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2022 Summit Highlights
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Shearman & Sterling Family Office Summit
SEPTEMBER 27–28, 2023
REQUEST TO RSVP
The Shearman & Sterling Family Office Summit is an annual gathering of family office principals and senior-level executives for exclusive thought leadership, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and collaboration with a focus on investment activities. Our format allows for facilitated discussion where attendees can share their experiences and discuss key investment themes in family office management. Our inaugural summit took place in October 2021 and highlighted a broad array of timely topics relevant to entrepreneurial families that reflect investment trends, asset allocation, family governance and the role of family offices in managing the transition to the next generation. This year’s 1 1/2-day program will focus on new perspectives on portfolio allocation, current macroeconomic trends, risk management, advances in artificial intelligence, the future of finance, private equity and clean energy investments and an outlook on financial markets and the global economy. Attendees include single and multi-family offices, family enterprise owners, institutional investors, board members, trustees and private foundations. Join us from September 27–28, 2023 Shearman & Sterling LLP 599 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10022
OVERVIEW
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Business Development Manager Financial Institutions Shearman & Sterling angela.long@shearman.com 202.508.8094
Angela Long
Principal 678 Partners amir@678partners.com 312.890.5340
Amir Rafizadeh
2021 Summit Highlights
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AGENDA COMING SOON
Managing Partner 678 Partners amir@678partners.com 312.890.5340
The Shearman & Sterling Family Office Summit is an annual gathering of family office principals and senior-level executives for exclusive thought leadership, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and collaboration with a focus on investment activities. Our format allows for facilitated discussion where attendees can share their experiences and discuss key investment themes in family office management. Our inaugural summit took place in October 2021. Our family office summits highlight a broad array of timely topics relevant to entrepreneurial families that reflect investment trends, asset allocation, family governance and the role of family offices in managing the transition to the next generation. This year’s 1 1/2-day program will focus on new perspectives on portfolio allocation, current macroeconomic trends, risk management, advances in artificial intelligence, the future of finance, private equity and clean energy investments and an outlook on financial markets and the global economy. Attendees include single and multi-family offices, family enterprise owners, institutional investors, board members, trustees and private foundations. Join us from September 27–28, 2023 Shearman & Sterling LLP 599 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10022
Managing Partner 678 Partners
Partner Shearman & Sterling
Anna Salek
Global Head of Finance & Head of the Family Office Group Shearman & Sterling
Donna Parisi
Hosts
REQUEST TO ATTEND
The Shearman & Sterling Family Office Summit is an invitation-only annual gathering of family office principals and senior-level executives interested in participating in exclusive thought leadership, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and collaboration with respect to family office investing. Our format is designed to allow for facilitated discussion, and attendees are encouraged to share experiences and explore innovative themes. Each year, Shearman’s family office summit targets timely topics that are essential to entrepreneurial families. This year’s 1 1/2-day program will highlight new perspectives on portfolio allocation; current macroeconomic trends; risk management; advances in artificial intelligence; the future of finance, private equity and clean energy investments; and outlooks on financial markets and the global economy. Attendees primarily include single-family offices, family enterprise owners, board members, and directors of large private foundations. Join us from September 27–28, 2023 Shearman & Sterling LLP 599 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10022
Head of Family Office Group & Head of Private Client Group Shearman & Sterling
Global Head of Finance & Head of Family Office Group Shearman & Sterling
Chrissie Pariso Managing Director MPowered Capital
Chrissie Pariso co-leads MPowered Capital, bringing 20 years of investing experience to the role. MPowered started as the family office of Marcia Page, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Värde Partners, and invests in best-in-class female and other underrepresented talent in the alternative investment space. The firm is focused on accelerating equity for diverse talent through capital, commitment, and connections. As a former Senior Portfolio Manager of Private Equity at Exelon Corporation and Head of Exelon’s Women & Minority Manager Program, Chrissie brings a unique set of qualifications to MPowered. While at Exelon, Chrissie sourced, diligenced and committed over $1.8 billion to 46 funds and 31 managers across venture capital, growth equity, buyout, and distressed funds globally. Chrissie led Exelon’s Women and Minority-Owned Manager Program and developed and executed Exelon’s first Investment Office Diversity and Inclusion Survey across asset classes. Prior to Exelon, Chrissie was Vice President at middle-market buyout firm Sterling Partners. Chrissie received her BA from Georgetown University and her MBA from The University of Chicago–Booth School of Business. She is a board member and Midwest Steering Committee member for Women’s Association of Venture and Equity (WAVE).
Katie Partridge Chief Executive Officer Saphira Group
Katie Partridge is the CEO of Saphira Group, a private investment office headquartered in London with a presence in the U.S. and the Middle East. The group is responsible for the management of ultra-high net worth individuals’ global assets. Saphira Real Estate is the real estate advisory arm of the business and Saphira Technology Partners focuses on private equity investments. Katie has been recently appointed President of Lifetoken Inc., the universal tokenized rewards platform. She is also the Founder and Chairwoman of Johara Global, a social enterprise organization that fosters female leadership and cross-cultural understanding between the East and the West via tailored leadership, social entrepreneurship and mentorship programs. The Four Pillars of the initiative also offer bespoke content on Education, Philanthropy, Entrepreneurship and Wellbeing through a digital platform and live events. Her institutional investment career includes working at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Credit Suisse First Boston and Caledonia Investments plc. Prior to setting up Saphira, Katie was responsible for the real assets investment arm of WMG Advisors, a multi-family office. Before that, she served as a Managing Director at Hannam & Partners (previously Strand Partners), a privately owned merchant bank that specializes in corporate finance and M&A transactions. Katie believes in making a difference at grassroots level and is a Founding Trustee of The Childhood Trust, a charity that supports the alleviation of childhood poverty and early development struggles of children in London. CHT raises millions of pounds in funds every year and distributes grants supporting projects that assist in the practical, emotional and inspirational needs of over 250,000 disadvantaged children in the capital. She is an avid supporter of the arts through patronage of a number of significant U.K.-based organizations.
Greg Resh Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Sagamore Ventures
As the Chief Financial Officer for Sagamore Ventures, Greg Resh leads all financial activities and management for all developments, ventures and assets within the company. Partnering closely with Kevin Plank to lead the company, Greg serves as the primary finance leader for stakeholders across all businesses in the Sagamore portfolio, attracting investors and managing ongoing relationships with developers and investors. Greg is also managing partnerships to drive the progress of the Port Covington project, one of the largest urban revitalization developments in the U.S., located on Baltimore City’s prime waterfront.
