Our Culture

What you believe and what you value as an organization matters. Discover the DNA of our firm.

Our People

Get to know our teams and the stories of select staff members who share why they choose to work at Sands Capital.

News & Events

Read about some of the latest events, partnerships, and business highlights from Sands Capital.

Careers

At Sands Capital, we strive to hire exceptional talent who will live our values and support our efforts to deliver on our mission.

From aquaculture to semiconductors, European firms are quietly becoming global leaders in innovation, sustainability, and value creation.

In this episode of What Matters Most, Sands Capital Portfolio Manager and Sr. Research Analyst Danielle Menichella discusses the business’ journey from Taser maker to artificial intelligence-powered software developer. 

Executive Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager Brian Christiansen discusses the importance of candor, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism in creating a culture that promotes long-term thinking.

FPT has harnessed education to drive Vietnam’s digital transformation and human-capital development.

Philosophy & Approach

Our philosophy is rooted in the belief that, over time, stock prices will reflect the earnings power and growth of the underlying businesses.

Our latest annual report offers a comprehensive view of how we add value through active stewardship.

Public Equity

Our newest strategy takes an unconstrained approach to seeking the best growth businesses outside of the U.S.

Venture and Growth Equity

Sands Capital invests in innovative businesses across all stages of the growth spectrum

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Dana M. McNamara

Chief Administrative Officer
Executive Managing Director

Joined Sands Capital

2000

Work Experience

Sands Capital (2014)
Arlington, VA | Managing Director, Co-Chief Administrative Officer

Sands Capital (2000 - 2014)
Arlington, VA | Director, Client Services and Operations

Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc. (1999 - 2000)
Fairfax, VA | Registered Sales Assistant

Crestar Bank, NA (1997 - 1999)
Vienna, VA | Registered Sales Assistant

Crestar Bank, NA (1992 - 1997)
Vienna, VA | Banking Branch Manager

Education

University of Virginia (2014)
MBA | Darden School of Business

James Madison University (1992)
BBA | Finance

Dana is the chief administrative officer and an executive managing director at Sands Capital. In this role, she provides oversight to the public and private equity investment operations, legal and compliance, corporate accounting and finance, and information technology functions, ensuring the teams work cohesively in support of the firm’s mission and goals.

Dana began her career at Sands Capital in 2000 by supporting the investment research team in its research, client, and prospective client servicing activities. Over the years, she led the efforts to bring in-house all client service functions, including the creation and production of client and prospect materials, the creation of content and responses to requests for proposals and questionnaires, and day-to-day client support. She served for many years as the director, client services, and was promoted to managing director, co-chief administrative officer, in 2014. In 2015, she was promoted to executive managing director and chief administrative officer. Before joining Sands Capital, she worked at Cardinal Wealth Services (now United Bank) as a registered sales assistant. She previously worked at Crestar Bank (now Truist Bank) as a registered sales assistant and banking branch manager.

Dana received an MBA from the UVA Darden School of Business and a BBA in finance from James Madison University.

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