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MFA Ops: Data, Tech & AI 2025 - Agenda

October 29, 2025
Conference
New York, NY
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    Agenda

    9:00 am - 9:30 am

    Breakfast, registration and networking

    9:30 am - 9:35 am

    Opening remarks

    Speaker
    Barry Knee , Partner , PwC
    • Works with PwC’s Asset & Wealth Management practice, based in New York, with more
      than 24 years as a partner handling alternative and registered product in the asset
      management industry
    • Serves as a member of PwC’s Global AWM Leadership Team
    • Specializes in credit funds, private equity, and securitization vehicles
    • Led transition of several audit clients using various administrators
    • Manages complex audit issues surrounding valuation, performance fees/carried interest
      calculations, revenue stream valuation, multi-class structures, master-feeder structures,
      complex share class reorganizations, and equalization
    • Delivers extensive experience in structuring phases, has testified as a professional
      witness in hedge fund arbitration, has provided assistance and performed testing of fund
      accounting system conversion and implementation projects, and manages due diligence
      for complex entities
    Nell Mathews , Vice President, Content and Programming , MFA

    Nell Mathews is MFA’s Vice President, Content & Programming. She is based in the NY office and is responsible for the development and execution of event programming, content and panel origination for our global conference offering.

    Nell has 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, with acute expertise in event activations. Prior to MFA, Nell worked at Bloomberg in a variety of marketing roles, most recently as a Financial Products Marketing Lead, working with Sustainable Finance Solutions and BloombergNEF, one of the company’s research divisions focused on the energy transition. In this role, Nell led the marketing strategy and implemented thought leadership campaigns to raise awareness and help drive revenue. Before joining the financial products marketing team, Nell managed several high-profile brand initiatives at Bloomberg, including the Morgan Stanley digital signage launch in Times Square (2015-2020), and the content development and promotion of the company’s annual sustainability report (2018-2021). Nell began her career in Communications and spent seven years in event marketing at Citi Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley before joining Bloomberg in 2014.

    Nell graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in Communications.

    9:35 am - 10:00 am

    Washington update: What to know about the digital finance revolution

    Speaker
    Trevor A. Levine , Counsel, FinTech, Crypto, Trading & Markets Group , Lowenstein Sandler LLP

    Trevor Levine represents financial services firms and digital asset companies navigating complex regulatory frameworks, rapid commercial growth, and government investigations. His clients include exchanges, intermediaries, market participants, and technology companies. Trevor has deep experience advising clients on issues and regulatory inquiries related to the Commodity Exchange Act, federal securities laws, FINRA rules, and state money transmission laws. He leverages this experience to help clients develop and operationalize a wide range of compliant and innovative financial products and structures, including advising them through any necessary registration processes.

    Most recently, Trevor served as general counsel for a brokerage firm that focused on the digital asset, Bitcoin mining, and data center sectors through multiple regulated subsidiaries, including a FINRA-registered broker dealer, a NFA-registered introducing broker, and a New York BitLicensee. Trevor also worked as in-house counsel for a large, regulated digital asset trading platform, where he guided the company through acquiring and/or obtaining a suite of CFTC, SEC, and state licenses.

    Previously, Trevor practiced with two AmLaw 100 firms, where he represented clients facing a variety of government investigations, including CFTC investigations into reporting violations and market manipulation, and state/federal investigations into consumer lending practices. He has also advised a number of companies on the development and launch of blockchains, corresponding cryptocurrencies, and decentralized applications.

    Erik Johnson , Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs , MFA

    Erik Johnson is Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs at MFA. In this role, he works with the government affairs team to execute MFA’s advocacy initiatives in Washington.

    Before joining MFA, Johnson spent eight years at a government affairs and business consulting firm specializing in financial services policy. Johnson has advised and represented some of the world’s leading financial institutions on legislative and regulatory matters before the United States Congress, Treasury Department, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, and other governmental entities. Johnson also spent almost a decade in government, working as an advisor on financial services policy in the House and Senate, and as the federal policy director for a governor.

    Johnson earned his MBA from the University of Maryland and his BS in Business Management from The Ohio State University.

    Moderated by
    Noel Kimmel , President , Hidden Road (Ripple Prime)

    Noel Kimmel is President of Hidden Road (now Ripple Prime), a multi-asset prime brokerage, clearing, and financing platform. Prior to joining Ripple Prime, Mr. Kimmel was Global Head of Investor Services, Valuations, and Reporting at Cerberus Capital Management. Previously, he founded and led Cantor Fitzgerald’s prime brokerage, capital introduction and clearing businesses, and before that served as North American Head of Sales and Marketing for Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange, and Derivatives Prime Brokerage at JP Morgan. Mr. Kimmel joined JP Morgan through its acquisition of Bear, Stearns & Co., where he was a Senior Managing Director and co-headed the Fixed Income Prime Brokerage division. He is a member of CME Group’s FCM Advisory Board and a graduate of Colgate University.

    10:00 am - 10:25 am

    Fireside chat I AI as a competitive advantage: Strategy, infrastructure and culture

    Speaker
    Brandon Rembe , Chief Solutions Officer , Juniper Square

    Brandon is the Chief Solutions Officer at Juniper Square, the fund operations partner to over 2,000 private markets GPs. With over 20 years of experience building high-growth technology, software, and information services companies, Brandon has worked across a broad spectrum of enterprises—from early-stage ventures to global businesses—including Envestnet, where he served as Chief Product Officer. His comprehensive background in product development and management spans service and support organizations, corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, and product and technology roadmaps.

