Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders in Investment Management of 2023. Put simply, investment management refers to the supervision of financial assets and investments, extending beyond mere buying and selling. While investment managers may hold various certifications, their primary focus is providing financial guidance and services to aid clients in their wealth management journey. This may involve the formulation of strategies for the acquisition and disposal of portfolio holdings, whether for short-term or long-term purposes. Additionally, investment management may encompass a range of financial services and responsibilities, including banking, budgeting, and tax-related tasks.
Fortunately, there has been a noteworthy transformation in this powerful industry, with a growing emphasis on women taking on leadership positions. Notably, the number of women graduating with business degrees has increased in recent years; and their involvement in asset management has shown an uptick over the past decade. This encouraging trend not only represents a step forward in the pursuit of gender equality but also highlights the invaluable contributions that women have made across a wide range of fields within the financial sector. Indeed some of this year’s awardees are affiliated with several notable companies in the finance world, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch, to name just a few.
Among this year’s awardees is Andrea Lee, the Global Co-Head of Investment Banking, Global Joint Head of Financial Institutions, and Global Head of Specialty Finance and Lending Technology at Jefferies LLC. An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Lee has raised over $90 billion of public and private equity capital and debt financing.
Allison Dunlap, another distinguished awardee, is a Managing Director at Harbour Capital, where she provides leadership at the company's Advisors’ alternative investment platform and serves as a family wealth advisor. Dunlap's experience includes a five-year tenure at Alliance Partners, where she developed and ran the sales group responsible for the distribution of over $2 billion of assets to 200+ institutional clients nationwide. Lastly, we have Lily Ku, a SVP & Financial Advisor for Wealth Enhancement Group, which currently boasts more than $70 billion in AUM.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders in Investment Management of 2023.
1. Valerie Hannah
Managing Director & CEO, Brookfield Asset Management
Valerie Hannah is a Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Brookfield Asset Management in the Renewable Power & Transition Group, responsible for leading and developing the distributed energy business.
Hannah joined Brookfield in 2011, and since then has held a number of roles, most recently serving as chief operating officer of TerraForm Power, and prior to that, as the chief financial officer for the Renewable Power Group’s North American business. Prior to joining Brookfield, Hannah held a senior finance role in a large Canadian public company. Hannah holds a bachelor of commerce from Concordia University, a graduate diploma from McGill University, and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.
2. Anita Ogbara
Managing Director of Global Credit Markets, BNP Paribas
Anita Ogbara began her professional career 19 years ago. Today, she is the Managing Director of Global Credit Markets at BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 65 countries, with more than 190,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. Ogbara is a seasoned investment banking professional with significant experience in capital structure analysis, debt capital markets, and structuring.
She advises high-yield and investment-grade clients on debt capacity, capital structure, and rating agency issues. Ogbara leads the North American Ratings Advisory coverage of Technology/Media/Telecom, Healthcare, Consumer/Retail, Transports, Industrials, Building Materials, Packaging, Financial Institutions, and REITs.
Ogbara first got her start in 2004 as an associate in investment banking within global industrials at Bear Stearns & Co. From there, she went on to Standard & Poor's. She graduated from Columbia | SIPA with an MPA in international economic policy and management, and from NYU Stern School of Business with an MBA in finance.
3. Patti Shugart
Managing Director & Global Head of Corporate Banking and Global Credit, RBC Capital Markets
Patti Shugart is the Global Head of Corporate Banking and Global Credit and a member of the Operating Committee at RBC Capital Markets. In her role, Shugart oversees a client-facing team of more than 500 professionals globally who specialize in lending, trading credit, and loan portfolio management for our corporate and institutional clients. She also chairs the Loan Portfolio Review Committee and the Commitments Committee which determines the firm’s global lending decisions.
Shugart is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. She sits on the bank-wide RBC Diversity Leadership Council, is a co-founder of RWomen, a global internal forum dedicated to fostering and developing female talent, and chairs the Women in Capital Markets Advisory Council. She is also the current Executive Champion for the Toronto RBC Race for the Kids and is RBC's Executive Sponsor for the United Way’s Women United group. Shugart has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the industry through the Champion of Change award from Women in Capital Markets in 2016. She was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network in 2015 and 2017, and received the Women in Capital Markets Award for Leadership in 2010.
Shugart is also a board member at Branksome Hall and sits on the Advisory Board for the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. She has an MBA from the University of Toronto (Rotman) and a bachelor of commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University.
4. Deana Harmon
Senior Vice President & Investment Director, PNC
Deana Harmon is the SVP and Investment Director for PNC Institutional Asset Management, responsible for leading the advisory services offering for defined contribution plans. In her role, Harmon is actively involved with the rollout and continued delivery of fiduciary investment services for existing and new clients. In addition, as an investment thought leader, she heads the group’s investment insight and communications with clients, the media, and industry leaders.
Prior to her current role, Harmon was chief investment officer and retirement plan advisor for a registered investment advisor firm serving only retirement plans. There she provided leadership and advice to clients. Prior to that position, she was a senior relationship manager at a regional broker/dealer and RIA, where she was responsible for investment reviews and retirement plan advisory services. Harmon was acknowledged for her contributions to the retirement industry by being awarded NAPA Top Woman Advisors accolade in 2018, 2017, and 2015. She is also a member of the Investment Committee for the Plan Sponsor Council of America. Harmon received a bachelor of science from Ball State University and an MBA from Butler University. She has earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) Designation and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) Designation.
5. Alison Mass
Chairman of the Investment Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
Alison Mass is Chairman of Investment Banking and is an advisor to corporate and private equity clients globally. She is a member of the Management Committee and the Investment Banking Executive Committee. Ms. Mass also leads the Office of Alumni Engagement for the firm and is a member of the Board of Advisors of Launch With GS.
Previously, she was global head of the Financial and Strategic Investors Group (FSIG) in the Investment Banking Division, responsible for relationships with private equity and multi-national clients. Before that, Ms. Mass was co-head of FSIG in the Americas from 2003 to 2015. She joined Goldman Sachs as a partner in 2001. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Mass worked at Merrill Lynch from 1990 to 2001, and held several senior management positions in the securities and investment banking areas. Earlier in her career, she worked at Drexel Burnham. Ms. Mass serves as a member of the New York University Stern Executive Board. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Ballet.
6. Nimisha Srivastava
Head of Investments, North America, WTW
As the Head of Investments, North America at WTW, Nimisha Srivastava leads a team of over 200 colleagues who provide investment advice and discretionary management to asset owners across the US and Canada. She is a member of the global leadership team within investments which oversees $4T+ in AUA and $180B+ in delegated and outsourced CIO solutions worldwide. With a background in global markets, portfolio management, and institutional investing, Srivastava is passionate about driving innovation and excellence, while fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion.
