Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top New York based Director operating in the Consulting space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Chinh Chu
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Chinh Chu is a successful Wall Street Billionaire. Today he is the Senior Managing Director and Co-Chair in the Private Equity Group. Chinh Chu has led Blackstone’s investments in Stiefel Laboratories, ReAble Therapeutics’ acquisition of DJ Orthopedics, Biomet, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Alliant, ReAble Therapeutics, Celanese, Nalco, SunGard Data Systems, Nycomed, and LIFFE. He has also been involved in Blackstone’s investments in FGIC, Graham Packaging, Sirius Satellite Radio, StorageApps, Haynes International, Prime Succession. Before joining Blackstone in 1990, Chinh Chu worked at Salomon Brothers in the Mergers & Acquisitions Department. He serves as a Director of Alliant, BankUnited, BayView Financial, Healthmarkets, DJO Incorporated, Catalent Pharma Solutions, SunGard, Graham Packaging. As a well-known philanthropist, Chu has given millions of dollars to relief funds and charitable organizations.
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About Blackstone Group, CC Capital, Collier Creek Holdings: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Adam Fletcher
Managing Director and Chief Information Security Officer of Blackstone Group
Adam Fletcher is the and managing Director and chief information security officer at The Blackstone Group.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Prakash Melwani
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone Group
Prakash A. Melwani is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and is based in New York. He is Chief Investment Officer of the Private Equity Group and chairs each of its Investment Committees. Since joining Blackstone in 2003, Prakash Melwani has led Blackstone’s investments in Kosmos Energy, Foundation Coal, Texas Genco, Ariel Re, Pinnacle Foods, RGIS Inventory Specialists, Performance Food Group and Crocs. Before joining Blackstone, Prakash Melwani was a founding partner of Vestar Capital Partners and served as its Chief Investment Officer. Prior to that, he was with the management buyout group at The First Boston Corporation and with N.M. Rothschild & Sons in Hong Kong and London. Prakash Melwani received a First Class Honors degree in Economics from Cambridge University, England, and an MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar and a Loeb Rhodes Fellow. Prakash Melwani serves as a Director of Crocs, Kosmos Energy, Performance Food Group, RGIS Inventory Specialists and Blackstone strategic partner, Patria.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
David Foley
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Energy Partners of Blackstone Group
David I. Foley is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Energy Partners. David Foley is based in New York and is responsible for overseeing Blackstone’s private equity investment activities in the energy & natural resource sector on a global basis. Since joining Blackstone in 1995, David Foley has been responsible for building the Blackstone energy & natural resources practice and has played an integral role in every private equity energy deal that the firm has invested in, including: Premcor, Kosmos Energy, Foundation Coal, Texas Genco, Sithe Global Power, OSUM Oil Sands, PBF Energy, Global Offshore Wind, GeoSouthern, Alta Resources, Moser Baer, Cheniere and LLOG Exploration. Before joining Blackstone, David Foley worked with AEA Investors in the firm’s private equity business, and prior to that served as a consultant for the Monitor Company. David Foley received a BA and an MA in Economics, with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from Northwestern University and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Angelo Acconcia
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Angelo Acconcia is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group, based in New York, and leads Blackstone’s private equity investment activities in the oil & gas sector on a global basis. Since joining Blackstone in 2004, and prior to fully dedicating his time to energy and the oil & gas sector, Angelo Acconcia has been involved in the execution of several important Blackstone investments, including Graham Packaging, Ondeo Nalco, TRW Automotive and Texas Genco. Angelo Acconcia has either led or played a critical role in every one of Blackstone’s oil and gas investments, including: Alta Energy, GeoSouthern Energy, Hunter Oil & Gas, Kosmos Energy, LLOG Exploration, OSUM Oil Sands and Royal Resources. Before joining Blackstone, Angelo Acconcia worked at Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division in their Global Energy and Mergers and Acquisitions departments in both the U.S. and Canada. Prior to that, Angelo Acconcia worked at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s Investment Banking Division in Canada and separately in Hong Kong. Angelo Acconcia is a member of the Investment Committee for Blackstone Energy Partners, a $2.5 billion Blackstone private equity fund dedicated exclusively to the energy sector, and also serves as a director of Alta Energy, GeoSouthern Energy, Hunter Oil & Gas, LLOG Exploration, Osum Oil Sands, and Royal Resources. Angelo Acconcia received an Honors degree in Business from Queen’s University in Canada, where he graduated with First Class Honors.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Martin Alderson Smith
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Martin Alderson Smith is a Senior Managing Director in our Corporate Development and Strategy group. Since joining Blackstone in 1991, Martin Alderson Smith has worked on an array of projects, both for third-party clients as well as on behalf of the firm. Advisory assignments have included the acquisition of Sanford C. Bernstein by Alliance Capital Management; the sale of Banco Patrimonio to Chase Manhattan Bank; the establishment of a retirement services joint venture between the asset management divisions of Citigroup and the State Street Corporation; the sale of Wells Fargo Nikko Investment to Barclays Bank; and the sale of Gartmore to National Westminister Bank. Since 2007, Martin Alderson Smith has also worked closely with Blackstone senior management on the acquisition of new asset management platforms, divestitures of certain businesses, and the firm’s IPO. Before joining Blackstone, Martin Alderson Smith was with First Boston in London and New York for eight years. Martin Alderson Smith holds a MA from Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Verdun S. Perry
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Verdun S. Perry is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Strategic Partners, Blackstone’s secondary fund of funds business, which it acquired from Credit Suisse in August 2013. Verdun Perry joined Credit Suisse in November 2000 when it acquired Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), where he was an Associate in the Investment Banking Division before joining Strategic Partners the year it was founded. Verdun Perry sits on Strategic Partners’ Investment Committees and his current responsibilities include fundraising, deal-sourcing, negotiating and executing secondary transactions and co-investments, as well as various post-purchase fund monitoring activities. Previously, Verdun Perry worked in the strategic investments group at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co. Verdun Perry received a B.A. from Morehouse College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa, as well as an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow. Verdun Perry serves on the boards of The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
William Murphy
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer of Blackstone Group
Bill Murphy is the Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, leading the Blackstone Innovations and Infrastructure team. William Murphy is responsible for the firm’s technology efforts. Prior to joining Blackstone in 2011, Bill was founding Chief Technology Officer for Capital IQ. Bill was responsible for overseeing all product design, development, infrastructure and technology support and was involved with all operations of the business. Before Capital IQ, Bill led teams at Sapient, delivering solutions for large clients primarily in financial services. He received a BSE in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Gideon Berger
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Gideon L. Berger is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group and is Head of Risk Management and Technology for the Hedge Fund Solutions Group. Gideon Berger is responsible for hedge fund manager risk analysis, as well as risk monitoring and analysis of BAAM funds. Before joining Blackstone in 2002, Gideon Berger was a Founder and President of Ez-Ways, Incorporated, a technology startup, where he also served on the Board of Directors. Prior to that, Gideon Berger was a Founder and Principal of a consulting firm specializing in the design and implementation of database and enterprise solutions. Gideon Berger received a BA in Mathematics and Physics from Vassar College, an MS in Applied Physics from Columbia University and a PhD in Computer Science from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Juergen Pinker
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Juergen Pinker is a Managing Director in the Private Equity Group and is based in London. Since joining Blackstone in 2011, Juergen Pinker has been involved in the execution of Blackstone’s investments in Intertrust, ATC, Scout24 and Armacell. Before joining Blackstone, Juergen Pinker worked as a Director at Strategic Value Partners focusing on European distressed situations. Before that, Juergen Pinker was an Associate Director at The Carlyle Group. Juergen Pinker received a master degree in economics and business from WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management. Juergen Pinker serves on the Board of Directors of Armacell.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
AJ Agarwal
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
A. J. Agarwal is a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group and is based in New York. Mr. Agarwal oversees the U.S. Core+ business for the Real Estate Group. He has been directly involved in a number of the Real Estate Group’s investments, including Extended Stay Hotels, Hilton Hotels, General Growth Properties, Centro Properties, and Hotel del Coronado. Mr. Agarwal joined Blackstone in 1992. Prior to joining the Real Estate Group in 2010, Mr. Agarwal was a member of Blackstone’s Financial Advisory Group, leading the firm’s advisory practice in a number of areas, including real estate and leisure/lodging. Mr. Agarwal graduated from Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and received an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Joshua Pang
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Joshua Pang is a Managing Director at Blackstone. Previously Mr. Pang served as a Principal in the Tactical Opportunities group of Blackstone. Before re-joining Blackstone, Mr. Pang was a Principal at BC Partners in New York, where he was responsible for the execution of private equity buyouts. Mr. Pang started his career as an Analyst at Blackstone. Mr. Pang received a B.S. in Finance and Financial Accounting from New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where he graduated magna cum laude.
