Sunita Advaney Director, National Accounts

Principal Global Investors

Sunita Advaney is a Director for National Accounts at Principal Global Investors (PGI).  PGI is the asset management division of the Principal Financial Group.  Sunita joined the firm in April 2014 and is responsible for developing new national account relationships across Sub-Advisory, Mutual Fund, ETF, VIT, CIT & Private Real Estate Fund opportunities. Prior to her current role, Sunita was a Director at Munder Capital Management, Wells Capital Management and VP at Deutsche Asset Management.  In all of these capacities, she was charged with building the Sub-Advisory, DCIO & Trust/Private Bank distribution channels.  She has 20 years of industry experience developing various institutional business lines.  She received a bachelor's degree in International Business from Hofstra University.  She holds licenses for Series 3, 6, 63 and 7.

Rob Balkema Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, North America

Russell Investments

Rob has primary responsibility for managing Russell Investments’ US Retail and Institutional Multi-Asset Solutions, including the firm’s traditional target risk balanced funds, outcome oriented portfolios, target date, and investment outsourcing mandates.  In this role, he leads the team which integrates the firm’s equity, fixed income, real asset, and alternatives capabilities globally.  He is tasked with creating strategic asset allocations for the portfolios, selecting managers or passive alternatives to populate asset classes, integrating the firm’s capital market insights, and positioning the total portfolio in order to help clients achieve their objectives. Rob has deep experience researching and managing both traditional and non-traditional assets from his 14 years in the industry, all of which are with Russell Investments.  

Previously, Rob was a senior analyst in the investment process and risk group for the investment division at Russell Investments. In this role, Rob focused on improving the measurement, evaluation, and enhancement of Russell’s portfolio management practice.

From 2006 until 2009, Rob was a member of the global equity team in multiple capacities.  He was responsible for evaluating asset management firms worldwide that offer global, international and emerging market equity mandates and supported portfolio managers in the structuring and monitoring of Russell’s global equity strategies.

Rob holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College and is a member of the CFA® Society of Seattle. He also previously served on the board of Covenant House NY, a non-profit organization charged with serving NY homeless youth.

Kaitlin Bergan Director

BlackRock Sustainable Investing

Kaitlin Bergan, Director, is a Senior Platform Strategist for the BlackRock Sustainable Investing team, responsible for driving client dialogue, platform growth and commercial outcomes on Sustainable Investing across the US & Canada . The Sustainable Investing team is focused on identifying drivers of long-term return associated with environmental, social and governance issues, integrating them throughout BlackRock's investment processes, and creating solutions for our clients to achieve sustainable investment return. Previously, Kaitlin was a member of BlackRock's Global Product Group, responsible for setting and driving product strategy across asset classes for the firm's institutional clients in the US and Canada.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Ms. Bergan headed Investor Relations at G2 Investment Partners, a New York based hedge fund, where she was responsible for asset raising, relationship management and client strategy. Previously, she held roles in asset management investor relations and communications in London and New York.

Ms. Bergan earned a BA in History, with Honours, from the University of Oxford and she holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics. Based in New York, Kaitlin is a mentor with BlackRock's Read Ahead program and serves on the leadership committee of the New York Cares Rising Leaders Council.

Zoë Brunson Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Strategist

AssetMark

Zoë Brunson oversees the Investment Strategies Group. She is responsible for overseeing all due diligence on investment strategists on the AssetMark platform and the management of AssetMark’s turnkey platform solutions. She is a portfolio manager of the GuidePath Funds, Guided Portfolios (GPS Solutions and GPS Selection Solutions) and Market based strategies.
Zoë has over 20 years’ experience and joined AssetMark in 2007. Previously Zoë was at Standard & Poor’s where she led the investment advisory services team responsible for manager due diligence and creation of multi-manager strategies.
Zoë is a member of Institutional Investor’s Sub-Advisory Institute Advisory Board, where she lends her industry expertise and insight on the changing investment objectives of institutions to help providers and buyers of sub-advised strategies navigate shifting trends.
Zoë holds a BSc (Hons) in Business Information Technology from Kingston University, U.K. and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Chas Burkhart CEO

Rosemont Investment Group

Chas is the founder and CEO of Rosemont Investment Group, LLC. He oversees sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating prospective investments and works closely with portfolio companies to help them sustain and grow their franchises. Prior to forming Rosemont in May 2000, Chas founded Investment Counseling, Inc., an asset management business consultant and industry research firm that introduced business, financial and compensation analyses to the investment management industry. Over the past 30-plus years he has worked with hundreds of asset management firms on compensation and ownership, business tactics, growth strategies, valuation, networking, and overall best practices. Chas is a frequent speaker and occasional author on business issues and challenges in the investment management business. He holds a BA in English from Boston College.

