Speaker Bios

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Dr. Jerome Abernathy
Dr. Jerome Abernathy is president and managing member of Stonebrook and, in this capacity, has ultimate responsibility for all trading decisions. He also served as the managing partner of Battery Park Advisors, a commodity fund of funds which now lies dormant but traded from October 2003 through December 2004. From July 1991 through March 1992, Dr. Abernathy was director of research at Moore Capital Management, Inc. (Moore Capital), a registered commodity trading advisor and commodity pool operator in New York. From March 1992 through May 1993, Dr. Abernathy was director of systems trading for Investment Management Services, Inc. (IMS), a registered introducing broker affiliated with Moore Capital. As director of research, Dr. Abernathy was responsible for developing and supervising Moore Capital's research and technology efforts. As director of systems trading for IMS, Dr. Abernathy was responsible for trading IMS Global I, an offshore derivatives fund.

From September 1990 through June 1991, Dr. Abernathy was a vice president at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Incorporated, a registered securities broker-dealer and FCM in New York, where he managed the Analytical Trading Group within Capital Markets. In this position, Dr. Abernathy was responsible for trading the firm's proprietary capital pursuant to quantitative techniques. From May 1988 through September 1990, Dr. Abernathy was a trader/researcher in the Derivative Trading Group at Morgan Stanley & Co., a registered securities broker-dealer in New York, where he developed and traded quantitative strategies in the derivative and currency markets.

Dr. Abernathy holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and both an S.M. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Abernathy also attended the Sloan School of Management at MIT where he studied finance.

Mo Ahmadzadeh
Mo Ahmadzadeh is president of Mitsui Bussan Commodities (USA) Inc. Dr. Ahmadzadeh joined Mitsui to head up it's New York LME metals brokerage operation in 2004, having spent a period in fund management. Previously, he worked for Rudolf Wolff for eighteen years, as president of the U.S. operations and director of the UK headquarters. Subsequently, Dr. Ahmadzadeh assisted Noranda Inc., Wolff's parent, in the sale and integration of Wolff's assets with Enron. Joining Rudolf Wolff in 1982 as head of the company's research department, Dr. Ahmadzadeh held various marketing, risk management and trading positions before establishing the company's New York-based operations in 1987.

Dr. Ahmadzadeh has extensive experience on terminal market operations in metals and remains a member of the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange where he has served on the copper, aluminum and futures commission merchant subcommittees of the exchange. He was educated in the UK and obtained his BSc and Ph.D. at Sussex University where he studied materials science and obtained an SERC post-doctoral fellowship.

Bernadette A. Budde
Bernadette Budde is senior vice president of Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), and is regarded by many as the dean of Congressional campaign watchers. She is that rarest of political entities: an astute observer possessed of unblemished integrity, who has maintained a finger on the pulse of the Congressional continuum for a remarkable 15 consecutive election cycles.
 
Thousands of Congressional candidates have passed through Ms. Budde's office seeking entrée to the American business community. For many, it is the first stop on the campaign trail. Why? Business and industry provide an average of $50-$80 for every ampaign dollar BIPAC contributes - and Ms. Budde's incisive political analysis drives that first business dollar and virtually all that follow.
 
In more than 30 years at BIPAC, Ms. Budde sometimes unpopular, but historically accurate, advice has earned her the apt reputation among candidates as "steel covered in pearls and silk." Among business leaders, media heavyweights and her political peers, her legendary command of campaign and candidate numbers and nuance have earned her the role of trusted "source" and frequent counsel.
 
Ms. Budde guides the development of all BIPAC's respected political analysis programs, and she initiated "Forward Thinking" and "Thinking Anew," among many firsts on business' road to contemporary political effectiveness. Her voice often leads the organization's conferences and briefings. It is heard frequently in the popular press as well -- whether on ABC News NIGHTLINE challenging the trial bar's political aspirations and the separation of powers, in The New York Times, The Washington Post , or Business Week magazine on the sum and substance of candidates and campaigns, or as a power panelist on national radio and television, providing keen commentary on the political contour de jour .
 
Ms. Budde joined BIPAC as a research analyst in 1970, and was promoted to director of political education in 1974. Ten years later, she became vice president of political education, and was elevated to senior vice president in 1993.
 
She is a native of Wisconsin, and holds degrees from Marquette University, from which she graduated magna cum laude , and the University of Maryland.