    Matt Wood , Global and US Commercial Technology and Innovation Officer , PwC

    Matt Wood is PwC’s Global and US Commercial Technology and Innovation Officer, focused on helping clients and teams harness the power of technology to drive meaningful business outcomes. Since joining PwC in October 2024, he has led the development of cutting-edge AI tools and platforms—including PwC’s agent OS, a first-of-its-kind enterprise-grade platform for building and deploying secure AI agents. Under his leadership, PwC teams have applied AI to real-world challenges, including analyzing over 15 million lines of code to modernize and future-proof critical systems. His work is helping clients unlock the value of generative AI while giving PwC professionals access to tools that amplify expertise and drive productivity.
    Before PwC, Matt spent nearly 15 years at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he served as Vice President of Artificial Intelligence. He was instrumental in launching over 100 cloud services, including Bedrock, SageMaker, Lambda, Kinesis, and EMR.His innovations supported advancements in cybersecurity, quantum computing, and robotics, and helped organizations across finance, healthcare, and manufacturing scale AI securely.

    Moderated by
    Courtney E. Kapes Lewis , Partner , Marshall Wace North America

    Courtney Lewis is a Partner at Marshall Wace North America, where she is General Counsel and serves on the global Operating Committee. Additionally, she serves as Chair of the Managed Fund Association’s Advisers, Management, and Operations Committee. Before joining Marshall Wace, Courtney was the Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel at Hound Partners, which was seeded by Tiger Management. She began her career at Systematic Financial Management, an affiliate of Affiliated Managers Group.

    Courtney completed her Bachelor of Arts at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and earned a Juris Doctorate with a Masters in International Political Economy and Development from Fordham University in New York. She is an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School’s Masters of Compliance program, where she also contributed to developing the online course curriculum in Investment Management Regulation. Furthermore, Courtney serves as the Board Chairperson of Literacy Partners, an adult literacy non-profit organization focused on making a two-generation impact on education.

    10:25 am - 11:10 am

    Panel | AI in practice: Where it delivers and where it doesn't

    In this session, we’ll welcome a group of fund managers to present real-world AI use cases they’ve successfully implemented to enhance workflow efficiency and improve investment processes.

    Following the individual showcases, the group will discuss:

    • What other AI applications have been tested, and where are we seeing the most meaningful impact? Are funds beginning to see a clear ROI?
    • Are we beginning to understand the boundaries of where AI delivers value?
    • Can AI help resolve persistent operational inefficiencies like reconciliation, onboarding, IT and KYC?
    • What experiments have you conducted or observed involving Agentic AI?
    • AI investment benchmarks and vendors: Are firms allocating enough resources to AI innovation, and which vendors or solutions have proven most effective?

    Speakers
    Sudhir Anantharaman , Chief Information Security Officer , AQR Capital Management LLC

    Sudhir Anantharaman is the Chief Information Security Officer of AQR Capital Management, LLC, and oversees the information and cyber security function globally. Prior to AQR, he was a Director at Booz Allen Hamilton in that firm’s Financial Services Practice. Sudhir earned a B.S. in Engineering at the University of Illinois, a M.S. in Engineering at the University of Michigan, and an M.B.A. in Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

    Chris Beels , Co-Chief Technology Officer , GoldenTree Asset Management

    Chris Beels is Co-CTO of GoldenTree Asset Management and manages Applications, Data and AI initiatives for the firm.  Chris joined GoldenTree in 2011 and has led the Data Warehousing, Regulatory Reporting, and other data-centric initiatives at the firm.  Chris is an active member of the AITEC group of Asset Management technology executives. 

    Chris has over 20 years of experience in managing financial systems and IT teams.  Prior to GoldenTree, he was a Director in the Fixed Income Systems group at Millennium Management and one of the founding employees of RiskMetrics.  Chris holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University and is a CFA Charterholder. 

     

    Srinivas Vasantharajan , Executive Managing Director and Chief Information Officer , Sculptor Capital

    Srinivas Vasantharajan is an Executive Managing Director and Chief Information Officer at Sculptor Capital. In this role, Mr. Vasantharajan is responsible for leading the IT group as well as managing architecture, design, development, integration and support of applications that support Sculptor Capital’s investment professionals and global infrastructure professionals in investing, trading, corporate and control functions.

    Mr. Vasantharajan has over 25 years of experience in technology and finance. Prior to joining Sculptor Capital, he was a Senior Vice President and headed Middle and Back office IT for D.E. Shaw & Co and managed their re-engineering program. Prior to that, he was a Principal at Vanguard.

    Mr. Vasantharajan was a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell labs and part of the team that built the Unix operating system. Mr. Vasantharajan holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from University of Pittsburgh.

    Moderated by​
    Thomas Evans , Principal, Alternative Asset Management Strategy, Operations and Technology , PwC

    Tom is a Partner in PwC’s Sector Operations Alternative Asset Management practice with nearly 20 years of experience, serving a range of alternative asset managers from the small, single strategy private equity funds to all the larger, multi-strategy, public firms. PwC’s Alternative Asset Management Sector practice is a group of 150+ professionals focused on the entire value chain of GPs with deep expertise assessing and solutioning the complex problems that face manager strategic growth, operating leverage and technology architecture.

    Tom has worked closely with clients in addressing a range of complex growth and scalability demands, including front office deal management and capital raising capability needs through to the finance, client service and compliance lifecycles, as well as many other areas. Tom’s professional history includes process evaluation and redesign, operating model strategy and development, technology analysis, as well as product selection, implementation and program management. 

    Most recently, Tom co-leads PwC’s GP-level GenAI operating model services for alternative asset managers, focusing on bringing transformational AI capabilities to investment teams across the deal lifecycle, to fundraising and investor-relations teams in their LP processes, and to the finance, operations and supporting platforms that power these functions. He is also driving the redesign of the Alternative Asset Management Sector practice’s delivery methodologies and go-to-market strategy—ensuring we deliver services in a GenAI native manner, with maximum efficiency and impact to rapidly accelerate value for our clients.

