NEIL J. HENNESSY is the President and Portfolio Manager of Hennessy
Funds, Inc., and President, Chairman and CEO of Hennessy Advisors, Inc.
Today, he manages approximately $900 million in assets in five no-load
mutual funds. Mr. Hennessy started his financial career over 24 years
ago as a stockbroker at Paine Webber after attending University of San
Diego and the Wharton School of Upper Management through the SIA. In
1989, he opened his own broker/dealer firm, Edward J. Hennessy, Inc. In
1996, he started Hennessy Funds, Inc., and was the first portfolio
manager to utilize the ‘Dogs of the Dow’ investment philosophy in a
mutual fund format, after successfully managing private clients’
accounts with the ‘Dogs’ for over five years. Mr. Hennessy’s securities
industry experience is vast. From 1987 to 1990, he served as a
nominated member of the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc., District Business Conduct Committee (DBCC), and in March 1993, he
accepted the nomination to this committee again. From January 1993 to
January 1995, Mr. Hennessy served his elected term as Chairman of the
DBCC. His background reflects the spectrum of experience available in
this intricate business, from the competitive sales viewpoint to the
particular and involved compliance and supervisory standpoint.
Membership on the DBCC enabled him to review and deliberate cases
encompassing the following topics: suitability, churning, stock
manipulation, misrepresentation, unauthorized transactions, conversion
of funds, forgery, fraud and many other aspects relevant to the
securities industry. Mr. Hennessy implemented expert witness and
testimony as a pertinent area of his business. He has heard
approximately 450 cases to date in which he has prepared, reviewed,
consulted and evaluated securities sensitive issues. Several of these
cases have included court testimony, participation in arbitration and
grand jury testimony.