John Burbank
John Burbank is the managing member and chief investment officer of Passport Capital, LLC. Prior to founding Passport Capital in 2000, he was an equity analyst for JMG Triton Offshore, Ltd. a $1.0 billion market neutral arbitrage fund. Immediately prior to joining JMG in 1999, Mr. Burbank was the director of research for ValueVest Management a $150 million long/short global value fund. From 1992 - 1996, he held various management positions in start-up companies and was an active private investor. He earned an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in English literature from Duke University.

Passport Capital is a San Francisco-based alternatives investment management firm founded in 2000 and maintains registration with the SEC. The firm has a seven-year history of successful operation and growth. Our team of 20 investment professionals average nine years of investment experience. Passport clients include HNW investors, pension funds, corporations, foundations, as well as other institutional investors.

Dermot Butler
Dermot Butler is chairman of Custom House Administration & Corporate Services Limited (Custom House), the Dublin-based alternative investment and hedge fund administrator, and has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked as a stock broker and stock jobber (specialising in South African mining stocks), before becoming a commodity broker and market maker in metal options on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Mr. Butler was a member of the Options Sub Committees of the LME, liaising with the Bank of England, the UK Department of Trade and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on option regulation. He has also testified at hearings on option regulations held by the CFTC, and as an expert witness before the U.S. Tax Court and Texas Securities Commission and addressed the American Bar Association, all on the subject of commodity options.

In 1983, Mr. Butler helped set up McDonnell & Co., the Bermuda fund management company and issuer of the McD range funds. He sold his interest in that company and moved to Dublin in 1989 when he established Custom House. Mr. Butler is a director of several international financial services and fund companies and is deputy chairman of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA).

Peter J. Casey
Peter Casey is senior managing director for The Altman Group, Inc. and has over fourteen years of proxy experience at major solicitors including Georgeson Shareholder Communications and Corporate Investor Communications (CIC). Mr. Casey has extensive experience in equity compensation plan analysis, corporate governance consulting, proxy solicitation and proxy contests. He has worked on many high-profile mergers and proxy fights including AOL/Time Warner; King Pharmaceuticals/Jones Pharma; Hewlett Packard/Compaq; Morton's Restaurant Group; Del Webb; Eskimo Pie; and Intelligroup, Inc. Most recently, Mr. Casey has successfully represented the following clients with their merger agreements, The Robert Mondavi Corporation; ADE Corporation; American Tower Corporation; Macromedia, Inc.; Republic Bancorp; MatrixOne; and Texas United Bancshares. Within the last 12 months Mr. Casey' contested solicitation efforts have included representing Onyx Software against a hostile takeover bid by CDC Corporation; Britton & Koontz against a shareholder group seeking board control; and Laddcap Value Partners, LP in their efforts to obtain board seats at Delcath Systems, Inc.

Drew G. L. Chapman
Drew G. L. Chapman is a partner and the chair of the Fund Services Group of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Mr. Chapman's practice is focused on the investment management and alternative investment industries. He has extensive experience representing hedge funds, service providers to the hedge fund market, private equity funds, venture capital funds, broker-dealers, and asset management firms with respect to formation and structuring, hedge fund seeding arrangements, joint venture arrangements among sponsors, hybrid private equity hedge fund vehicles, transactions, foreign (including emerging market) investments, and regulatory and compliance issues. Mr. Chapman also represents companies in a variety of industries in financial and strategic transactions, including debt and equity offerings, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other general commercial matters.

Mr. Chapman is a seasoned presenter at industry conferences and seminars, speaking on a broad range of topics, most notably on hedge funds, and his expert commentary has been published in leading news publications. His published works include: "Goldstein: A Hero or a Fool" ( HedgeWorld News , November 6, 2006); "The Pension Protection Act - A Boon for Hedge Funds" ( Private Investment Forum , Fourth Quarter 2006); "Wooing Pension Funds?   Beware the Pitfalls of ERISA" ( Private Investment Forum , Fourth Quarter 2004); "The Side-by-Side vs. Master-Feeder Structure" ( Private Investment Forum , Fourth Quarter 2003); "Fairness Opinions - Can They be Made Useful?"(in full and condensed versions in Andrews Merger & Acquisitions Litigation Reporter , Vol. 13, Issue 12, July 2003, BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report , Vol. 35, No. 46, November 24, 2003, and BNA Corporate Counsel Weekly , Vol. 18, No. 45, November 11, 2003); and "Proposed New Custody Rules for Registered Investment Advisers," ( Private Investment Forum , Third Quarter 2002). An interview with Mr. Chapman on "Structuring Hedge Funds in Emerging Markets" appeared in Inside the Industry , Vol.1, Issue 1 (December 2004).