She has been recognized as a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) in 2022 and received the Institutional Investor's Influential Women in Investing award in 2023. She has authored numerous publications, serves on several industry bodies, and is a frequent speaker on institutional investing, fixed income, culture, and diversity. Srivastava graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in mathematical sciences and holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
7. Loni Lee Ang
Senior Vice President, Global Wealth Management Group, Merrill Lynch
Loni Ang is a Senior Vice President wealth management advisor and CFP™ professional at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She was recruited from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in 2009 and has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She advises families, business owners, and corporate executives in private wealth management. Ang and her team of specialists provide extensive knowledge in the areas of tax-aware investment management, cash management strategies, liability management, retirement planning, estate planning services, philanthropic consulting, and insurance solutions for risk management and wealth transfer strategies. Ang holds insurance and annuity licenses, in addition to Series 7, 63, 65, and Futures Managed Funds FINRA registrations.
Ang began her career at Ernst & Young, LLP as a Certified Public Accountant. In addition to earning a BS in Accounting from USC, she has also obtained an MBA in Finance from the USC Marshall School of Business. She serves on the board of Ernst & Young, LLP Alumni Association, and was a Director for the California Society of CPAs.
8. Samara Epstein Cohen
Chief Investment Officer of ETF & Index Investments, BlackRock
Samara Cohen, Senior Managing Director, is the Chief Investment Officer of the ETF and Index Investments (EII) business for BlackRock and a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee.
As CIO for EII, Cohen leads the teams responsible for delivering the market quality and investment integrity of BlackRock’s index funds and iShares ETFs. Encompassing portfolio managers, risk managers, platform architects, market structure developers, and product operating model designers, those teams seek to lead in the modernization of the indexing industry and ETF markets to help more and more people achieve financial well-being. Cohen is a member of the GEC Investment Subcommittee and the EII Management Committee. She also serves on the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee and the board of the BlackRock Foundation.
Cohen first joined BlackRock in 1993 as an analyst in the Institutional Client Business group. Prior to rejoining BlackRock in 2015, she was a managing director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs. She also served as chief operating officer of Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) Americas Sales, and led the Global Market Transition team, which developed and delivered solutions to clients in an evolving market structure and a changing regulatory environment. Previously Cohen worked in Interest Rate Products at Goldman Sachs where she was responsible for developing strategies in interest rate and derivative markets for a broad range of institutional clients, including banks, insurance companies, asset managers, and hedge funds. Cohen earned a BS Econ. in Finance from the Wharton School, and a BA in theatre arts from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
9. Allison Harden
SVP of Asset Management, Macquarie Group
Allison Harden is the Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Macquarie Group. Macquarie empowers people to innovate and invest for a better future. It is a global financial services organization with Australian heritage, operating in 34 markets. Harden has 17 years of experience. She began her career in 2006.
Before joining Macquarie Group, Harden was an associate director of leveraged finance at Rabobank International, Sydney Australia. Harden graduated from Babson College with an undergraduate degree in economics and finance.
10. Marianne Simpson
Senior Vice President, Raymond James
With more than 30 years of industry experience, Marianne Simpson is a steadfast partner in helping her clients navigate life and the markets. Highly dedicated and a good listener, she emphasizes being personally available and accessible to clients as their financial advisor. She builds strong relationships for the long term based on common values and mutual respect.
She was introduced to the world of investing as a young teen through her father, who managed a stock brokerage office in the New York area. She would fill in when an employee was on vacation, doing everything from phoning in stock trades directly to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to reporting results to cigar-smoking brokers. She worked as a temp for local brokerage offices through high school and college. After a brief career in marketing with a major financial company, she was invited to enter the broker training program at a prominent investment firm and has been in the business ever since. She joined Raymond James in 1999 through its acquisition of Roney & Co., where she had worked for five years. She earned a BA from Montclair State University in New Jersey.
Giving back to the community is a priority for Simpson. She works with homeless animals, sings in community choral groups and church, and is a hospice volunteer. Originally from northern New Jersey, she lives in Shaker Heights. She has a daughter, Jessica. When she’s away from the office, she enjoys the performing arts, reading, and keeping up with current events. You might also find her taking care of her 100-year-old historic home.
11. Anne Simpson
Global Head of Sustainability, Franklin Templeton
Anne Simpson is the Global Head of Sustainability for Franklin Templeton, reporting to the President and CEO. In this newly created role, Simpson is responsible for driving the company's strategic direction on stewardship, sustainability, and ESG investment strategy globally, while fostering best practices within the firm's autonomous specialist investment managers. Anne was ranked by Time Magazine as one of the 15 women leading the fight on climate change, and as one of the top 100 Women in US Finance by Barrons. She has been listed by the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the most influential people in the boardroom for each year since 2012.
She is a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University appointed by the Chancellor and teaches at the University of California, Berkeley Haas Business School as a Lecturer in Sustainable and Impact Finance. Anne’s most recent book is The Financial Ecosystem: the role of finance in achieving sustainability, with Satyajit Bose and Dong Guo, published by Palgrave MacMillan. She sits on the editorial board of the journal Directors and Boards.
Simpson is a member of the Advisory Council of the Official Monetary Financial Institutions Forum, a board member at Ceres, serves on the Leadership Council for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. Anne is a co-founder and steering committee member of Climate Action 100+. She has previously served on the US SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's Investor Advisory Group, and the International Financial Reporting Standards’ Advisory Council.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Simpson served as Managing Investment Director for Board Governance & Sustainability at CalPERS, where she was a member of its Investment Management Committee. Simpson also led the CalPERS’ investment office diversity, equity, and inclusion business initiative, including the founding of 3D (Diverse Director DataSource) and Human Capital Management Coalition. Previous roles include teaching as a senior faculty fellow and lecturer at the Yale School of Management, Head of the Global Corporate Governance Forum at the World Bank, the first Executive Director of the International Corporate Governance Network, and Joint Managing Director of Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (PIRC) Ltd in London.
12. Katrina Dudley, CFA, CAIA
SVP, Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager, Franklin Templeton
Katrina Dudley is a Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist at Franklin Mutual Series, where she manages the Franklin Mutual Global Discovery, Franklin Mutual International Value, and Franklin Mutual European strategies. Dudley has been a portfolio manager since 2007 and has been a member of the Mutual Series team since 2002. In addition to her portfolio management responsibilities, her research coverage includes global industrial and machinery companies. Prior to joining Mutual Series, Dudley worked at Federated Investors, Inc. and Ernst & Young LLP.