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John G. Finley
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer of Blackstone Group
John G. Finley, a Senior Managing Director, is the firm’s Chief Legal Officer. Before joining Blackstone, John Finley had been a partner with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett for 22 years where he was most recently a member of that law firm’s Executive Committee and Head of Global M&A. John Finley is a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance and a Trustee of the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services. He is also a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School. He has served on the Committee of Securities Regulation of the New York State Bar Association and the Board of Advisors of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University. He has also served as Chairman of the Annual International Mergers & Acquisitions Conference of the International Bar Association. John Finley has a BS in Economics, summa cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1978), a BA in History, summa cum laude, from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania (1978), and a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School (1981).
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Jacob Werner
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Jacob Werner is a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate group and is based in New York. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Jacob Werner has been involved in analyzing Blackstone’s real estate investments in all property types and has worked on a variety of transactions, including Equity Office Properties, CarrAmerica, Trizec, 1140 Avenue of the Americas and the former New York Times Building. Before joining Blackstone’s Real Estate group, Jacob Werner was an analyst in Blackstone’s Restructuring and Reorganization group where he assisted in advising on a variety of restructuring transactions, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber and General Motors Corporation. Jacob Werner received a BS from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia where he graduated with distinction.
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Jason New
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Jason New, 45, has been Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group L.P., a global investment and advisory firm, and Head of Special Situation Investing for GSO Capital Partners LP, a credit-oriented alternative asset manager, since 2005. New focuses on managing GSO’s public investment portfolio with a specific emphasis on stressed and distressed companies and on sourcing direct special situation investment opportunities. He is a member of the GSO Investment Committee. New joined The Blackstone Group L.P. in 2008 in connection with its acquisition of GSO. Before joining GSO in 2005, New was a senior member of Credit Suisse’s distressed finance group. New joined Credit Suisse in 2000 when it acquired Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ), where he was a member of DLJ’s restructuring group. Prior to joining DLJ in 1999, he was an associate with the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, where he practiced in the firm’s corporate reorganization group. New served as a director of Cheniere Energy, Inc. from August 2008 to December 2010 and as a director of Global Aviation Holdings Inc. from September 2009 to January 2012.
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Kathleen McCarthy
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Group
Kathleen McCarthy is a Senior Managing Director and Global Chief Operating Officer of the Blackstone Real Estate group. She is based in New York. Kathleen McCarthy oversees Real Estate Investor Relations and Business Development, Human Resources, Legal & Compliance and Finance. Previously she was responsible for marketing Blackstone’s real estate private investment funds. Before joining Blackstone in 2010, Kathleen McCarthy worked at Goldman Sachs, where she was a Vice President focused on investments for the Real Estate Principal Investment Area. Kathleen McCarthy began her career at Goldman Sachs as an Analyst in the Mergers & Strategic Advisory Group within the Investment Banking Division. Kathleen McCarthy received a BA with Distinction from Yale University.
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About Blackstone Group, Skyhawk Therapeutics: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Jonathan Korngold
Senior Managing Director and head of Growth Equity of Blackstone Group
Jonathan Korngold is a Senior Managing Director and head of Blackstone’s Growth Equity investing platform. Korngold was a Managing Director and Global Head of General Atlantic’s Financial Services sector prior to his move to Blackstone in January 2019. He served as Chairman of the firm’s Portfolio Committee and was a member of the firm’s Executive, Investment, Human Resources, and Emerging Growth Investment Committees. Prior to joining General Atlantic in 2001, Korngold worked at Goldman Sachs in the Principal Investment Area and in the Mergers & Acquisitions groups in London and New York, respectively. He received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, graduating with honors, and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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Brian Gavin
Senior Managing Director and COO of Blackstone Group
Member, Board of Directors at New York City Investment Fund.