Josh Charlson Director, Manager Selection

Morningstar

Josh Charlson, CFA, is a director, manager selection, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. Charlson provides fiduciary services for retirement plans and is responsible for selecting and monitoring portfolio managers and mutual funds. He specializes in target-date, alternative, and domestic equity asset classes. Previously, Charlson was a director of manager research focused on alternatives research for Morningstar.  And prior to that, Charlson was a strategist for the multi-asset team.

Charlson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s degree and doctorate from Northwestern University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Adam Choppin Assistant Portfolio Manager, Multi Manager Strategies

Xponance

Adam Choppin is Vice President and Assistant Portfolio Manager, Multi-Manager Strategies at Xponance. Xponance is a multi-strategy investment firm with approximately $12 billion in assets under management servicing institutional investors in fixed income, passive, and active international multi-manager equity strategies.  Adam joined the firm in May 2013 and is the Assistant Portfolio Manager for multi-manager strategies. Adam is also Chairman of the Board of the Association of Professional Fund Investors, the sole global non-profit professional association whose members are all professional allocators, fund investors, and manager research analysts.

From 2008-2013, Adam founded and ran a boutique investment advisory firm which advised on private investments in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Previously, he worked as a trade and financial markets analyst for the U.S. government including as an economic affairs liaison in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Mozambique. In 2008 he organized the first official U.S. Government trade mission to Iraq in over 25 years.

Adam earned his B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC); his M.A. in International Economics and Business from Yale University; and a post-graduate Diploma in Finance from the London School of Economics. While a student at USC, Adam also read in Latin American economics and politics at the Universidade de São Paulo. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

Yves Choueifaty CEO

TOBAM

TOBAM has been multi-awarded over the years, and Yves Choueifaty has notably been recognized as “Chief Investment Officer of the Year” in 2015 (Funds Europe) and “Asset Management Leader of the Year” in France in 2016 (AGEFI).

As one of the pioneers of the smart beta movement, Yves Choueifaty is a frequent speaker at conferences and is a member of The 300 Club (23 members throughout the world), whose mission is to raise awareness about the potential impact of current market thinking and behaviors.

Mr Choueifaty graduated in 1992 from ENSAE (leading French Engineering School) in Statistics, Actuarial studies, Finance, and Artificial Intelligence.

Mathematician and Former CEO of Credit Lyonnais Asset Management (“CLAM”, AUM €70B). Having spent over 10 years with CLAM in diverse senior roles (CIO, Head of Financial Engineering and Quantitative Investment Management), Mr Choueifaty left in 2004, went back to Mathematics research and founded the Maximum Diversification^® approach and TOBAM in 2005.

Mr Choueifaty is also a committed entrepreneur on human rights and climate change challenges. He has several external commitments: he is the president of the advisory board of WeNow, a “climate neutral now” champion endorsed by the United Nations. He is also a board member of the Saint-Joseph University foundation in Lebanon, a board member of the RDCL (Association of Lebanese businessmen and women united by a common vision for the Lebanese economy), and Yves Choueifaty is a member of the Paris Committee of the NGO Human Rights Watch since 2019.

Ken Chung President

APS Asset Management

Ken has previously worked with Engemann Asset Management, Vision Asset Management and Antarctica Asset Management (Asia) Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration (Major in Finance) from the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California (USC).

Brickson Diamond Executive Search Consultant & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisor

Spencer Stuart

Brickson Diamond is a Spencer Stuart consultant with expertise in diversity, equity & inclusion, and works with clients across a range of industry and functional sectors on infusing that experience into executive search, leadership succession and development. He is based in the firm’s Los Angeles office and is a member of the Telecommunications, Media & Technology Practice. He brings 20 years of experience engaging with boards and C-level executives to build and transform businesses across industries, including entertainment, investment management and non-profits. Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Brickson founded and led the consultancy Big Answers, which helped clients amplify their values, success and commercial leadership and board strategies for DE&I. He previously served as EVP and COO of The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent member organization for Black executives and board members in the Fortune 1000 and Global 100. Brickson is also the founding chairperson of The Blackhouse Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the Sundance, Tribeca and Toronto International film festivals that seeks to increase diverse representation in film and content creation. He spent 15 years at the Capital Group Companies, rising to the level of SVP in their Private Client Services business. Brickson is engaged in a variety of board and community leadership roles, including Tides, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, Cooper Union for Advancement of Science and Art, Middlesex School and Gentreo. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his MBA from Harvard University.