Mr. Chapman is a member of the American Bar Association and the Managed Funds Association. He received his LL.M from Fordham University School of Law in 1998, and his LL.B from Bond University School of Law in 1995. He is admitted to the New York and Australia bar.

Brad Cole
Brad Cole is president and CEO of Cole Asset Management, LLC and Cole Partners LLC, overseeing all investment, management, and strategic activities of the firms, based on his broad alternative investment experience. Mr. Cole's professional career spans more than 20 years in the derivatives industry and includes more than 10 years' experience developing and implementing successful marketing strategies for alternative investment managers. Mr. Cole founded Cole Asset Management in 2002, building on his diverse experience in commodities and alternative asset management. Cole Asset Management offers investors active asset management in the commodities sector, managing a natural resources fund of funds that was named "Best of Breed" at the GAIM conference in November 2006.

Cole Partners, created in 1998, is a unique marketing and sales consultancy specializing in alternative investments. In starting Cole Partners, Mr. Cole developed a targeted, niche, and opportunistic business strategy that leverages partnerships with respected investment managers. Prior to founding Cole Partners in 1998, Mr. Cole served as the vice president and director of sales and marketing for Sjo, Incorporated, a Chicago-based alternative investment manager. He   began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he was hired as part of their currency arbitrage group on the International Monetary Market (IMM). He applied this analytical foundation as vice president at Dean Witter, where he managed the institutional currency futures and options desk.

Mr. Cole is a member of Managed Futures Association (MFA), and the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA). His research has appeared in a variety of industry publications and he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. He is a registered member of the NASD and the NFA. He received a B.A. from the University of Illinois.

Dana Comolli
Dana Comolli is president and founder of DMAXX, LLC, a software development company located in Lake Forest, Illinois. DMAXX has been providing application development and consulting for CTAs and hedge funds since 1994. Their flagship product, TheBooks®, is a fully integrated back and middle office application used by a wide range of advisors, including many of the house-hold names in the industry.

Mr. Comolli's experience with futures trading goes back to the late 70's when he developed proprietary trading models for the emerging breed of trend followers enabled by the revolutionary new technology called personal computers. Since then, Mr. Comolli has been involved with back office implementations for countless advisors. He was involved with the development of the Managed Fund Association’s standard for electronic transmission and has been a speaker at MFA conferences on the topic of automating the operations of a CTA. Mr. Comolli has also been a panelist in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's How to Become a CTA program.

Mr. Comolli has been a member of the Northwestern University Computer Science Department's industry review board. This board is responsible for providing an industry perspective on the department's curriculum and strategic initiatives. He also sits on the board of the Foundation for Managed Derivatives Research, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the body of knowledge in the area of managed derivatives through academic research and making it available to industry practitioners and the public.

Mr. Comolli holds Bachelor of Science degrees in computer science and mechanical engineering from Northwestern University. He also holds an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Ann Marie Davis
Ann Marie Davis is currently managing director of Citadel Solutions, LLC. Ms. Davis joined Citadel Investment Group (CIG) in 1992 to develop the firm's clearing and settlement operations. She recently partnered with CIG in establishing the new business venture of Citadel Solutions, a hedge fund administrator. She oversees a team of 70 professionals in Chicago, New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The team performs all aspects of fund administration for its hedge fund clients including trade processing; settlements; reconciliation/control; corporate actions/dividends; OTC structured products and securities lending for all products.

Ms. Davis has twenty years of experience in the securities and futures industries. Prior to joining Citadel, Ms. Davis worked for futures firms in London and Chicago, where she was principally engaged in managing and supporting back office operations. She is well-known in the investment community and belongs to several professional groups including International Swaps and Derivatives Association, 100 Women in Hedge Funds, Managed Funds Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and the Senior Operating Group at The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation.

A. Nicholas De Monico
A. Nicholas De Monico is managing director, head of marketable alternatives at Commonfund. Mr. De Monico is responsible for managing Commonfund's marketable alternative funds of funds, including its hedge, absolute return, index plus and global hedged programs. Prior to joining Commonfund in 2002, he was managing director and portfolio manager for Citigroup Alternative Investments, where he was on the management team responsible for $2 billion in hedge fund investments for eight diversified multi-strategy and single-strategy funds. From 1991-2001, Mr. De Monico was managing director and senior portfolio manager for CDC Investment Management Corp., a subsidiary of CDC IXIS North America where he managed mortgage hedge positions and relative value trading strategies for eight mortgage backed securities funds with approximately $2 billion in assets. He also built and managed the CDC Global Relative Value Fund, and was the executive vice president supervising proprietary trading and treasury for CDC Capital. From 1983 ¡V 1991, Mr. De Monico was a senior proprietary trader in the fixed income arbitrage groups at Merrill Lynch and Chemical Bank (now JP Morgan Chase). He began his trading career as a fixed income arbitrage trader at Kidder, Peabody & Co. Mr. De Monico earned his MBA in finance and marketing from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in political science from Columbia College.