Alexander Bente Founding Partner ADvantage
Alex Bente co-founded ADvantage in 2018 and manages the fund as a partner. In his more than eight years investing in sports tech, Alex has been involved in sourcing and supporting more than 40 global investments in the space. As a great-grandson of Adi Dassler, he created multiple businesses to build on the legacy of his great-grandfather and brings a strong network in sports, business and investment to the fund and its portfolio companies. Alex holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of St. Gallen, one of Europe’s leading business schools, and is a former competitive tennis player. Alex is a proud father and lives in Orlando with his family.
Neil Datta Managing Director Optima Asset Management LLC
Jesse Coors-Blankenship Managing General Partner Parkway Venture Capital
Jesse Coors-Blankenship is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Parkway Venture Capital and a successful founder, entrepreneur and inventor who developed an entirely new form of artificial intelligence software and transformed that software into a successful technology company, Frustum Inc. Jesse holds both granted and pending patents for the technology he has developed. Jesse’s deep technical expertise in Generative Design, Simulation, AI and SaaS technologies, combined with firsthand product design and development and business management experience, gives him a unique perspective as a technology investor, and makes him an ideal mentor, coach and advisor to early and mid-stage venture backed companies. Prior to co-founding Parkway, Jesse was the Founder and CEO of Frustum, developing from the ground up a patented, core AI technology that automates the design of engineered products. Jesse built Frustum over the course of five years, culminating in a trade sale of the business to PTC, Inc. in 2018. Jesse’s early investors were returned over nine times their initial investment in Frustum. Prior to founding Frustum, Jesse was a Senior Engineer with Autodesk, Inc., where he oversaw the implementation of experimental Generative Design technology in a software prototype while exploring applications for key customer accounts, such as Airbus. Prior to Autodesk, Jesse held roles as a professor at Columbia University in New York City, and in Advanced Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence at both Columbia University and Cornell University. Jesse holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science from Columbia University and was the 2019 Columbia University Entrepreneur of the Year.
Maëlle Gavet CEO Techstars
Maëlle Gavet is CEO of Techstars. She has been named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of the Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company and was on Time Magazine’s list of the 25 Top “Female Techpreneurs.” An entrepreneur at heart, Maëlle founded her first business at 16 and went on to start two other companies. She has been a senior executive at numerous large tech companies around the world, including Ozon, the Priceline Group (OpenTable, Kayak, Booking.com) and Compass. She was also a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group for six years. Author of the widely-acclaimed book Trampled by Unicorns: Big Tech’s Empathy Problem and How to Fix It (Wiley, 2020), she is currently based in New York City.
David Giroux Principal CFT Capital Partners
David Giroux is a Principal at CFT Capital Partners. Previously, David was a Senior Manager in the Alternative Investments group at Cherng Family Trust (CFT), the family office of Andrew and Peggy Cherng, the founders and 100% owners of Panda Restaurant Group. Before that, David was a Principal at Breakaway Capital Partners, where he was involved in structuring financing solutions to lower middle market companies in support of acquisitions, recapitalizations and growth financings. Prior to joining Breakaway, David worked at Pacific Investment Management Company on the investment grade credit desk. David graduated with a degree in mathematics/economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Prashant Kolluri Partner and Advisor Quest Partners LLC
Prashant Kolluri is a Partner and Advisor at Quest. Before transitioning to an Advisor in June 2022, Prashant served as the firm’s President for six years. Prior to joining Quest, Prashant was President of Sterling Ridge Capital Management, a U.S.-focused long/short equity manager, of which he was a founding member in 2013. Prashant was responsible for business management and also led several investment strategy initiatives. Prior to Sterling Ridge, Prashant was Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of the hedge fund business at Investcorp International Inc., which had approximately $4.7 billion in AUM. In this role, Prashant was Chair of the Investment Committee and responsible for all investment decisions across fund of hedge funds, customized accounts, seeding and special opportunities portfolios. Over a 15-year career at Investcorp, Prashant helped grow and transform the business from its roots as a proprietary investment activity to a multi-product fiduciary business. Prior to Investcorp, Prashant was at Citibank N.A. as a Manager of Foreign Exchange and Options and at Nikko Investment Bank in Equity Sales. Prashant began his career at American Express International as a Finance Analyst. Prashant received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai, India. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) and a CFA charterholder.
Mickey McFarlin Managing Director, Head of Private Capital Markets and Family Office Coverage Stephens Inc.
Mickey McFarlin joined Stephens in 1999. Mickey serves as the head of the Private Capital Markets group and focuses on identifying and cultivating family office relationships that are looking for direct investment opportunities that align with Stephens’ core middle market focus. Previously, he was part of the Mergers and Acquisitions group working on advisory assignments in all industry areas. During his career, Mickey has advised on more than 70 transactions with a combined value of greater than $10 billion in industries including Technology, Consumer and Industrials. He has spent significant time on both buy side and sell side assignments as well as other strategic advisory work. Mickey graduated cum laude from Hendrix College with a BA in economics and business, and an MA in accounting.
Erik Falk Head of Strategy Magnetar Capital
Erik Falk brings three decades of asset management and credit markets experience to his role as the Head of Strategy at Magnetar Capital. Prior to joining Magnetar in September 2017, Erik most recently worked for KKR & Co. Inc. as the Global Head of Private Credit. He oversaw the private funds within the firm’s credit business and served on the Private Credit Investment, Leveraged Credit Investment and Portfolio Management committees. Previously, Erik spent eight years at Deutsche Bank, holding several roles in the bank’s global markets division, including founding the special situations group and co-heading the global securitized products group. Erik has served on the boards of the Home Partners of America, Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), Corporate Capital Trust and Corporate Capital Trust II. Erik earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering from Stanford University.
Erin Harkless Moore Senior Director, Investments Pivotal Ventures
Erin Harkless Moore is the Senior Director of Investment for Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company created to accelerate social progress in the U.S. As a member of Pivotal’s Executive Leadership Team, Erin leads the organization’s fund and direct investment decisions, overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments that drive breakthrough innovations and impact for people in this country. With nearly 20 years of investment experience building and managing customized portfolios for endowed institutions and family offices, Erin’s commitment to discovering and cultivating relationships with leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and founders has been a driving force in her success. Prior to joining Pivotal, Erin served as Managing Director at Cambridge Associates, where she sourced and conducted diligence on investment managers across asset classes, with a particular focus and expertise in private markets and early-stage venture capital. She currently serves on the Board and Investment Committee for Builders Initiative and is an at-large member of the Alumni Board of Governors for her alma mater, Washington University. A native Texan, she resides on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, with her husband and two children. When not chasing after her kids, Erin enjoys exploring new restaurants, spending time with friends, travel, reading and fiction writing.