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Ram Jagannath
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Ram M. Jagannath is a Managing Director with U.S. Buyout, focusing on investments in the healthcare sector. He is based in New York. Since joining Carlyle in 2007, Ram Jagannath has been actively involved with Carlyle’s investments in Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), Healthscope Ltd. and HCR ManorCare. Prior to joining Carlyle, Ram Jagannath was with Genstar Capital and Thomas Weisel Capital Partners (now Tailwind Capital) in San Francisco.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Anjan Mukherjee
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Anjan Mukherjee served as Senior Managing Director at The Blackstone Group, Private Equity Group.Anjan Mukherjee joined The Blackstone Group, Private Equity Group in 2001. He serves as a Manager of Celanese International Corporation. Previously, he served as a Managing Director of The Blackstone Group, Private Equity Group until 2010. Since joining Blackstone in 2001, Anjan Mukherjee has been involved in Blackstone’s investments. He served at Thomas H. Lee Company, where he was involved with the analysis and execution of private equity investments in a wide range of industries. Prior to that, he worked in the media and telecommunications area of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department at Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. He served as a Secretary of Celanese Corp. He has also worked at the Department of Education as well as the Brookings Institution. He serves as a Director of Stiefel Laboratories. He has been a Director of Celanese Corp. and Celanese Emulsions GmbH since April 2004. He serves as a Director of Emdeon. He is a Director of NantPharma, LLC and NantWorks LLC. He served as a Director of TeleTech Holdings Inc. from September 21, 2009 to December 24, 2014. He served as a Director at Polymer Group, Inc. from January 28, 2011 to December 23, 2014. He served as a Director of Companhia Providencia. He served as a Director of Nycomed Pharma SA. He served as a Director of Mega Bloks Inc., until February 2004. He was a director of LiveWire / H.O. Systems. Anjan Mukherjee holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and B.A. from Harvard University, where he graduated, magna cum laude as a Harry S. Truman Scholar.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Sean Klimczak
Senior Managing Director & Global Head of Infrastructure of Blackstone Group
Sean T. Klimczak is the Global Head of Infrastructure and is based in New York. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of several Blackstone investments, including various Sithe Global investments (including Goreway, Bujagali, GNP Mariveles and SKS), Cheniere Energy Partners, Fisterra, PQ Energy, Utility One Source, Meerwind, Transmission Developers, American Petroleum Tankers and The Weather Channel. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division. Mr. Klimczak received a BBA in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar. Mr. Klimczak was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2015.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Wallace Henderson
Sr. Managing Director and Infrastructure of Blackstone Group
Wallace Henderson is a Senior Managing Director in the Infrastructure Group and leads the group’s investment activities in the midstream sector. Prior to joining Blackstone, Wallace Henderson was a Managing Director and Member of the Executive Committee at EIG Global Energy Partners, where he led the firm’s global midstream effort. In that role, Wallace Henderson oversaw the origination, execution and management of numerous large-scale midstream investments, including transactions in natural gas and liquids gathering and processing, long haul pipelines, and LNG-related infrastructure. Prior to joining EIG in 2011, Wallace Henderson was a Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank, where he led a New York- based, ten-member, investment banking team responsible for advisory and capital raising transactions for UBS oil and gas clients in the Americas. From 1987 to 2004, Wallace Henderson had a number of investment banking roles at Credit Suisse, including as a Managing Director in the Global Project Finance, Oil & Gas and Latin American Groups. Wallace Henderson received his BA in Economics from Kenyon College and his MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School, where he was elected to the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Bruce McEvoy
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Bruce McEvoy has been a director since April 2007. McEvoy is a Managing Director at Blackstone. Before joining Blackstone in 2006, McEvoy worked as an Associate at General Atlantic from 2002 to 2004, and was a consultant at McKinsey & Company from 1999 to 2002. McEvoy received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2006. McEvoy currently serves on the boards of directors of GCA Services, Performance Food Group, RGIS Inventory Specialists, Vivint and Vivint Solar, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Tripp Smith
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Tripp Smith is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group, and a Founder of GSO Capital Partners. Before co-founding GSO, Tripp Smith was Global Head of the Capital Markets Group within the Alternative Capital Division of CSFB. The Capital Markets Group had $16 billion of assets under management including CSFB’s credit opportunities fund, mezzanine investment fund, CDO business and hedge fund-of-fund business. Prior to that, Tripp Smith was a Managing Director and Global Co-Head of CSFB’s Leveraged Finance Group. His responsibilities included the coordination of CSFB’s global origination, distribution and trading activities relating to high yield securities, leveraged loans, high yield credit derivatives and distressed securities. Additionally, Tripp Smith was a member of CSFB’s Investment Banking Operating Committee, Fixed Income Operating Committee and Co-Chair of the Bank/High Yield Finance Committee. He was also a member of CSFB’s Management Council. Tripp Smith joined CSFB in November 2000 when it acquired DLJ, where he was Global Head of High Yield Capital Markets. Tripp Smith had been a member of DLJ’s high yield team since he joined the firm in 1993. Prior to that, he worked for Smith Barney and Drexel Burnham Lambert. Tripp Smith received a BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Mary Citrino
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Amy Stursberg
Executive Director of Blackstone Group
Amy Stursberg serves as Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, where she has overseen and led Blackstone’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, bringing four innovative programs to twenty states across the county. Prior to joining Blackstone in 2008, Ms. Stursberg served on the transition team for Governor Eliot Spitzer. She also managed the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s award of $35 million in cultural enhancement grants and $30 million in community grants in Lower Manhattan.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
James Quella
Senior Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner of Blackstone Group
James Quella has been a director since December 2009. Quella was a Senior Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner in the Corporate Private Equity group of The Blackstone Group until June 30, 2013. Quella was responsible for monitoring the strategy and operational performance of Blackstone portfolio companies and providing direct assistance in the oversight of large investments. He was also a member of the firm’s Private Equity Investment Committee. Currently, James serves as a Senior Advisor to the Private Equity Group of Blackstone and continues to be involved in a few key portfolio companies as a board member and executive advisor, as well as participating in selected portfolio review processes and due diligence. Prior to joining Blackstone in 2004, Quella was a Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner with DLJ Merchant Banking Partners-CSFB Private Equity. Prior to that, Quella worked at Mercer Management Consulting and Strategic Planning Associates, its predecessor firm, where he served as a senior consultant to CEOs and senior management teams, and was Co-Vice Chairman with shared responsibility for overall management of the firm. Quella received a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago/University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA with dean’s honors from the University of Chicago. He is also the co-author of Profit Patterns: 30 Ways to Anticipate and Profit from the Strategic Forces Reshaping Your Business. Quella has been a member of various private equity company boards and currently, in addition to Catalent, serves as a Director of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Michaels Stores, Inc., and DJO Global.
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Menes Chee
Sr. Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Menes Chee is a Senior Managing Director in the Tactical Opportunities Group. He is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing investments in private opportunities and capital markets. Menes Chee joined Blackstone in 2009, as a Managing Director of GSO Capital Partners, and transferred to Tactical Opportunities in 2012. Before joining Blackstone, Menes Chee was a Principal with TPG-Axon Capital, where he invested globally in equity and credit in public markets and private transactions. Prior to that, he was a private equity investment professional with Texas Pacific Group. Previous to TPG, Menes Chee worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in the Merchant Banking Group and at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette in the Leveraged Finance Group. Menes Chee graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A. from the College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
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Thomas Middleton
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Tom Middleton is a Senior Managing Director (partner) at The Blackstone Group based in New York City. He has specialized in mergers and acquisitions, and strategic advisory to the communications sector since 1985. His clients and transactions have included a wide range of telecommunications, technology and media businesses in the US and abroad. He has also led public and private equity and debt financings for new, growing and mature businesses. After working in the Mergers and Acquisitions department of Kidder, Peabody he became co-head of the Telecom Group at Salomon Brothers in 1990 and then the head of the Communications Group at Merrill Lynch in 1996. He joined Blackstone in 2003 and engaged in both merger advisory and private equity projects. Thomas Middleton is a member of the Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy, the Advisory Board of the Northwestern University School of Communications, and the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California, as well as several of charity boards. He graduated in 1980 from Ithaca College and in 1985 from the Columbia University School of Business.