John F. DeSantis
John DeSantis is the portfolio manager of Civic Capital Fund I and president of Civic Capital Group LLC. Civic Capital Group LLC believes that many of the best future investment opportunities involve solving social problems. As a result, it invests in companies whose products or services have an immediate, positive impact on today's major challenges in society, such as nutrition, education, medical care, environmental concerns, and the care and well-being of senior citizens. Investment decisions are driven by in-house fundamental and quantitative research with input from an advisory board of business and academic leaders. Rather than screen-out candidates for social responsible investing (SRI), Civic is pro-active in identifying companies which address unmet needs of society. The firm also produces an annual compendium of notable trends and facts gleaned from hundreds of company annual reports.

Prior to founding Civic Capital Group, Mr. DeSantis spent five years as executive vice president and chairman of the Investment Committee at Independence Investments LLC, the investment advisory subsidiary of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. Prior to that, he was the firm's director of research for nearly twelve years. At Independence, Mr. DeSantis was an active manager of the business, spearheading the firm's entry into international equities, tax sensitive products and hedge funds among other initiatives. He also managed portfolios ranging as high as $1 billion. Mr. DeSantis is a member of The Boston Economic Club and a past president of The Boston Security Analysts Society. He is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute, and he is the author of Annual Report Trivia & Investable Trends , a publication reflecting business, economic and social trends. Mr. DeSantis has a B.A. in economics from Brown University and an MBA from Indiana University.

Peter J. Fell
Peter Fell is senior vice president, due diligence and is responsible for manager selection and due diligence at Kenmar Group Inc. Mr. Fell joined Kenmar in 2004, and is a member of the Investment Committee. From 2000 through 2004, Mr. Fell was a founding partner and investment director of Starview Capital Management. Prior to co-founding Starview Capital Management, Mr. Fell was vice president of research and product development at Merrill Lynch Investment Partners Inc (MLIP). He was responsible for the investment evaluation and recommendation process pertaining to MLIP funds and sat on MLIP's Investment Committee. Prior to joining MLIP, Mr. Fell had been with Deutsche Bank Financial Products Corporation for six years starting in 1989, where he was vice president in the over-the-counter fixed income derivatives area. From 1985 to 1989, he was employed by Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, ultimately holding the position of assistant vice president in the Swaps and Futures Group. Mr. Fells holds an A.B. cum laude in music theory and history and an M.B.A. in finance from Columbia University.

David E. Franasiak
David Franasiak became a principal of Williams & Jensen in 1992. As vice president of finance and a member of the Executive Committee since 1993, he is responsible for the day-to-day financial management of the firm, pension plans, and outside legal entities. Mr. Franasiak specializes in a legislative and administrative practice focused on tax, securities, financial institutions, natural resources, and environmental issues. Mr. Franasiak has over twenty-five years of experience working on public policy issues with corporate executives, not-for-profit organizations, accounting firms, broker dealers, financial institutions, and associations.

Prior to joining Williams & Jensen, he was a principal in the Office of the Chairman at Ernst & Young, working on tax, securities, and financial institution issues. From 1984 to 1987, he worked for British Petroleum on tax, finance, environment, and energy issues, and was director of tax at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1981 to1984. Previous to this position, he served as staff director to the Tax Oversight Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee. Early in his career, Mr. Franasiak worked on the legislative staffs of a city and county legislature, and worked as a venture analyst for a large multinational corporation while completing his graduate work.

