MFA Ops: Human Capital 2026 - Speakers
October 8, 2026
Conference
320 Park
New York, NY
Register
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.
Tracy Backofen
Global Head of Human Capital Management
Schonfeld Strategic Advisors
Tracy Backofen is the Global Head of Human Capital Management at Schonfeld, where she is responsible for driving the firm’s people strategy around talent acquisition, talent management, professional development and total rewards.
Prior to joining Schonfeld, Tracy spent over 25 years at Goldman Sachs, where she held a number of senior roles focused on shaping human capital priorities and developing initiatives to attract and retain talent, most recently as Head of People Strategy for Public Investing within Asset and Wealth Management. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Maryland.
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.
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.
Chris Connors
Managing Director
Johnson Associates
Chris Connors is a Managing Director at Johnson Associates, bringing a decade of expertise in compensation consulting to financial services firms. He has advised 300+ publicly and privately held organizations, ranging from global financial powerhouses to specialized, boutique firms. His sector expertise covers traditional asset management, private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, private credit, real estate, hedge funds, trading firms, fintech, investment and commercial banking, and insurance.
Chris combines deep market intelligence with creative and tailored approaches to client needs. He specializes in designing and optimizing compensation structures to align pay with performance and strategic objectives. His work spans annual and long-term incentive plans, equity-based programs, carried interest structures, performance management, and succession planning. Additionally, he guides firms through the intricacies of annual compensation cycles, advising on market pay levels and composition.
Beyond his advisory work, Chris has been engaged as an expert witness across a variety of litigation settings, from employment cases to marriage dissolution, where his testimony on compensation matters has informed critical decisions.
A recognized thought leader, Chris is frequently quoted in major financial publications, including The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, offering expert commentary on compensation trends, regulatory impacts, and the evolving financial services talent market. He has also appeared on televised panels and interviews.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Columbia University.
Catherine Curley
Partner, Director of Human Resources
Glenview Capital
Shameel Danish
Director, Prime Finance, Consulting/Advisory
Bank of America
Shameel focuses on all aspects of hedge fund strategy, with an emphasis on talent and people development.
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.
Brittany DeLuca
Head of HR, Blackstone Multi-Asset Investing
The Blackstone Group
Pankit Doshi
Partner
McDermott Will & Schulte
Pankit J. Doshi serves as the Office Managing Partner for the Firm’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley Office.
Pankit focuses his practice on preventative counseling and representing employers in both state and federal courts up through trial and appeal. Pankit serves as lead counsel on cases involving issues related to prosecution and defense of unfair business competition claims, including trade secret misappropriation and restrictive covenant enforcement, independent contractor misclassification, whistleblower complaints, wage and hour disputes and individual claims for wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract claims. Pankit also regularly defends employers in complex wage and hour class action and representative actions around the country.
Pankit provides advice and counseling to employers of all sizes, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, on a full-spectrum of labor and employment issues, among them structuring of restrictive covenants, advising on employment compliance strategies, evaluating independent contractor and exempt status relationships, preparing executive employment agreements and protecting intellectual property. He has also assisted companies with nationwide wage and hour and misclassification audits, as well as highly sensitive workplace harassment investigations.
Pankit is experienced in handling employment matters across numerous industries, including automotive, construction, consulting, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, security, technology, telecommunications and transportation.
Pankit represents employers at trial, administrative hearings and during investigations by various state and federal agencies, including the US Department of Labor, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the California Department of Industrial Relations – Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.
Pankit frequently lectures at annual meetings on employment law issues around the country.
Sarah Fass
Chief People Officer
Two Sigma
Sarah Fass is Two Sigma’s Chief People Officer, leading the Human Resources team in building programs and experiences that support employees’ technical expertise while strengthening the company’s culture of collaboration and continuous learning. She is a member of the Investment Management Executive Committee, helping shape strategy and drive innovation for the firm’s investment engine.
Prior to joining Two Sigma in 2025, Sarah was Chief Human Resources Officer at Bridgewater Associates, where she oversaw the HR and Real Estate functions, shaping people strategy, programs, and policy. Throughout her career, she has built a strong track record of developing talent and elevating the employee experience within complex organizations. Before moving into HR leadership, Sarah spent nearly a decade practicing as an employment attorney.
Sarah holds a BA from the University of Vermont and a JD from the University of Miami School of Law.
Tracy Fenton
Chief People Officer
Diameter Capital Partners
Tracy Fenton is the Chief People Officer at Diameter Capital Partners, where she joined in 2023. Ms Fenton oversees HR, talent/hiring, and organizational development for the firm. Prior to joining Diameter, Ms Fenton was the Director of Change Management, User Experience, KPIs and Training for L’Oréal’s largest ever global infrastructure project based in Paris. Prior to that role, Ms. Fenton was the Head of Organization Development at L’Oréal USA, where she joined full-time in 2016. Before joining L’Oréal, Ms. Fenton worked as an executive coach, advising senior leaders, founders and their teams through periods of high growth and organizational change. Ms. Fenton graduated with an MBA from Cornell University in 2007.
