MFA Ops: Human Capital 2026 - Speakers
October 8, 2026
Conference
320 Park
New York, NY
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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.
Andrea Bacher
Head of Human Capital
Select Equity Group
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/Adivsory
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.
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.
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.
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, Partner, Operational Due Diligence, Albourne America LLC. Irina 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 Diversity in Action Steering Committee. Prior to joining Albourne, Irina was Vice President, Operations at Resolute Funds Limited in Toronto. Irina holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.
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
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.
Dr. Dave Popple
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.
Mark Russo
General Counsel
ZAIS Group
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.
Reginald G. Sanders
Managing Director, Absolute Return & Fixed Income, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Reginald G. Sanders, CFA, CAIA is Managing Director of Absolute Return & Fixed Income for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, reporting to the Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Sanders also leads the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s diverse manager strategy and also sits on the Foundation’s Impact Investment Committee.
Prior to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Mr. Sanders was Manager of Pension Investments for Eastman Kodak Company, where he was primarily responsible for managing the alternative asset classes, which included the hedge fund and illiquid investment programs, for the company’s U.S., U.K., and Canadian pension plans. Prior to Eastman Kodak, Mr. Sanders was an equity research analyst for AEW Capital Management. Mr. Sanders also has prior equity research analyst experience with both T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. and GW&K Investment Management. Additionally, Mr. Sanders was a utilities industry analyst for A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Mr. Sanders holds a BS degree 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 sits on the State of Michigan Investment Board and on the Investment Advisory Committee of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Mr. Sanders also sits on the board of Rock the Street, Wall Street, serves on the Limited Partner Advisory Council for SEO, is a founding steering committee member of IADEI (Institutional Allocators for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), and serves on the CFA Institute’s D&I Steering Committee.
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.