In addition to serving Williams & Jensen clients, Mr. Franasiak is involved in volunteering and fundraising related to Maryland state politics, as well as many church and civic organizations in Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Franasiak received his B.A. in 1973 from State University of New York, College at Buffalo, his M.B.A. and J.D. in 1978 from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Peter C. Fusaro
Peter Fusaro is chairman of Global Change Associates in New York and is the best selling author of What Went Wrong at Enron . His three most recent books have been Cut Carbon, Grow Profits, Energy & Emissions: Collision or Convergence and Energy & Environmental Hedge Funds: The New Investment Paradigm . Mr. Fusaro is an energy industry thought leader noted for his keen insights in emerging energy and environmental financial markets. He has been on the forefront of energy and environmental change for over 30 years focusing on oil, gas, power, coal, emissions, carbon trading and renewable energy markets. Mr. Fusaro is currently advising in the clean energy technology arena to financial services companies. He was recently selected for Who's Who in America . He coined the term ¡§Green Trading¡¨ and holds the Wall Street Green Trading Summit with Reuters in New York each spring. Mr. Fusaro is also a well-known expert on Asia Pacific energy and environmental markets. He co-founded the Energy Hedge Fund Center LLC ( www.energyhedgefunds.com ) in 2004. Mr. Fusaro graduated with an MA in international relations from Tufts University and a BA from Carnegie-Mellon University.

John G. Gaine
John G. Gaine has been president of Managed Funds Association (MFA) since 1997. MFA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the only U.S.-based membership organization that represents the interests of managed funds professionals internationally. MFA promotes a beneficial regulatory environment, improved public relations, growth of the managed funds industry, and increased member and investor knowledge. Prior to becoming MFA's president, from 1993 to 1997, Mr. Gaine was MFA's director of government relations and general counsel.

From 1981 to1993, Mr. Gaine worked in private practice specializing in commodities and related areas, and, from 1977 to 1981, he was the General Counsel for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mr. Gaine received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1964, and his LL.B. from Harvard University in 1967. He is admitted both to the Washington, D.C. bar and the New York bar.

Damian Handzy
Damian Handzy is a co-founder of Investor Analytics (IA), an independent risk management services firm to the hedge fund and fund of funds business. He has served as the firm's chairman & CEO for the last two years, significantly increasing the role of what he calls "Practical R&D." During Mr. Handzy's tenure, the firm has tripled the size of the research staff and has entered into strategic relationships with both clients and academicians to bring innovative and solid analyses from the theoretical stage to the practical and useful stage. His R&D staff works side-by-side with the client service staff and is in direct communication with clients, to ensure that all analyses are grounded in reality.

Before co-founding IA, Mr. Handzy was a consultant in Deloitte's New York practice, where he advised financial services firms on business and technical issues including risk management, Internet-based customer reporting and data management. He has also held positions as a research fellow at a major U.S. nuclear laboratory and as an operations research analyst for a boutique consulting firm. Mr. Handzy has experience in advanced technology applications, numerical simulations and mathematical modeling. His background is in experimental sciences and numerical techniques applicable to securities analysis. He is extensively published in scientific peer-reviewed and financial journals.

Mr. Handzy received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his doctorate in nuclear physics while working at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory in Michigan. 

Greg Hinz
bio coming soon

Brian X. Hurley
Brian Hurley is senior director of marketing at Horizon Cash Management, a Chicago-based firm that provides customized cash and liquidity management solutions for institutional clients worldwide. A 30-year advertising and marketing communications veteran, Mr. Hurley joined Horizon in 2005. Previously, Mr. Hurley was president of Fairman Schmidt & Hurley, a Chicago-based full-service advertising agency whose clients included ABN AMRO Asset Management, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and Northern Trust. Prior to that, Mr. Hurley was managing partner at EURO RSCG Tatham, one of the ten largest advertising agencies in Chicago, where he directed the marketing communications programs for such firms as First Chicago, Kemper Funds, Household Bank and Ameritech. Mr. Hurley is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A., English), and holds a Master's degree  from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where he earned the Harrington Award, conferred upon Medill's most outstanding graduate student.

Gregory Ip
Gregory Ip is a senior special writer for The Wall Street Journal, based in Washington, D.C. He covers the Federal Reserve, the economy, financial markets and economic policy. Prior to assuming his current assignment in January 2001, Mr. Ip had covered the financial markets for the Journal's Money & Investing section in New York since November 1996 when he joined the paper as a reporter in the New York bureau. He was named a senior special writer in October 2000.