    Overall, Tom’s key focus is helping clients with complex transformation and change programs. Recent areas include:

    • GenAI Strategy & Implementation
    • Management Company Digital Strategy
    • Front Office Digital Strategy
    • Investor Capital Raising & Servicing Digital Strategy
    • Operating Model Design
    • Process Redesign & Improvement
    • Vendor Selection
    • System Design & Implementation

    Education and Affiliations

    B.S.B.A., McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University

    11:10 am - 11:30 am

    Networking Break

    11:30 am - 11:40 pm

    AI in alternatives: GP & LP perspectives

    Speakers
    Shannon Murphy , Head of Research , iConnections

    Shannon Murphy has over two decades of experience in research and analytics across financial services and academia. As Head of Research, she leads efforts to strategically leverage iConnections data to deliver next-generation insights to clients, allocators, and partners. Previously, Shannon was Managing Director and Head of Strategic Content at Jefferies, where she built the firm’s multimedia thought leadership platform and collaborated across Equities, Fixed Income, and Investment Banking. She also led Credit Suisse’s Prime Services content strategy and held senior roles at Harvard’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative and the Harvard Center for Business and Government. She holds degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Colgate.

    11:40am - 12:15 pm

    Panel | How technology, data, and AI are transforming investment processes and decision-making

    • What productivity tools have delivered the most value to traders and portfolio managers?
    • How are AI-powered tools for signal extraction, predictive modeling, and portfolio construction evolving in practice?
    • What are the most compelling use cases of AI in discretionary strategies—such as signal generation, portfolio optimization, and scenario analysis?
    • What can discretionary managers learn from their quant counterparts who have long used AI-adjacent tools to drive decision-making?

    Speakers
    Ziang Fang , Senior Portfolio Manager , Man Numeric

    Ziang Fang is a senior portfolio manager at Man Numeric. He is responsible for the China-A share strategies and assists in the day-to-day portfolio management of the emerging markets strategies. Ziang is also actively engaged in the firmwide research efforts spanning alpha generation, risk modeling and portfolio construction. Recently he’s also led the effort to adopt gen AI in the systematic research process.

    Prior to joining Man Numeric in 2017, Ziang had investment banking and private equity experience in Asia. Ziang received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Renmin University of China and a master’s degree in finance from MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also a CFA charterholder.

    Aashish Mehta , Founder and Chief Executive Officer , nRoad, a Linedata company

    Aashish Mehta, Founder and CEO of nRoad, a Linedata company, is a visionary leader at the intersection of fintech, AI and automation, recognized for turning bold ideas into market-defining successes. A serial entrepreneur, he has founded and scaled multiple ventures, most recently leading nRoad to a successful acquisition by Linedata. Over his career, Mehta has driven more than $1 billion in customer value and generated over $100 million in revenue. He has built and led high-performing teams of more than 700 employees, fostering a culture of innovation and execution. Beyond his business achievements, he is a dedicated mentor, passionate about guiding the next generation of entrepreneurs and technologists.

     

    Renee Yao , Founder and Chief Investment Officer , Neo Ivy Capital

    Renee Yao began her career on Wall Street at Citadel, LLC. Later she left Citadel to join WorldQuant, a Millennium Management portfolio manager, as a trader with discretionary trading authority for her own designated account. Subsequently she joined a prop trading firm founded by a former trader of Susquehanna International Group(SIG) where she managed multiple statistical arbitrage portfolios totaling several hundred million USD in gross positions.  

    In early 2015, Renee set up her own firm, Neo Ivy CapitalManagement, a quantitative hedge fund manager that focuses on trading liquid, publicly traded equity securities via artificial intelligence strategies. Renee was named as “Tomorrow’s Titan” by The Hedge Fund Journal in 2019 and “10 Leaders Transforming Investing in North America” by Business Insider in 2020. Neo Ivy is the only 100% woman owned Quant/AI Hedge Fund in the industry. Renee has also been interviewed by Bloomberg’s “The Big Take” and the JPM Market Team, highlighting her contributions to artificial intelligence in 2023. Renee holds a M.A in Statistics from Columbia University. 

     

    Moderated by​
    Robert Antoine , Senior Hedge Fund Consultant , Bank of America

    Robert Antoine is part Bank of America’s Equities Prime Financing Group, where he is responsible for business consulting services to hedge funds and other investment management organizations.  In this capacity, Robert engages clients on operational risk management and mitigation, growth, and innovation planning.  Robert also leads Operational Due Diligence readiness, helping emerging managers navigate institutional reviews of their personnel, providers, practices, platform, and controls.

    Prior to joining, Robert was Head of Investment Operations and Operational Due Diligence for the Hedge Fund Strategies Group at PineBridge Investments.  Robert has a background as a Certified Public Accountant and began his career in the Audit and Assurance practice of Deloitte & Touche.  He received his Master of Accountancy from the University of North Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Florida.

    Robert splits his time between Charlotte and New York City.

    12:15 pm - 12:50 pm

    Panel | The cyber arms race: How AI is reshaping cyber offense, defense, and governance

    • How is AI transforming the threat landscape—and driving new regulatory expectations?
    • What emerging social engineering tactics should alternative investment firms be aware of?
    • What types of cybersecurity training have proven most effective across roles and departments?
    • What does an AI-aware InfoSec policy entail, and what layered protections are funds putting in place?
    • How prepared are you for a cyber incident? What response protocols have proven effective in practice?

    Speakers
    Israel Bryski , Chief Information Security Officer , MIO Partners

    Israel Bryski is the Chief Information Security Officer at MIO Partners, responsible for leading the firm’s cybersecurity function as part of the Risk team.