Dudley has a passion for advocating for women in finance and business. She has mentored many up-and-coming female investment professionals, speaking at industry events to encourage more women to enter the investment management industry, and helping female executives increase their familiarity with Wall Street. She is the author of the introduction to the Vault Career Guide to Mutual Funds, and is co-author with Columbia Business School Adjunct Professor Ellen Carr of ''Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management." Dudley is a frequent market commentator on Bloomberg and CNBC.
Dudley earned an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, a law degree (with first-class honors), a commerce degree from Bond University (Australia), and an associate of science degree (computer science) from the University of the People. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). Within her community, she is a board member of the CFA Society of New York, Vice Chair of the Board of The Children's Village, a member of the AEI Leadership Network, an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University, a guest lecturer at NYU Stern School of Business, a member of the Management Advisory Committee of the NYU Michael Price Student Investment Fund, a member of the Digital Faculty of Portfolios with Purpose, and a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Women in Finance & Investment Network.
13. Maddi Dessner
Head of Global Asset Class Services, Capital Group
Maddi Dessner is the Head of Global Asset Class Services of Capital Group, a financial services company that was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1931. It is among the world's largest and oldest investment management organizations, with over $2.2 trillion in assets under management and more than 9,000 employees. Capital Group is privately held and has offices around the globe in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Dessner has 28 years of experience. She began her career in 1995.
Prior to joining Capital, Maddi was head of investment specialists Americas within JP Morgan’s Multi Asset Solutions. Before that, she was COO of their emerging markets equity team. Dessner graduated from the University at Buffalo with an MBA in finance and an undergraduate degree in economics.
14. Andrea Lee
Co-Head of Global Investment Banking, Jefferies
Andrea Lee is the Global Co-Head of Investment Banking, Global Joint Head of Financial Institutions, and Global Head of Specialty Finance and Lending Technology at Jefferies LLC. The Specialty Finance and Lending Technology sector includes the full spectrum of consumer and commercial finance, marketplace lenders, and technology-enabled credit solutions providers.
She has exclusively covered the specialty finance sector as an investment banker for over 30 years. Lee has raised over $90 billion of public and private equity capital and debt financing. Lee received a BA in economics from Wesleyan University.
15. Leah Boccia
Chief Administrative Officer, Investments, Invesco
Leah Boccia is the Chief Administrative Officer of Investments for Invesco. In this role, she oversees strategic initiatives and priorities for the investments organization. Boccia has 18 years of experience, in various roles including marketing manager, director of investment initiatives, and currently as Chief Administrative Officer, Investments.
Her extensive experience is in developing and executing firm-wide strategies and priorities with the highest level of executive and leadership teams. She is very comfortable presenting to large groups and senior-level management, with strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to forge relationships at all levels across the firm. Previously, Boccia was an account executive at BBDO Atlanta, and before that a junior account manager at Blue Sky Agency. Boccia earned an MBA from the University of Georgia - Terry College of Business and an undergraduate degree in commerce from DePaul University.
16. Anna Paglia
Managing Director & Global Head of ETFs and Indexed Strategies, Invesco US
As the Global Head of Invesco’s ETFs, Indexed Strategies, SMAs, and Models business, Anna Paglia is the most senior Invesco executive responsible for growing these business areas around the world. This role is a culmination of her twenty years in the ETF industry across several countries and 13 years at Invesco. Her management of Invesco’s regional ETF leaders in the US, Canada, EMEA, and APAC ensures consistent execution of her overarching vision across each region. She is also the main liaison between Invesco’s senior management and the ETF Board, as well as the President and Principal Executive Officer of the Invesco ETF Trusts. In 2023, Anna’s mandate was expanded to include the oversight and the strategic direction of the SMA and Models business at Invesco, aligning all aspects of these growing areas.
Paglia sits on the board of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She is also a member of The Chicago Network, a member of the Global Advisory Committee for the Invesco Women’s Network, and a strong advocate in the mentorship program for Women in ETFs.
Paglia earned a JD from L.U.I.S.S. Law School in Rome, a law school certificate from Kingston University School of Law in London, and an LLM from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, where she focused on the aspects of law tied to financial products including mutual funds and (new at the time) ETFs. Paglia is a lawyer by trade and she is currently admitted to practice law in Illinois and New York.
17. Tamara Finch
Executive Managing Director & Global Head of Financial Sponsor, TD Securities
Tamara Finch is Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Sponsors at TD Securities. Finch leads a high-performing investment banking team responsible for being a trusted advisor to Private Equity, Infrastructure, and Canadian Pension Plan investors across LBO, M&A, IPO, and financing mandates. In her 20+ years of private equity, investment, and corporate banking experience, Finch has built a reputation for being an entrepreneurial change agent, building trust, achieving consensus, and driving value. Finch is seen as a female role model in finance, a believer in talent being the key driver of value in all companies, and a passionate advocate of the advancement of women in the workplace as well as boards. Finch believes that diversity in teams and board rooms leads to better discussions, better decision-making, and ultimately better performance.
Prior to joining TD, Finch was a direct private equity investor, and built and led the successful value creation business for Ontario Teachers, creating a systematic, repeatable transformation agenda across the 60+ company direct investment portfolios that consistently delivered top-quartile returns. Finch sat on the Private Capital Underwriting Committee, chaired the Portfolio Monitoring Committee, and took on key leadership roles in strategy, talent, and digital innovation for the pension fund. Finch began her finance career at Scotiabank in corporate credit focused on leveraged buy-outs. She has extensive board experience including Amica Senior Lifestyles, Exal Group, Alliance Laundry Systems, and Women’s College Hospital. Finch holds a BA in Honours economics from Queen’s University and an MBA from the University of Toronto. She is a CFA charter holder and holds the ICD.D designation. Outside of work, Finch enjoys community service, spending time with family and friends, and a good tennis match.
18. Judi Mackey
Managing Director & Head of Global Communications, Lazard
Judi Mackey is a Managing Director and Head of Global Communications at Lazard, one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms. She leads all internal and external communications across the firm’s businesses globally. Mackey joined Lazard in 2006 from Hill & Knowlton (H&K), a WPP agency.
At H&K she was director and SVP of the US Corporate and Financial practice, which included corporate positioning, issues management, investor relations, transactions, economic development, employee communications, and financial services marketing across multiple sectors. Prior to H&K, Mackey served as chair of the US corporate & financial practice for Burson-Marsteller, and led Edelman Worldwide’s New York and global reputation management teams. Mackey graduated from Arizona State University with an undergraduate degree in music performance.
