MFA Ops: Human Capital & Talent Infrastructure 2025 - Agenda
November 6, 2025
Conference
New York, NY
Register
8:45 am - 9:45 am
Breakfast, registration & networking
9:45 am - 9:55 am
Opening remarks
Speaker
Shelley Guiley
,
Chief Administrative Officer
,
MFA
Shelley Guiley serves as Chief Administrative Officer at MFA.
Shelley joined MFA after spending thirteen years in the private equity industry. She oversees MFA operations and finance, including accounting, budgeting, people and culture and information technology. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor to Hunter Point Capital, a GP Stakes firm, from 2021-2023 where she worked with the Strategic Value Group on their investor relations and fundraising initiatives. Prior to that, Shelley served as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Fundraising at The Carlyle Group Inc., a private equity, alternative asset management and financial services company.
Prior to joining Carlyle, Shelley was a Senior Vice President and the Director of Investor Relations at Allied Capital Corporation. She has also worked at Capital One Financial Corporation and Price Waterhouse LLP.
Shelley earned her B.S. in Commerce from The University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
9:55 am - 10:30 am
The evolution of HR: Where human capital meets operational strategy
Explore how HR is transforming from a support function to a strategic partner, aligning talent with business operations to drive performance across the organization.
Speakers
Sarah Fass
,
Chief People Officer
,
Two Sigma
Sarah Fass is the Chief People Officer at Two Sigma, responsible for steering the company’s people strategy. She develops and implements programs focused on fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning across all aspects of the employee experience. She has over 25 years of experience, including 15 years shaping talent initiatives in diverse industries and nearly a decade as an employment attorney. Before joining Two Sigma, Sarah served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Bridgewater Associates, overseeing the firm’s HR and real estate functions to drive comprehensive people strategies.
Tara Schiff
,
Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer
,
Davidson Kempner Capital Management
Tara Schiff is a Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer at Davidson Kempner. She joined the Firm in 2008 and is based in the New York office.
Before joining Davidson Kempner, Ms. Schiff was a Director of Human Resources at SAC Capital Advisors. Ms. Schiff received an M.Ed. in Organizational Psychology and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University and a B.S. from McGill University.
Ariel Speicher
,
Chief People Officer
,
Hudson Bay Capital
Ariel Speicher is Chief People Officer at Hudson Bay Capital, where she is responsible for the leading the firm’s people strategy. This includes oversight of talent development, performance management, recruitment, benefits, compensation, engagement and HR operations.
Prior to joining Hudson Bay, Ariel was CHRO at Point72, where she also oversaw HR for the New York Mets. She spent nearly a decade at American Express, where she was an inaugural member of the HR Global Rotation Program, and also worked for The Advisory Board Company.
Ariel holds a BA from Yale University, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from the London Business School. She is on the boards of Natural Areas Conservation and the Chewonki Foundation. A recognized leader in the investment industry, Ariel was named one of the 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds.
Moderated by
Katherine Ladd
,
Executive Director
,
UBS Prime Brokerage
Katherine is a member of the UBS Prime Brokerage Business Consulting team based in New York and is a subject matter expert across a multitude of areas including hedge fund compensation, staffing structures and human capital matters, budgeting, expense best practices, counterparty concentration and more. Prior to joining UBS, she was part of the Prime Brokerage Business Consulting team at Morgan Stanley. Katherine graduated from Georgetown University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with degrees in Finance and Marketing.
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Winning the war for talent and scaling your business for long-term value
Strategies for attracting top talent while aligning hiring with long-term business growth.
Speakers
Joanna Albright
,
Co-Chief Operating Officer
,
Coatue Management LLC
Joanna Albright is Co-COO at Coatue. Prior to joining Coatue in 2010, Joanna held positions as Vice President at Glocap Search and Morgan Stanley. Joanna graduated with a B.A. from Brown University.
Mark Russo
,
General Counsel
,
ZAIS Group, LLC
Mr. Russo serves as General Counsel and a Managing Director at ZAIS Group, LLC. Mr. Russo was appointed General Counsel in April 2017. Before joining ZAIS in February of 2007, Mr. Russo was an attorney at Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP in the Structured Finance Practice Group from 2004 to 2007. He received a B.S. with distinction from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.