    With over 19 years of experience, Israel is a results-driven information security executive with a proven track record in security solution design, threat detection and mitigation, information risk management, and governance within the financial services sector.

    Prior to MIO Partners, Israel served as a Vice President and Senior Engineer at Goldman Sachs, where he addressed internal audit and regulatory observations as part of efforts to limit the blast radius from cyberattacks. Previously, Israel was Director of Information Security at Eton Park, where he established and led a world-class cybersecurity function centered on access management, security technologies, vulnerability management, incident response, and end-user training. He previously held various security roles at Morgan Stanley, TD Securities, and Nomura.

    Israel holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Touro College and a Master of Science in IT, Information Security and Assurance from Carnegie Mellon University.

    Eric Levin , Chief Technology Officer , GCM Grosvenor

    Mr. Levin serves as the firm’s Chief Technology Officer. He is responsible for overseeing the strategic implementation of technology and information systems for the firm. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Levin spent 13 years at PEAK6 Investments, most recently serving as Chief Information Officer of Apex Clearing, PEAK6’s clearing, custody, and execution business. He was also an Operating Principal on the firm’s Strategic Capital team and served on the Investment Committee which was responsible for strategic investments made across financial services, technology services, and FinTech. He joined PEAK6 as Chief Security Officer and also served as the IT Director for several years. Previously, Mr. Levin led product management at Qualys, Inc. He began his career at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu where he was a member of the Global Information Security Office. Mr. Levin received his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Miami University. He serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Information System and Analytics Department of Miami University.

    Evan Wolff , Partner , Akin

    Evan D. Wolff is co-chair of Akin’s cybersecurity, privacy and data protection practice and a member of the firm’s government contracts and national security and global investigations practices. He is ranked by Chambers USA as a leading privacy and cybersecurity practitioner and is nationally known for his deep technical background and nuanced understanding of complex cybersecurity legal and policy issues.

    Over the past two decades, Evan has led investigations into hundreds of cybersecurity incidents. He regularly conducts training and incident simulations, develops response plans and leads privileged investigations. Additionally, he has advised on hundreds of data breaches, working closely with forensic investigators.

    Evan is a Registered Practitioner under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework and draws on his experiences as a scientist, program manager and lawyer to advise leading global companies and their boards of directors on mitigating the risk of cyber and privacy incidents, as well as the planning and execution of the rapid, comprehensive response required when incidents occur. He counsels a broad range of companies across multiple sectors including government contractors, the defense industrial base, transportation, energy, health care, insurance, hospitality, education, and non-profit organizations. His counsel includes advising on global privacy and data security regulations, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Privacy Shield and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and providing legal and technical advice on the Department of Justice’s Bulk Data Collection and Use Policy.

    In addition to cybersecurity and privacy issues, Evan frequently advises clients on regulatory compliance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as well as multiple cyber False Claims Act (FCA) cases.

    Evan is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He served in advisory roles during the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and in 2017 was inducted into the Council on Foreign Relations. Evan remains active in national security policy circles and has previously served as a senior associate (non-resident) in the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), on the Sandia National Lab External Advisory Board, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce National Security Task Force, as a panel member on the Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board and a senior adviser at the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council. He also served as the co-chair of the ABA Homeland Security Law Institute and as a senior adviser to the ABA Committee on Law and National Security.

    Moderated by​
    Adam Menkes , Chief Revenue Officer , Atlas Technica

    Adam Menkes is a sought-after advisor and leader in the alternative asset management industry with a deep understanding of technology and extensive business advisory experience. In his role at Atlas Technica, he leads sales, marketing, and partnerships, leveraging best-in-class public cloud products and services to deliver exceptional service to clients. Prior to joining Atlas Technica, Adam served as the Global Head of Operations at Drawbridge, where he played a crucial role in overseeing and optimizing operational functions. Adam has also held positions at renowned financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, where his responsibilities encompassed strategic planning, consulting, and providing analytical insights to drive effective decision-making. Adam Menkes holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University at Albany, SUNY and numerous technical and financial certifications and licenses.

    12:50 pm - 1:50 pm

    Networking & lunch

    Includes transition to breakouts

    1:50 pm - 2:25 pm

    Breakout sessions:
    Select one

    Private credit
    1) New frontiers in private credit operations: AI enabled digitization, retail access and evolving fund structures

    • Enabling front-to-back digitization workflows that align with private credit investment strategies — what are the most promising AI-enabled use cases?
    • Key considerations when designing and planning Evergreen fund structures.
    • Operational and systems requirements to effectively support ABS, ABF, and ABL strategies.
    • What infrastructure upgrades are needed in your current investor relations (IR) systems to support a higher volume of smaller, retail investors?
    • Navigating regulated vehicles such as BDCs — what challenges and solutions are emerging?

    Speakers
    Drew Hershkowitz , Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer , Oak Hill Advisors LP

    Drew Hershkowitz, Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer, has primary responsibility for leading OHA’s Information Technology strategy including Application Development, Information Security, and Infrastructure. Prior to joining OHA, he worked as Chief Information & Technology Officer at Casdin Capital, L.P. and previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Carlson Capital, L.P. Mr. Hershkowitz also held Managing Director roles at Morgan Stanley and technology leadership roles at Moore Capital. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Pennsylvania State University.

    Brett Honneus , Partner, Chief Information Officer , Brigade Capital Management

    Mr. Honneus is the Chief Information Officer and a member of the Risk, ESG and DEI Committees. Prior to joining Brigade in 2008, Mr. Honneus led the Technology Team at Highland Financial Holdings Group, an alternative asset management firm specializing in fixed income securities. Earlier in his career, Mr. Honneus was a Senior Software Developer for leading technology companies, including Monster Worldwide and Terra Lycos. Additionally, Mr. Honneus created his own web development and data hosting company, Solucian Networking, which he sold in 1999. Mr. Honneus received a BA in Computer Science and Mathematics from Colgate University.