Thomas Gaissmaier
Chief People Officer
Balyasny Asset Management
Thomas Gaissmaier is chief people officer at Balyasny Asset Management (BAM). He is a member of the firm’s Management Committee, and oversees people strategy, talent development, people operations and total rewards. Prior to joining BAM in 2023, Gaissmaier served as chief people officer at Match Group and as EVP and chief HR officer at 21st Century Fox. Before that, he was a partner, managing director, and head of the North America Human Resource Practice at BCG. Gaissmaier is an active member of the American Council of Germany which is focused on strengthening German-American relations. He has a master’s degree in Political Science, Journalism, and Law from the University of Hamburg and an MBA from INSEAD.
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.
Brendan Kalb
Partner, Investment Management & Private Funds
Lowenstein Sandler
Brendan R. Kalb is a seasoned investment management lawyer with more than two decades of experience advising leading asset managers on regulatory, compliance, and operational matters. His practice spans private funds (hedge funds, private equity, funds-of-funds), registered funds, commodity pools and CTA/CPO matters, derivatives regulation, and SEC/CFTC regulatory and enforcement issues.
Brendan most recently served as Global General Counsel of ExodusPoint Capital Management, LP, a multi-manager, multi-strategy investment adviser platform managing in excess of $14 billion, where he provided legal counsel and strategic guidance across the firm’s global multi-strategy platform, with a focus on regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Brendan also spent fourteen years at AQR Capital Management, LLC, rising from Associate General Counsel and Vice President to General Counsel and Managing Director: he supervised all legal, regulatory, administrative, public relations, and human resources matters for this global, multi-strategy complex that grew during his tenure to more than $200 billion in assets under management.
Earlier in his career, Brendan practiced at two AmLaw 100 firms, gaining experience across major transactions, litigations, and regulatory matters in the financial services sector, and advising asset management clients on fund formation, regulatory, and compliance matters.
Brendan has a substantial record of industry leadership and engagement, including service on the Board of Directors of the National Futures Association, as well as its Finance Committee and CFTC Rule 4.5 Working Group. He has chaired the Managed Funds Association’s CTA, CPO & Futures Committee and served on its Investment Adviser and Government Affairs Committees. Brendan is a Senior Fellow and frequent lecturer for the Regulatory Compliance Association. He frequently writes and presents on hedge fund, registered fund, and derivatives regulatory topics.
Melaine Kimmel
Managing Director, People Advisory Services
EY
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.
Katherine Ladd
Executive Director
UBS Securities
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.
Irina Ludkovski
Partner, Operational Due Diligence
Albourne America LLC
Irina Ludkovski has over 20 years of alternative assets experience and is a senior member of the global ODD Group, leading and contributing to internal strategic initiatives. Irina is a member of the ILPA Driving Inclusion in Alternatives (“DIA”) Steering Committee. Irina holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.
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.
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 strategic human capital initiatives across the firm. Her responsibilities include talent and succession strategy, organizational effectiveness, compensation strategy, leadership development, and business planning. She partners closely with senior leadership on organizational and talent priorities and provides human capital leadership across various geographies.
Ms. Maier also oversees AB CarVal’s executive administrative function and serves on 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.
Laura Maasdam
Partner and Co-Founder
Sixth Wing LLC
Laura Maasdam is an executive coach and noted facilitator on negotiation, communication and persuasion. As a graduate of the United States Naval
Academy and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, she is a founding partner of Sixth Wing LLC.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, Laura served for 12 years as a Navy helicopter pilot and instructor pilot, flying the CH-46 Sea Knight and the SH-60F Sea Hawk, also known as the Black Hawk. She was deployed throughout the Middle East multiple times in support of OEF & OIF. Upon leaving the military, she received her MPA from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government where she focused on Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Performance Leadership. Before co-founding Sixth Wing, Laura was the lead presenter and educator for McChrystal Group in Old Town Alexandria, VA. While at McChrystal Group, she taught organizations to adapt and win in today’s rapidly changing operating environment. Prior to joining the McChrystal Group she was the lead Negotiator & Trainer for The SAB Group in Cambridge, MA, where she specialized in the areas of conflict resolution, senior leadership development and effective communication within negotiations.
Laura currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI, with her husband and two sons.
As an executive coach, Laura draws on her business experience and unique leadership experience in the military as the basis for Sixth Wing’s strengths based coaching model.
She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation.