19. Teresa Heitsenrether
Chief Data and Analytics Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Teresa Heitsenrether is the firm’s Chief Data & Analytics Officer and a member of JPMorgan Chase’s Operating Committee. She leads a Data & Analytics organization responsible for the adoption of artificial intelligence across the company. Heitsenrether oversees data use, governance, and controls intending to harness AI technologies to effectively and responsibly develop new products, improve productivity, and enhance risk management.
Heitsenrether has been with J.P. Morgan throughout her 35-year career. Prior to her current role, Heitsenrether was the global head of securities services from 2015 to 2023, providing custody, accounting, administration, middle office, collateral management, and data solutions to institutional investment managers, pension funds, and governments. Under her leadership, the business increased revenue by more than 22%, grew assets under custody by nearly $9 trillion, and more than doubled assets under administration. The business won some of the industry’s largest client mandates in history and launched Fusion, a data platform designed to help institutional investors better manage and leverage data in a scalable, efficient way. From 2012 to 2015, Heitsenrether was the global head of prime brokerage where she led the significant international expansion and growth of the business. She served as European head of prime brokerage from 2011 to 2012 and as head of prime brokerage product development from 2009 to 2011. Prior to 2009, Heitsenrether assumed increasing responsibilities across a variety of roles within the Treasury and Fixed Income businesses in NY and London.
Heitsenrether earned a BS in finance from Fordham University and holds an MBA from New York University. She is on the Advisory Board of Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business and the executive steering committee of JP Morgan’s Women on the Move.
20. Jackie Brady
Managing Director & Head of Global Debt Solutions, PGIM Real Estate
Jackie Brady is the Managing Director and Head of Global Debt Solutions at PGIM Real Estate. PGIM Real Estate provides investors and borrowers access to a range of real estate equity, real estate debt, agriculture, and impact solutions across the risk-return spectrum. PGIM Real Estate is a business of PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. Brady has 32 years of experience. She began her career in 1991.
Before joining PGIM Real Estate, Brady was a managing principal at Canopy Investment Advisors and before that a managing director at CenterSquare Investment Management. Earlier in her career she worked with JP Morgan Securities as a vice president. Brady graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with an MA in international economics and from Haverford College with an undergraduate degree.
21. Erin Burke Schmitz
Managing Director & Business Manager, Wellington Management
As Business Manager of Private Credit, Erin Burke supports the growth, expansion, and oversight of the private credit business and its integration within the firm. Working closely with the Private Investment leadership team, Burke leads complex cross-functional initiatives with a focus on ensuring strong collaboration and communication across functions and on facilitating decision-making. She also plays a key role in managing day-to-day activities and initiatives for the business, including the expansion into new areas. Previously, as a talent acquisition manager, Burke was responsible for leading Wellington Management’s investment-related talent acquisition activities in North America. She worked closely with hiring managers across all asset classes, helping them to identify and recruit talent for the firm.
Prior to joining Wellington Management, Burke worked as an executive recruiter within the asset management industry for Spencer Stuart. In her most recent role, she also served as associate practice leader for the broader financial services practice in North America. Earlier, she was an equity analyst at Citi Investment Research, and she began her career as a research assistant at Strong Capital Management.
Burke earned her undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Richmond. Additionally, she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and is a member of the CFA Institute and the Boston Security Analysts Society.
22. Rebecca Garces
Managing Director & Head of Portfolio Compliance, Nuveen
Rebecca Garces is Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Compliance and is based in Chicago. Garces has more than 30 years of investment management experience, primarily in the area of Portfolio Compliance and Investment Operations at firms such as Nuveen Investments, UBS Global Asset Management, ABN AMRO Asset Management, and UBS/Brinson Partners. Garces has developed strong subject matter expertise in compliance, portfolio administration, trade settlements, performance measurement, and client reporting. She possesses a comprehensive understanding of capital markets and securities operations with a wide diversity of asset class expertise.
Garces’ background includes roles of increasing responsibility, including business analysis, project management, process reengineering, training, and operational team leadership functions. She is a hands-on project manager and senior business analyst who has made a positive impact, and has been a key contributor to numerous strategic initiatives throughout her career in the investment management industry.
Garces has a proven track record of managing both investment IT and operations projects across the front, middle, and back office, and has been directly involved in many successful, large-scale implementations of such tools as Latent Zero’s Tesseract & Sentinel, IDS (currently Fiserv) GIM 2000 and Thomson Reuters PORTIA.
23. Diane Snowden
Head of Advisor Solutions Group, Janus Henderson Investors
Diane Snowden is Head of the Advisor Solutions Group at Janus Henderson Investors, a position she has held since 2023. In this role, she leads a team of 75 internal and external sales and service teams, focusing on growth and diversification. Snowden has held various roles in the advisor sales organization, most recently as national sales manager. Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Snowden was with J&W Seligman for seven years. She also held positions with Van Kampen Merritt and Federated. Snowden holds a bachelor of science from Widener University. She also holds FINRA Series 24, 7, 63, and 65 licenses and has more than 25 years of financial industry experience.
24. Brittany Cash
Managing Director & Co-Head of Corporate Communications, Ares Management
Brittany is the Managing Director and Co-Head of Corporate Communications. She serves as a lead media spokesperson for Ares Management Corporation (Ares) and oversees external, internal, and digital communication across the firm’s global platform.
Prior to joining Ares in 2020, Ms. Cash was a vice president in the Financial Communications and Capital Markets Group of Edelman, where she advised financial services clients on the development and execution of strategic communications programs. Previously, Ms. Cash was a principal in the Marketing and Investor Relations Group at Centerbridge Partners, L.P., and a private investment manager, where she focused on corporate communications, branding, and business development. Ms. Cash holds a BS from Fordham University in business administration.
25. Julie Solomon
Partner & Global Chief COO, Real Estate, Ares Management Corporation
Julie Solomon is a Partner and Global Chief Operating Officer of Ares Real Estate. She serves as a member of the Ares Real Estate Global Investment Committee and the Ares Real Estate Operating Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2013, Solomon was a Partner at AREA Property Partners.
Previously, she was an associate at JP Morgan. Solomon is a member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), and sits on the Advisory Board of the Penn Arts and Sciences Professional Women's Alliance (PWA) as well as the Advisory Board of NYPEN Real Estate. She holds a BA, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in history and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
26. Elizabeth Besen
SVP & Global Head of Counterparty Relationship Management, D.E. Shaw & Co.
Elizabeth Besen is a Senior Vice President and Global Head of Counterparty Relationship Management at D.E. Shaw & Co. LP, overseeing all brokerage and banking relationships. Besen joined the firm in 2008 and established a holistic relationship management and reporting process across all asset classes and business units. She collaborates with portfolio managers, traders, and other senior colleagues to identify strategic priorities and leverages her strong counterparty network to identify new business opportunities to source and build new counterparty relationships. Besen and her team continue to develop and refine a comprehensive data analytics platform to inform their counterparty strategy. She firmly believes that relationships built on transparency and trust are the foundations for long-term success.