    Christine Waldron , Head of Fund and Investor Solutions , BNY

    Christine Waldron is Head of Fund & Investor Solutions at BNY. Fund & Investor Solutions includes four core businesses within Asset Servicing, including Accounting, Alternatives, Exchange-Traded Funds and Investor Solutions.

    Before joining BNY in 2023, Christine was Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer for U.S. Bank covering their Wealth Management, Investment Services, Corporate and Institutional Banking products. She was responsible for continuous improvement and transformation initiatives, strategic and technology planning, product development and business integration initiatives. Christine also held a number of senior leadership positions at U.S. Bank, including interim Head of Global Fund Services, Global Head of Alternatives Investments, Head of Transfer Agent and Head of Client Experience overseeing Relationship Management, Mutual Fund Administration, Tax and Shared Services. Prior to joining U.S. Bank in 1998, Christine worked for KPMG and began her career with a hedge fund manager.

    Christine is a graduate of Marquette University and a certified public accountant. She also services on the board of the Student Partner Alliance of New Jersey, the board of Holy Trinity Blue and Gold Foundation and the advancement committee of Mount St. Mary Academy.

     

    Moderated by
    Gurvinder Singh , CEO and Co-Founder , Indus Valley Partners

    Gurvinder spent his early career in technology consulting during the late 90’s with Sapient, helping financial services firms adapt to Internet technologies. In 2000, he co-founded IVP as a niche-consulting firm focused on the Capital Markets industry, initially working with prime brokers. He has led IVP’s growth since inception to its current size of 1100+ professionals across five time zones, servicing more than 220+ fund managers managing approximately $5.5 trillion of global AUM managed using IVP technology, digital-first Managed Services, and Consulting Services. Gurvinder graduated with a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 1995 and is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s OPM (Owner/President Management) program.

     

    Infrastructure
    2) Optimizing technology infrastructure to accommodate increasing AI adoption

    • As cloud adoption matures, how can firms gain clearer visibility into usage and optimize costs?
    • What are the most effective data warehousing strategies, especially with hybrid in-house and cloud-based models?
    • How are firms scaling cloud infrastructure to support growing data needs, advanced analytics, and AI—while managing costs?
    • As AI demands scalable infrastructure, how are firms mitigating associated security and compliance risks?

    Speakers
    Greg Shub , Co-Chief Technology Officer , Moore Capital Management LP
    Vinay Srinath , Director of Research Technology , AlphaQuest LLC

    Vinay Srinath is the Director of Research Technology at AlphaQuest, where he architects the firm’s research and trading platforms. With over 17 years of experience, he has built high-performance trading/backtesting engines, scalable cloud infrastructures, and analytics systems that power hedge fund research and execution.

    Before joining AlphaQuest, he developed prime brokerage and hedge fund analytics platforms at Fidelity Investments and ENSO Financial and worked on trading and risk systems at Aflac. He began his career at Cisco Systems, building large-scale predictive and network management solutions.

    Vinay holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a specialization in Interactive Intelligence, combining his expertise in AI with deep experience in financial markets to drive innovation in hedge fund research and trading.

    Yun Zhang , Head of Infrastructure Architecture , Millennium

    As head of infrastructure architecture at Millennium, Yun Zhang drives the firm’s AI platform strategy and execution. Her focus is on building resilient, scalable and secure infrastructure to enable advanced AI applications, development tooling, and infrastructure across the enterprise. In addition to AI, she also oversees high-performance computing, a large-scale Kubernetes platform and developer toolchains. Previously, Zhang was a managing director at Goldman Sachs, serving as chief technology officer and head of engineering for Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions, a wealth management, trading and custody platform. She led cross-functional teams to build digital platforms for trading, custody, private investments and banking services while advancing the use of AI and automation across the business. Earlier in her career at Google, she led teams developing natural language processing algorithms, machine learning infrastructure and search-ranking optimizations. She began her career in building an algorithmic trading platform at Goldman Sachs. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Princeton.

    Moderated by
    Paul Ponzeka , Chief Technology Officer , Abacus Group

    Paul Ponzeka is the Chief Technology Officer at Abacus Group, responsible for R&D, systems engineering, disaster recovery and networking. Paul was previously Managing Director of Engineering at Abacus.

    Prior to joining Abacus in 2012, he was Head of Engineering for Davidson Kempner Capital Management and a senior engineer at Eze Castle Integration, responsible for high-level VMWare and SAN implementations, as well as serving as the company’s senior messaging expert. Paul earned a BS in Operations Management at the University of Scranton and is CISSP-certified.

    2:25 pm - 2:30 pm

    Transition to breakout two

    2:30 pm - 3:05 pm

    Breakout sessions
    Select one

    Technology & scalability
    1) Future-proofing technology systems: Navigating legacy systems, re-platforming and talent needs

    • How should funds decide between modernizing legacy systems and fully re-platforming their tech stack?
    • What data and tech foundations are essential to evolve from technology adopter to AI-native?
    • Which new talent profiles are most critical for unlocking AI’s potential—and what are the best practices for upskilling existing talent?