Noelle Laing Chief Investment Officer Builders Initiative
Noelle Laing is Chief Investment Officer of Builders Initiative and is a member of the Builders Vision Leadership Team. She is responsible for the investment management of the Builders Initiative Foundation endowment and an impact-driven LLC. Previously, Noelle was a managing director at Cambridge Associates. While there, she worked with institutional and family clients to develop and execute mission-related and impact investing programs and portfolios. Her impact investing knowledge and thought leadership related to asset classes and impact themes are highly regarded. She is a frequent speaker and panelist on impact investing topics. In addition to working with dozens of institutional investors and family offices throughout her years at Cambridge Associates, Noelle also worked directly in the investment offices of the American Red Cross and at Taft Hartley Pension Plan. Noelle is a CFA charterholder and earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in mathematics from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Outside of work, she can often be found exploring her new hometown of Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Jennifer Kwon Chou Managing Director & Chief Strategy Officer The Gores Group
Jennifer Kwon Chou is Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer of The Gores Group. Jennifer oversees firm strategy and the development of new products and partnerships for the firm. She also has management responsibilities over the firm’s origination, capital raising, external communications and corporate development functions. Since joining Gores in 2010, Jennifer has been responsible for raising capital across Gores’ platform. Prior to joining Gores, Jennifer was a Director at Sterling Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago. Prior to Sterling, she worked in capital markets at Lehman Brothers in New York. She began her career at Public Financial Management and the Vanguard Group. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and also received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where she was a Robert Toigo Fellow.
Ryan McRandal Deputy Chief Investment Officer One River Asset Management
Ryan McRandal is Deputy Chief Investment Officer at One River Asset Management. He is responsible for running the firm’s investment platform with Stephen Prajna (also Deputy CIO) and Eric Peters (CIO). Ryan manages the firm’s Volatility Relative Value strategy and co-manages the Dynamic Convexity strategy. Prior to One River, Ryan was Head of Thematic Portfolio Management at AXA Investment Managers in London, where he focused on creating customized solutions and building thematic portfolios for institutional clients. Ryan also managed the AXA Alternative Tail Hedge Fund, an award-winning tail protection fund. Prior to this, Ryan was Head of Research at Unifortune, a multiple year award-winning boutique hedge fund. In this role, Ryan was responsible for overseeing research into both discretionary and systematic investment strategies. Prior to that role, he was a trader (Vice President) at Swiss Re Capital Markets and a trader on WestLB’s Cross Asset Arbitrage Desk, primarily trading interest rate, foreign exchange and emerging market derivatives. Ryan graduated with a first-class honors degree in international securities, investment and banking from the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School at the University of Reading. In 2014, Ryan published Tail Risk Hedging: Theory and Practice, a volume covering this highly specialized topic in portfolio management. Ryan was inducted into the EQDerivatives Volatility Hall of Fame.
Sheryl Mejia Managing Partner Steward Asset Management
Sheryl Mejía, CFA, CPA CA, Managing Partner, Steward Asset Management, is a New York-based asset manager focused on catalytic investments in newer private equity managers. Through a strategic partnership, Steward supports sector specialist teams that are at a critical moment of growing their firms. Previously she was the Director of Emerging Managers at the New York State Common Retirement Fund, overseeing approximately $8 billion in over 120 smaller, diverse and emerging firms. Prior roles include Deutsche Bank/Bankers Trust and KPMG. She holds an MBA from Wharton, is a CFA charterholder and a Canadian Chartered Accountant. In addition, she serves as Director of the Levy vonWald Foundation, which primarily focuses on literacy initiatives in New York State, as well as serving on the board of the New Health Investment Institute, a think tank focusing on incubating global healthcare innovations for underserved communities.
Carter Neild Managing Director OrbiMed
Carter Neild is a Managing Partner of OrbiMed, a leading $17 billion AUM healthcare-dedicated investment firm. Carter has led the firm’s expansion in several areas, including royalty/credit investments and Asia. Carter received an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago, a B.A. in Economics from Emory University, and a C.E.P. from the Institute D’Etudes Politiques in Paris. He received the CFA charter in 1995.
Sean O'Sullivan Managing General Partner SOSV
Sean O’Sullivan is Managing General Partner of SOSV, a venture capital firm with over $1.5 Billion in assets under management. SOSV runs the world’s most active startup development programs in hardware (HAX), life sciences (IndieBio) and Asia cross-border startups (Orbit). Sean began as an entrepreneur, and his first startup, MapInfo, grew to a $200 million revenue public company with over 1,000 employees, popularizing street mapping on computers. His first internet company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing, and he is credited as the co-creator of the term “cloud computing.” He received his BS in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a MFA in film production from the University of Southern California. As the founder of the O’Sullivan Foundation, he was the founding funder of Coderdojo, a global network of coding clubs that more than 50,000 kids attend every week, and is a principal donor to Khan Academy, used by more than 75 million students monthly. Sean is on the board of Khan Academy, the Tyndall Institute, the Autism Impact Alliance, the Brain Foundation and a number of private companies.
Neeraj Rama Chief Investment Officer Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center
Neeraj Rama had been walking around Wall St. with a common man's coat since he started in the industry in 2006, working for a proprietary investment fund set up by struggling investment banks during his time as a student at CSUB, where he was also the President of FMA (Financial Management Association). Later, Neeraj completed his undergraduate studies in investment finance and international business, and after finishing an MBA focused on financial economics and capital markets, he joined Morgan Stanley. It was during that time where he worked in broad functions from wealth management to M&A, and many other core processes at the firm. Neeraj is an ambitious and enthusiastic individual, who has focused his career to harness the power of Capital Markets to make the world a better place. After spending time at Morgan Stanley during the acquisition of Smith Barney, he then took that passion to the family office industry, eventually working his way up to Chief Investment and Strategy Officer for a group of global family offices. Since taking this role, Neeraj has grown his work in Healthcare, Information Technology, and countless other Industrial Ventures. He is also on the Board of Directors for private venture funds and start-ups.
Nils Regge Principal TruVenturo
Nils Regge is a German serial entrepreneur and company builder with a long-standing passion for health and biotech/longevity. Nils founded company builder and investor TruVenturo in 2010, and has taken part in over 30 financing rounds as an investor or co-founder. He looks back on several exits, among others, Finanzcheck and HomeToGo (Germany's first SPAC) being one of the recent ones. Since 2017, he's an active investor in biotech and life sciences through funds and directed and helped co-found companies like Aeovian Pharmaceuticals and Samsara Therapeutics.
Todd Rich Co-Founder, Partner & Head of Real Estate Declaration Partners
Todd S. Rich is a Co-Founder and Partner of Declaration Partners and oversees Declaration’s real estate investment activity. Todd brings over 20 years of real estate investing and operating experience, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, leasing and management of portfolios involving over $20 billion of institutional quality real estate. Prior experience includes Partner at The JBG Companies and a member of its Investment and Management Committees, where he was involved in strategic efforts culminating in the creation of JBG SMITH Properties as a public REIT (NYSE: JBGS). He was responsible for Tishman Speyer’s business activities in the Washington, D.C., region and worked in Tishman Speyer’s Chicago, London and New York offices. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Princeton University, and was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar. Todd serves as a board member of the SED Center and the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Washington. He is a former board member of the Economic Club of Washington.