27. Patricia Farrell
Managing Director, Market Leader, Wilmington Trust
Patricia Farrell manages a group of wealth specialists in the western New York and Rochester regions. She has experience in planning, trust, investment management, family engagement, and family office services. Patty provides comprehensive wealth management advice to high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, entrepreneurs, and foundations and endowments. She and her team work closely with clients and their advisors to develop financial strategies to help clients meet their current needs and plan for their long-term objectives. Farrell has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry.
Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, she was a senior vice president and private client advisor at US Trust in Manhattan, where she was a private banking team leader. Previously, she was senior vice president and private client advisor at Bank of America, where she led a private banking team that served the Buffalo and Rochester regions. Earlier in her career, Farrell was a senior vice president and private banker at Key Private Bank in Buffalo. Farrell holds a master’s degree in finance from Canisius College and an undergraduate degree in economics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the 40 under 40 award, and was recently honored for being in the top 250 of Powerful leaders in WNY as well as the top 100 Powerful Women list.
28. Lesley Garafola
Managing Director & Global Head of Procurement and Vendor Management, Barings
Lesley Garafola is Barings’ Global Head of Procurement & Vendor Management and in this capacity, she leads the management and administration of third-party service providers. In this new role, Garafola’s focus is to design, build, and develop a supply chain vision and strategy. Her responsibilities include collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to develop, implement, and optimize vendor management processes, tools, and policies to achieve performance objectives while mitigating supplier risk and optimizing spend.
Prior to joining the firm in 2017, she served as the head of the Duke Energy Legal Department Operations organization and was accountable for the Administration, Finance, eDiscovery, Law Firm Management, and Legal Technology for the department. She joined Duke Energy, after a fifteen-year career with Wells Fargo, holding a variety of roles from finance to operations, and led many key initiatives for the Corporate Legal Department. Much of Garafola’s career has been spent working on spend management strategies, efficiency, and process improvement projects, designing and building organizations, and leading manual to automation implementations.
Garafola holds a BA from Hilbert College in Hamburg, NY. Active in the community, Garafola volunteers in several capacities for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Jr. Achievement, youth basketball coach, and Girls on the Run Coach. Specifically, Garafola has been a volunteer Council for Children’s Rights custody advocate for over 22 years. She served on the Board of the Council for Children’s Rights, and the Board of the Child and Family Service Center. Garafola is a certified yoga and meditation teacher.
29. Mindy Day
Director of Business Strategy, Morgan Stanley
Mindy Day is the Director of Business Strategy at Morgan Stanley, a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management, and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, its firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals. Day has 24 years of experience. She began her career in 1999.
Day was previously a wealth manager who specialized in Investment Management, Financial Planning, Estate Planning, and providing a deep level of client service. One of her most satisfying and humbling accomplishments has been serving for nearly two-and-a-half years as a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa where she learned to speak both French and Bambara, the local tribal language. Day received her MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a dual emphasis in finance and investments, and her BA in finance from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP™) professional and is a CFA Level III Charterholder candidate.
30. Melody Rollins
Global Head of Core Institutional Clients, Bridgewater Associates
Melody Rollins is a client advisor, leading client service for core institutional clients at Bridgewater Associates, a macro investment firm. With over 25 years of client service, marketing, and product development for institutional investors, Rollins is innovating the way her team delivers world-class client service by leveraging technology and digital platforms to deepen engagement with the firm's unique investment insights.
Prior to joining Bridgewater in 2018, Rollins was a partner and head of client service and marketing at Brightwood Capital, where she oversaw existing and prospective client and consultant relationships while also leading the development, marketing, and distribution of the firm’s private credit strategies. Prior to that, Rollins spent 15 years at PIMCO, most recently as the head of US institutional client management. In that role, she oversaw the bi-coastal team responsible for retaining and expanding institutional client relationships across both traditional and alternative investment strategies. Rollins started her career in debt capital markets and liability management at Salomon Brothers and Deutsche Bank. She has an MBA with a focus on financial engineering from MIT Sloan and a BS in international affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. In addition, Ms. Rollins holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations. She is a member of the Economic Club of New York and a founding member of Women of Color in Investments. Outside of work, Rollins prioritizes service to others through organizations and programs that build paths for economic mobility, promote social & environmental sustainability, and develop future leaders with the skills and perspectives needed to effect change. In 2021, Rollins was appointed to the Board of Georgetown University. She currently holds other board roles, including Chairperson for Custom Collaborative, Treasurer for Coro NY, and Investment Committee member for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She continues to serve on the advisory boards of Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and Hoop Haven CT. Rollins previously served on the boards of the NY Academy of Medicine and the Future Leaders Institute Charter School.
31. Amanda Harwood
Head of Practice Management, BMO Private Wealth
Amanda Harwood is the Head of Practice Management for BMO Private Wealth in Canada. She manages and works alongside a team of Practice Management Consultants to deliver support to wealth professionals across the firm nationally. Key areas of focus include succession planning, teaming, investment management, team structure, business development, holistic wealth planning, and client service strategies. Backed by the heritage, stability, and resources of BMO Financial Group – BMO Private Banking and BMO Nesbitt Burns have come together under the unified brand BMO Private Wealth. Professionals from one of North America's leading full-service investment firms and Canada's best private bank are partnered to help navigate the complex process of managing wealth. Its multi-disciplinary wealth management professionals take a proactive approach to helping high-net-worth individuals and families achieve their wealth goals.
Previously, Harwood was a regional director of Atlantic Canada at Russell Investments. She earned an undergraduate degree in accounting and English from Acadia University.
32. Denise Buchanan
Senior Director of Compliance, CAPTRUST
Denise Buchanan is Head of Compliance and works out of the Raleigh, North Carolina, office.
Buchanan joined CAPTRUST in 2003 and is currently a Senior director and Chief Compliance Officer. Buchanan is responsible for overseeing the firm’s compliance program and ensuring that its functional authority is exercised with complete independence and objectivity, as well as monitoring all activities across the firm in accordance with the rules of regulatory agencies and firm policies. Prior to joining the firm, Buchanan served as a chief compliance officer at Atlantic Capital Management, and she has worked in the industry since 1984. Buchanan graduated from UCLA with an undergraduate degree in sociology, and economics.
33. Amy Johnson
Managing Director, Technology Investment Banking & Head of Debt Advisory, D.A. Davidson Companies
Amy Johnson is a Managing Director and Head of Debt Advisory for D.A. Davidson’s Investment Banking Group. She brings to the technology investment banking team 17 years of experience executing M&A and capital markets transactions for companies within the digital infrastructure ecosystem, including data centers, fiber networks, and wireless infrastructure.
