Whats In A Name? –

When the late Richard Hexter left Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette in the mid-1970s to start his own firm, he apparently had Scotland on his mind. Rather than taking the traditional route and plugging a Capital or Partners after his own surname, Hexter ostensibly consulted the Gaelic-to-English dictionary to come up with the more abstract Ardshiel, which translated into English means A high shelter in a verdant pasture.

Roger Knight, a managing director at the firm, says, We take it to mean a valley of investment opportunities that are available to us.

In Scotland, the term Ardshiel (alternate spelling Ardsheal) can often be found in hotel and street names or in the titles of certain geographies, such as Ardsheal Hill or the Ardsheal Peninsula. Literary types may also recognize the word from Robert Louis Stevensons Kidnapped, as Ardshiel was a critical character in the novel.