Peggy Mahon
Managing Director, Global Head of Human Resources and Administration
Farallon Capital Management
Peggy Mahon is the Global Head of Human Resources and Administration at Farallon Capital Management, LLC. A member of Farallon’s Executive Leadership Committee, she helps shape enterprise strategy while leading the firm’s global human capital and administrative functions. Her responsibilities include talent management, leadership development, performance management, succession planning, and employee engagement.
Ms. Mahon brings more than 20 years of experience advising senior executives at leading alternative asset management firms. Prior to joining Farallon in 2019, she spent more than two decades at TPG Capital, LLP, where she was a founding member of the Human Resources and Talent Management teams and served as Operations Manager for its Asia-Pacific private equity business.
Ms. Mahon earned an A.B.A. in Business Management and Administration from the Katherine Gibbs School in New York.
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.
Liz Maughan
Director of Talent and HR
Whale Rock Capital Management
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
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.
Rory Melick
Partner, Head of Human Capital Management
Lord Abbett
Rory Melick serves as the Head of Human Capital Management. In this role, he advises the business on all aspects of its investment in people and culture. He is responsible for leading the firm’s efforts in the areas of talent acquisition, employee experience, diversity and inclusion, learning and development, compensation and benefits, and organizational change. He also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.
Mr. Melick joined Lord Abbett in 2018 and was named Partner in 2022. Prior to his current role, he served as Head of Employee Experience responsible for enhancing our employee experience through people strategy design and development, performance management and talent alignment to strategy, learning initiatives, and engagement of our employees to embrace our values and achieve our vision. His prior experience includes serving as Director/Manager at PwC; Group Remuneration and Reward Manager at Toll Holding and Manager, Regional Reward at National Australia Bank. He has worked in the financial services industry since 2002.
He earned a Bachelor in economics and finance from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Commerce in professional accounting from the University of New South Wales in Australia. He also is a holder of the Chartered Accountant (CA) designation.
Kady O'Grady
Chief People Officer
RA Capital Management
Michael Perniciaro
Principal
Johnson Associates
Michael Perniciaro is a Principal at Johnson Associates. For the entirety of his career, Michael has helped hundreds of financial services clients with both data-driven compensation analytics and design solutions for annual and long-term compensation structures, including equity and carried interest plans. As a compensation expert, he has led and executed a wide range of consulting assignments including, but not limited to: competitive market analyses, annual incentive design, long-term / equity program design, carried interest design, employment agreements, Board of Director compensation, M&A, litigation, etc. Michael works with publicly and privately held companies, ranging from major diversified and global financial institutions to regionally-focused and boutique firms.
Michael is dedicated to helping clients solve complex issues and implement compensation solutions to achieve strategic objectives. His consulting approach combines deep market intelligence and data-analytics with innovative compensation designs and strategic advice. Michael guides firms through the intricacies of annual compensation cycles, advising on market pay levels, composition, and current trends. He is at the forefront of alternatives compensation with in-depth experience and knowledge designing and implementing carried interest programs across firm types and asset classes.
Michael graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Accounting and Finance and a minor in Economics.
Dave Popple
PhD, Corporate Psychologist, Managing Director
Psynet Group
Dave Popple, PhD, is a corporate psychologist and the Managing Director of Psynet Group. He has delivered more than 1,000 executive assessments, 150 of them on portfolio managers, and currently assesses PMs for a dozen multi-strategy and single-strategy firms. He has coached 250 executives, including traders working back from a drawdown, and evaluates leadership teams for private equity firms both before and after a deal closes. The Wall Street Journal profiled this work in November 2025.
Dave built Psybil, a fourth-generation psychometric completed by more than a quarter million people, along with a behaviorally anchored multirater review and a protocol that detects assessment cheating, including cheating by AI.
His book Unified coming in 2027 from HarperCollins Edge, explains how misalignment among a leader’s self-states produces the patterns that derail otherwise capable people.
In his free time, he runs marathons and is learning guitar so he can start his career in rock music if he ever retires.
Jessica Rosenberg
Partner, Labor and Employment
Akin
With over 15 years of experience representing public and private companies and their senior executives before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitration panels, Jessica guides clients through a variety of complex and sensitive workplace challenges.
Jessica is ranked by Chambers USA, where clients describe her as “an excellent lawyer” with “terrific judgment” who is “experienced, knowledgeable and practical” and who is “good on her feet and at examining witnesses.” As noted by Chambers, she is “a strong advocate who argues her position effectively and commands respect.”
Jessica is an accomplished trial lawyer and regularly defends clients against a wide variety of employment claims involving discrimination, harassment and retaliation; contract, compensation and restrictive covenant disputes; and tort claims including fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference and defamation. Jessica has served as lead trial counsel defending against class and collective action suits asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), various state labor laws and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims.
