Robert Lessin is a vice chairman of the investment bank Jefferies & Company, Inc., and is involved in all aspects of the firm's investment banking activities. His 30+ year investment banking career began at Morgan Stanley, where he became the youngest-ever partner in 1987, Vice Chairman of the Investment Banking Operating Committee in 1990, and Chairman of the Investment Bank's Strategy Committee in 1993. Subsequent to that firm, Lessin was Vice Chairman of Salomon Smith Barney, where he was also a member of the Executive Committee and Head of the Investment Bank, a position he held from 1993 to 1997. Most recently, Lessin was Chairman of technology investment banking firm SoundView Technology Group, Inc. from April 1998 through October 2001. He remains Chairman of Dawntreader Ventures (formerly SoundView Ventures), a company which he co-founded.
Lessin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1976 and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Lessin was an early investor in Answers.com (known then as Gurunet.com).