    Speakers
    Michael DeAddio , Chief Operating Officer , Paloma Capital Partners

    Michael DeAddio is the Chief Operating O􀆯icer at Paloma Partners Management Company. Mr. DeAddio joined PPMC in December 2024. Previously, he was a Co-Founder, Partner, COO and CCO for Dark Forest Capital Management, a Global Systematic Macro and Equity investment manager where he was responsible for all non-investment business teams and functions including capital development. Prior to Dark Forest Capital Management, Mr. DeAddio was President and COO of WorldQuant and was responsible for global day-to-day operations, execution of strategic business initiatives and capital development initiatives. Prior to joining WorldQuant in 2014, Mr. DeAddio was Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Investor Relations at Elm Ridge Capital and before that served as Chief Operating Officer at Credit Suisse Alternative AssetManagement. Prior to these roles, he was Chief Technology Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Silver Point Capital. He entered the alternative asset management industry in 2002 as a Managing
    Director in IT at Citadel LLC. Mr. DeAddio began his career at Bell Communication Research in 1992 and made the transition to financial technology in 1994 as a software developer at JP Morgan on the Fixed Income Derivatives desk. 

    Mr. DeAddio holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. DeAddio serves on the board of directors of BronxWorks and recently served on the initial advisory board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS). Mr. DeAddio holds a US patent entitled “Object Oriented System For Managing Complex Financial Instruments.”

    Jason Gabbard , Founder and CEO , Bowtie

    Jason is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bowtie, an AI company redefining how hedge funds and asset managers preserve and deploy institutional knowledge at scale.

    Previously, he served as Head of AI Strategy at Conga, joining the company through its acquisition of Counselytics. Jason was an early pioneer in applied AI, founding Counselytics in 2014 to automate document analysis.

    Trained as an attorney, Jason began his career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York, where he worked on IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and debt issuances. He later joined Morgan Stanley’s MSREF private equity fund in London, leading a team of lawyers and bankers in closing billions of dollars of private equity transactions across Europe and Asia.

    Beyond Bowtie, Jason is an active angel investor with stakes in transformative technology companies, including Lyft, SpaceX, and Airbnb.

    Alkesh Shah , Head of AI Strategies , Covalis Capital

    Alkesh Shah is head of AI strategies at Covalis Capital, a global Asset Management company investing in the Energy Infrastructure space for over 2 decades, in Equity, Credit and Commodities across public and private markets.

    In recent years, he led AI and Crypto thought leadership at Bank of America.  He was a Managing Director and Head of US Software Equity Research at Bank of America.  Shah has identified global trends and provided strategic insights to institutional and retail clients for more than 30 years. Previously, Shah held the position of Head of Crypto/Global Digital Assets Strategy, offering a comprehensive perspective on the digital asset space. Additionally, he led Bank of America’s digital and mobile strategy for the Data and Innovation Group.

    Prior to joining Bank of America, Shah was a Managing Director in Equity Research at Morgan Stanley, where he led the global CommTech Research team to an Institutional Investor #1 ranking. Shah was recognized by Wall Street Journal’s annual “Best on the Street” list for stock-picking and was acknowledged as a leading analyst in his sector by Institutional Investor, Reuters, First Call, and Greenwich Associates

    Moderated by
    Bryant Morse , Managing Director, Head of Business Consulting Services, Americas , UBS

    Bryant Morse is a Managing Director at UBS and currently the Americas Head of Business Consulting Services where he coordinates the delivery of Consulting services to clients of the Investment Bank at all stages of their business lifecycle. Most recently, Bryant was Chief Technology Officer at Kingdon Capital where as a member of the Operating Committee, he was responsible for the firm’s Technology vision with oversight of Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Data and Application Development. Previously, Bryant was Chief Information Officer for two separate start-up hedge funds, Nexus Asset Management (Global Energy/Utilities) and Tourmalet Advisors (Global L/S Equity & Distressed Mortgages). He also spent nine years as Senior Vice President at Pequot Capital, where he was the Head of Data Management.

     

    Data strategy
    2) Data strategy for the future: From acquisition to AI integration

    • How are funds developing scalable, long-term data strategies to support AI-driven workflows?
    • How are funds building data pipelines that meet the demands of “data-hungry” AI systems?
    • Alternative data strategy: What new data sets are emerging or gaining traction with the rise of AI?
    • What are best practices for managing client-owned vs. vendor-provided data, and ensuring clear ownership and transparency?
    • How do funds evaluate and integrate proprietary, alternative, and third-party datasets into investment and risk processes?

    Speakers
    Rich Itri , Chief Innovation Officer , ECI

    Rich Itri is the Chief Innovation Officer at ECI. Rich has nearly 25 years of IT executive experience, spending his entire career managing IT within the financial services industry. Prior to joining ECI, Rich was Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer for PJT Partners, a boutique investment bank, Principal and Chief Information Officer for Sky Road and held Chief Information Officer positions at Arrowhawk Capital Partners and Arbalet Capital Partners. Over the years, Rich has developed and managed innovative, business aligned platforms, that drive revenue and operational efficiencies. Rich holds positions on several Advisory Boards and volunteers his time to help non-profits leverage technology. 

    Alex Golbin , CFA, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Data Officer , Hudson Bay Capital

    Alex Golbin, CFA, is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Data Officer at Hudson Bay Capital. Mr. Golbin, along with Data and Technology teams, is responsible for empowering all business users with modern data and technology solutions necessary to facilitate growth at scale.

    Prior to joining Hudson Bay Capital in December of 2023, Alex was a Chief Data Officer at Morningstar, where he was responsible for building, deploying and operating Enterprise Data Platform to enable seamless and easy data flow from producers to consumer across all business units of Morningstar. In addition, he led the Global Data team, which collected, analyzed and enriched Funds, Equities, Fixed Income and Alternatives data for Morningstar products consumption and distribution.  

    Prior to joining Morningstar in October 2019, Alex was a Managing Director and the Global Head of Data Services at BlackRock. His group provided centralized data, valuation, reporting and portfolio analytics for the Firm, serving the dual mission of supporting BlackRock and BlackRock Solutions (BRS) clients.