Ben Doob Head of ISS Market Intelligence

ISS Market Intelligence

Ben Doob is Head of ISS’ Market Intelligence (ISS MI) business and a member of the ISS Leadership Team. ISS MI provides critical data, insight, and workflow solutions to global asset managers, insurance companies, and distribution platforms while helping drive strategy and decision-making across a wide-range of financial products and global markets.

Ben is responsible for the overall strategy and performance of the ISS MI business, whose solutions deliver a powerful combination of proprietary data, in-depth research, robust analytics, and executive engagement to clients across the globe. Ben works across ISS’ business lines to grow the scope and geographic reach of ISS MI solutions and to deliver its industry-leading data through the Simfund, BrightScope, Local Market Share, Financial Clarity, and Mortgage Clarity platforms. He also oversees an extensive set of proprietary global research and analytical services including 529 & ABLE Solutions, Investor Economics, Market Metrics, and Plan for Life. Prior to joining ISS, Ben was Senior Managing Director, Managing Principal, and on the Executive Team at Strategic Insight, where he focused on overall firm strategy and operations. Previously he was Managing Principal at FactSet and Chief Operating Officer at Market Metrics. He has also worked at McKinsey & Company where he helped clients with sales and operations strategy.

Ben holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College, with a double major in Computer Science and Economics, and an MBA with Honors from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Pete Drewienkiewicz Chief Investment Office, Global Assets

Redington

I am Chief Investment Officer for Global Assets at Redington. In this role, I advise a range of wealth managers, insurance companies and public sector pension schemes with combined assets of more than £400bn. I also have oversight of Redington’s 25-person research platform across both manager and asset class research and am ultimately accountable for the asset class implementations that are recommended to clients.

James Dunham Director of Financial Institutions and National Accounts

William Blair Investment Management

James Dunham is the Director of Financial Institutions and National Accounts (FINA) at William Blair Investment Management. Based in New York, he’s responsible for the firm’s relationships with financial institutions and the sub-advisory market. James has 25 years of experience in the investment management industry with expertise across the full spectrum of strategies, clients, and geographies.

Before joining William Blair, he was Managing Director and Global Head of Sub-Advisory at Perella Weinberg Partners. Before that, he served as Vice President in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs & Co. Previously, he was Managing Director and Head of Sub-Advisory at Principal Global Investors in New York. Jamie spent six years at Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank in Australia before joining Principal in the United States in 2000.  

He is a graduate of the University of South Australia where he holds both a Bachelor of Business Degree majoring in Banking and Finance and an Associate Diploma of Business with a major in Credit Management. He also holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 Securities License, the Series 63 Securities Agent Law License and the Series 3 Commodity Futures License.

James is a regular speaker at industry conferences and has been a guest on Bloomberg TV. He’s also a former Chairman of Financial Research Associates Sub-Advised Funds Forum. Outside of work, he’s married with two children, has completed over 30 marathons and is a four-time Ironman Triathlete.

William Blair is a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking and investment management. The investment management business manages $56 billion in assets across U.S equity, non-U.S equity, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives.

David Eisenberg Principal, Investments - Outsourced Chief Investment Officer

Buck

David Eisenberg, CFA, is Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) lead at Buck.

He is a career investment professional with over 30 years of experience in working with institutional clients to build and manage investment programs, on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. This has included accountability for developing investment policy, making investment decisions, developing and leading investment teams, and conducting investment manager due diligence. All of this experience is brought to bear in serving client, in either a discretionary or non-discretionary basis, as an OCIO.

Prior to joining Buck, David's investment experience includes serving as a Partner, Director of Consulting Services, and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mercer, and Chief Equity Officer at John Hancock Advisers, among other roles.

Adam Feldstein Associate Director, Product Engagement Specialist

ISS Market Intelligence

Kimberly Flynn Managing Director, Alternative Investments

XA Investments

Kimberly Flynn serves as Managing Director at XA Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of XMS Capital Partners.  She is a partner in the firm and responsible for all product and business development activities.  Kim created the alternative registered trust platform at XA Investments working in partnership with independent subadvisers representing best-in-class alternative investment managers.  Previously, Kim was Senior Vice President and Head of Product Development for Nuveen Investments’ Global Structured Products Group. In her 11 years at Nuveen, she helped developed over 40 closed-end funds raising ~$13 billion in capital.  In her leadership role at Nuveen, Kim was responsible for asset raising activities through the development of new traditional and alternative investment funds including CEFs, ETFs, UITs and commodity pools. 