In her role as Head of Debt Advisory, Johnson leverages 25-plus years of debt capital markets experience and relationships to arrange senior and junior debt financings for companies and financial sponsors across D.A. Davidson’s Technology, Diversified Industrials, and Consumer verticals. Johnson is currently acting chair of Women for Higher Advancement and Mentorship (WHAM), the women’s organization within Equity Capital Markets.
Prior to joining D.A. Davidson, Johnson served as a managing director and head of debt advisory at The Bank Street Group LLC. Previously, she led the US asset-backed finance business at Swiss Bank/SBC Warburg and was with Chase Manhattan Bank. Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate degree and a concentration in finance.
34. Noi Spyratos
Managing Director & Head of Portfolio Management, CBRE Investment Management
Noi Spyratos is a Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Management for CBRE IM’s Private Infrastructure business. She joined the firm in 2011 and is involved in the infrastructure investment strategy, development, and implementation of the firm's direct private infrastructure investment mandates. Spyratos is also the Deputy Portfolio Manager for one of the firm’s private infrastructure funds that invests in global mid-market infrastructure businesses across subsectors.
Spyratos has led a number of CBRE IM’s investments and sits on the boards of four portfolio companies. Most recently, she has led transactions in the US tower, dark fiber, and fiber-to-the-home sectors. She also sits on the board of CBRE IM’s Australian-based rooftop solar business. These companies all play an important role in serving their communities through social and environmental benefits.
Prior to joining CBRE IM, Spyratos spent four years at Access Capital Corp., where she was primarily focused on infrastructure investments in the energy sector. Prior to Access Capital, Spyratos held corporate accounting and finance roles, including at Enbridge Gas Distribution, where she supported regulatory submissions. Spyratos is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and a CFA Charter holder. She received her bachelor of commerce with Honors from the University of Guelph.
35. Jess Bissey
Managing Director & Chief Resilience Officer, AEW
Jess Bissey is a Managing Director of the firm and AEW’s Chief Resilience Officer. Bissey is responsible for overseeing the evolution of AEW's Resilience efforts across the firm. At AEW, she implements innovative systems, enhances responsible transparency, and fosters the exploration and adoption of best practices, while leading a team of subject matter experts for the firm’s operating partners, investors, property managers, and other vendors. Bissey brings with her extensive experience in guiding and advising companies on sustainability, governance, social impact, and transformational change, recognizing these initiatives can reduce operating costs and enhance the overall performance of our portfolios to align with our investors’ investment objectives and goals.
In her most recent position prior to AEW, Bissey was Director of ESG at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she launched and led an enterprise-wide ESG function and was responsible for establishing a data-driven, integrated approach to corporate sustainability, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. While at Booz Allen, she also served as Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. Previously, Bissey was Deputy Chair of the Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Practice Group at the global law firm, Morrison & Foerster LLP, and practiced corporate law at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Bissey is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.) and Cornell University (BA).
36. Lily Ku
Senior Vice President & Financial Advisor, Wealth Enhancement Group
Lily Ku has more than 25 years of experience in financial planning, investment, and accounting. Prior to joining Wealth Enhancement Group, she had held various senior positions at Pillar Pacific Capital Management, PacWest Financial Management, Bank One, Bright Bank, Blue Cross, and Adobe Oil & Gas Inc. Ku excels in coordinating various aspects of her clients' financial lives with advanced planning strategies to meet their life goals through generations. The Wealth Enhancement Group currently has $70B+ in assets under management and is rated #5 by Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firms of 2023. Lily also served as adjunct faculty in the areas of accounting and finance at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
An active community supporter, Ku has been involved in many non-profit organizations in various leadership positions. She holds a BBA and MBA from the University of Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, hiking, gardening, and traveling with her husband, Bernard, and two adult children.
37. Christine Connors
President & Partner, EPIQ Capital Group
Christine Leong Connors is currently President and a Partner of EPIQ Capital Group, a multi-family office and advisory firm based in San Francisco with additional offices in Dallas, TX, and Reno, NV. Prior to joining EPIQ Capital Group, Connors was a managing director and head of the Northern California Region for JP Morgan’s Private Bank. At JP Morgan, she led a team of professionals in San Francisco and Silicon Valley who provided comprehensive wealth management advice and services to affluent individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area. Connors has more than 20 years of experience managing wealth for the area’s foremost entrepreneurs, financial principals, nonprofit leaders, and business executives. She is focused on continuing to build EPIQ’s presence and impact and driving new initiatives to bring the best solutions and advice to the firm’s clients.
Connors has a long tenure in the industry, beginning her career in 1999 at JP Morgan. Connors served in several roles during her time at JP Morgan, including the head of the firm’s West Coast Investment Bank/Private Bank Partnership Group, where she was responsible for delivering the firm’s wealth management capabilities to the clients of the Investment and Commercial Bank. She earned her BS in business administration with a minor in economics from Bucknell University, and her MBA from a joint program of the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University.
Connors has long been recognized for her outstanding work. She is an acknowledged authority on the income and estate tax issues surrounding executive compensation, and she speaks regularly on the subject. She was named in the Financial Times “100 Women Financial Advisors” in 2014, and the San Francisco Business Times cited her in its 2015 “40 Under 40” list in 2017. Silicon Valley Business Journal named her one of the top ”100 Women of Influence”. She sits on the Boards of the San Francisco Ballet, the Board of Trustees for the Schools of the Sacred Heart of San Francisco, and the honorary board of Meals on Wheels. Originally from Westport, CT, Connors and her husband with their two daughters now live in San Francisco.
38. Yvonne Pytlik
Outsourced Chief Compliance Officer, ACA Group
Yvonne Pytlik is a senior executive and one of the industry’s most highly regarded strategists in compliance risk management for financial institutions. She is a lecturer at Columbia University teaching their graduate degree in ERM - Strategic Risk Management Program. She currently serves as the Outsourced Chief Compliance Officer at ACA Group, a leading global provider of governance, risk, and compliance consulting services and technology solutions. Prior to joining ACA Group, Pytlik was the chief compliance officer and head of regulatory compliance, risk management, and strategic planning at HSBC Global Asset Management and Deutsche Bank. Here she was responsible for global compliance risk management divisions across all business lines, including capital markets, investment banking, asset management, and private wealth management. During her 25 years in the industry, Pytlik made numerous significant contributions to several financial institutions on overall compliance organizations, including the development and implementation of global compliance risk management functions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of HSBC’s and Deutsche Bank’s highly praised global chief compliance officer program oversight initiatives for the asset management division.