Sarah Salta
,
Global Head of Talent Acquisition
,
Man Group
Sarah Salta is Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Man Group, leading the firm’s global talent strategy across all levels and geographies. She manages a team of talent acquisition professionals focusing on four key pillars: candidate-centric experiences, consultative partnerships, cost-effective hiring practices and technology-enabled solutions. Sarah partners with senior leadership to align talent acquisition strategies with organizational goals while championing a culture of high performance.
Sarah joined Man Group in 2021 and prior to her current role, she served as Head of Recruitment, US & APAC. She brings extensive experience in financial services, having held senior talent acquisition roles at Brookfield Asset Management, Cambridge Associates, and John Hancock. Sarah began her career in retail banking through a leadership development program, leveraging her financial services sales background to successfully transition into talent acquisition.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics with a minor in Political Science from State University of New York Cortland.
Moderated by
Chris Lillis
,
Head of Talent Acquisition
,
Arootah
Chris Lillis is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Arootah, leading strategic hiring initiatives to build high-performing teams. Previously, he was Managing Director of Executive Search at Jackson Lucas, where he focused on investment banking and private equity, and Senior Vice President of Lateral Recruitment at PJT Partners. Chris served as Vice President of Modeling and Trading Recruitment at Two Sigma Investments, driving global hiring for quantitative research, portfolio management, and trading, while representing the firm at major machine learning conferences. He also held senior recruiting roles at UBS Investment Bank, The Execu-Search Group, and International Market Recruiters.
11:00 am - 11:35 am
Tech and AI in action: Real-life use cases transforming HR
As AI and emerging technologies are reshaping how we work, learn how firms are leveraging tech to streamline HR operations, enhance leadership development and support decision-making.
Speakers
Russell Klosk
,
Managing Director, Human Capital
,
Deloitte
Russell Klosk is a Managing Director in Deloitte’s Human Capital practice, with 33 years of experience—23 in consulting and 10 as an HR executive in industry. He leads both the Workforce Planning practice and the Human Capital AI capability within the Financial Services Industry Group.
Russell helps clients evaluate, manage, and optimize workforce capabilities to achieve business objectives. He guides the design, deployment, and execution of strategic workforce programs, enabling organizations to future-proof their talent strategies and make informed investment decisions in areas such as automation, AI, location strategy, and labor strategy. His work includes assessing existing programs, developing strategies, analytics, and technologies, and establishing delivery models that support evidence-based talent decisions.
His expertise includes labor demand forecasting, talent supply assessment, scenario planning, and fulfillment modeling. Russell also develops sourcing strategies across build, buy, borrow, bend, and bot frameworks, addressing labor and location strategy, the impact of AI and technology on work, organizational design, and talent strategy.
He has partnered with clients across HR, talent, finance, and operations, with experience in analytics, talent strategy and management, talent acquisition, employee development, performance management, total rewards, DE&I, global mobility, and technology strategy and implementation.
Russell serves clients across a wide range of industries, including life sciences, healthcare, energy and resources, consumer products, manufacturing, technology, media and entertainment, travel and tourism, retail, financial services, government, transportation, aerospace, and agriculture. His global experience includes three expatriate assignments and work on six continents.
Russell is the author of “Talent Prophecy: Creating Strategic Impact Through Workforce Planning and Talent Strategy.” After completing expatriate assignments in Europe and Asia, he now resides in Virginia, where he enjoys spending time with his two daughters.
Taras Kowaliw
,
Managing Director, Head of People Analytics
,
The Blackstone Group
Taras Kowaliw is a Managing Director in Human Resources and Head of the People Analytics team. He leads HR’s team of data scientists, reporting specialists, and data managers to partner with other HR professionals and management teams across the firm. Through self-serve reporting and bespoke advanced analytics, he and his team help make data-driven decisions to help employees firmwide, especially in hiring, experience, and retention.