David M. Rubenstein Co-Founder and Co-Chairman The Carlyle Group
David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group. He is a 1970 graduate of Duke University and a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington and the University of Chicago; he is a Trustee of the World Economic Forum and a Director of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other board seats. Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge, the host of The David Rubenstein Show, Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein and Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein and the author of The American Story, How to Lead, The American Experiment and How to Invest.
Stephen Shaya, M.D. Managing Director Akkad Holdings Global
Dr. Stephen Shaya’s life's journey has been one of service instilled by his Iraqi Christian parents and his grandmother. He graduated from Birmingham Brother Rice High School summa cum laude was awarded a Merit Scholarship to attend Wayne State University. During his time at WSU, Stephen won many leadership awards including the Outstanding Student Leader in 1991 and became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant Awardee. He was selected to serve on the Wayne State University Board of Governors from 1991 to 1993 and then attended Wayne State University Medical School and graduated in 1996. Stephen subsequently trained in Family Practice at North Oakland Medical Center and then did a fellowship at Wayne State University for Occupational and Environmental Health. Since 2004, Stephen has been the Executive Servant Leader at J & B Medical, a global healthcare solutions company. J & B is a privately held global health care consortium based in Wixom, Michigan. Founded in 1996, Stephen worked closely with his father and family to start eighteen different business enterprises and now have customers all over the globe including 48 states in the U.S. This innovative company has brought many new ideas and solutions forward to the delivery care and continues to strive to improve patient access and quality. His role oversees all strategy, innovation and growth of this family of companies. By leading the planning and development of their new enterprises, many describe him as an “intrapreneur,” someone who behaves as an entrepreneur within a large organization. Stephen's efforts have received many recognitions including the 2015 Global Distinguished Health Care Award from the Center of Economic and Leadership Development and a United States Congressional Commendation. In addition, Stephen received the Global Medical Innovation and Leadership Award August 19, 2016, presented at the United Nations along with a commendation from the New York State Senate.
Mark Sotir President Equity Group Investments
As president of Equity Group Investments (EGI), a private investment firm founded more than 50 years ago by Sam Zell, Mark Sotir oversees all aspects of the business. He focuses on maximizing and sustaining the value of the firm’s investment portfolio and applies his 20+ years of board and CEO experience inside and outside the organization by actively engaging with the investment team and portfolio companies to improve business strategies and operating capabilities. In addition, Mark is the chair of the Chai Trust Company, LLC (Chai) investment committee as well as the executive vice president of Chai, which serves as the corporate trustee for the Zell family trusts. He also serves as board chair for Ardent Health Services, East Coast Warehouse & Distribution, Lanter Delivery Systems, Paper Transport and an agricultural equipment dealer. Mark joined EGI in 2006 as a managing director and has held temporary in-house assignments within EGI portfolio companies to accelerate and increase the effectiveness of turnarounds, including stints at Tribune Interactive and Exterran Holdings, Inc. Prior to joining EGI, Mark was the chief executive officer of Sunburst Technology Corporation and on the company’s board of directors. He also served as the president of Budget Group, Inc. (Budget Rent a Car and Ryder Truck Rental) and was on the company’s board. Earlier in his career, Mark worked at The Coca-Cola Company in senior brand management and sales roles. Mark holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Amherst College.
Jeany Stein Investor, Family Office Pano Ventures
Jeany Stein is an investor, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Jeany is an esteemed professional with extensive experience in the realms of family office, philanthropy and LP investments. She is widely regarded as a leader in the Tech, AI and machine learning fields, having founded and grown several successful companies. Beyond her business accomplishments, Jeany has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors. She is the creator and founder of the MEI Foundation (Mentor - Empower - Impact), which is focused on empowering leadership in both women and men. Through this foundation, Jeany aims to help leaders learn how to make a positive impact in their society, with a focus on impact investing, planet protection and ocean conservation. Jeany, through her family foundation, strategically invests in companies and funds that hold the potential to revolutionize their respective industries. Her investment portfolio is diverse, spanning areas such as tech, energy, deep learning, artificial intelligence, big data, health and the democratization of knowledge and expertise. In addition to her individual investments, Jeany has also diversified her portfolio by investing in various funds and managers. Her influence extends beyond monetary contributions: she also leverages her extensive experience and knowledge to support companies as a Board Member, aiding them in their growth and scaling endeavors.
John Stephens Senior Vice President, Family Office Coverage Stephens Inc.
John Stephens is a Senior Vice President and member of the Private Capital Markets group covering Family Offices. Previously, John was an Associate Director of Stephens Europe. Prior to serving in Europe, he was part of the Stephens Inc. Consumer team based in New York City, which he joined in 2013. During his time with the Consumer team, John provided corporate finance and advisory services to clients in the Food & Agribusiness, Consumer Products, Retail and Apparel sectors. He began his career as an equity analyst for Stephens Investment Management Group based in Houston, TX. As an analyst, he assisted four portfolio managers across all industry sectors in their research of small and mid-cap domestic growth equities. In 2010, John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in U.S. history. In May 2017, he received his MBA from Columbia Business School.
Amy Wang Head of Private Credit Blue Earth Capital
Amy Wang is Head of Private Credit for Blue Earth Capital. She is a founding team member and sits on the firm’s Executive Committee. Prior to joining Blue Earth Capital, she worked as an Assistant Vice President for Deutsche Bank’s Global Social Finance group, where she led the group’s clean energy and South/Southeast Asian financial services social enterprise investing activities. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Amy worked as an Investment Associate at Grassroots Business Fund and Centinela Capital Partners and an Analyst at Citigroup Corporate Investment Bank. Amy has worked across Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in international affairs from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Sherry P. Witter Managing Partner The Witter Family Office
Sherry P. Witter is Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of The Witter Family Office. She runs the firm with the same ethos with which she raises her sons, hard-work and humility. Like the generations before, from both sides of the family, Sherry believes in innovation and technology. To that end, Sherry continues to build and partner with great businesses and strategies that provide solutions and solve for life. Since its inception, the Witter Family Office has continued to endeavor to produce outsized returns. Throughout Sherry's career, she helped launch over 250 strategies, traders, managers, with esoteric and non-market correlated mandates have created employment at all levels of income. Among those Sherry has seeded and partnered with are entrepreneurial mathematicians, engineers and statisticians. Sherry also sits on boards where synergistic. In addition to running The Witter Family Office and managing the day-to-day investment portfolios, Sherry meets with undiscovered traders, founders and entrepreneurs and evaluates new investment opportunities. Sherry is a regular speaker and panelist at investment and family office conferences, offering a perspective on investment opportunities, capital preservation, generational wealth, succession and growth of family assets. Sherry P. Witter was born and raised in New York and has been married for over two decades.