Kim received her MBA degree from Harvard University, where she was a William J. Carey scholar and President of the HBS Volunteers.  Before attending Harvard Business School, Kim spent three years working in Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Division (1999-2002) in their Chicago office.  She earned her BBA in Finance and Business Economics, summa cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 where she was a valedictorian candidate, Rhodes Scholar Finalist and the first recipient of the Paul F. Conway award given to a senior in the Department of Finance who embodies Notre Dame’s tradition of excellence and who enriches the ideals of the university. Kim earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Chicago. Kim currently serves on the Board of the Women in ETFs Chicago chapter as head of the mentorship committee and on the Advisory Board for Youth Guidance’s program Becoming A Man (BAM).  Kim is a frequent volunteer with Magnetar Youth Investment Academy.  Kim with her husband Leo, son Teddy (13yrs) and daughter Rose (10yrs) live in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Jean-Francois Hirschel Founder and CEO

H-Ideas

Jean-François Hirschel is the founder and CEO of H-IDEAS, a company which aims at re-establishing trust in the financial world. His professional expertise lies in strategically positioning financial services companies at brand and product level. Hirschel has held senior leadership positions at Paribas, Société Générale and Unigestion. He holds a MSc from EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland, and has profound knowledge and experience in Institutional, Private and Retail Banking and Asset Management.

David Hyman Partner, Financial Intermediaries

Mercer Investments

David Hyman is a Partner and senior consultant in Mercer’s Investments business. He develops client relationships across various financial intermediaries, including registered investment advisory firms and regional banks, and drives the advancement and growth of client investment platforms and portfolios. David is a voting member of Mercer’ Wealth Management Investment Committee and sits on Mercer’s Wealth Management Strategic Research and Equity Strategic Research Teams. 

David joined Mercer in 2011 after having worked at Evaluation Associates since 1999. Prior to joining Evaluation Associates, David worked as an investment research analyst at American Planning Group, a wealth management firm that serves high-net-worth individuals. 

David received an AB in Communications and Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the New York Society of Security Analysts; David also holds the Series 3 and Series 30 licenses. David serves as an Investment Committee member of the Westport (CT) Public Library and served as a Trustee of The Conservative Synagogue of Westport (CT). 

Fabrice Jacob Founder & CEO

JK Capital Management

Fabrice started his career in 1985 in New York in the leveraged capital group of Banque Paribas. He joined the investment banking team of Banque Paribas Capital Markets in London in 1987. He moved to Paris in 1989 to take responsibilities in the M&A team of Banque Worms before being posted in Hong Kong in 1995 to set up the bank’s local asset management team where he became a pioneer investor in the early days of Chinese H shares, red chips and mainland Chinese high yield debt instruments. 

Fabrice left the banking world in 1997, the year of the handover of Hong Kong to China, to set up JK Capital Management Ltd., an independent asset manager specialised in listed Chinese equities and high yield debt that launched one of the first China funds targeting European investors. JK Capital is now managing three UCITS funds, a US limited partnership and several managed accounts on behalf of both US and European institutional investors and family offices. The common specificities of all portfolios are to be long-only, ultra-concentrated, high-conviction based and benchmark agnostic with low portfolio rotation. 

Fabrice is a graduate of Université de Paris Dauphine (BBA) and of Baruch College, City University of New York (MBA). 

Laura Kane Head of ESG Research

Voya Investment Management

Laura Kane is the head of ESG research, responsible for leading the ESG investment research process across the firm’s equity, fixed-income, and multi-asset strategies at Voya Investment Management. Prior to joining Voya, Laura served as the head of thematic research at UBS and held a leadership role in investment strategy at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management. Previously, she held various positions with JPMorgan Chase’s Asset Management and Private Bank divisions. Laura earned a BS in applied economics and management, summa cum laude, from Cornell University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a CFA® Charterholder.

A. Rama Krishna Founder & Chief Investment Officer

ARGA Investment Management

Mr. Krishna has successfully built asset management businesses around the world, including:

• President – International at Pzena Investment Management
• Chief Investment Officer and Head of Institutional and International at Citigroup Asset Management, Member of Citigroup Management Committee
• Director of International Equity Research, Portfolio Manager, International Equities and Chief Investment Officer, Emerging Markets Equities at AllianceBernstein in New York, London and Tokyo

He has a joint MBA/MA in Asian Studies from University of Michigan and a BA (Honors) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.

