On Point Conferences

SPEAKERS


Dr. Sharon Brown-Hruska, Vice President, NERA Economic Consulting / Former Chair, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)

Dr. Brown-Hruska is a Vice President in NERA's Securities and Finance Practice. She is a leading expert in securities, options, futures, and energy risk issues. Prior to joining NERA in July 2006, she served as Commissioner (2002-2006) and Acting Chairman (2004-2005) of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Dr. Brown-Hruska served as a member of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets with the Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, and the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She has testified before Congress on the function and regulation of the US futures and options markets and the Reauthorization of the CFTC. Dr. Brown-Hruska led the CFTC's efforts in evaluations relevant to the energy markets and has spoken on energy issues to the Energy Bar Association, Edison Electric Institute, and the World Forum on Energy Regulation, among others. Internationally, Dr. Brown-Hruska has participated in high-level international meetings with members of the EC, the Committee of European Securities Commissioners, the International Organization of Securities Commissioners, and various other governmental, regulatory, and financial organizations. In enforcement adjudication, Dr. Brown-Hruska issued separate opinions in cases where the decisions could be detrimental to the conduct of business and in the markets regulated by the CFTC (see Hussain and Precision). In other cases, she supported the use of economic methods to achieve deterrence in determining civil monetary penalties. Dr. Brown-Hruska has served as Chairman of the CFTC's Technology Advisory Committee and on the Financial Literacy and Education Commission where, as Chairman of its Website Development Committee, www.mymoney.gov, a clearinghouse for financial information, was launched. Prior to her public service, Dr. Brown-Hruska was an Assistant Professor of Finance at George Mason University (1998-2002) and at Tulane University (1995-1998) specializing in derivative and alternative asset markets. Her articles have appeared in Barron's, Journal of Futures Markets, Regulation, Energy Daily and Futures and Derivatives Law Report, Revue bancaire et financière, International Commodities Review, Swiss Derivatives Review, and Review of Futures Markets. She holds a PhD and MA in economics and a BA in economics and international studies from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.





Michael Dubin, Senior Managing Director, The LongChamp Group/Silvercrest

Mr. Dubin is President at LongChamp Group/Silvercrest with over two decades of hedge fund experience. LongChamp (with $1.4 B in hedge fund-of-funds and customized portfolios) is part of the wealth management business at Silvercrest Asset Management with $10 B AUM. His responsibilities include serving on the Investment Committee for the family office and the fund-of-funds portfolios, as well as strategic business development with a focus on institutional and client relationships. Previously, as a Partner in Powers & Dubin for more than 15 years, he helped develop their expertise in the management of hedge fund-of-funds. Prior to that, he served as President of both Morgan Stanley/GFTA and GFTA Services, which marketed sophisticated multi-billion dollar currency risk management systems for major institutions worldwide. Earlier, he headed up the International Financial Advisory Service at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., advising the Treasurers of the Fortune 500 companies on currency risk management systems. He is the author of the book, Foreign Acquisitions and the Growth of the Multi-National Firm, and lectures frequently on alternative investments and financial markets issues at conferences and business schools. He has a Doctorate of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in International Finance and a BA from Yale University in Biophysics and Molecular Biochemistry. He serves as the Chairman of the Endowment Committee of the Town School, where he was a Trustee and Treasurer for over a decade, and also serves as Director and Treasurer of PlaNet Finance Corp, a global non-profit sponsoring global entrepreneurship through microfinance.





Raphael Douady, Co-Founder & Head of Research, RiskData

With 10 years of experience in the banking industry (risk management, option models, trading strategies...) and 20 years research in pure and applied mathematics Dr. Douady is one of the founders of Riskdata. Renowned for his high performance numerical techniques, Dr. Douady created and animated the New-York University seminar of Mathematical Finance. He graduated from Ecole Normale Superieure of Paris and has a PhD in mathematics.





Alison Gregory, Head of Enterprise Risk Management, GlobeOp Financial Services

Alison Gregory, Head of Enterprise Risk Management, is principally based at GlobeOp’s Harrison, NY office. Prior to joining GlobeOp, where she initially served as the company’s general counsel, she served as deputy general counsel at Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) and JWM Partners. She began her legal career as a clerk for the Hon. Ralph K. winter of the US Court of Apeals. From 1993 to 1996, Ms. Gregory worked as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and from 1987 to 1989, prior to obtaining her law degree, Ms. Gregory was a swaps and options trader at Morgan Stanley & Co in New York. Gregory earned a BA from the University of Virginia, and a JD from the Stanford Law School, where she served as associate editor of the Stanford Law Review.





