Gail Covington

Gail Covington is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Covington Group practice and is responsible for all aspects of the investment process, portfolio construction and risk management. Since incepting the practice in 1999, Gail has worked closely with entrepreneurs and families, acting as a trusted advisor across market cycles and across family generations. As a Family Wealth Director, she works closely with C-suite and private equity executives, company founders and family offices. Based in San Francisco, the practice naturally has a focus with executives in tech and covers clients in the Bay Area, Seattle, Los Angeles, Utah, NY and Florida.

Gail spent the early part of her career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, raising capital on behalf of small corporations and municipalities. As an Oakland native, Gail is a graduate of Williams College where she studied Economics and Political Science and Harvard Business School (concentration in Finance and Capital Markets). Demonstrating her commitment to community and the arts, Gail serves on the Board of the San Francisco Symphony where she is a Vice President, member of the Investment Committee and Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee. Additionally, Gail serves on the Board of the East Bay Center for the Arts and is a member of the Investment Committee.

Finally, Gail spends her free time with her husband John, two young adult sons and their Portuguese Water dog, Lena. She enjoys playing her violin and collecting Bordeaux wine.

Ben is the Head of Financial Planning and Portfolio Analytics for the Team. After joining Morgan Stanley in the summer of 2017, Ben served as a Wealth Advisor Associate, creating financial plans for over 400 clients across the Firm. Since joining The Covington Group, Ben has helped build out the Team’s financial planning capabilities and assisted with implementing portfolio risk management protocols, leveraging MS investment research and various non MS market perspectives.

Ben received his BA in Philosophy with a minor in Political Economy from UC Berkeley in 2016. A native of Santa Barbara, CA, he lives in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, where he is an avid Ocean Beach surfer. When not in the office or in the water, Ben can be found playing guitar, watching or playing sports or trying out new San Francisco restaurants.

Margaret is the Head of Client Account Operations for the Team. Since joining Morgan Stanley in 2015, Margaret has worked closely with clients to assist in all day-to-day operations and administration. Since joining The Covington Group, Margaret has directed the Team’s efforts in streamlining the account opening process and acting as an integral day-to-day resource for clients. Margaret’s responsibilities include client onboarding, online user experience, facilitating use of banking and lending products, routine account disbursements and other administrative matters.

Margaret received her BS in Applied Mathematics (with a concentration in Economics and Actuarial Science) from San Jose State University in 2015. She grew up in Tracy, CA and now lives in Oakland. On most weekends, Margaret can be found enjoying long walks with her Labrador retrievers, attending to her family’s dog breeding business, hiking, enjoying wine and working out.

Laura is the Head of Marketing, Administration and Client Engagement for the team. Since joining Morgan Stanley, Laura has assisted in building out the Team’s client engagement efforts, enabling the practice to leverage and scale its comprehensive wealth management offerings. These efforts include responsibility for the Team’s branding, social media and new business efforts.

A native of California, Laura graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in French Language and International Affairs. On weekends, Laura spends her time cycling along the Pacific coast, on Mount Tamalpais and around the greater Bay Area. She previously lived in Paris and other parts of France for four years and enjoys travelling, tasting new cuisines and exploring community gardens and green spaces.