Emily Lawrence Director of Sustainable Investing Client Engagement

Northern Trust Asset Management

Emily Lawrence is North American Director of Sustainable Investing Client Engagement at Northern Trust Asset Management where she is responsible for client engagement and partnership regarding Northern Trusts’ sustainable investing capabilities.

Emily has 14 years experience collaborating with clients to support the development of actionable approaches to sustainable investing. In addition to representing the investment platform, Emily collaborates directly with clients to conduct trainings and facilitate discussions on concepts, themes and trends through individual meetings, webinars and thought leadership.

Prior to joining Northern Trust, Emily managed research production for MSCI ESG Research’s Screening Research and Bespoke Research teams.  Joining MSCI ESG Research via KLD in 2007, Emily was responsible for overseeing key data collection, analysis and quality initiatives including acting as a member of the Business Involvement Research Methodology Committee. Emily has also served on the steering committees for the 2013 Access to Nutrition Index and the 2012 Access to Medicine Index.

Emily received her M.Res. in International Conflict Resolution from the Institut Catholique de Paris and holds an MSc. In European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics.  Additionally, Emily holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of New Hampshire.

She is also an active member of the Northern Trust Sustainable Investing Council, Proxy Voting Committee and Executive CSR Council. An advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the investment management industry, Emily serves on the Advisory Council for the George Washington University Business School Women in Leadership Program.  Emily has served as a mentor for young professionals through the Women in ETFs mentorship program starting in 2017 and has co-chaired the Events Committee for the Diversity Project North America since 2019.  She sits on the ESG sub-committees for a variety of industry bodies including DCIIA, ICI, and ABA. Previously, Emily was appointed to the Principles for Responsible Investment working group focused on Active Ownership and the Sustainable Development Goals and the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Working Group for the government of Evanston, IL.

Eivind Lorgen Investor Advisory Group (IAG) Chair

VRF (SASB)

Eivind Lorgen is the former CEO & President of Nordea Asset Management (NAM) and the former Head of the Manager Selection. He is a founding member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Investor Advisory Group (IAG) and the Chair for SASB’s IAG. Prior to joining Nordea, he was an Executive Managing Director at Zurich Insurance Group.

Eivind is on the Reiman School of Finance Advisory Board for the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He holds a BSBA from the University of Denver. His Master’s Diploma is from the Norwegian School of Economics. His Executive Management education is from IMD, Switzerland and The London Business School. Eivind is also an Adjunct Professor and has lectured at Daniels College of Business and Columbia Business School.

Eivind served 16 months in the Norwegian Royal Air Force and played varsity soccer for Denver. He lives in Harlem, Manhattan with his family.

Maria Ma Head of Fixed Income and International Equity Manager Selection & Portfolio Construction

Lincoln Financial Group

Maria Ma, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager and Team Lead for Fixed Income and International Equity strategies within Lincoln Investment Advisor. Ms. Ma joined Lincoln Financial Group in June 2015.  Ms. Ma has 20 years of asset management and investment experience. Prior to joining Lincoln in June 2015, Ms. Ma spent nine years with SEI Investments as Senior Investment Analyst, responsible for manager selection, manager oversight, and multi-manager portfolio construction on U.S. investment grade fixed income funds.

Ms. Ma received her Master of Science Degree in Finance from Boston College. She holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia.

Kevin Mahn President and Chief Investment Officer

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management

Kevin Mahn is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Hennion & Walsh Asset Management. Mr. Mahn is responsible for the Wealth and Asset Management products and services offered at the Firm including the SmartTrust® platform of Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Mr. Mahn also was the Portfolio Manager of the SmartGrowth® family of Mutual Funds.
Mr. Mahn is the author of the quarterly “CEF and ETF Insights” and "Market Outlook" newsletters as well as a co-author of the book, Exchange Traded Funds: Conceptual and Practical Investment Approaches, © 2009 Riskbooks. Articles written by Mr. Mahn have been published in The Journal of Investing and The Journal of Index Investing. Mr. Mahn is a contributor to Forbes, Talk Markets and Seeking Alpha.
Prior to Hennion & Walsh, Mr. Mahn was a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers where he held several senior management positions, including CAO of the High Net Worth Product and Services group within Lehman’s Wealth and Asset Management division as well as COO of Lehman Brothers Bank.