Mike Barry Vice President Duchossois Capital Management
Mike Barry is Vice President at Duchossois Capital Management. He is responsible for the investment activities of DCM, including sourcing, evaluating and executing private equity and real estate investments. Prior to joining DCM, Mike was a Senior Associate at Altus Capital Partners, a middle market-focused private equity firm that invests in the North American manufacturing sector. He was responsible for executing leveraged buyout transactions and implementing portfolio company strategic initiatives. Mike began his career in the investment banking group at BB&T Capital Markets, executing merger and acquisition transactions and public equity offerings across industrial, logistics and transportation, healthcare, and financial institution sectors. Mike received a BSBA in Corporate Finance and International Business from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Keynote Speakers
Program Speakers
Yezan Haddadin CEO GMS Capital Partners
Yezan Haddadin joined GMS Holdings in 2017 to build and lead the company’s newly created investment management platform, GMS Capital Partners LLC. Yezan has over 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive experience across a range of industries in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining GMS Holdings, Yezan was CEO and Director of a regional investment bank based in Amman and Dubai (2014–2017), Advisor at Ripplewood Holdings LLC, a New York-based private equity firm (2013–2014), Managing Director at Perella Weinberg Partners in New York (2007–2013) and an Executive Director in JPMorgan’s M&A Group in New York (2000–2007). Yezan is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Outlook Therapeutics, a NASDAQ-listed, New Jersey-based late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing the first FDA-approved ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for use in retinal indications. Yezan is also a member of the Board of Directors of Pharma Nobis, a Texas-based consumer healthcare company, and Jordan Ahli Bank. Yezan is a Fellow and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network. Previously, he was a member of the Board of Directors at Sixth of October Investment Company (SODIC), a publicly listed Egyptian real estate development company and a Board Member of The Near East Foundation, a New York- based nonprofit organization with projects in Africa and the Middle East. Yezan holds a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law (USA) and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service (USA). He is admitted to the New York State Bar and is an FAA licensed pilot.
Wednesday, September 27 (5:15–6:00 PM) The Evolution of Sam Zell’s Private Investment Firm
Thursday, September 28 (4:30–5:15 PM) Declaration Partners – Creating Value in Private Investing
Sandy Choi General Counsel & Head of Compliance Wilshire Advisors
Sandy S. Choi joined Wilshire Advisors LLC in June 2023 as Managing Director, General Counsel and Head of Compliance. Sandy brings over 20 years of experience to Wilshire with expertise across legal, regulatory compliance and investment execution for asset management firms. Most recently, Sandy served as General Counsel to Cercano Management LLC to establish the legal function for a newly registered adviser seeded by the Estate of Paul G. Allen. Prior to Cercano, Sandy spent nine years at Guggenheim Investments as Senior Managing Director, where she served as Co-Head of Institutional Compliance, Senior Regulatory Counsel and Head of Investment Planning, acting as a strategic advisor to the Office of the Global CIO. Sandy was a member of Guggenheim’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and a board member for Eastdil Secured LLC serving on its Audit and Regulatory Committees. Prior to Guggenheim, Sandy held senior legal and compliance roles at Fortress Investment Group and Tower Research Capital LLC based in New York. She began her career at Willkie Farr and Gallagher LLP and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP after receiving a B.A. in History, Phi Beta Kappa, from Brown University and a J.D./M.I.A. from Columbia University. Sandy is a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship.
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Nicholas Moseley Managing Partner Arbour Way Investors
Nick Moseley is the Managing Partner of Arbour Way Investors, the direct investment arm of the family office of the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Audax Group. Prior to this he was a Vice President at Audax Group. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley in Leveraged Finance. Nick holds an A.B. degree from Harvard University.
Shirley Romig Chief Accelerator Investment Officer Techstars
Shirley Romig is the Chief Accelerator Investment Officer at Techstars, the world's most active pre-seed investor, where she oversees the selection, funding and mentoring of entrepreneurs globally. She is a consumer technology and operations executive with over 20 years of experience in scaling high-growth businesses and leading large-scale operations. Shirley has held senior leadership roles at Lyft, Equinox, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Prior to Techstars, Shirley was the co-Founder and CEO of Mixo, a content creation platform for food, where she gained firsthand knowledge of the journey of a startup entrepreneur. Shirley is a public company board director at Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE) and MamaMancini's (NASDAQ: MAMA). Shirley holds an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the McIntire School of Commerce, both at the University of Virginia.
Anna Nekoranec Co-Founder and CEO Align Private Capital
Anna Nekoranec co-founded Align Private Capital LLC (“Align”) in 2014 with Robert Blabey and a leading Florida based family to address the ultra high net worth alternative investment market. Align launched its first family only fund with $150 million from one LP in 2019. Align is a women owned, SEC registered investment advisor. Align has created an absolute return platform for single family offices (SFOs) and currently manages Current I on behalf of one family. Align sources all of its transactions from a proprietary network of 100+ SFOs and industry experts. Prior to Align, Anna spent over 20 years working domestically and internationally with ultra high net worth families on direct investments or working for private equity or venture capital firms including Investor Growth Capital, the Safeguard International Fund and CMS Companies. Anna also worked at the Brookings Institution and the NASD. She has an MBA from Wharton and a BA from the University of Virginia. Anna is a contributing author to The Complete Direct Investing Handbook: A Guide for Family Offices, Qualified Purchasers, Accredited Investors and is a co-author of How to Buy a Business: Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. Anna serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jefferson Scholarship Foundation and was the inaugural chair of the first generation Walentas Scholarship at the University of Virginia. She served on the board of the Association of Corporate Growth of Tampa Bay and on the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Investment Committee. Anna is a Fortune Most Powerful Women in the World Conference Delegate and has served on a number of non-profit boards including Forty Carrots Family Center and the Asolo Repertory Theatre. She was also the inaugural speaker at the launch of the Wharton Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series: Women Leaders in Private Investment.