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Joshua Blaine
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Joshua Blaine is a Senior Managing Director in Strategic Partners, Blackstone’s secondary private fund of funds business. Joshua Blaine is based in New York and sits on the Investment Committee for each of the SP Funds. He founded the Strategic Partners London office in 2004. Since joining Strategic Partners in 2001, Joshua Blaine has led or been involved in several hundred secondary transactions, co-investments and primary fund commitments on a global basis across SP’s private equity, real estate and infrastructure verticals.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Scott Soussa
Sr. Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Scott Soussa is the Co-Head of the Hedge Fund Solutions Group’s Strategic Capital Group, which includes the hedge fund seeding and GP stakes businesses. Previously, Mr. Soussa was Head of Due Diligence in the Hedge Fund Solutions Group where he led a cross-functional team charged with evaluating and monitoring underlying hedge fund managers, which encompassed front office, business and operational, risk management and legal due diligence. Before joining Blackstone in 2003, Mr. Soussa was Controller of Lava Trading Inc., a securities trading technology company. Prior to that, he worked in Arthur Andersen’s Hedge Fund Advisory and Capital Markets Group. Mr. Soussa received a BS in Accounting from Binghamton University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma. He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Michael’s Mission, a charity focused on improving the quality of life and treatment options for colorectal cancer patients, families and caregivers. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
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Sebastien Sherman
Sr. Managing Director and Infrastructure of Blackstone Group
Sebastien Sherman is a Senior Managing Director in the Infrastructure Group and leads the group’s coverage of the utilities, renewable and transportation sectors. Prior to joining Blackstone, Sebastien Sherman spent 14 years with OMERS Infrastructure (Borealis Infrastructure), including most recently as its Head of the Americas region. While at OMERS, Sebastien was involved in the origination, deal execution and oversight of a number of large-scale infrastructure portfolio companies across North America, Europe and South America. These investments spanned sectors including utilities (gas and electric), natural gas transmission pipelines, LNG import infrastructure, power generation, high-speed rail infrastructure, airports, toll roads, land registry and satellites. Prior to joining OMERS Infrastructure, Sebastien spent seven years with Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities, where he advised on M&A transactions and financings. Earlier in his career, Sebastien also worked at the Bank of Canada, Canada’s Central Bank. Sebastien has an Honours BA (Economics) from Queen’s University, and is a CFA charterholder.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Joan Solotar
Senior Managing Director, Head of External Relations and Strategy of Blackstone Group
Joan Solotar is a Senior Managing Director, Head of the External Relations & Strategy Group at Blackstone and a member of the firm’s Executive and Management Committees. Joan Solotar has management responsibility for shareholder relations and public affairs and also guides the firm on analyzing strategic development opportunities. Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Joan Solotar was with Bank of America Securities where she was a Managing Director and Head of Equity Research. She started her career in equity research at The First Boston Corporation and, prior to joining Bank of America, was part of the financial services team at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and later with CSFB as a Managing Director. Joan Solotar was consistently ranked highly in the Brokers and Asset Management category of the Institutional Investor “All-America Research Team” and the Greenwich Survey of portfolio managers. She also served as Chairperson of the Research Committee for the Securities Industry Association and is currently serving on the Advisory Board of Evine. Joan Solotar Chairs the Board of Directors of Blackstone’s Charitable Foundation. She is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the East Harlem Tutorial Program and the East Harlem Scholars Academy. She is the recent author of a Harvard Business Review article entitled “Truths for our Daughters.” Joan Solotar received a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Martin Brand
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Martin J. Brand is a director on the board of Orbitz Worldwide. Martin Brand was appointed to the board as a Class II director in March 2010. His current term expires at the 2015 Annual Meeting.Martin Brand is a Managing Director in the Private Equity group of The Blackstone Group. Martin Brand joined Blackstone’s London office in 2003 and transferred to Blackstone’s New York office in 2005. Before joining The Blackstone Group, Martin Brand was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in London from 2000 to 2001 and worked as a derivatives trader with the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York and Tokyo from 1998 to 2000.Martin Brand currently serves on the boards of directors of Travelport Limited, Performance Food Group, PBF Energy and Bayview Asset Management, LLC.Martin Brand holds a BA and MA degree in Mathematics and Computation from Oxford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Michael McRaith
Managing Director and Insurance Solutions of Blackstone Group
Michael T. McRaith is a Managing Director in Blackstone Insurance Solutions. Before joining Blackstone in 2018, Michael served from 2011 to 2017 as the first Director of the Federal Insurance Office in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. From 2005 to 2011, Michael served as Illinois Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, including on the Executive Committee and as an officer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Prior to his public service, Michael practiced law for fifteen years, was admitted to the Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois (1995), and focused on the defense of financial institutions as a partner in the Chicago office of McGuireWoods.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Gregory Blank
Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Gregory Blank is a Managing Director of Blackstone in the Private Equity Group based in New York where he focuses on investments in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. Gregory Blank has been involved in the execution of many of Blackstone’s investments, including most recently in Kronos, Ipreo, and Optiv. Prior to joining Blackstone, Gregory Blank was an Associate at Texas Pacific Group (TPG) in San Francisco where he was involved in the evaluation and execution of private equity transactions. Gregory Blank graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and received an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He currently serves as a director of Ipreo, Optiv, Travelport, and The Weather Company.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Jonathan Pollack
Sr. Managing Director of Real Estate and Chief Investment Officer of Real Estate Debt Strategies of Blackstone Group
Jonathan Pollack is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of the Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies group and is based in New York. Since joining Blackstone in 2015, Jonathan Pollack has been responsible for overseeing our real estate debt investment strategy. He is also a member of the firm’s real estate investment committee, and serves on the board of Blackstone Mortgage Trust. Prior to joining Blackstone, Jonathan Pollack was a Managing Director and Global Head of Commercial Real Estate, as well as Head of Risk for Structured Finance, at Deutsche Bank. Jonathan Pollack joined Deutsche Bank in 1999 from Nomura Group. Jonathan Pollack received a BA in Economics from Northwestern University. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the East Harlem Tutorial Program.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Stephen H. Can
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
Stephen H. Can is Senior Managing Director and Co-head of Strategic Partners, Blackstone’s secondary private fund of funds business, which was acquired from Credit Suisse in August 2013. Stephen Can is the founding member of Strategic Partners, joining DLJ in 2000 as a Managing Director. Before joining Strategic Partners, Stephen Can worked with the IBM Pension Funds where he co-managed a $7.9 billion private equity portfolio with a focus on both secondary and primary investing. Stephen Can is the Chairman of the Strategic Partners Investment Committees, and previously served on the investment committee of CS Private Equity Strategies, L.P., Real Estate Capital Partners IV, L.P., Credit Suisse Selected Partners, L.P, and Credit Suisse First Boston Fund Investments VII, L.P. Stephen Can received an A.S. in Business Administration from J.C.C. S.U.N.Y. in 1980, a B.A. magna cum laude in Accounting from Plattsburgh S.U.N.Y. in 1982 and an M.S. in Finance from the Krannert Business School at Purdue University in 1984 where he was named outstanding graduate instructor. Stephen Can subsequently earned C.P.A., C.M.A., and C.F.M. designations.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Liping Zhang
Senior Managing Director and Chairman of Blackstone Group
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Jim Schaefer
Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Group
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Katsuyuki Kuki
Chairman and Representative Director for Japan of Blackstone Group
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Nikhil Sethi
Managing Director – Global Programmatic Services Lead of Accenture
Nikhil Sethi is the Managing Director – Global Programmatic Services Lead at Accenture.
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About Accenture: Accenture is a professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
David Bonalle
Managing Director, Global Delivery Lead, Accenture Marketing and Communications of Accenture
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About Accenture: Accenture is a professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
Max Furmanov
Managing Director, Accenture Technology of Accenture
Max is a Global Managing Director leading Accenture’s Emerging Technology practice focusing on solutions that connect the world around us such as the Internet of Things, API Enablement, Cloud Integration, and Wearable devices. Max is an innovation thought leader and has extensive experience delivering complex programs leveraging emerging technologies at scale across multiple industries including Financial Services, Public Sector, Telecom and Media/Entertainment for Accenture’s clients across the globe. Max has also helped launch Accenture’s offshore delivery centers in India instilling agile delivery and innovation there. Max is also a Master Technology Architect at Accenture and his current thought leadership focuses on API Enablement and Internet of Things technologies as well as Industrialized Custom Delivery Architectures.