Pytlik was a lead senior consultant in the Advisory and Information Risk Management Practice at KPMG, LLP, where she managed and supervised strategic business/information risk assessment and process reengineering engagements for KPMG clients. Her experience also includes over 10 years in internal audit at major financial institutions, with a focus on the asset management and investment management business.
She is also a member of numerous professional risk and compliance organizations, including serving for the Risk Management Association, Board of Trustees - Executive Committee, and Audit Committee since 2012. Pytlik also served on the Board of Directors - Executive Committee at Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University and currently is on the Board of Advisors at Mass General Hospital/NWH. Pytlik earned an MBA from Suffolk University, and a BA in management from the University of Massachusetts. She also is a Certified Public Accountant.
39. Vanessa Fernandez
Chief Operating Officer, GLH LLC Investing
Vanessa Fernandez is an example of service and purpose. She has devoted her career to crafting successful brands and giving back to communities in various capacities. Fernandez is currently Chief Operating Officer at GLH, LLC a real estate investment firm. GLH, LLC, is a company dedicated to providing alternative investment opportunities in real estate while maintaining a strong commitment to socially responsible investing. One of the central goals at GLH is to combat the affordable housing crisis in the United States. As many know, the affordable housing shortage in the US is a critical issue affecting countless families and communities. This shortage has far-reaching negative impacts, including increased homelessness, financial instability, and a lack of upward mobility for many individuals and families. It is a problem that demands urgent attention and innovative solutions. GLH, LLC, stands at the forefront of this battle, aiming to provide affordable housing solutions and contribute to revitalizing communities. Through conscious investment strategies that consider both financial return and social good, GLH aims to maximize returns while mitigating risk factors, focusing on providing affordable housing options that can truly transform lives. Vanessa’s involvement as COO at GLH has been instrumental in furthering this mission. Fernandez passionately works towards strengthening social responsibility within the company, ensuring that their operations align with the greater good of the community.
Currently, Fernandez also serves as the volunteer COO of Alma Future Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of children facing difficult circumstances in Baja California, Mexico. It is Fernandez’ goal to shed light on the poverty that plagues Mexico, particularly affecting its youth and orphanages. The country grapples with socioeconomic challenges, including inadequate social programs and limited resources, which severely impact the operation of orphanages. Many of these institutions struggle to make ends meet, lacking the necessary funding to provide for the basic needs of the children they care for. This stark reality necessitates the intervention of organizations like Alma Future Foundation, striving to bridge the gap and improve the lives of these vulnerable children. Alma Future Foundation, under Vanessa's guidance, provides essential resources to underserved orphanages in Baja California, Mexico, including funding for basic necessities such as food and water. The foundation also focuses on creating educational programs, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering the youth for a better tomorrow.
Through the volunteer programs, Alma Future Foundation not only brings much-needed resources but also fosters a sense of hope and community. It is an effort to show these children that they are not forgotten and that there is a world outside their immediate circumstances that cares and is willing to stand by them, offering a glimmer of hope for a better, brighter tomorrow. Vanessa believes in a future where all children deserve a chance at a brighter future.
40. Paulami Kar
Global Head of Product, Northern Trust Corporation
Paula Kar is the global head of product for Northern Trust Asset Management. She is a member of the Asset Management Executive Group with oversight of product and innovation across all asset classes, investment vehicles, and geographies for the asset management business.
Previously, Kar was global head of product strategy & development, where she oversaw product strategy, development, and management across all asset classes and investment strategies for Northern Trust Asset Management. Before joining Northern Trust, Kar served as head of product management at ProShares Advisors. Prior to that role, she was head of product for iShares fixed income & commodities ETFs at BlackRock. Kar has previously served as a senior consultant with McKinsey & Company, and she started her career with Citigroup in investment banking.
Kar serves on the Advisory Committee of FTSE Russell, a leading global benchmark provider and subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group. She is a founding member of Women in ETFs, a non-profit organization committed to the professional development of women in the asset management industry, and serves on their global governance board. Kar holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in international finance, and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Calcutta in India.
41. Rebecca Leiba
Senior Managing Director, Provident Healthcare Partners, LLC
Rebecca Leiba is the Senior Managing Director of Provident Healthcare Partners, LLC, a leading investment banking firm specializing in healthcare mergers and acquisitions. With a BA in English, biology, and pre-med from Brandeis University, she combines analytical skills, communication skills, and industry knowledge to deliver optimal outcomes for her clients.
Leiba's experience combines 26 years of investment banking expertise with practical knowledge of the inner workings of corporations of all sizes. She is involved in every transaction and is responsible for leading due diligence and presentation to the marketplace, as well as orchestrating interactions between buyers, clients, attorneys, CPAs, and consultants through the entire transaction process. Rebecca enjoys a wide range of activities including, hiking, yoga, swimming, tennis, cooking, travel and spending time with her family.
42. Ivelisse Simon
Managing Partner, Avante Capital Partners
Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon is the Managing Partner of Avante Capital Partners. Based in Los Angeles, Simon is responsible for identifying, executing, and managing investment opportunities. She currently manages the fund’s portfolio and new deal activities. Simon joined Avante in 2009 as a founding member of the firm.
Simon has over two decades of middle-market debt and equity investment experience. Prior to Avante, she held positions at Palladium Equity Partners, Reliant Equity Partners, and various investment banks including Salomon Brothers. Simon serves on the board of several companies including Quest, LLC.
Simon is a longtime advocate and champion for women, minorities, and the underserved and underrepresented. She holds leadership roles in several local and national non-profit organizations, including The Robert Toigo Foundation, The Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, and the Westside Family Health Center in Los Angeles. In 2019, the Robert Toigo Foundation honored Simon with their prestigious Leadership Award recognizing her leadership in the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the financial industry. Simon was also named to Mergers & Acquisitions magazine’s 2020 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A. In addition, Simon and her two sisters launched a philanthropic organization called We Will to support and empower underserved women and minorities in the areas of healthcare, education, and financial literacy.
43. Wendy Bannerman-Clark
Executive Director, UBS
Wendy Bannerman-Clark began her professional career 30 years ago. Today, she is an Executive Director at UBS’s COO Office of UBS Asset Management of UBS, a Switzerland-based financial institution that provides services such as investment banking and wealth management for individuals and businesses.
Bannerman-Clark first got her start in 1993 as an associate of fixed-income derivatives at UBS Securities Inc. From there, she went on to Goldman Sachs, before eventually rising to owner and board member at Small Business and Not-for-profit Projects, her most recent position prior to joining UBS. Bannerman-Clark graduated from Smith College with an undergraduate degree in liberal arts.