    Prior to joining BlackRock in 2005, Mr. Golbin was a Principal in Banc of America Securities’ Fixed Income Credit Strategy group. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers Fixed Income Research department. Mr. Golbin joined Lehman Brothers in 1994 and became responsible for producing Global Family of Fixed Income Indices. Previously, Mr. Golbin spent three years as a systems analyst with Siemens Corporation.

    Mr. Golbin earned a MS degree in Computer Science from Hofstra University in New York.

    Shehzad Nabi , Chief Technology Officer , Waterfall Asset Management

    Shehzad Nabi is the Chief Technology Officer at Waterfall Asset Management. Prior to joining the firm, he was a Managing Director in the Asset Management Division at Goldman Sachs, where he led technology teams for Fixed Income, Fundamental Research, and Trading. Earlier in his career, Shehzad held several roles in London within Goldman Sachs’ Global Markets Division, including heading EMEA Program Trading, Electronic Trading, and Order Management Technology. He earned his degree in Computer Science from King’s College London.

    Moderated by
    Shannon Murphy , Head of Research , iConnections

    Shannon Murphy has over two decades of experience in research and analytics across financial services and academia. As Head of Research, she leads efforts to strategically leverage iConnections data to deliver next-generation insights to clients, allocators, and partners. Previously, Shannon was Managing Director and Head of Strategic Content at Jefferies, where she built the firm’s multimedia thought leadership platform and collaborated across Equities, Fixed Income, and Investment Banking. She also led Credit Suisse’s Prime Services content strategy and held senior roles at Harvard’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative and the Harvard Center for Business and Government. She holds degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Colgate.

    3:05 pm - 3:30 pm

    Networking Break and Transition to General Session

    3:30 pm - 3:55 pm

    Big leagues: Inside the tech strategy of the world’s largest fund managers

    Join senior technology leaders from some of the largest firms in the alternative investment industry for an inside look at how they manage data, infrastructure, and security at scale. This session will explore the challenges of supporting diverse strategies, investment vehicles, and global markets—while continuously driving innovation and staying ahead of emerging technologies.

    Speakers
    Mikhail Dron , Chief Technology Officer , Elliott Investment Management

    Mikhail, CTO, is passionate about the intersection between Technology and Finance, flourishing in environments that prioritize growth and tangible outcomes. In 2022, Mikhail joined Elliott Investment Management as Chief Software Development Officer to spearhead evolution and innovation of a comprehensive suite of Software Applications, spanning from investor relations to investment and hedging analytics, all the way to trading and critical corporate functions. Prior to EIM, Mikhail held the position of Chief Information Officer at TD Securities. Over the course of a remarkable decade, he ascended from a Director role to the pinnacle of CIO, instrumental in development of cutting-edge Capital Markets, Investment Banking, and Treasury Quantitative Analytics and Systems. His contributions facilitated business expansion, streamlined operational processes, and fortified risk management. Mikhail’s career path also includes significant leadership roles in Technology at Citi and HSBS. His professional advancement at the global Broker/Dealers was ignited following six years of software development at Imagine Software, fintech startup, where he played integral role to the build out of Equity Trading and Risk Management solution licensed to the banks around the world. Before embarking on these career chapters, Mikhail honed his skill as a developer analyst at Bloomberg L.P. Mikhail holds a BS in Computer and Information Science and MBA in Finance from Pace University. This nexus of technology and finance enables Mikhail’s drive for innovation and delivery of results.

    Umesh Subramanian , Chief Technology Officer , Citadel LLC

    Umesh Subramanian is Chief Technology Officer at Citadel. He leads the technology teams that build and power the innovative research, investment and risk-management platforms that provide Citadel with a competitive advantage in the financial markets. Umesh is a member of Citadel’s Portfolio Committee.

    Prior to joining Citadel, Umesh spent 13 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently serving as a Partner and Co-Head of the Technology Division. His prior roles at Goldman Sachs include head of the Finance Engineering and Investment Banking Strats. While at Goldman Sachs, Umesh was a member of the Board of Directors of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation. Before that, Umesh worked at Morgan Stanley.

    Umesh serves on the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering Board of Visitors, the NYU Stern Tech MBA Advisory Board and the Carnegie Mellon Computational Finance Advisory Board. He received a BTech in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and an MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a CFA charterholder.

    Moderated by​
    Rahul Jaising , Managing Director, Prime Services & Electronic Trading , Barclays

    Rahul Jaising is a Managing Director focused on distribution of Prime Services & Electronic Trading capabilities. He is part of the Liquid Financing Business and focuses on offering the next generation of global market access, execution, clearing and financing services to institutional customers. Rahul joined Barclays in September 2008, and was with Lehman Brothers since 2005. Prior to joining Lehman, Rahul worked for Ameritrade, a retail broker as a software engineer and architect. He received his MS in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, and is a CFA charter holder. Rahul is an active participant in the firms Human Capital, Diversity, Citizenship & Wellness initiatives.

    3:55 pm - 4:30 pm

    Panel | How tech, compliance and business leaders are shaping AI governance in the alternative investment industry

    • What are the key elements of a strong AI governance framework, and how has it evolved with increasingly sophisticated tools and models?
    • How are firms monitoring compliance with AI policies while addressing ethical, security, and regulatory considerations?
    • Who is responsible for tracking AI advancements and adoption within the firm—and how is that ownership defined?
    • What is the role of AI committees, and how are they adapting to the accelerating pace of innovation and investor expectations?
    • How are firms balancing the need for strong governance with competitiveness, particularly as reliance on third-party service providers grows?

    Speakers
    Matt Blye , Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer , King Street Capital Management

    Matt Blye is a Managing Director and the Chief Technology Officer of King Street, based in New York. He oversees the firm’s global technology strategy, infrastructure, and software development initiatives, with a focus on delivering scalable, secure, and forward-looking systems that support King Street’s investment and operational goals. 