Before joining Blackstone, Taras spent ten years with Goldman Sachs, working as a quantitative strategist in their Public Equity, Alternative Investments, and People Analytics teams. This included work in fund performance attribution, portfolio optimization, predictive modelling for recruiting and retention, and behavioural finance systems for equity portfolio managers. Prior to this, Taras did academic research in machine learning and synthetic biology, including with the CNRS in France.
Taras has a PhD in artificial intelligence from Concordia University and a BSc in mathematics from the University of Toronto.
Mark McNamara
,
Head of People Operations and Technology
,
Balyasny Asset Management L.P.
Mark McNamara is the head of People Operations and Technology at Balyasny Asset Management (BAM) based in the New York office. Mark joined BAM in September 2024 from Two Sigma Investments, where he spent 10 years leading the HR operations, data intelligence, systems, and project management teams. Prior to Two Sigma, Mark worked in various HR productivity and process improvement roles at Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. Mark began his career as a consultant at PwC, specializing in operational efficiency, data analysis, and system design. He holds a BA from Binghamton University in Economics.
Moderated by
Shameel Danish
,
Director, Prime Finance, Business Consulting
,
Bank of America
Shameel Joined Bank of America in 2022. He was most recently a Partner and COO of Akaris Global Partners, which he helped launch in 2018. He was responsible for all non-investment functions, including operations and business development. Prior to that Shameel was Partner and Head of Trading and Portfolio Construction at Eisenstat Capital (formerly Dabroes Management) from 2008-2018, focused on non-investment activities in addition to execution and risk responsibilities and running a Capital Markets strategy. Eisenstat Capital spun out of Caxton Associates, where Shameel worked as Head of Trading for the Eisenstat Team in New York, which he joined in 2005. He started his career at Citigroup in London in 2001, sales-trading for Hedge Funds. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Balliol College, University of Oxford.
11:35 am - 12:05 pm
Managing a global workforce: Cross-border hiring, mobility and employment law
Gain practical insights into managing a global workforce with a focus on cross-border hiring, employee mobility, and evolving employment laws—including key issues around H-1B visa sponsorship, non-compete agreements, and pay transparency.
Speakers
Shawn Butte
,
Senior Employment Counsel
,
The Voleon Group
Throughout his career, Shawn has served as a strategic adviser to corporations and emerging companies in a variety of industries, including technology, financial services, life sciences, hospitality, and e-commerce. His experience includes cross-border employment matters, internal investigations and state and federal court litigation involving restrictive covenants, employee raiding and misappropriation of trade secrets. As a counselor, Shawn has advised on employment and equity matters in connection with corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Shawn is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and has experience helping companies navigate domestic and international privacy issues.
Shawn is currently Senior Employment Counsel at The Voleon Group, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund that applies machine learning techniques to real-world problems in finance. Previously, Shawn was the Head of Legal at Wish, a global e-commerce platform.
Prior to going in-house, Shawn was an employment law associate in the New York offices of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and BakerHostetler LLP.
Heather Glatter
,
Managing Director & Senior Counsel, Head of Employee Relations & Employment Law
,
Apollo Global Management
Heather Glatter is Managing Director & Senior Counsel, and leads the global Employee Relations and Employment Law team at Apollo Global Management, Inc. Prior to joining Apollo in 2019, Heather worked as Employment Counsel in the General Counsel Group at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. Previously, Heather was an Associate in the Labor and Employment Group at Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe LLP.
Heather graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Human Development and received her JD from Fordham University.
Martin L. Schmelkin
,
Partner
,
McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
Marty is a Partner in the Employment Law practice with McDermott Will & Schulte in New York City. He has over 30 years of experience in employment law, representing clients in all aspects of the employment lifecycle, including counseling on recruitment, hiring, employment agreements, compensation, promotions, leaves, disciplinary action, terminations and separation agreements.
Marty has experience conducting workplace investigations on harassment and discrimination, litigating, arbitrating and mediating disputes, advising on restrictive covenants including garden leaves, noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements, coordinating the implementation of employment policies and programs across multiple global jurisdictions, and leading workplace training programs.
Marty has a wealth of experience with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, practices and programs, including conducting risk assessments to mitigate employment law risk. He also counsels employers on regulatory filings, pay equity analyses and diversity demographic disclosures.