44. Laura Fernandez
Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs & ESG, Kinterra Capital
Laura Fernandez, Principal of Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability, has been an integral part of Kinterra since its inception and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. With a keen focus on sustainability and ESG integration, Fernandez plays a pivotal role in shaping every facet of the firm’s investment cycle. She diligently oversees the progression of value-creation initiatives within Kinterra's diverse portfolio of real assets and ensures both Kinterra and its investments adhere to stringent ESG compliance standards. Fernandez also serves as a trusted advisor to the firm, offering expertise on a wide spectrum of regulatory requirements that impact Kinterra’s business. Prior to her tenure at Kinterra, Fernandez served as a principal, associate general counsel, and corporate liaison for the Permitting and Environmental Team at a leading US$2 billion investment adviser. Fernandez holds a J.D. Degree and a master's in environmental law and policy.
45. Allison Dunlap
Managing Director, Harbour Capital Advisors, LLC
Allison Dunlap is a Managing Director providing leadership to Harbour Capital Advisors’ alternative investment platform and serving as a family wealth advisor. Prior to joining HCA, Dunlap founded and ran a boutique investment advisory firm for three years, providing investment management and financial planning services to affluent families. Her entrepreneurial and management experience also includes a five-year tenure at Alliance Partners, an asset manager that she helped build from inception. During her time there, Dunlap developed and ran the sales group responsible for the distribution of over $2 billion of assets to 200+ institutional clients nationwide. Dunlap has over a decade of direct investing, deal structuring, and due diligence experience from her work in investment banking (First Union Securities), private equity (Allied Capital), and corporate finance (CapitalSource and GE Capital). Dunlap earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in math from Davidson College. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for Quantum Partners, a consulting firm that supports CEOs on strategy and growth, and co-chairs the Wharton Business Owners of DC affiliate group.
46. Yoshie Phillips
Director of Investment Research, Russell Investments
Yoshie Phillips is the Director of Investment Research, Global Fixed Income at Russell Investments, a leading outsourced CIO (OCIO) partner and global investment solutions firm providing a wide range of investment capabilities to institutional investors, financial intermediaries, and individual investors around the world. Building on an 87-year legacy of continuous innovation to deliver exceptional value to clients, Russell Investments works every day to improve the financial security of its clients. Phillips has 28 years of experience. She began her career in 1995.
Before joining Russell Investments, Phillips was a manager research analyst at Commerce Bank and before that a manager research analyst with the investment division at Russell Investments. Earlier in her career she worked with San Francisco Trading Company as a senior accounting manager.
47. Andrea Baumann Lustig
Managing Partner, Fischer Stralem Advisors
Andrea works with families who want to grow and preserve their wealth to build the multigenerational and philanthropic legacy they envision. As Managing Partner of wealth management firm, Fischer Stralem Advisors, Andy brings over 25 years of experience in wealth planning, management consulting and investment banking to help her clients bring about the future they wish to see by helping them forgo Wall Street fads and keep focused on their long-term objectives.
Once again named to Forbes’ 2023 List of Top Women Wealth Advisors, she is the 6th consecutive generation of her family in wealth management carrying forward the heritage of her great-great-great grandfather who founded the French Banque Levy in 1810. Andrea graduated from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations, and Yale University, where she received her MBA. She has had an extensive career in investment banking, management consulting and wealth management.
Prior to joining Stralem, she was vice president with Bernstein Investment Research and Management, where she worked extensively with private clients. She joined Bernstein following more than a decade at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc., an international management consulting firm, where she was a principal in the strategy practice and director of operations for the financial services practice in the United States and in Europe. She joined Booz-Allen after having been a financial analyst in mergers and acquisitions at Morgan Stanley & Co., and an associate in investment banking at Jefferies & Co.
An advocate for honoring tradition while embracing change, Andrea supports missions that matter. She is a member of the board of trustees of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an Honorary Vice President of Park Avenue Synagogue, where she chaired the record-breaking capital campaign. She is also president of the Association for the Restoration of Jewish Works and Institutions in France, founded in 1943 to support Jewish life in France. In addition, Andrea has been the co-chair of annual giving for the Princeton Class of 1980 for the past 20 years. She is an advisory board member of Yale School of Management’s International Center for Finance, a member of the scholarship committee for Le Rosey, and a steering committee member of the Socrates Society of the Aspen Institute. She is also a former trustee of the Horace Mann School, where she served as president of the Parents’ Association. With pride and purpose, Andrea understands the value of family legacy and strives in every way to continue the tradition of giving back and paying forward in an effort to make the world a better place.
48. Amira Strasser
Founding Partner, Applied Research Investments
Amira founded Applied Research Investments LLC, a boutique Global Long Only Equity manager, where she has been the driver of the institutional investment research process. She has 25 years of investment experience. Strasser held global equity Investment roles at Jarislowsky Fraser, Standard Life Investments, and Sigma Capital, a multi-billion Long Short hedge fund. Her experience includes managing investments of institutional global portfolios and investment research positions in consumer, healthcare, and industrials. Strasser’s experience also includes Strategic Advisory to healthcare and consumer companies as well as in the family office sectors. She serves on the board of the New America Alliance. She earned a bachelor of science in finance and International business from HEC and an executive diploma from the Harvard Business School. Strasser has a passion for opening the lines of communication, and bridging people and investment acumen together from around the world.
49. Veronica Valasek
Digital Finance Transformation Director, KPMG
Veronica Valasek is the Digital Finance Transformation Director of KPMG. She first joined the company in 2021. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services. It has 227,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver value in 146 countries and territories. With a worldwide presence, KPMG continues to build on their successes thanks to a clear vision, defined values, and, above all, its people. Valasek has deep experience in Financial Services within Institutional Sales and Trading participating in various roles across Finance - Strategic Change in the Bank, Project Management, Finance and Risk Transformation, and Operating Model Design.
Previously, Valasek was a senior management consulting executive of finance and risk management at Accenture and before that a senior program manager of strategic projects, finance, institutional sales, and trading at Morgan Stanley. Earlier in her career she worked with JP Morgan as a manager of exotic derivatives trading. Valasek earned an MBA in finance and accounting from Fordham Gabelli School of Business.
50. Josephine Ha
Senior Director, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Josephine Ha began her professional career 20 years ago. Today, she is the Senior Director of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, one of the nation's top 10 wealth managers. Combining the strengths of a global financial leader with the care and commitment of a small firm, it draws upon leadership in all wealth management disciplines, offering an extensive range of resources that are customized to serve the unique needs of each client.
Ha first got her start in 2003 as a public accountant at PwC. From there, she went on to Waterline Partners, before eventually rising to director of investment strategy at True Link Financial, her most recent position prior to joining BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Ha graduated from Seattle University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.