    Matt joined King Street in 2013, initially serving as Head of Development before transitioning into the CTO role. Over his 12-year tenure, he has shaped a technology organization built around strong engineering practices, deep business partnership, and scalable solutions that support the firm’s evolving needs across trading, research, and operations. 

    Prior to King Street, Matt was a Senior Vice President at Highbridge Capital Management, where he spent six years managing the front office development team. In that role, he led the design and delivery of trading and analytics platforms across asset classes, partnering closely with portfolio managers and quantitative teams. 

    Earlier in his career, Matt was an Associate Vice President at Bank of America, where he helped build out the firm’s fixed income prime brokerage platform. He began his career as a software developer at Barclays Capital. 

    Matt holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

     

    Ryan Teal , Partner and Head of Operational Due Diligence Americas , Albourne Partners

    Ryan joined Albourne’s Operational Due Diligence (ODD) group in Toronto in 2010 and is now a Partner and the Head of ODD. Ryan is also a key member of Albourne’s AI Taskforce and has contributed to industry and media insights on best practices and market trends in the alternative investment AI space. Prior to Albourne Ryan worked at The Bank of Nova Scotia in the structured products group, conducting Investment and Operational Due Diligence on alternative asset managers. Previously Ryan has operational experience at a Canadian pension plan and in fund administration. Ryan is both a CFA and CAIA charterholder. 

     

     

    Jennifer Zloto , Senior Managing Director, Chief Risk Officer , Summit Rock Advisors

    Jennifer Zloto is a senior managing director on the Operating Team. She is responsible for leading the Legal and Compliance team, Risk and Data and the Operational Risk Management Teams. Prior to joining Summit Rock, Jen served as a vice president in the Finance department of Pali Capital Inc. Jen was involved in Firm level strategic planning including analysis of potential counterparties and investors and also involved in both cash and treasury management.  Prior to joining Pali Capital in 2008, Jen was a vice-president at Jefferies and Company Inc. Before joining Jefferies Jen was a senior auditor in the Financial Services Office of Ernst & Young LLP. Jen holds a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame, a Bachelor of Science cum laude in Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Villanova University. 

    Moderated by​
    Kelly Koscuiszka , Partner , McDermott Will & Schulte LLP

    Co-chair of the Investment Management Regulatory & Compliance Group. Advises on private funds on regulatory and compliance matters, particularly the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

    Kelly supports clients undergoing SEC examinations, including by handling deficiency letters and enforcement referrals and uses that experience to assist clients with exam preparedness. She practices in the intersection of regulation and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, alternative data, web scraping and electronic communications. Kelly also advises clients on data privacy and cybersecurity.

    She regularly conducts client training sessions and is a sought-after presenter at leading industry conferences.

    4:30 pm - 4:55 pm

    Fireside chat | Agentic AI and beyond: The next frontier of enterprise intelligence

    Speakers
    Ruchir Swarup , Partner and Chief Information Officer , KKR

    Ruchir Swarup is a Partner and Chief Information Officer at KKR leading the Technology team.  He joined the firm in March 2024 and is based in New York. In this role, Ruchir is responsible for driving KKR’s technology strategy and vision, as well as scaling KKR’s existing technology to create efficiencies and reduce risk across the firm at KKR.  

    Prior to KKR, Ruchir had a successful career at Addepar, a financial software and data provider with more than $5 trillion of assets on their platform.  Before Addepar, Mr. Swarup spent nearly 20 years at BlackRock in various technology leadership roles in the U.S. and Asia, most recently as a Managing Director and Global Head of the Aladdin Product Group across Business Operations and Enterprise Systems. This responsibility included the development of all post-trade capabilities, regulatory, client experience and enterprise operations technology. Ruchir was also a key architect of BlackRock’s middle-and back-office technology strategy on Aladdin, an end-to-end portfolio management system, combining risk analytics and comprehensive investment tools on a single platform. He was also a member of BlackRock’s Global Operating Committee. Ruchir has significant investment technology experience across both public and private markets having led technology platforms. 

    Ruchir is a graduate of Pune Institute of Computer Science.  He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. 

     

    Software Company Executive TBA
    Moderated by​
    Patrick Vergara , Chief Operating Officer , Norm Ai

    Patrick Vergara is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Norm Ai. Before joining Norm Ai, he was  Co-founder, Head of Product, and COO at Alkymi, a New York–based technology company delivering  AI-powered enterprise automation  solutions to leading financial  services firms.

    Prior to Alkymi, Patrick was part of  the founding team at Say Technologies, a regulatory  technology company that developed a platform for broker-dealer compliance and is  now part of Robinhood.

    Before starting his technology career, Patrick worked as an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and other law firms. He is a member of the New York Bar  and holds a law degree from Stanford University, as well as undergraduate and master’s degrees from Yale University.

    4:55 pm - 5:00 pm

    Closing Remarks

    Ruta Gnedeviciute , Director, Content and Programming , MFA

    Ruta Gnedeviciute is MFA’s Director of Content and Programming, based in New York. She develops content for the association’s major conferences and peer-to-peer forums, including programming, speaker acquisition, and content preparation.

    Ruta is an accomplished event content editor and project manager with 13 years of experience in global news and media. Before joining MFA, she was a Content Portfolio Manager at the Financial Times, where she oversaw content creation and commercial success for a global event series covering sustainable and ethical business and investment practices. Prior to that, she was the Events Lead for the Americas at Risk.net (part of Infopro-Digital), a leading trade publication covering financial risk management, trading, investing, and regulation.

    Ruta began her career as an event content producer in London. She holds a BA in International Business Finance and Economics from the University of Manchester and a certificate in Storytelling: Narrative Tools and Applications from the NYU School of Professional Studies.

    5:00 pm

    Networking Reception

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