Dr. Cindy Ma, Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey

Dr. Ma is a Managing Director in the Houlihan Lokey’s New York office, where her primary responsibilities as part of the firm’s Financial Opinions & Advisory Services business include providing valuations, financial opinions, and expert witness testimony. She leads the firm’s Illiquid and Complex Securities Valuation practice and is a member of the firm’s Technical Standards Committee. Dr. Ma has over 20 years of extensive training, academic expertise, and hands-on experience in commodities, derivatives, securities, fixed incomes, structured transactions, hedging strategies, and risk management issues. She has a deep understanding of the economic, operational, and institutional aspects of the securities and derivatives markets. Since the beginning of the current global credit crisis in July 2007, Dr. Ma has been focused on valuing illiquid securities including asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, collateralized loan obligations, mortgage derivatives, auction rate securities, distressed debt instruments and private equity investments for financial reporting, transaction advisory, restructuring alternatives and litigation support purposes. On October 29, 2008, she served as a panelist in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s roundtable concerning mark-to-market accounting. Dr. Ma participated as the valuation expert, focusing on potential improvements to the current accounting model and implications of possible changes. Dr. Ma joined Houlihan Lokey from NERA Economic Consulting, where she established and led the Employee Stock Options Valuation practice. Before that, she was a partner at Ernst & Young. She directed a number of significant litigation and dispute resolution projects related to derivatives valuation, securities trading, hedging, and risk management. She also advised the boards of directors of energy and financial companies on risk management, valuation, and corporate governance issues. For over five years, she traded derivatives and designed new risk management products for a global commodity firm. Dr. Ma served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where she taught an M.B.A.-level course in futures and options. She also developed several corporate training programs on the complex aspects of capital markets. Dr. Ma has qualified and testified as an expert witness in the United States District Court, United States Bankruptcy Court and in arbitration and deposition proceedings. Dr. Ma graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Business with a Ph.D. in finance and from Indiana University with highest distinction with a B.S. in accounting. She holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is licensed with FINRA (formerly the NASD) as a General Securities Registered Representative (Series 7 and 63). She is an adjunct member of the Futures and Derivatives Regulation Committee of the New York City Bar. She was also a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Option Valuation Group. Dr. Ma has published several articles on energy, derivatives, risk management, valuation, and corporate governance. Her Ph.D. thesis addressed energy futures and options markets. She also co-authored a college textbook on futures and options.

Dr. Cindy Ma Serves as Panelist in SEC Mark-to-Market Accounting Roundtable Dr. Cindy Ma, Managing Director, served as a panelist in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s October 29, 2008 roundtable concerning mark-to-market accounting. Dr. Ma participated as the valuation expert, focusing on potential improvements to the current accounting model and implications of possible changes. The web cast of this SEC roundtable can be viewed via the below link. Dr. Ma is featured in "Part 2." http://www.connectlive.com/events/secroundtable102908/ The transcript of Dr. Ma’s opening statement from the roundtable can be read here.



Aleksey Matiychenko, Senior Partner & CEO, Risk-AI

Aleksey has more than ten years of experience in financial services industry. At Risk-AI, LLC Aleksey holds the position of Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Risk-AI, LLC Aleksey was a Vice President in Risk Management & Quantitative Research team at Ivy Asset Management - a leading U.S. Fund of Hedge Funds. At Ivy Aleksey played an integral role in developing state of the art risk management infrastructure and processes Prior to joining Ivy Asset Management, Aleksey was a senior developer at JPMorgan’s proprietary trading business. Aleksey has an MBA in Finance and Statistics from Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Aleksey is a certified financial risk manager (FRM) by Global Association of Risk Professionals and he is also a CFA and CAIA charter holder.





Anna Chefter, Chief Risk Officer, Fortress Investment Group

Anna Chefter is a Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer at Fortress Drawbridge Liquid Markets. Prior to joining Fortress, Anna was Chief Risk Officer of First Quadrant, LP a $40 Billion quantitative hedge fund. Her interest in proprietary risk models developed over the course of a 10-year career in the financial services industry, working in risk management and analytics roles for Western Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Intelligent Technologies Group, and the D.E. Shaw Group. Anna received advanced degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds both CFA and FRM certifications.