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About Accenture: Accenture is a professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
Rori DuBoff
Managing Director, NA Innovation Lead & Experience Strategy of Accenture
Rori DuBoff is the Global Head of Strategy for Havas Media Group, leading connections planning and innovation across all digital and integrated media, including North & South America, Europe, & APAC. Rori has spent the last 18 years working as a strategist in digital marketing, media and advertising helping major global companies such as IBM, LG, Unilever, Pfizer, Disney & Nestle transform their business and brand strategies. Prior to Havas, she was at Ogilvy & Mather, Omnicom agency Merkley + Partners, IPG Huge & FCB, Credit Suisse and two startups. As recognized leader within the digital strategy space, Rori is a contributing writer for Ad Age, Guardian, Campaign US, Media Post; and has been a jury member for Cannes Lions, 4As Jay Chiat, Festival of Media, M&M Global, Webby’s, Kinsale Sharks and Art Directors Club, among others. Rori holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business with a focus in marketing and information systems, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
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About Accenture: Accenture is a professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
Aaron Welch
Director of Delivery of Contino
Aaron Welch is a Director of Delivery at Contino. Prior to that, he was the Co-Founder and SVP of Product at Packet.
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About Contino: Contino is a professional services consultancy providing a range of services for DevOps, Continuous Delivery, and Pragmatic Agile practices.
Muna Tuna
Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Prakash Santhana
Managing Director Payments Risk & Integrity of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Mike Fucci
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deloitte
Mike Fucci leads the Deloitte board of directors in providing governance and oversight as well as guidance on priority matters such as firm strategy, brand positioning, risk mitigation, talent development, and leadership succession. He was most recently the COO for Deloitte Consulting LLP and national managing partner for its Advisory and Services practice. For 33 years, he has been a practitioner and principal at Deloitte, with specialties in HR transformation, talent strategies, and total rewards.
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About : Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Scott Corwin
Managing Director and US Leader for Sustainability & Climate Change of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Scott Corwin
Managing Director and US Leader for Sustainability & Climate Change of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Laura Kholodenko
Managing Director of IHS Markit
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About IHS Markit: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
John Jannes
Director, Head of Product and Trading Analytics of IHS Markit
John Jannes is a Director of Business Development for IHS Markit’s Trading Analytics product suite where he focuses on the creation of trading analytics solutions for trading compliance and transaction cost analysis. Prior to working at the firm John spent fifteen years working in electronic trading on the sell side. He has held a range of positions including trader, sales specialist, product manager, and execution consultant. John has extensive market structure experience including managing three different dark pools, creation of smart order routing strategies, and participation in best-ex committees. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63, 55 and 24 licenses.
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About IHS Markit: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
Richard Reubenstone
Managing Director, Credit Hedge Fund/High Yield Sales of Cantor Fitzgerald
Lead Advisor to Collaborizm, an online collaborative workspace and freelance marketplace for makers/engineers, hackers, aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives. Experienced finance professional – institutional salesperson, covering credit hedge funds and high yield funds.
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About Cantor Fitzgerald: Cantor Fitzgerald is a global financial services firm that specializes in equities, investment banking, and real estate.
Eric Edell
Managing Director of Starr Investment Holdings LLC
Eric Edell is the Managing Partner at 22C Capital
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About 22C Capital, Starr Investment Holdings LLC: Starr Investment Holdings LLC (“SIH”) is an investment adviser investing in software and tech-enabled services businesses.
Greg Phalin
Director (Senior Partner) of McKinsey & Company
Greg Phalin is a senior partner in McKinsey & Company’s New York office, where he leads the retail banking operations and technology practice for North America and is a key leader of McKinsey’s service operations practice. Greg has over 25 years of experience in operations and technology, with a particular focus on credit cards, payments, retail banking, and property and casualty insurance, as well as retail, travel, and entertainment, high tech, and telecommunications. He is also a deep expert in technology-related issues and has assisted clients with IT strategy, IT architecture, big data management, application development and maintenance, infrastructure, and transformation program management and led dozens of large, complex technology programs for clients. Previously, Greg spent 19 years at Accenture, where he specialized in financial services operations and technology issues, particularly customer experience, operations, (customer service and back-office), technology, and outsourcing
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Ron Daniel
Director of McKinsey & Company
Ron Daniel is a Director at McKinsey & Company.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Liz Hilton Segel
Director ,Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
Liz is a member of the leadership team of McKinsey’s Media and Entertainment Practice and leads the business-to-consumer (B2C) capabilities of the Marketing & Sales Practice. Since joining the firm in 1992, Liz has largely focused on consumer marketing, strategy, and performance improvement in subscription media businesses. She has served clients across the media industry in newspapers, magazines, cable networks, cable operators, internet service providers, internet content players, and gaming. She also serves major marketers on growth and marketing spend effectiveness. She recently helped a US cable operator revise its go-to-market strategy to accelerate high-speed-data revenue growth; developed strategic insights into trends in video and cross-platform advertising to assess opportunities for advanced advertising in the US cable industry; and worked with a large cable operator to craft a marketing strategy and develop programs to improve customer experience operations designed to increase market penetration and increase customer lifetime value.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Shary Moalemzadeh
Managing Director and Co-Head of The Carlyle Group
Shary Moalemzadeh is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners, focusing on distressed and special situation investment opportunities. He is based in New York. Mr. Moalemzadeh is a founding member of Carlyle Strategic Partners having joined Carlyle in 2003. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Moalemzadeh was a Principal and founding member of Jacksons LLC, a New York-based private equity firm focused on middle-market private equity and distressed investments. Prior to that, Mr. Moalemzadeh worked at Vestar Capital Partners, a New York-based leveraged buyout firm focused on management buyouts and recapitalizations. Before joining Vestar Capital Partners, Mr. Moalemzadeh worked in the Leveraged Finance Group at Merrill Lynch, where he originated, structured, syndicated and executed leveraged loans and high yield debt offerings. Mr. Moalemzadeh currently serves on the Board of Directors of Service King and Sterling LLC. Previously Mr. Moalemzadeh served on the Board of Directors of Diversified Machine, Inc., Dynamic Precision Group, Metaldyne Corporation, Permian Holdings Inc., RPK Capital Partners, LLC and Stellex Aerostructures, Inc. Mr. Moalemzadeh received a B.S. in finance and graduated cum laude from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Karen Bechtel
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Karen H. Bechtel is a Managing Director and former head of the Global Health Care team based in New York. Ms. Bechtel serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of HCR-Manor Care, Grupo Qualicorp, Healthscope Limited, MultiPlan (prior) Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) and Lifecare. Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Bechtel was at Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated for 28 years. As Managing Director of Morgan Stanley’s Private Equity Group, Ms. Bechtel was a member of the investment committee responsible for approving all investments in the $3.1 billion Morgan Stanley Capital Partners IV Fund and led all of the healthcare investments. Ms. Bechtel was also Co-head of the Financial Sponsors Group; head of the Corporate Restructuring Group; founder and head of Princes Gate Private Equity Investors, a $650 million bridge equity fund; and Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department. Ms. Bechtel previously served on the Boards of Directors of Vanguard Health Systems, Inc., Cross Country Healthcare Inc., Southern Care, Inc. and Lifetrust America, LLC. Ms. Bechtel earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business and her B.A. in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin where she was Phi Beta Kappa.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Daniel Akerson
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors & Special Advisor of The Carlyle Group
Daniel F. Akerson is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Special Advisor to Carlyle’s Board of Directors since March 2014. Daniel is also a Member of the firm’s Management Committee. Daniel provides operational, investment and management guidance to Carlyle’s investment teams, firm management and the Board of Directors. Prior to returning to Carlyle in March 2014, Daniel was the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Company. During his tenure, Daniel led the company through a successful IPO in November 2011, guided the firm to record 15 consecutive quarters of profitability, reinvested nearly $9 billion and created or retained more than 25,000 jobs at its U.S. plants. Daniel retired from GM in January 2014. Daniel is a seasoned executive with extensive operating and management experience having served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer or President of several major companies, including The Carlyle Group, General Instrument, MCI, Nextel and XO Communications. Prior to joining GM, Daniel was a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, serving as Head of Global Buyout from July 2009 to August 2010 and as Co-Head of U.S. Buyout from June 2003 to June 2009. Before joining Carlyle, Daniel served in several key roles at MCI Communications and during his tenure, Daniel formulated and executed MCI’s global strategy. Daniel left MCI in to become a General Partner of private equity firm Forstmann Little & Company, during which time he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Company from 1993-1995. While at General Instrument he led a successful effort to develop and deploy the first digital video, satellite and cable systems domestically and internationally. Following that, Daniel served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Nextel Communications, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of XO Communications, Inc. In 2013, Daniel and his wife, Karin, were named Habitat for Humanity Michigan’s Sponsor of the Year and he was also named a Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News. In 2012, Daniel and Karin co-chaired the annual Capuchin Soup Kitchen dinner, raising a record sum and launched the Habitat for Humanity Leaders to Rebuild Detroit initiative with a cornerstone contribution. Daniel was also recognized with the Marine Corp Scholarship Foundation Leatherneck Award and with the U.S. Naval Academy Distinguished Graduate Award for his lifetime commitment to service, personal character and distinguished contributions to our nation. In 2011, Daniel was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by So Others Might Eat (SOME), which serves the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Daniel earned his B.S., in Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his M.Sc., in Economics from the London School of Economics. Daniel is a Member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin Company since February 2014 and the United States Naval Academy Foundation.