Marty brings a unique perspective to his clients, informed by his work for 15 years in the legal department of a global financial institution, where he was a managing director and associate general counsel in the employment law group in New York City and Hong Kong. He has a particular in-depth experience with financial services firms, including investment banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, and asset managers.
Marty received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR), and his law degree from the New York University School of Law. He is a Faculty Affiliate at Columbia University where he teaches a course on “Foundations of Labor & Employment Law” in the Human Capital Management masters program.
Moderated by
Joseph Schwartz
,
Vice President and Senior Counsel, Regulatory Affairs
,
MFA
Joseph Schwartz is MFA’s Vice President & Senior Counsel, Regulatory Affairs.
In his position, Joseph advocates on and shapes legislative, regulatory, and administrative policies affecting the alternative investment industry, including, principally, U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. tax policy.
Prior to joining MFA, Joseph was a Senior Associate in the Tax practice of a “Big 4” public accounting firm, where he advised clients on tax planning, compliance, and controversy, including multistate taxation.
Joseph received his B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation, magna cum laude, from The University of Alabama School of Law. Joseph is a member of the Georgia and D.C. bars.
12:05 pm - 1:10 pm
Networking lunch
1:10 pm - 1:55 pm
Breakout Sessions:
Select one
Track A: Recruitment and retention
Rethinking strategies to recruit, retain and grow your most valuable assets
Examine how firms are redefining talent pipelines—identifying the right candidates, developing leaders from specialized roles, and retaining top talent through development opportunities, benefits, and career growth pathways.
Rethinking strategies to recruit, retain and grow your most valuable assets
Speakers
Radhika Arora
,
Head of Human Capital
,
AlphaQuest
Radhika Arora currently serves as Head of Human Capital at AlphaQuest where she leads the firm’s end-to-end human capital strategy encompassing HR operations, talent acquisition, compensation, performance management, learning & development, workforce planning, and employee relations, supporting the firm’s mission as a research-driven alternative investment firm trading across 100+ global markets.
Prior to AlphaQuest, Radhika held multiple leadership roles at Schonfeld where she built and scaled high-performing teams across various technology and quantitative initiatives. Radhika began her career at Open Systems, a leading recruiting agency, where she focused on partnering with various buy side firms helping them find and attract the best talent.
Radhika earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Cornell University.
Barbara Bernstein
,
Chief Human Resources Officer, Partner
,
Magnetar Capital LLC
Barbara Bernstein manages human resources, office services, and philanthropy at Magnetar, a multi-strategy and multi-product alternative investment manager with approximately $19B assets under management as of January 1, 2025. She is a member of both the Management and Operations Committees and serves as secretary to the Magnetar Foundation. Since joining in 2008, Barbara is responsible for supporting and advising the firm on all aspects of people, culture and organizational change. She oversees talent acquisition and retention, inclusion, professional development, and compensation and benefits.
Throughout her time with Magnetar, Barbara has focused on creating a firm-wide culture where employees feel empowered to grow both personally and professionally. Today, approximately 60 pe percent of Magnetar employees have been with the firm for over five years, Barbara has initiated several educational and culture-centric projects at the firm, including a robust summer college internship program that has educated and inspired more than 400 students to explore careers in the industry. She also played an instrumental role in establishing and implementing Magnetar University, an internal initiative with dedicated programming to provide professional
development opportunities to employees.
Barbara has been central in establishing the Magnetar Foundation’s philanthropic mission to enhance financial literacy among high school students through quality tools and resources. This includes the development of the finEDge curriculum, which has reached over 30,000 students across 13 U.S. states since its creation in 2016. Before her tenure at Magnetar, Barbara held senior human resources positions at JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor, Bank One. She holds a BA in International Relations from Syracuse University.