Joel Schwab, Managing Director, Channel Capital Group

Mr. Schwab is a Managing Director of Channel Capital Group Inc., overseeing the hedge fund data business and PrivateEquityCentral.net. His responsibilities also include business development and strategic planning. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Schwab practiced law in the Corporate Department of the law firm Katten Muchin Zavis in Chicago. Mr. Schwab’s legal practice was focused in the areas of private equity, mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Schwab holds a J.D./MBA from the University of Michigan where he focused on corporate strategy and finance. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Licenses: Series 7 and 63.





Michael Poisson, Partner, Investor Analytics

Michael Poisson is the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. Prior to joining IA, Michael was Managing Director & Vice President of Sales at Cogency Software a provider of technology solutions to the hedge fund industry which specialized in accounting for Funds of Hedge Funds. Previously, Mr. Poisson was the Senior Vice President & Managing Director at SunGard Treasury Systems, a supplier of internet and intranet treasury and risk management solutions where he was responsible for sales, professional services and client services for North and South America. Mr. Poisson's additional responsibilities included setting and executing global business strategy and achieving financial objectives. Mr. Poisson is a graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received a B.S. in Management and played for the NCAA Division I Champion RPI Engineers.





Peter Carey, Senior Investment Officer, Altnernative Investments, NY State Common Retirement Fund

Mr. Carey is the Portfolio Manager for the Absolute Return Strategies (ARS) Program, Hedge Fund business, for the New York State Common Retirement Fund. He is responsible for the risk, return and overall management of the ARS Portfolio. He is also responsible for the welfare, morale and overall conduct of the ARS staff. Prior to joining the NYSCRF, Mr. Carey worked at Bear Stearns as an Institutional Fixed Income Salesman. He received his BS from the US Military Academy and a MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California. He is also a former Infantry Officer in the US Army.





Samuel Weiser, Chief Operating Officer, Sellers Capital LLC / Former Chairman, Managed Funds Association (MFA)

Mr. Weiser is the Chief Operating Officer of Sellers Capital, LLC responsible for all non-investment activities. He recently joined Sellers Capital after heading the Hedge Fund Consulting Group within Citigroup’s Global Prime Brokerage division. Prior to joining Citigroup in April 2005, Mr. Weiser was the President and CEO of Foxdale Management, a consulting firm specializing in hedge funds and hedge fund related services and served two years as Chairman of the Managed Funds Association. He previously was a Partner with Ernst and Young LLP where he served as the National Director of Investment Consulting and was an active member of Ernst and Young’s global funds group coordinating the firm’s international hedge fund industry activities; headed Sales and Marketing for the prime brokerage group of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette; was Chief Operating Officer of Sosnoff, Sheridan, Weiser, an asset management firm employing both traditional index fund and non-traditional index arbitrage strategies for institutional clients; was President of Virginia Futures Management Corporation; and, was Chief Financial Officer of Glenwood Financial Group, an asset management firm specializing in multi advisor hedge fund products. Mr. Weiser received a B.A. in Economics from Colby College in 1981 and an M.A. in Accounting from George Washington University in 1984.





Willa Bruckner, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP

Willa Cohen Bruckner is a member of the Financial Services and Products Group in our New York office. She concentrates on derivatives, structured products, and alternative investments and brings to her practice over 25 years of experience as a financial services attorney. Ms. Bruckner has worked extensively in new product development and in negotiation and documentation of a wide variety of derivatives products and complex financial transactions. She also advises on the structure and establishment of hedge funds and other pooled investment vehicles and assists hedge fund and private equity fund investors with due diligence review. Ms. Bruckner works with clients on the preparation and implementation of legal and compliance policies and procedures related to investment and trading businesses. She draws on experience in a broad range of financial transactions, investments, and services, including derivatives, structured notes, securitizations, hedge funds and private equity funds, debt financings, investment management, credit support, and corporate trust. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Ms. Bruckner was general counsel for a family investment office and fund of funds. Before that, she was a partner at Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP. She has also served as the lead capital markets attorney at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York, as a capital markets and lending attorney for The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. and as an international lending attorney for Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. Ms. Bruckner received her J.D. from The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her M.A. in economics from Yale University and her B.S. with highest honors in mathematics from The University of Michigan. She is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.





Adam Winik, Director of Financial Engineering, Investor Analytics

Adam Winik is the Director of Financial Engineering. Before joining IA in 2004, Adam was a technical staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he developed cutting edge radar target tracking tools and simulation software. He has extensive experience in financial modeling techniques, time series analysis, and software design and development. Adam received his undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and his Masters in Financial Engineering from Columbia University.