Marie Driscoll

Marie Driscoll, CFA, joined Standard & Poor’s U.S. equity research department in June 2003. She is a Director and leads the consumer discretionary retail team. She primarily covers apparel brands and specialty apparel retail stocks. She has been recognized three times in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” analyst survey, most recently in 2009, capturing the first-place ranking for stock selection in the clothing and accessories in 2008. Before joining Standard & Poor’s, Ms. Driscoll was a Senior Equity Analyst at Argus Research Company, providing coverage of the consumer cyclical industries, including retail, lodging and restaurants. She was an Associate Analyst at Fahnestock & Co., and has worked on research staffs at Smith Barney and Prudential Securities. Ms. Driscoll earned an MBA from Baruch College, The City University of New York, and obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Hofstra University. She was awarded her designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst in August 2002.Michael Souers joined Standard & Poor’s U.S. equity research department in 2004, where he is currently a Senior Industry Analyst in the consumer discretionary retail group. He primarily covers home improvement retailers, home furnishings retailers, consumer electronics retailers and other specialty retail companies. Before joining S&P, he worked as an Investment Analyst Intern at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, where he covered basic materials stocks. He previously worked as an Associate in the private wealth management group at Bank One. Mr. Souers received a B.S. in finance at Trinity University and an MBA in finance from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.