Liz Maughan
,
Director of Talent and HR
,
Whale Rock Capital Management LLC
Liz Maughan is the Director of Talent & HR at Whale Rock Capital Management, a Boston-based asset manager investing globally in public and private technology companies. In her role, Liz leads the firm’s strategic and operational human capital initiatives, including talent acquisition, development, engagement, and retention. She brings over a decade of experience in human resources and professional development within the asset management industry. Prior to joining Whale Rock, Liz served as Director of Human Resources at Taconic Capital Advisors, a global event-driven hedge fund. She previously held the role of Senior HR Associate at TriNet Ambrose, and began her career at EF Education First, an international education company. Liz earned a BA in Human Services from Villanova University in 2010
Moderated by
Arpita Mazumdar
,
Head of HR and Workplace Strategy Consulting
,
Goldman Sachs
Arpita (Arpi) Mazumdar leads HR Consulting for the U.S. Prime Services Consulting Team in the Global Markets and Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. In her role, she guides fund managers through the process of starting a hedge fund, and provides on-going strategic guidance and support across the HR discipline, focusing on large-scale global change initiatives, people management and communication strategies.
Prior to assuming her current position in March 2020, Arpi held various roles within Goldman Sachs including that of chief operating officer for U.S. Regional Sales within the Franchise Strategy Group in Global Markets from 2017 to 2020, chief of staff to the Global COO of the Global Markets Division from 2015 to 2017, Americas Franchise Manager for Fixed Income Sales from 2010 to 2015 and Compensation Specialist within the Equity Compensation team in HCM from 2004 to 2010. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2004.
Arpi received her BS in Business Administration from the University of Albany – SUNY and is a 2014 Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) Fellow and Executive member. She is also a member of Chief, the new and well coveted private network focused on connecting and supporting women leaders. She is very engaged in women’s rights and is currently a sponsor for “Women for Women International,” a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to women survivors of war.
Track B: Talent and leadership development
Building the bench: Strategic talent development for elevating future leaders
Discuss strategies for leadership development, succession planning, and change management as critical levers for long-term organizational success.
Building the bench: Strategic talent development for elevating future leaders
Speakers
Melita Loncar
,
Global Head of HR Strategy
,
Millennium Management LLC
Melita Loncar is Global Head of HR Strategy for Millennium Management. In this role, she leads HR’s strategic initiatives, focused on transformation, talent development, communications and engagement.
Melita has worked at Millennium for more than five years and has more than 20 years’ experience across the global financial services industry in a variety of HR roles.
Melita holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Psychology from New York University.
Katie Maier
,
Managing Director, Human Capital
,
AB Carval
Ms. Katie Maier is a managing director of human capital at AB CarVal where she is responsible for leading regional human capital and talent strategies, the executive administrative function, and is a key member of the global compensation team.
Ms. Maier serves as Co-Chair of the Global Diversity Champions Council and holds positions on the Human Capital and Compensation Committee as well as the AB CarVal Foundation. Prior to joining AB CarVal in 2007, Ms. Maier worked in a human resources role within the aerospace industry. Ms. Maier holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Christie Tully
,
Managing Director, Head of Human Resources
,
Summit Rock Advisors
Christie Tully is a managing director, Head of Human Resources for Summit Rock Advisors. She is responsible for oversight and management of all Human Resources functions. Christie was previously Head of Human Resources for Fred Alger Management. Before joining Alger, Christie held HR & Recruiting roles at Mission Capital and Glocap and prior roles at General Electric, Thomson Reuters and Goldman Sachs. Christie graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Business Administration.
Moderated by
Elizabeth Madden
,
Founder
,
Compass Advisors and Consulting
Elizabeth is an experienced executive coach and HR advisor with over 25 years of expertise in leadership development, talent strategy, and organizational effectiveness. She partners with senior leaders, C-suite executives, hedge fund founders, private equity firms and board to enhance leadership capabilities, optimize team performance, and navigate complex business challenges.
As a trusted HR advisor, Elizabeth has helped organizations develop and implement talent strategies, performance management frameworks, and leadership pipelines. She has worked closely with firms on organizational culture strategies that drive long-term success. Her expertise spans the full employee lifecycle, from hiring and onboarding to executive development and retention, always ensuring alignment with business objectives.
Elizabeth’s executive coaching approach is tailored to the unique needs of her clients, whether they are newly promoted executives refining their leadership style or experienced CEOs facing high-stakes decisions. She has worked closely with hedge fund founders building high-performing teams, investment professionals seeking to enhance strategic thinking, boards providing leadership insight, and corporate leaders managing large-scale transformations.