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About : The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Akhil Bansal
Managing Director – Head of Credit Strategic Solutions of The Carlyle Group
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About Bizongo, The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Siddhartha Ahluwalia
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Mr. Ahluwalia joined Emerging Sovereign Group in 2011 as a junior analyst. Starting in 2013, Mr. Ahluwalia originates and researches investment ideas in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Prior to joining ESG, Mr. Ahluwalia had six years of financial markets experience. From 2007-2009 Mr. Ahluwalia was a generalist at Hound Partners, a long/short equity fund with $2 billion of assets under management. He started his career in the technology group at Credit Suisse from 2005-2007. Mr. Ahluwalia received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2011.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Eliot Merrill
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Eliot P. S. Merrill is a Managing Director focused on U.S. buyout opportunities in the telecommunications and media sectors. He is based in New York. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Merrill was a Principal at Freeman Spogli & Co., a buyout fund with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Prior to that, Mr. Merrill worked at Dillon Read & Co. Inc. in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Before that, Mr. Merrill was a Sail Consultant and Special Project Coordinator for Doyle Sailmakers, Inc. Mr. Merrill graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College. Mr. Merrill is a member of the Board of Directors of Getty Images and TCW. He formerly was on the Board of The Nielsen Company B.V.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Roman Bas
Managing Director, Investor Relations of The Carlyle Group
Roman Bas is a Managing Director at The Carlyle Group focused on fundraising and investor relations activities in real estate. He is based in New York. Before joining Carlyle, he was with CB Richard Ellis Investors in the Global Multi-Manager group (Fund of Funds investment platform) where he executed indirect investment strategies in the real estate market through unlisted property funds. Prior to CBRE Investors, Mr. Bas spent six years at Kormendi \ Gardner Partners, an investment banking and financial advisory firm in Washington, DC. He received his Masters of Science in real estate from Columbia University.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Alex Popov
Managing Director, Head of Credit Opportunities of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Jeannine Santarelli
Managing Director, Human Capital Management of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group, The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Zubier Alim
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Mr. Alim joined Emerging Sovereign Group in 2007. Mr. Alim originates and researches investment ideas in Asia. Prior to joining ESG, Mr. Alim had over five years of financial markets and consulting experience. From 2005-2007 Mr. Alim was a generalist at Ivory Capital, a value based hedge fund with over $3 billion of assets under management. Prior to Ivory Capital, Mr. Alim was an associate in Bain Capital’s Private Equity group from 2003-2005. Prior to Bain Capital Mr. Alim was a consultant in McKinsey’s Corporate Finance & Strategy group from 2001-2003. Mr. Alim graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School with concentrations in Finance and Accounting in 2001.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Erica Herberg
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
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About AlpInvest Partners, The Carlyle Group, The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Brian Marcus
Managing Director, Global Credit of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group, The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Joseph Bress
Managing Director, U.S. Buyout, Healthcare Group of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Andrew Chung
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Andrew Chung is a Managing Director focused on U.S. real estate acquisition opportunities. He is based in New York City. Mr. Chung joined Carlyle in 2000 as an Associate and held positions as a Senior Associate, Vice President and Principal before taking on his current role as Managing Director in 2011. He has been involved with the acquisition, financing, management and disposition of more than $8 billion of U.S. real estate investments including the development projects Orion, a 60-story luxury residential building, Riverside Center, a joint venture with Extell Development, and office and retail tower 650 Madison Avenue. Mr. Chung received a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Michael Hart
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Inoki Suarez
Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Erica Frontiero
Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets for Private Credit of The Carlyle Group
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Sanjay Chadda
Partner & Managing Director of Petsky Prunier LLC
Sanjay Chadda runs one of the most active investment banking practices on Wall Street focused on the broader media, digital advertising and marketing, commerce, information and marketing technology and services industries. He has played an instrumental role in helping the firm become Bloomberg’s leading investment bank for mid-market internet & advertising transactions and has been named one of AlwaysOn’s “Power Players New York City” every year the honor has been awarded. As a trusted advisor to CEOs and private equity sponsors, Sanjay has led more than 70 transactions during his career and has successfully completed over 25 transactions since 2010 alone. In his engagements, he focuses on origination, due diligence, marketing, management, and negotiation of both M&A and private placement transactions in order to drive successful results for his clients. He is active in all of the firm’s industry practice areas and brings to his engagements a unique combination of extensive sell-side and buy-side M&A experience as well as a deep understanding of business models of companies in the sectors he covers. Sanjay has been a speaker at Strategy Institute’s Digital Out-of-Home Media Conference and the DMA Annual Leader’s Summit. He has also been a guest lecturer at New York University’s School of Continuing & Professional Studies Interactive and Direct Marketing Program. Prior to joining Petsky Prunier in 1999 he served as a financial analyst in GE Capital’s Financial Management Program. Sanjay holds a B.S. from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University, where he graduated with honors.
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About Petsky Prunier LLC, Petsky Prunier LLC: Leading investment bank to the technology, media, marketing, eCommerce, and healthcare industries.