Mr. Mahn received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Muhlenberg College and his M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). Mr. Mahn has also served as an adjunct professor at FDU within the Department of Economics, Finance and International Business. In 2015, Mr. Mahn received the "50 Under 50" award from the Silberman College of Business at FDU.
Mr. Mahn currently serves on the Board of Directors of NICSA and was formerly a Co-Chair of the NICSA UIT Industry Committee, winning the 2014 and 2016 NICSA MVP Awards for his accomplishments in that role. Kevin also won the Rising Stars of Mutual Funds Award from Institutional Investor in 2009.

Mr. Mahn has appeared in/on CBS News, Fox News, CNBC, Fox Business News, Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Fortune, Forbes, New York Times, Financial Times, USA Today, Bloomberg, Reuters, Nasdaq and Yahoo! Finance.

Elana Margulies-Snyderman Senior Manager

Eisner Advisory Group

Elana Margulies-Snyderman is Senior Manager of Publications with EisnerAmper’s Marketing Group. Elana oversees, produces and edits various publications of many of the firm’s largest industry groups and service lines. She coordinates thought leadership pieces and industry-related content within these groups for both internal and external audiences.

Elana joined the firm in 2014 in the Financial Services Group, working within the Asset Management Practice where she launched the firm’s quarterly Asset Management Intelligence publication and the Alternative Investments Intelligence blog.

Prior to joining the firm, Elana was Chief Reporter at Pageant Media’s Hedge Fund Manager Week (HFMWeek). She began her career at Institutional Investor’s Alternative Investment News.

Mark Meisel Senior Vice President

Northern Trust

Mark Meisel is a Senior Vice President and Senior Investment Product Manager for Northern Trust Asset Management’s Multi-Manager Solutions group. Mr. Meisel joined Northern Trust in 2012.  Mark is responsible for product management, product development and investment communications used to support manager of manager solutions for high net worth and institutional clients. Mr. Meisel has product management responsibilities for external manager solutions delivered through mutual funds, common & collective funds, limited partnerships, and separately managed accounts.

Mark has over 25 years of experience in manager research, portfolio construction, investment communications and product management. Mr. Meisel worked at Citigroup for 17 years in their brokerage research and asset management divisions. Mark was Head of the Investment Research unit for Citicorp Investment Services and an Investment Product Specialist at Citigroup Asset Management. Prior to joining Northern Trust, he worked at UBS Wealth Management for 8 years where he oversaw manager research communications and investment product strategy. 

He received his B.A. in Psychology from Colgate University, and his M.B.A. degree in Finance from New York University. Mr. Meisel has obtained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Mark holds the Series 7 and Series 63 licenses

William Nelson Associate General Counsel

Investment Adviser Association

William joined IAA in 2021 after serving as Assistant General Counsel at CFP Board, where he was responsible for assisting with the development of their Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, Sanction Guidelines, Fitness Standards, and Procedural Rules.

Prior to joining CFP Board, William served as Chief Compliance Officer for Mercer Advisors, where he redesigned the firm’s entire compliance program, served as Legal Advisor to Mercer Advisors’ Investment and ERISA Committees, was a subject matter expert on legal and regulatory compliance.

William previously served as the Public Policy Counsel for CFP Board, where he drafted Amicus briefs in DOL fiduciary cases and regulatory comment letters in support of investor protection issues. He has also held multiple roles as an attorney with both the U.S. Departments of Justice and Veterans Affairs.

He has served as an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and George Washington University Law School. He has been published in several scholarly law journals and his work has been cited in legal treatises and state and federal court decisions.

William received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, his JD with Honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and his LLM from the George Washington University Law School.

Doug Porter Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst

Acuitas Investments

Doug Porter serves as a Senior Research Analyst at Acuitas Investments and as a Co-portfolio Manager on International Small Cap and Emerging Markets Small Cap portfolios.  Prior to joining Acuitas, Mr. Porter spent five years at Legato Capital Management, an Emerging Manager of Managers Investment firm, serving as the team leader of investment due diligence and a member of the firm's Investment Committee. From 2003 to 2010, Mr. Porter was an analyst at Russell Investments, which included positions within Russell's US Equity manager research, multi-asset class portfolio management, institutional consulting and institutional client service teams. From 2001 to 2003, he was an Index Analyst for Russell/Mellon Analytical Services. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound, where he studied business administration. He is currently a member of the CFA Institute, the CAIA Association and the Global Association of Risk Professionals, where he received certification as a Financial Risk Manager.