Prior to launching her executive coaching practice, Elizabeth built the Global Employee Engagement function at Davidson Kempner and spent nearly 18 years at Goldman Sachs, where she advised hedge fund clients on talent strategy, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. She has a Bachelor’s from the University of Scranton, a Master’s from NYU, a Coaching Certification from Columbia University, and additional certifications in Everything DiSC®, Hogan Assessments, Interpersonal Leadership Styles (ILS), and Caliper Essentials.
1:55 pm - 2:15 pm
Transition to next breakout
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
Breakout Sessions:
Select one
Track A: People analytics
People data & analytics: Supercharging decisions with actionable insights
Explore how firms are leveraging people analytics to inform strategic decisions and improve workforce outcomes.
People data & analytics: Supercharging decisions with actionable insights
Speakers
Matthew Brandwein
,
Managing Director, Head of Talent Operations
,
Ares Management
Matt is a strategic HR operations leader with two decades of experience helping global organizations navigate complex challenges to achieve meaningful and lasting change. As Head of Talent Operations at Ares Management, he oversees transformation, shared services, workforce analytics, and process optimization, driving a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. His early career in management consulting at Deloitte laid the groundwork for a transition into HR leadership, with impactful roles at several Fortune 500 companies. Over the years, Matt has led the design and implementation of several HR functions and operating models that equip HR departments with the scalable infrastructure and capabilities they need to meet evolving business priorities and goals. Known for his collaborative and engaging leadership style, Matt builds high-performing teams that embrace innovation and deliver measurable results. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston University and remains passionate about shaping the future of HR through thoughtful strategy, operational rigor, and people-first leadership.
Emmanuel Velasco
,
Head of Talent Insights and Analytics
,
Goldman Sachs
Emmanuel (Manny) Velasco heads the Talent Insights and Analytics function in the Human Capital Management Division at Goldman Sachs. In this role, his team leverages data to help inform key decision making around core Talent, Recruiting, & People Processes, oversees the firms Employee Listening strategy, and seeks innovative methods to make data insights accessible to key stakeholders. His team prioritizes data governance, automation, and developing compelling narratives with complex data. Over the course of his 18+ years career in financial services, he has worked across several areas of Human Resources including diversity & inclusion, learning & development, business partners, workforce strategy, compensation, and HR operations. Emmanuel holds a B.S. in International Relations and M.A. in Diplomacy from Seton Hall University.
Moderated by
Brandon Kaufman
,
Head of Compensation, Benefits and HRIS
,
Elliott Investment Management
Brandon currently serves as the Head of Compensation, Benefits and HRIS for Elliott Management based in New York. He previously held Head of Reward roles at both GCM Grosvenor and General Atlantic.
Prior to working in the alternative asset management space, he held senior Compensation/HR Reporting roles at Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. Brandon holds a B.S. in Economics from Rutgers University
Track B: Employee experience and culture
Enhancing the employee experience and cultural transformation
Explore strategies to elevate the employee experience and drive meaningful cultural transformation across your organization. Learn practical approaches to foster engagement, inclusion, and a thriving workplace culture.
Enhancing the employee experience and cultural transformation
Speakers
Indhira Arrington
,
Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
,
Ares Management
Mrs. Arrington is a Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer in the Ares Human Resources Department, and partners with the firm’s DEI Council to advance Ares’ strategy to attract, develop, engage and advance diverse talent within an inclusive, welcoming environment, along with advance equity in the broader alternative asset management industry. Mrs. Arrington also serves as an advisor to support DEI initiatives at portfolio companies across Ares’ investment strategies. Prior to joining Ares in 2021, Mrs. Arrington served as a Senior Vice President and Head of Targeted Sourcing at Wells Fargo & Company, where she provided leadership in the strategic planning and execution of diversity sourcing initiatives and programs for the firm. Previously, Mrs. Arrington held several senior roles at The Bank of America Corporation within the Global Diversity and Inclusion Organization. In addition, she was an Equity Derivatives Sales Trader at Morgan Stanley. Mrs. Arrington began her career as a Financial Analyst at CIT Group. She serves on the Board of Directors of Poly Prep, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP). Mrs. Arrington holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Rutgers University in Economics and an M.B.A. from the New York University Stern School of Business. Mrs. Arrington is a Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellow, a Toigo Fellow and an INROADS alum. She is a Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner (CCDP/AP) and a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, Phi Beta Kappa, Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), PRIMER Network and the Council of Urban Professionals.