Chris Gianutsos
Managing Director, Digital of Ernst & Young
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Adam Birnbaum
Director of GP Bullhound
Adam Birnbaum is a Director at GP Bullhound. Adam has over twenty-five years of experience in investment banking primarily focused on M&A, capital markets, restructuring, structured finance and private placements. Throughout his career, he has worked on over 100 transactions for a total aggregate value in excess of $10 billion, representing or transacting with some of the largest and most successful business services, marketing services and consumer-centric companies in the world, including Kraft, WPP, McDonalds, Learfield Communications, Cablevision, Publix, SunGard Data Systems, American Eagle Outfitters, and Jack Henry and Associates. Prior to GP Bullhound, Adam worked at NY-based M&A firm AdMedia Partners for 5 years where he successfully transacted for companies focused on digital and experiential marketing, market research & analytics, and adtech. During his earlier career, Adam worked in the investment banking departments of Dean Witter and Prudential Securities where he founded and led investment banking groups focused on business services and retail/consumer oriented companies. At Prudential, he was a member of the Group Head Management Committee, Business Review Committee and sat on Prudential’s Roman Arch Venture Capital Fund Investment Committee. Adam started his career with Deloitte & Touche. Adam holds an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University and a B.S. in International Business and Finance from New York University (magna cum laude).
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Farzana Haque
Business Director:Eastern USA of Tata Consultancy Services
Farzana Haque is a Head of Europe Telecom Business Unit & Global Head for Strategic Group Accounts at Tata Consultancy Services.
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About Tata Consultancy Services: Tata Consultancy Services is a multinational information technology services, business solutions and consulting company based in India.
Prasad MK
Senior Director- Digital Transformation of Tata Consultancy Services
Prasad MK is the Senior Director- Digital Transformation at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Prasad has worked with global organizations to strategize customer experience testing and QA & Testing approaches for large digital transformation programs. Prasad is currently responsible for assurance solutions and consultancy for Telecom, Media and HiTech industry verticals. Prasad earned his B.E. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Sri Shanmugha College of Engineering and Technology.
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About Tata Consultancy Services: Tata Consultancy Services is a multinational information technology services, business solutions and consulting company based in India.
Scott Kleinman
Board of Director of CH2M Hill
Scott Kleinman joined Apollo Global Management, in 1996 and is currently the Private Equity lead partner. As a senior partner, he is also a member of Apollo’s Senior Management Committee. For the past decade, Mr. Kleinman has focused on Apollo’s cyclical industrial businesses, including companies in the chemicals, forest products and industrial industries. Prior to joining Apollo in 1996, Mr. Kleinman was employed by Smith Barney Inc., in its Investment Banking Division. Mr. Kleinman serves on the Board of Directors for Momentive Performance Materials Holdings LLC and Verso Corporation. Mr. Kleinman received a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business, respectively, graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
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About Apollo: CH2M Hill is a global engineering services company that offers a diverse range of environmental and engineering consulting services.
Devon McConnell
Managing Director Head of Digital of Wells Fargo Advisors
Devon McConnell is head of Digital at Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. She is responsible for the vision, strategy, development and ongoing management of the firm’s Direct Investing Business and digital client experiences. Devon sits on the Wells Fargo Advisors Operating Committee. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Advisors in August 2014, Devon was the vice president of Product and User Experience Design for AmericanExpress.com. Earlier, she served as head of digital client strategy for JP Morgan Asset Management. Prior to her work at American Express and JP Morgan, Devon was a senior vice president and product director for Citigroup. Devon earned her master’s degree from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College. Devon holds FINRA series 7 and 24 registrations.
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About Wells Fargo Advisors: Wells Fargo Advisors provide advice and guidance to help maximize all elements of your financial life, whenever and however you need it.
Gina Rotundo
Director of Evolved International of The Evolved Education Company
As Director of Evolved International, Gina oversees all tutoring and consulting for families who are coming to the United States or who are already residing in the States and are looking to improve their knowledge of the English language, American culture, and American workplace practices. Gina specializes in foreign language acquisition for children, adolescents and adults. Gina Rotundo has twenty years of practical experience working with students in grades Pre-K through College as well as working professionals. In addition, Gina Rotundo worked as the Academic Director of two language schools, The Darby School of Languages in Rome, Italy and Rennert Bilingual in New York City and has successfully started, owned and operated her own businesses since 2005. As Director of School Placement Services , Gina Rotundo works closely with families to find best fit schools. She provides information about school process time lines and works closely with our partner school counselors to provide families with everything they need during the application process for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, middle school, high school and college admissions. Gina helps families to navigate the school application and admissions process. She helps families to prepare for interviews, writing samples and portfolios. She creates small group classes to help students prepare for group interviews. Gina also successfully advises families on how to prepare an application and customizes her support to fit the needs of individual families. Gina also directs special programs such as small group classes, presentations and publications. She helps students with editing and writing instruction. In addition, Gina is one of the editors for Supporting School: A Guidebook for Parents and Educators. Gina resides in Manhattan with her husband and two school-aged children.
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About The Evolved Education Company: Provides tutoring and education consulting services for students in PreK through College using a whole child approach.
Zein Abdalla
Member of the Board of Directors of Cognizant
Zein Abdalla is a Member of the Board of Directors at Cognizant Technology Solutions since September 2015. Previously, Zein was the President of PepsiCo, Inc., a leading global food, snack and beverage company, from September 2012 through his retirement in December 2014. Priorly, Zein served as Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Europe, a division of PepsiCo, starting in November 2009 and as President, PepsiCo Europe Region starting in January 2006. Zein previously held a variety of senior positions at PepsiCo since he joined that company in 1995, including as General Manager of PepsiCo’s European Beverage Business, General Manager of Tropicana Europe and Franchise Vice President for Pakistan and the Gulf region. Zein has served on the Board of Directors of The TJX Companies, Inc. since 2012, where he is currently a Member of the Corporate Governance Committee and the Finance Committee. Zein received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College, London University.
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About : Cognizant is a professional services company, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era.
Vandana Viswanathan
Senior Director, Digital Business & Technology Consulting of Cognizant
Vandana Viswanathan is a solutions-driven information technology leader with over 18 years of experience providing advisory and program leadership services to Fortune 100 clients on Digital Transformation, Program & Quality Management, Regulatory Compliance, Intelligent Automation, Agile, Cloud, SDLC/QA, Pharmacovigilance Transformation, Testing Account Management and client relationship management services for clients across the globe. Her consulting industry experience spans across Life Sciences, Healthcare and Insurance verticals. She acts as a trusted advisor for top 10 global industry Life Sciences clients. She has a high performance track record in implementing GAMP5, GDP, CMMI Level 5, HIPAA, SOX, ISO, BS7799, ITIL, 21 CFR Part 11 for Fortune 500 companies. Vandana has designed Intelligent Automation solutions for large clients. She has pioneered best in class quality assurance frameworks for cloud based and COTS systems. She supports external audits/inspections resulting in minor/zero findings. Vandana has been successful in leading and implementing PMO, Change Management and SDLC & QA process transformation for several large corporate clients.
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About Cognizant: Cognizant is a professional services company, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era.
Karen Harris
Managing Director, Macro Trends Group of Bain & Company
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About Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides solutions on change in management, strategies, and technology.