Anna Nekoranec co-founded Align Private Capital in 2014 with Robert Blabey and a leading Florida based family to address the ultra- high net worth alternative investment market. Prior to Align, Anna spent over 20 years working domestically and internationally with ultra- high net worth families on direct investments or working for private equity or venture capital firms including Investor Growth Capital, the Safeguard International Fund and CMS Companies. Anna also worked at the Brookings Institution and the NASD. She has an MBA from Wharton and a BA from the University of Virginia. Anna is a contributing author to The Complete Direct Investing Handbook: A Guide for Family Offices, Qualified Purchasers, Accredited Investors and is a co-author of How to Buy a Business: Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. Anna serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jefferson Scholarship Foundation and was the inaugural chair of the first generation Walentas Scholarship at the University of Virginia. She served on the board of the Association of Corporate Growth of Tampa Bay and on the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Investment Committee. Anna is a Fortune Most Powerful Women in the World Conference Delegate and has served on a number of non-profit boards including Forty Carrots Family Center and the Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Neil Datta Managing Director Optima Asset Management & Chief Executive Officer, Meritas
Neil Datta is a Managing Director at Optima Asset Management and CEO of social investing community Meritas. Optima is the New York-based investment team for the Forbes Family Trust Stanhope Capital Group, a $30 billion independent multi-family office. Neil co-founded Meritas in 2019 to provide institutional investors a way to source both talent and alternative data from an open global community. Neil became CEO of Meritas in 2021 and has since rebuilt the platform, which is scheduled for public release later this year. At Optima, Neil is Head of Risk and responsible for manager due diligence. As an active global allocator since 2007, Neil has become an expert in alternative data usage trends within the investment management industry. Neil joined Optima in 2011 from Arden Asset Management, a multi-strategy hedge fund group where he was responsible for managing due diligence on several billion-dollar portfolios. Prior to Arden, Neil spent five years in government as a Financial Crimes Investigator for New York State. Neil started his career at Salomon Smith Barney, working in equity trading operations for one of the most active investment banks at the time. Neil received a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York and is National Founding Father of Sigma Beta Rho, one of the largest multicultural fraternities in the United States.
Agenda
The Shifting Investment Landscape of the Gulf Cooperation Council States
4:15–5:00 pm
Cocktail Reception
6:00–7:30 pm
The Evolution of Sam Zell’s Private Investment Firm
5:15–6:00 pm
Coffee & Networking Break
5:00–5:15 pm
Investing in Underrepresented Fund Managers and Founders
3:30–4:15 pm
3:00–3:30 pm
The Resurgence of Hedge Funds
2:15–3:00 pm
Adam Hakki & Paula Anderson
Predictions for the Future of Sports Investment
1:30–2:15 pm
Lunch & Roundtable Sessions
12:00–1:30 pm
Emerging Opportunities & Threats in Artificial Intelligence
11:15 am–12:00 pm
Welcome Address
11:00–11:15 am
Conference Registration
10:00–11:00 am
Moderator
Donna Parisi Global Head of Finance & Head of Family Office Group Shearman & Sterling
Speaker
During this fireside chat with Mark Sotir, President of Equity Group Investments (EGI), we will hear his perspectives on constructing an investment strategy that will sustain through this turbulent era and into the next generation, and the pathways for building long-term value. Mark oversees all aspects of the business with a focus on maximizing and sustaining the value of the firm’s investment portfolio and optimizing Sam Zell’s network. He applies his 20+ years of board and CEO experience inside and outside the organization by actively engaging with the investment team and portfolio companies to improve business strategies and operating capabilities. Mark joined EGI in 2006 as a managing director and has overseen a range of investments. He has also held temporary in-house assignments within EGI portfolio companies to accelerate and increase the effectiveness of turnarounds, including stints at Tribune Interactive and Exterran Holdings.
Omar Alkaffas Partner Shearman & Sterling
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have experienced a shifting investment landscape in recent years. Several factors have contributed to this evolving environment. Historically reliant on hydrocarbon resources, the GCC states have been actively pursuing economic diversification to reduce their dependence on oil and gas. Governments have implemented strategies to promote non-oil sectors such as tourism, finance, technology, renewable energy and manufacturing. This diversification has led to an expanding investment landscape with new opportunities and sectors attracting capital. GCC countries are embracing technology and innovation to drive economic growth and enhance competitiveness by investing in digital transformation, smart cities, fintech, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Startups and entrepreneurial ecosystems are emerging, creating investment opportunities in the technology and innovation space. The region continues to attract foreign direct investment as efforts to improve the ease of doing business, ease regulations and provide incentives for investors have made the GCC attractive for international companies and investors. During this discussion with Katie Partridge, Chief Executive Officer of Saphira Group and Stephen Shaya, Managing Director of Akkad Holdings, we will discuss opportunities for investors looking to participate in the region's economic diversification and growth strategies as the GCC seeks to create a thriving investment environment, promote partnerships and attract domestic and international capital.
Sarah McLean Partner Shearman & Sterling
The investment landscape for emerging managers has experienced significant changes in recent years, presenting a number of challenges for this key segment of the market. While the pandemic initially brought favorable conditions for fundraising, the market volatility that followed has impacted the flow of capital, which resulted in emerging managers finding it increasingly challenging to secure funds. During this conversation with three prominent, diverse investors, we will examine the critical role that emerging managers play in the evolution of the venture capital landscape, how family offices can leverage their networks to actively seek opportunities to co-invest alongside diverse managers and how incorporating these considerations into your investment approach can help drive positive change to create a more inclusive and equitable investment landscape.
Hedge funds are showing signs of a resurgence, but will the resurgence last? The industry recorded net inflows in 1H as investors sought alpha generation opportunities and public market-uncorrelated returns with reduced volatility. As global markets continue to be impacted by the volatility prompted by geopolitical conflict, inflation, central bank intervention and increased regulatory action, will investors continue to adopt diverse strategies to capture different return streams which they may not have direct access to? During this panel, we will discuss the considerations that may impact hedge fund investing, including market conditions, the regulatory environment, investor demand, performance and the ability of hedge funds to adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing investment landscape.
Investment in sports has rapidly increased in the last several years, turning the industry into its own asset class. As sports become more interwoven with other sectors, “investing with a sports focus” has become a compelling investment thesis. Investors are pursuing opportunities stemming from the connectivity of sports, media and technology. As the consumer economy continues to evolve, the sports industry has become more valuable. This dynamic is providing unprecedented growth opportunities to both investors and operators. How will this trend continue to evolve in 2H 2023 and beyond? During this discussion with Alexander Bente of The Adi Dassler International Family Office and Greg Resh, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sagamore Ventures, we will cover how sports will likely still be seen as an attractive option for investment, despite being in a challenging economic environment, and how technology and media will continue to infuse every aspect of the industry.
Co-investment Roundtables ▪ Private Equity ▪ Venture Capital ▪ Real Estate/Sports ▪ Hedge Funds/Public Equities ▪ ESG/Impact/Energy/Climate ▪ Healthcare Attendees will be separated into small groups organized by industry for informal group discussion and networking, facilitated by a Shearman & Sterling industry leader.