Paul Ricciardelli Managing Director

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Paul Ricciardelli is a Managing Director and head of Wealth Advisory Solutions for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.  In this role, he oversees several functions including portfolio construction for the firm’s discretionary multi-manager solutions, Impact and ESG Solutions, High Net Worth, Packaged/Digital Solutions, and Municipal Bond Research. In addition, he serves as CEO for the firm’s Pathway family of mutual funds and sits on the investment committee for the firm’s Global Investment Manager Analysis (GIMA) team which is responsible for the analysis and evaluation process for investment management firms across the Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs.  Prior to this, he spent 12 years at Merrill Lynch, initially as an analyst responsible for investment manager research, and advancing to various leadership roles within investment manager research.  He also spent time in capital markets with Prudential Securities.  Paul graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Finance and Marketing and received his M.B.A. from the Ohio State University.  He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

Carl Robinson Vice President, ISS Market Intelligence

ISS Market Intelligence

Carl Robinson is a Vice President within ISS' Market Intelligence (ISS MI) business. ISS MI provides critical data, insight, and workflow solutions to global asset managers, insurance companies, and distribution platforms while helping drive strategy and decision-making across a wide-range of financial products and global markets.

Carl is responsible for expanding the firm’s comprehensive subadvisory product suite, including tools and research utilized by asset managers and fund sponsors to grow their business. The ISS MI Subadvisory Solution currently tracks over $3.0T in subadvised assets, across more than 350 advisors and more than 1,000 subadvisors. Prior to joining ISS in 2021, Carl was Partner at Genesys Research, where he oversaw client relationships and provided competitive analyses for clients, with a focus on the subadvisory market.

Carl holds an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College, with a double major in Economics and Philosophy.

Ned Rosenman Director, Head of OCIO for Endowments and Foundations, Healthcare, and Family Offices

Blackrock

Ned Rosenman, Director, is head of OCIO for BlackRock's Endowments and Foundations, Healthcare, and Family Offices segments. He is responsible for business development, strategy, and relationship management. Mr. Rosenman also serves as a sustainable investment specialist, supporting ESG/Impact analysis and distribution.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Rosenman spent 10 years in BlackRock's multi-asset portfolio solutions and alternatives businesses, most recently as a member of the Client Solutions team within BlackRock Solutions. Mr. Rosenman was the team's lead specialist for endowments and foundations, providing investment strategy and risk advice to US-based institutions. Mr. Rosenman was a member of the effort to design and build the firm's Outsourced CIO ("OCIO") business in the United States, and helped integrate the firm's multi-asset capabilities during its merger with Barclays Global Investors. Mr. Rosenman began his career in BlackRock's Proprietary Alpha Strategies Group, where he was a lead product specialist representing BlackRock's commodity products and equity hedge fund strategies. He fostered product development initiatives, overall investment approach, and business development efforts for alternatives.

Mr. Rosenman earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Princeton University.

Jim Scheinberg Managing Partner

North Pier Search Consulting

Born and raised in the North Suburbs of Chicago, Jim Scheinberg came to Southern California in 1987 to pursue his B.A. in Political Science at University of California, Los Angeles. He achieved the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA^®) designation in 2001 from The Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA^®) in conjunction with the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. He has also earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^TM (AIF^®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst^TM (AIFA^®) designations, awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies, which is associated with the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business of the University of Pittsburgh. He also earned the PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional designation (PRP) from the PLANSPONSOR Institute and sits on the Steering Committee of The Center for Due Diligence. He is a quoted resource to journalists, a regular guest expert on a syndicated radio and a regular speaker at industry conferences. Jim also regularly serves as a consulting expert for U.S. government regulatory agencies and as an expert witness for Federal ERISA litigation.

Jim Scheinberg began his career in venture capital in 1990 moving to general securities with Smith Barney Harris Upham in 1992. He joined Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. in 1994 as an Associate in the Oppenheimer Consulting Group, the firm’s institutional investment management consulting department, where he worked with sponsors of trustee-directed plans and other institutional clients. In 2001, Jim founded what would become the Corporate Services Group of Oppenheimer Co., Inc. (CSG), where he eventually held the position of Director and Senior Vice President. CSG was an industry pioneer in providing conflict free, fee-only investment consulting and fiduciary advocacy for institutional, participant-directed plan sponsors. In 2008, Jim and CSG Partner Brant Griffin founded North Pier Fiduciary Management LLC. His tenure in the industry has also included experience in hedging and monetization, corporate executive services, and corporate cash management.