Prior to joining Akin, Jessica served as co-chair of the employment practices and litigation group at a leading national litigation firm. She also previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office and was an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Fordham University School of Law. Jessica regularly speaks on trends in employment 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.
Reginald G. Sanders
Managing Director, Hedge Funds and Fixed Income
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Reginald G. Sanders, CFA, CAIA is managing director of Hedge Funds & Fixed Income for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, reporting to the Chief Investment Officer.
In this role, he supports the foundation’s efforts to promote thriving children, working families and equitable communities. Sanders previously served on the foundation’s Impact Investment
Committee for 16 years.
Prior to the Kellogg Foundation, Mr. Sanders was Manager of Pension Investments for Eastman Kodak Company. Prior to Eastman Kodak, Mr. Sanders was an equity analyst for
AEW Capital Management and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Sanders was a utilities industry analyst for A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Mr. Sanders holds a BS from Florida A&M University, where he was an SEO Career Program intern, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert A. Toigo Fellow. Mr. Sanders currently serves on the State of Michigan Investment Board and on the
Investment Advisory Committees of Michigan State University and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Mr. Sanders also serves on the Investment Committee of Nantucket Multi Managers, LLC and on the Board of Trustees, Finance, and Investment Committees of
the Cranbrook Schools. Mr. Sanders also sits on the advisory board of Rock the Street, Wall Street, serves on the Limited Partner Advisory Council for SEO, is a founding steering committee member of Allocator Collective, and serves on the CFA Institute’s Inclusion
Steering Committee. In 2022, Sanders’ leadership of the hedge fund team was recognized by Institutional Investor, who selected the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as Foundation of the Year at its Annual Hedge Fund Industry Awards.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should
have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
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.
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.
Jillian Snyder
Managing Director and Head of Americas Capital Introductions
Citi
Jillian Snyder joined Citi as Managing Director and Head of Americas Capital Introductions in December 2025. In her current role, Jillian and team leverage deep expertise in and connectivity to institutional hedge fund allocators to advise the bank’s hedge fund and asset management clients on their capital raising efforts. Jillian joined from Bank of America, where she spent almost 8 years in Capital Strategy split across Hong Kong and New York, most recently as Managing Director and Head of APAC Capital Strategy. Jillian’s prior work experiences include buy-side roles as Head of Marketing and Investor Relations for a hedge fund, Riverloft Capital, and a Real Estate PE firm, Mast Capital, making her well-positioned to understand and address clients’ needs across a variety of products. Jillian rejoins Citi after working at the firm from 2008 to 2015, most recently as a Vice President on the Americas Capital Introductions team. Jillian holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
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.
Amra Garcia-Tunon
Executive Director, Head of Recruiting
AQR Capital Management
Amra Garcia-Tunon is an Executive Director and Head of Recruiting within AQR’s Human Resources department. She is responsible for leading the firm’s global talent acquisition strategy, overseeing both campus and lateral recruiting efforts across the organization.
Before joining AQR, Amra was Head of Human Resources at HRS Management and held recruiting leadership roles at Silver Point Capital and King Street Capital Management. She began her career at Goldman Sachs, where she spent eight years in a range of recruiting positions supporting the Securities Division. Her experience spanned both campus and experienced-hire recruiting, with a focus on attracting, assessing, and hiring talent across a diverse set of business functions.
Amra holds a Bachelor of Science in Humanities in International Affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Jill Whitelaw
Vice President and Senior Counsel, Regulatory Affairs
MFA
Jill R. Whitelaw is Vice President and Senior Counsel with the MFA’s Global Regulatory Affairs team.
In this position, she analyzes the impact of regulatory and legislative developments on MFA members, works with MFA members in developing Association policy, drafts comments to regulators, oversees outside counsel/consultants and engages directly with policy makers and regulators.
Prior to joining the MFA, Ms. Whitelaw was Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, responsible for a wide variety of investment advisory, distribution, and investment company legal and regulatory matters. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Ms. Whitelaw served as Vice President and Chief Counsel – Funds Management for the investment management business of Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, advising the company on investment adviser and investment company legal and regulatory matters.
Before joining Lincoln, Jill was Of Counsel at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, focusing her practice on investment advisers to private funds pursuing alternative investment strategies; Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., as the lead attorney for a closed-end fund complex specializing in alternative investment strategies, and was a senior member of the Gartmore Global Investments legal team, advising its global hedge fund business on formation, distribution and regulatory matters.
Jill’s extensive industry experience also includes positions as Managing Director and General Counsel—Mutual Funds for New York Life Investment Management, as Senior Counsel in PNC Bank’s fund servicing business and as an Associate in Business & Finance at Ballard Spahr.
She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and registered as In-House Counsel in New York.