Emily Leitch Partner Shearman & Sterling
Artificial intelligence (AI) use is proliferating—almost every industry will either use or benefit from AI applications, and the industry is exploding. McKinsey reports that approximately 47% of organizations globally have embedded AI into their operations, and another 30% are investigating its use. The emergence of AI presents both opportunities and threats. With growing fear surrounding the potential spread of misinformation, bias and ethical concerns and job displacement, there are also opportunities to address some of the world's most significant challenges. During this intimate dialogue between two leading family offices, we will address the growing threats that exist in the field and address how business leaders can seize the opportunities presented by AI to be better positioned to succeed in the age of transformative technology through responsible development, governance, and collaboration among stakeholders.
Amir Homayoun Rafizadeh has a successful track record of building strategic partnerships by pairing the right customers to the right products and services. Amir began his career in 1986 as Head of Sales for a Persian single-family office based in London and within four years he turned it into a large multi-family office with 30+ families managing over $1 billion in assets. Amir has built a private network and community of over 300 single-family offices and institutional allocators across the U.S. His sales consulting practice (678 Partners LLC) provides advisory services on sales growth, sales strategies and customer acquisition strategies to privately-held companies that are typically owned by a holding company or a family office. Amir’s previous consulting clients include Morgan Stanley, TriState Capital Bank and Charles Schwab Institutional. Amir has volunteered for several non-profit organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Alzheimer's Association, Athletes Against Drugs, Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, Charity Water and Future Founders. Amir has a BSc in Computer Science from University College of London and an MBA in International Business from the University of Bristol.
Amir H. Rafizadeh Managing Partner 678 Partners
Donna Parisi is the Global Head of Finance covering bank finance, leveraged lending, project finance, restructuring and insolvency, and structured products and derivatives. She is the Derivatives Team Leader, is a Lead Industry Coordinator for Financial Institutions and leader of the firm’s Family Office Initiative. Donna is also a member of Shearman Women and the Firm’s Executive Group. She advises clients on the full range of derivatives, structured products, securitization, capital markets and commodities matters. In particular, she helps clients develop and structure new financial products and has extensive experience in the negotiation and documentation of OTC derivative transactions across all asset classes. Donna has broad and deep knowledge of financial institutions, regulatory requirements and the evolving business landscape. A skilled practitioner and negotiator, she represents major financial institutions including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, hedge funds and other private investment funds as well as corporate clients. Donna founded the firm’s FinTech Foundry program, which supports the FinTech-related activities of our clients and the wider global FinTech ecosystem including financial institutions, FinTech startups, accelerators and incubators, venture capital and private equity investors, and policymakers. In addition, Donna is a prominent thought leader and frequently serves as a moderator or panelist at events organized by the Financial Times, Glass Hammer, Thomson Reuters, FinTech Cocktail Club, WISER and the Practising Law Institute, among others. Donna has been named to Innovate Finance’s Women in FinTech Powerlist 2018–2023.
Click on title for session details
DAY 1 Wednesday, September 27, 2023
DAY 2 THURSDAY, September 28, 2023
Roger Morscheiser Partner Shearman & Sterling
Azam Aziz Partner Shearman & Sterling
KeyNote
4:30–8:00 pm
Session Title
3:00–4:30 pm
12:00–4:30 pm
12:00 pm
10:30 am–12:00 pm
Day 2
2:00–2:30 pm
4:00–4:30 pm
How an Impact Platform Deploys Multiple Capital Tools to Address Climate Change
3:15–4:00 pm
Private Markets – Institutional Perspectives
2:30–3:15 pm
Partnering with Other Families and Institutions for Co-investment Opportunities
1:15–2:00 pm
Lunch & Networking
12:30–1:15 pm
SPAC Lessons
11:45 am–12:30 pm
How Biotech is Reshaping the Future of Healthcare
11:00–11:45 am
10:30–11:00 am
Multi Family Offices – Wealth Management, Liquidity Planning & Private Market Opportunities
9:45–10:30 am
The State of the VC Market – What’s Next?
9:00–9:45 am
Welcome Breakfast
8:00–9:00 am
Closing Remarks
Adam Hakki Senior Partner Shearman & Sterling
Declaration Partners – Creating Value in Private Investing
Declaration Partners is a family office founded and led by David M. Rubenstein, private equity veteran, philanthropist, and Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group. During this fireside chat with David M. Rubenstein and Todd S. Rich, Co-Founder and Partner of Declaration Partners, Head of Real Estate and Chairman of Declaration’s Real Estate Investment Committee, we will learn about Declaration’s “family office” investment approach, how the team deploys capital selectively and the evolution from deploying David’s capital and their own capital to leveraging other partners on a deal-by-deal basis. David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group. He is a 1970 graduate of Duke University and a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington and the University of Chicago; he is a Trustee of the World Economic Forum and a Director of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other board seats. Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge, the host of The David Rubenstein Show, Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein and Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein and the author of The American Story, How to Lead, The American Experiment and How to Invest. Todd S. Rich is a Co-Founder and Partner of Declaration Partners and oversees Declaration’s real estate investment activity. Todd brings over 20 years of real estate investing and operating experience, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, leasing and management of portfolios involving over $20 billion of institutional quality real estate. Prior experience includes Partner at The JBG Companies and a member of its Investment and Management Committees, where he was involved in strategic efforts culminating in the creation of JBG SMITH Properties as a public REIT (NYSE: JBGS). He was responsible for Tishman Speyer’s business activities in the Washington, DC, region and worked in Tishman Speyer’s Chicago, London and New York offices. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Princeton University, and was a US Fulbright Scholar. Todd serves as a board member of the SED Center and the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Washington. He is a former board member of the Economic Club of Washington.
During this fireside chat, we will be introduced to Builders Initiative Foundation by Noelle Laing, Chief Investment Officer. Builders Initiative Foundation is an impact platform founded by Lukas Walton that is dedicated to helping organizations and people build a more humane and healthier planet. By integrating climate-focused investment opportunities, conducting impact assessments, advocating for policy changes and fostering collaboration, the platform collaborates with entrepreneurs, organizations, innovators and community leaders to seed and scale meaningful solutions to the most pressing environmental and social challenges. They are driven by the beliefs that the most successful businesses of the future will be the ones that are purpose-driven and, that those closest to the problem are best equipped to solve it. Builders Vision's philanthropic and investment focus areas include sustainable food and agriculture, healthy oceans, renewable energy and thriving communities.