Lily Sun Burkhart
,
Global Head of Employee Engagement and Experience
,
Davidson Kempner Capital Management
Lily is the Global Head of Employee Engagement & Experience at Davidson Kempner Capital Management (DKCM) responsible for Performance and Talent Management, Learning & Development, Culture and Philanthropy efforts at the Firm. Prior to joining DKCM, Lily held a variety of roles at JPMorgan Chase including Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Executive Talent Management for the Asset and Wealth Management business. Other roles at JPMC include Human Resources Business Advisor for Wealth Management Solutions Operations, Head of Learning & Development for the Asset and Wealth Management Technology, Operations & Finance divisions, and roles across the Human Resources and Technology divisions within the Investment Bank. Lily began her career as a Senior Consultant for Accenture. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Gail Burlant
,
Chief Human Resources Officer
,
Oak Hill Advisors
Gail Burlant has responsibility for all aspects of human resources with a focus on talent management and development, including recruiting, evaluation and compensation practices, training and organizational structure, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. She currently serves as a member of OHA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and as Chair of the Advisory Board for Girls Who Invest. Ms. Burlant joined OHA after serving for four years as Chief Human Resources Officer at Commonfund. Previously, she was General Counsel of HDG Mansur Capital Group, where she established and oversaw the legal and human resources functions. Early in her career, Ms. Burlant was Associate General Counsel and Head of Human Resources at HSBC Securities in New York. She earned a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and a B.S./B.A. from Boston College.
Moderated by
Jodi Damico
,
Global Head of Prime Origination
,
HSBC
Jodi Damico is a Managing Director and Global Head of Prime Origination within Institutional Sales at HSBC, based in New York. Since joining HSBC three years ago, Jodi has drawn on more than 30 years of sell-side experience to deliver innovative solutions and strategic guidance to hedge fund clients as part of the Markets and Securities Services division.
Prior to HSBC, Jodi was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse in New York, where she led several global teams within the Prime Services division, including Prime Services Sales, Relationship Management, Capital Introductions, Consulting, Onboarding, and Client Services. She was a member of both the Prime Services and Equity Sales management teams. Jodi began her career at Morgan Stanley as an Analyst, spending much of her tenure in Prime Services and Operations.
Jodi has been recognized as one of Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance (2020) and as one of EY’s 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds (2013). She previously served on the Board of the Managed Funds Association (MFA) and remains an active advocate for the industry. Jodi holds a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany.
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Transition to main stage
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Paying for performance: Talent and compensation trends in alternative asset management
Learn about key pay trends and the evolving dynamics shaping the talent market in alternatives.
Speaker
Shelley Eisenhandler
,
President and Founder
,
Eisenhandler & Co.
Shelley Eisenhandler, recently launched Eisenhandler & Co. (January 2023) a management consulting firm specializing in human capital strategy. Ms. Eisenhandler delivers HR and compensation consulting services to hedge funds, private equity firms, alternative credit boutiques, real estate investment managers and venture capitalists. Ms. Eisenhandler works with Founders and Management Committees to ensure culture, business goals and objectives are aligned with HR programs including compensation structures.
Eisenhandler & Co. launched a new compensation survey platform, MarketLook that provides managers with competitive pay levels for all roles and levels across the industry. The platform includes data from over 140 alternative asset managers.
Up until December 2022, Ms. Eisenhandler was a Partner at Aon/McLagan where she managed their alternative asset management business. Shelley’s work in the alternative asset management industry focused on helping clients link performance to reward. She has conducted annual compensation surveys, benefit studies, performance benchmarking analyses, incentive plan design work and customized industry research for over 350 alternative asset managers.