Fernand Schoppig CEO

FS Associates

Fernand Schoppig is the CEO of FS Associates an international financial and investment management consulting firm established in 1988. The firm functions as a bridge between the United States and Europe and to a lesser extent Asia in the active exchange of investment management expertise. The firm is specializing in money management counseling with a main focus on boutique money managers around the world. Furthermore, FS Associates has a strategic business consulting practice that specializes in advising money management firms on their cross‐border business development and marketing strategies in the money management arena, particularly between the United States and the rest of the world.

Before establishing FS Associates in 1988, Mr. Schoppig ran the Private Banking and Asset Management Department of Bank Leu's New York Branch, where he was responsible for establishing global investment policy and the development of unique "niche" products in international financial planning, geared towards foreign and domestic high net worth individuals. Prior to joining Bank Leu, Mr. Schoppig was a co‐founder and an Associate Director of SBC Portfolio Management International, New York, an affiliate of UBS's predecessor Swiss Bank Corporation, specializing in global asset management for institutional clients. He was also the firm's compliance officer, directly responsible for all legal administrative and strategic planning matters. In Switzerland, Mr. Schoppig was a global investment strategist with the Swiss Bank Corporation and other leading banks.

Fernand Schoppig was born in Basel, Switzerland where he received his basic education in banking and investment management. He was awarded the Swiss Federal Banking Diploma, the highest educational degree in Swiss banking. Mr. Schoppig is also a Certified Financial Planner, a Certified Investment Management Analyst and a Certified Investment Management Consultant.

Mr. Schoppig, is a sought after domestic and international speaker on issues pertaining to the global investment management industry. Mr. Schoppig is a past member of the Board of the Institute for Certified Investment Management Consultants.

Taras Shumelda Portfolio Manager, Global Equities

PineBridge Investments

Mr. Shumelda joined the firm in 2015 and is responsible for contributing to the management of the firm’s Global Emerging Market, Emerging Europe, and Global Focus strategies. Prior to joining PineBridge Investments, Mr. Shumelda served as Senior Investment Analyst – Emerging Markets at Ashmore where he covered Emerging Europe and Africa as a generalist as well as Emerging Market Oil and Gas as a specialist for the firm’s $4bn in GEM strategies for over three years. Prior to his tenure at Ashmore, Mr. Shumelda spent 12 years at American Century Investments as a Senior International Analyst where he was responsible for coverage of EMEA and Latin America. Mr. Shumelda holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mansfield University and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Bucknell University. He is also fluent in Ukrainian and Russian.

Amanda Tepper CEO

Chestnut Advisory Group

John Thompson Principal

QMA, a PGIM Company

John Thompson is a Principal, Affiliate Solutions for QMA within the Global-Multi-Asset Solutions Team. In this capacity, he serves as a subject matter expert for Global Multi-Asset Solutions strategies. Prior to joining QMA, John was a Partner, Head of Investment Solutions and Head of Wealth Management at AON Hewitt. Previously, he served as a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Morningstar Investment Management and Ibbotson. He was also the Lead Latin American Analyst for Marvin Zonis & Associates. John’s work has appeared in Financial Planning, and International Political Economy. He is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, lecturing on asset allocation and alternative investments. As a Fulbright and Rotary Scholar, he conducted post-graduate research projects in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. He earned a BA in History from Truman State University, as well as an MBA in Finance and an MA in Latin American studies from the University of Chicago.

Keith Wirtz Vice President & CIO

Union Savings Bank

Keith brings more than 30 years of experience in the investment industry, with a specialty in portfolio management, fiduciary oversight and security analysis, to the USB team. Most recently, Keith was a Principal and Senior Portfolio Manager for Walrus Partners LLC, a boutique money management firm based in Minneapolis. Previously, he served as the Chief Investment Officer for Fifth Third Bank’s Wealth Division and as President of Fifth Third Asset Management Inc., overseeing more than $34 billion in AUM’s. Earlier, he served as the CIO for Bank of America’s investment subsidiary, TradeStreet Investment Associates. In that role, his group oversaw more than $100 billion in assets for institutional clients. Keith serves as a trustee for the First Western Trust Funds and is a board member and Investment Committee Chair for ASU Enterprise Partners. He has earned a BS in Finance from Arizona State University and an MS in Investment Management & Security Analysis from Creighton University. He is a CFA Charter Holder and a member of the CFA Institute.