Anna Salek Head of Family Office Group & Head of Private Client Group Shearman & Sterling
Endowments and foundations continuously assess and refine their investment approach. This iterative process helps enhance their understanding of the private investment landscape and improve their investment outcomes over time. Endowments and foundations typically have long-term investment horizons due to their extended timeframes. This long-term perspective allows them to allocate a significant portion of their portfolios to illiquid investments such as private equity, venture capital, real estate and infrastructure. Is the middle market considered a safe haven? During this conversation with Sheryl Mejia, Managing Partner of Steward Asset Management, Amy Wang, Managing Director, Head of Credit Strategies of Blue Earth Capital and Sandy Choi, General Counsel & Head of Compliance of Wilshire Advisors, we will discuss how diversification and due diligence processes are implemented to assess the potential risks and returns of private investments, how investment leaders establish appropriate strategies to maintain liquidity while maximizing returns and how networks are leveraged to engage with top-tier venture capital and private equity firms to gain exposure to high-growth companies and innovative strategies.
Co-investing has become one of the fastest growing strategies within private market investing. Family offices, in particular, value partnering with other like-minded families and institutions to gain access to attractive investment opportunities. Co-investing provides a channel for sophisticated family offices to leverage their infrastructure and proprietary networks to selectively partner with other families, private equity firms, and lead sponsors in investments that fit their specific mandate. During this panel with David Giroux, Principal of CFT Capital Partners, Mike Barry, Vice President of Duchossois Capital Management, and Nicholas Moseley, Managing Partner of Arbour Way Investors, they will discuss how to identify proprietary deal flow opportunities, assessing how your domain expertise, resources or market access can complement the capabilities of an institution, and how leveraging relationships with trusted contacts can add value and create access to unique opportunities.
Bill Nelson Partner Shearman & Sterling
While the SPAC asset class is still active, the size of the market is expected to continue to shrink with market fluctuations. Boston Consulting Group reports that given the constraints in the current environment, some SPACs have liquidated and returned proceeds back to investors while others have looked to merge. Regulatory uncertainty, sponsors recovering from redemptions and overall poor performance have led investors to become much more cautious, which will likely change the future landscape of the sector. As the SPAC market continues to evolve and regulatory guidance is provided, active investors will continue to seek unique opportunities to exploit. Will SPACs make a comeback? During this fireside chat with Jennifer Kwon Chou, Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer of The Gores Group and Anna Nekoranec, Co-Founder & CEO, Align Private Capital, they will provide an overview of the SPAC life cycle, perspectives on navigating negotiations and potential opportunities for family offices.
Ilir Mujalovic Partner Shearman & Sterling
Biotechnology is playing a significant role in reshaping the future of healthcare by driving advancements in medical research, diagnostics, therapeutics and personalized medicine. Biotech is harnessing the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence to extract insights from large datasets, including genomics, proteomics and clinical data. AI algorithms now analyze complex biological data, predict disease outcomes, identify patterns and assist in drug discovery. Machine learning techniques help optimize treatment regimens and support clinical decision-making. Despite challenging times, family offices and high net-worth individuals are increasingly active in biotech investments. Deal making in the sector is surging. During this conversation, Neeraj Rama, Chief Investment Officer of Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, Nils Regge, Principal of TruVenturo and Carter Neild, Managing Partner of OrbiMed, will explore the key investment themes that are shaping the industry’s record growth, secondary market transactions as a means for investors to access private biotech investments and how family offices are investing into the sector directly.
Alain Dermarkar Partner Shearman & Sterling
What make you so special? – Best practices in Family Office direct private investing
Join Stephens’ John Stephens and Mickey McFarlin in a discussion on the critical issues and strategies required for family enterprises—and families themselves—to continue their success into future generations. Both will reveal several case studies on how Stephens partners with family offices to design effective short-term and long-term investment strategies to meet their unique needs.
Exclusive Whiskey Tasting with Sagamore Spirit
Please join us as we close this year’s summit with an exclusive whiskey tasting hosted by Sagamore Spirit, founded by Kevin Plank, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American sportswear company, Under Armour.
5:15–5:30 pm
4:30–5:15 pm
5:30–7:30 pm
Mona E. Dajani Partner Shearman & Sterling
While VC investment in Q1 2023 increased by 37% from Q4 2022—rising to $44.1 billion compared to $32.3 billion for Q4 2022—continued economic uncertainty and the impact of the recent bank failures have impacted the overall investment outlook. VCs will likely become even more discerning about how they deploy capital, impacting start-ups in their efforts to raise new capital. As deals may become more “investor-friendly,” entrepreneurs will need to sharpen their business models, focus on fundamentals and demonstrate a clear pathway to profitability to be best positioned to compete for VC investment. During this conversation amongst two global leaders in the VC market, Shirley Romig, Chief Accelerator Investment Officer of Techstars and Sean O’Sullivan, Managing General Partner of SOSV will explore key themes in venture capital across deals, exits and fundraising and provide their perspectives on weathering the current storm.
Amir Homayoun Rafizadeh has a successful track record of building strategic partnerships by pairing the right customers to the right products and services. Amir began his career in 1986 as Head of Sales for a Persian single-family office based in London and within four years he turned it into a large multi-family office with 30+ families managing over $1 billion in assets. Amir has built a private network and community of over 300 single-family offices and institutional allocators across the US. His sales consulting practice (678 Partners LLC) provides advisory services on sales growth, sales strategies and customer acquisition strategies to privately-held companies that are typically owned by a holding company or a family office. Amir’s previous consulting clients include Morgan Stanley, TriState Capital Bank and Charles Schwab Institutional. Amir has volunteered for several non-profit organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Alzheimer's Association, Athletes Against Drugs, Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, Charity Water and Future Founders. Amir has a BSc in Computer Science from University College of London and an MBA in International Business from the University of Bristol.
Anna Salek is the Private Client Team Leader. She focuses on assisting clients with preserving and transferring wealth, in a manner that is both tax efficient and consistent with personal objectives. Her experience extends to all aspects of estate, gift, and income tax planning for both domestic and multinational clients. Anna has extensive experience preparing estate plans; administering substantial estates and trusts, from probate proceedings to IRS audits; and advising clients on the tax and other aspects of charitable giving, such as the disposition of appreciated property and the formation and administration of public charities and private foundations. Anna’s clients include family offices, closely held business owners, business executives, trust beneficiaries, executors, trustees and private equity fund principals. Her advice is often sought by fund principals who are in the initial stages of forming a fund and business owners who are selling, or taking public, their closely held business. She works closely with her clients’ family offices, accountants, insurance brokers and their investment and other advisers to identify potential issues, simplify structures and find creative solutions to complex issues. Anna is very involved with the firm’s Family Office Initiative, which takes a multidisciplinary approach to providing single and multi-family offices across the globe with the unique legal advice that they require.
Thursday, September 28 (4:30– 5:15 PM) Declaration Partners – Creating Value in Private Investing
Christopher M. Zochowoski Partner Shearman & Sterling
Anna Nekoranec Co-Founder & CEO Align Private Capital
