and institutional clients was the fact that Davy acted as company broker to both AIB and Bank of Ireland during this key period of national economic development.
Building a global network
During the Seventies and Eighties the Davy team travelled to Britain, Europe, the US, the Middle East, Asia and Japan to open up new markets and investment opportunities. Over time they built up a global distribution network, giving their clients access to new sources of funding. Davy handled its first IPO listing on the Irish Stock Exchange in 1964 and by 2005 Davy was responsible for listing over 60% of the companies.
Growing wealth
As the Irish economy grew in the Nineties so too did the demand for wealth management services for private clients. Many successful individuals turned to Davy when they needed advice on how best to maximise the benefit of their new-found wealth. With the continued success of the Irish economy, demand for wealth management services has grown and represents a key area of growth for Davy in the future.
Davy today
Today, Davy is an independent company owned by management and staff. Employing over 460 people, we have offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway and London.
We are Ireland’s leading provider of stockbroking, wealth management, asset management and financial advisory services. We offer a broad range of services to private clients, small businesses, corporations and institutional investors, and organise our activities around five interrelated business areas - Asset Management, Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Private Clients and Research.
Despite all the continuous change over the years the core values instilled by James and Eugene Davy still remain true - always putting the clients’ interests first and harnessing the energy, talent, diverse skills and experience of our people to deliver exceptional results.