Thomas Taylor
Partner & Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
John Rose
Senior Partner and Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Neal Zuckerman
Partner and Managing Director in the New York Office of The Boston Consulting Group
Neal Zuckerman is a partner and managing director in the New York office of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm and advisor on business strategy with 81 offices in 45 countries. His professional advisory work is centered on media and entertainment companies, with a particular focus on supporting the transformation of media companies into sustainable, digitally-oriented businesses through growth strategies, business development and large-scale change. Prior to BCG, Zuckerman served in related roles at Time Warner and McKinsey & Company. Zuckerman is a resident of Garrison, NY (the station from which he commutes on Metro-North), and was appointed as Putnam County’s representative to the Metro North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) in 2010 by Governor David Paterson and nominated by then-County Executive Bob Bondi. Zuckerman is a member of the Philipstown Planning Board, a trustee of the Desmond-Fish Library, and a former president and trustee of the Putnam County Historical Society. He is also the former chair of the New York Public Radio Community Board of Advisors. Prior to his business career, Zuckerman was a Captain in the U.S. Army, serving as a helicopter pilot and in various staff roles. He holds a B.S. in history from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Christy Carter
Managing Director & Partner of The Boston Consulting Group
Christy Carter is the Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Max Kirby
Director, Cloud Solutions Practice of Publicis Sapient
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About Publicis Sapient: Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation platform.
Marc Mordoh
Managing Director of Upwardly Group
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About Upwardly Group: Upwardly offers campaign management services to agencies and firms that don’t employee a dedicated ad-serving staff.
Eric Goldberg
Managing Director of Crossover Technologies
Goldberg is a 30-year veteran of the game industry, serving in capacities ranging from game designer to executive. Since 2002, he has been a board member of, advisor to, or consultant for over 30 consumer-facing technology companies, from seed-stage to public, in the game, virtual world, consumer Internet, wireless data, and monetization sectors; and to three US venture capital firms. Previously, he was co-founder and president of Unplugged Games and of Crossover Technologies, the consumer online firm; and president of West End Games, an adventure game company. His award-winning games include Paranoia, Tales of the Arabian Nights, The Tom Peters Business School in a Box, and MadMaze, the first online game to draw one million players. Goldberg helped judge our contest last year.
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About Crossover Technologies, Playable Worlds: Crossover Technologies is a consulting firm that provides the best workers in any field to a company willing to pay a high salary.
Jackson Eisenpresser
Managing Director of ABG Advisory
Jackson Eisenpresser leads strategy, consulting, and capital-raising activities for ABG Advisory clients. He maintains a broad focus across global client coverage, cross-border transactions, connecting emerging-market capital to developed-market opportunities, and facilitating developed-market relationships with emerging and frontier markets. In his former roles at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs and most recently as Director of Advisory and Principal Strategies Tony Blair and Associates, he worked with leading institutional investors across the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and the CIS, including sovereign wealth funds, state oil funds, insurance funds, pension funds, financial sponsors, corporates, and private wealth.
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About ABG Advisory: ABG Advisory is an independent broker-dealer that brings a global perspective to the investment world.
Nancy Cooper
Member of the Board of Directors of Teradata
Nancy Cooper is a Member of the Board of Directors at Teradata since February 2009. Previously, Nancy served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CA Technologies (CA), a global IT management software company, from August 2006 until she retired from CA in May 2011. Nancy has nearly 30 years of finance experience that also includes her role as Chief Financial Officer for IMS Health Incorporated, the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries from 2001 to 2006. Prior to joining IMS Health, Nancy was the Chief Financial Officer at Reciprocal, Inc., a leading digital rights management and consulting firm. In 1998, Nancy served as a Partner responsible for finance and administration at General Atlantic Partners, a private equity firm focused on software and services investments. Nancy began her career at IBM where she held increasingly important roles over a 22-year period that focused on technology strategy and financial management. Nancy currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at The Mosaic Company, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and Brunswick Corporation and as a Trustee to the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. Nancy is a Graduate of Bucknell University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Political Science. Nancy has her MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
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About : Teradata is the connected multi-cloud data platform company. Our enterprise analytics solve business challenges from start to scale.
David Pessah
Senior Director, KPMG Innovation Lab of KPMG International Limited
David Pessah is an entrepreneur + strategist living in New York. He currently works at the KPMG Innovation Lab on Innovation and Strategic Investment projects. Prior to Wayla, David formed and ran the Social Media practice at Thrillist Media Group (Thrillist.com + Jackthreads.com), led Strategy for USA Network and H&R Block at 360i, served as VP of Strategy + Partnerships at mobile media start-up Wayla.com. David also co-founded Youbiquity Media, a strategic consulting firms that has advised a large and diverse group of clients including: Sprint Nextel, David Burke Group restaurants, ArtistDirect, Random House, and more.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Matt Campbell
Managing Director of KPMG International Limited
Matt is recognized thought leader in Talent, Organization Development and Employee Experience and a Managing Director in KPMG’s People & Change practice. Matt is pragmatic, business savvy, builds collaborative relationships that influence and deliver results. He possesses broad-based industry exposure, global perspective and creative approach. His specialties include business strategy, identity and design; talent and HR strategy; employee experience strategy and design; talent risk profiling; culture definition and values alignment; capability planning, talent aquisition and workforce management; change management; program and project management; team building, skill and process development; and reward, compensation and benefits design.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Justine Karp
Director of MediaLink
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About MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Brett Kassan Smith
Managing Director of MediaLink
Brett Kassan Smith began her career in the publicity industry. While working at Hypnotic, she managed marketing programs, special events and public relations working for clients such as Chrysler, Reebok, Coca Cola and Nintendo. After serving as a marketing manager for Dennis Publishing, Smith joined Bragman, Nyman, Cafarelli as Head of Events in the firm’s New York office. There she managed, produced, and oversaw all of the marketing and branding events as well as marketing and sponsorship promotions for BNC’s clientele. Most recently, Smith served as director of Integrated Marketing Services at Condé Nast Media Group. Responsible for the oversight of merchandising and promotion efforts, Smith produced integrated marketing programs for corporate clients in categories including automotive, financial, beauty, technology, travel, pharmaceuticals, and fashion. She also led in the implementation and execution of various Condé Nast Media Group programs in addition to customized programs for clients like Dove, Lexus, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and Philips.
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About MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Andrew White
Director & Vice President of MediaLink
Andrew White joined MediaLink in 2016, bringing eight years of expertise in M&A advisory, business development and corporate strategy. Andrew is responsible for advising strategic and financial investors in evaluating specific assets or sectors. Andrew’s experience at leading media conglomerates and high-growth startups has prepared him well for the diverse client base at MediaLink. His previous role was in the Strategy & Corporate Development group at Advance Publications, where he was responsible for identifying and executing acquisitions and investments on behalf of the company and as part of strategic diversification initiatives. Andrew also supported Advance’s affiliated companies (Condé Nast, Advance Newspapers, American City Business Journals, Brighthouse Networks, Reddit, etc.) on the planning and execution of their long-term growth strategies. Prior to Advance, Andrew was a manager on Condé Nast’s Digital Business Development team. He began his career with Lazard as an investment banking analyst in the firm’s Consumer and Direct Marketing group. Andrew holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
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About MediaLink, MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Emily Deissler
Managing Director of Sard Verbinnen & Co
Emily Deissler is aManaging Director at Sard Verbinnen & Co. Since joining the firm, Emily has provided strategic communications support on a variety of transactions and special situations, including M&A, restructurings, proxy contests, litigation, executive leadership transitions, investor relations and long-term corporate positioning.
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About Chief, Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