Ms. Eisenhandler has assisted many alternative asset managers in their year-end decision making, often meeting with management and compensation committees.
Shelley also spent a significant amount of her time focusing in on pay equity, diversity and inclusion and technology convergence. Ms. Eisenhandler has also worked to bring human capital strategy capabilities to alternative asset management firms. This included selection/assessment, career progression, HR effectiveness, engagement, and performance management.
Ms. Eisenhandler also has experience working with key organizations in the fintech and digital asset space by providing advice to them on important human capital initiatives including compensation.
Shelley is a frequent speaker on human capital strategy and compensation topics at alternative asset management industry events.
Ms. Eisenhandler enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and watching her two children, Madison and Jack grow up.
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Keynote interview: Shaping the future of human capital in financial markets
Gain insights into the latest workforce trends tailored to the fast-paced, high-performance nature of asset management .Speakers
Cami Rice
,
Co-Chief Human Resources Officer
,
Morgan Stanley
Cami jointly leads the Human Capital Management (HCM) division, driving the strategy to attract, develop, reward, and retain the Firm’s most valuable asset: our talent. Her mission is to foster the Firm’s strong brand and culture while enhancing the employee experience across our globally distributed workforce. She is also a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.
With 24 years on Wall Street, Cami is a skilled and highly versatile senior executive with extensive experience in global business areas, including Markets, Client Strategy, Research, Management, and Human Capital. She most recently led Human Capital Management globally for ISG and Morgan Stanley’s International businesses.
Cami is a trusted and valued partner to business leaders worldwide, creating and implementing strategies to grow revenues in a cost-effective and risk-savvy way. Cami’s exceptional track record showcases her solution-focused approach to execution as well as her ability to integrate, structure, influence and motivate teams.
Previously, Cami served as the Global Chief Administration Officer for ISG. She was responsible for operational efficiency and strategic execution, delivering an integrated investment bank offering to clients.
As Global Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley’s Research department, Cami oversaw a multi-year Street-leading digital transformation program with resourcefulness and tenacity.
Cami joined Morgan Stanley in 2003, working in Sales Trading within the Institutional Equities Division and later held various roles across Distribution and Strategy.
Before joining Morgan Stanley, she worked as a Trader at Bramwell Capital Management from 1997-2001.
Cami earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she serves on the Board of Advisors. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and traces her deeply rooted competitive spirit to her time as captain of its Division I Women’s Basketball team. Cami, her husband Tim, and their twins, Charlie and Eloise, live in New York.
Moderated by
Jordana Upton
,
Global Head of Human Resources
,
WorldQuant LLC
Jordana oversees all areas of WorldQuant’s people strategies, including recruiting, talent development, employee education, firm culture, employee relations, and diversity and inclusion. Previously she was the Director of Human Resources at Point72 Asset Management (formerly SAC Capital Advisors). Before Point72, Jordana spent several years working in various HR capacities within the financial services industry, first at Credit Suisse and then at Bear Stearns. She holds a BS in Human Resources Management from Boston College.
4:30 pm - 4:35pm
Closing remarks
Lisa Smith
,
Vice President, People and Culture
,
MFA
Lisa A. Smith is MFA’s Vice President, People and Culture.
Lisa is responsible for strategy and execution of MFA’s people and culture initiatives, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; talent acquisition and management; workforce planning; total rewards; and learning and development. Lisa brings more than 18 years of comprehensive human resource experience with combined experience from trade associations, nonprofits and not-for-profits, and the financial and real estate sectors.
Prior to joining MFA, Lisa was a strategy and advisory consultant at Nonprofit HR, a leading firm focused on the talent management needs of the social sector. In this role, Lisa partnered and advised senior executives on their strategic talent management direction and developed customized content to align with the organization’s strategic priorities. She has also served in various HR roles at National Real Estate Advisors, Andrews Federal Credit Union, Universal Services Administrative Company, and Independent Community Bankers Association.
Lisa is a SHRM Senior Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-SCP). She earned her M.S. in Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she graduated summa cum laude, and earned a B.S. in Human Resources Management and Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. Lisa is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Lisa serves on the DC Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Board as Vice President, Programs and Professional Development.