In March 2005, Mr. Ip won a Business Journalist of the Year award from the World Leadership Forum in the "Best Story on Economics" category for his story "How U.S. Fed Chairman Deftly Steered Economy through Thick and Thin." In 2002, The Wall Street Journal Staff was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news reporting category for articles from the September 12, 2001 Journal . Mr. Ip and a Journal colleague wrote "Attacks Raise Fears of a Recession," one of the articles included in the prize-winning package. The Journal staff also received the Jesse Laventhol Prize for deadline news reporting from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and won a second place in the National Headliner Awards. In 1998, Mr. Ip as part of a team of Journal reporters receiving the Overseas Press Club's Malcolm Forbes Award for business reporting for their coverage of the Asian financial crisis. He was also a member of a team of reporters receiving the 1998 Society of American Business Editors and Writers Best in Business Award. The award in the spot news category was for coverage of the financial market drop of October 27, 1997.

Mr. Ip began his journalism career as a reporter for the Vancouver (B.C.) Sun from May to December 1989. He joined the Financial Post in Toronto, Ontario, in January 1990 and was an economics and financial reporter in Canada, and later transferred to Washington, D.C., as a correspondent for the paper.   In September 1995, he became a business and economics reporter for the Globe and Mail in Toronto.  

A native of Canada, Mr. Ip received a bachelor's degree in economics and journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

Jim Kharouf
Jim Kharouf is co-founder and editor of the Environmental Markets Newsletter launched in June 2006. Environmental Markets is a daily electronic newsletter that aggregates news and data on the burgeoning market for emissions and renewable fuels, as well as political moves that are helping to shape this space. The newsletter, created with John Lothian, of the John Lothian Newsletter , covers the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia and provides original commentary plus podcast interviews with various professionals in this market.

Mr. Kharouf, a reporter and editor since 1989 covering all aspects of business from stock, options and futures markets to real estate, also currently serves as the U.S. correspondent for Futures & Options Week . As a freelance writer and editor since 2001, Mr. Kharouf writes extensively on stocks, futures and options markets in the United States, Europe and Asia and also contributes regularly to magazines such as Stocks, Futures and Options ¡V SFO Magazine , Active Trader and The Banker . He also helped launch Traders Source magazine in January 2004 and served as editor of that publication, which covered financial and commodities futures and options markets.

Mr. Kharouf has extensive experience with daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. and Europe. He reported on banking and technology for the Budapest Business Journal in Hungary from 1995 to 1996. He also served as an associate editor for Futures Magazine , covering international markets and reporting on various market sectors from 1996 to 1998. Prior to working in Budapest, he covered the retail sector in Chicago, Chicago real estate, as well as national and local economic news as a business writer for the Daily Southtown from 1992 to1995. Mr. Kharouf began his reporting career in North Carolina in 1989, reporting for the Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC and then the Goldsboro News-Argus in Goldsboro, NC from 1990 to 1992. Mr. Kharouf graduated from Marquette University in 1989 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and political science.

Jim Kirk
Jim Kirk is associate managing editor for business news for the Chicago Tribune . In this position, he oversees a department of 60 journalists who produce the newspaper's daily business section, as well as five weekly sections focusing on real estate, the automotive industry and personal finance. Mr. Kirk joined the staff of the Chicago Tribune in June 1997 as marketing and advertising writer. In May 1998, Mr. Kirk was promoted to write a column on the Chicago broadcasting industry and the people and issues making the news inside of it. In June 2004, he began writing the section's "Business Beat" column, before becoming business editor in October 2004.

Andrew Merrill
Andy Merrill joined Finsbury in 2006 as chief executive, U.S. and manages the firm's U.S. operations. Mr. Merrill has over 20 years of corporate finance and financial communications experience, including transaction communications, investor and financial media relations, crisis communications and litigation support. His transaction experience includes the mergers of InterBrew and AmBev; Molson and Coors; Global Marine and Sante Fe International; and Vivendi and Seagrams. Mr. Merrill managed communications for the eight dissident shareholders and former executives of Morgan Stanley in their successful campaign to effect governance and leadership change. He represented ImClone Systems in the criminal, Congressional and regulatory investigations of insider trading. He has also represented debtors involved in in-court or out-of-court restructurings, including Warnaco, Levitz, Parmalat, Huntsman Chemical and Levis.

Mr. Merrill joined Finsbury from Edelman where he ran the firm's global financial communications practice. Prior to Edelman, he worked at Abernathy MacGregor, where he was a partner and managing director and Sard Verbinnen. Prior to pursuing a career in communications, Mr. Merrill was an investment banker for UBS. He also served as director of investor relations for the Bank of New York. He graduated from Trinity College with a B.A. in English and has an MBA in finance from Columbia University.

John Mulvey
John Mulvey is a professor of operations research and financial engineering and a founding member of the Bendheim Center for Finance at Princeton University. His specialty is strategic financial planning. Mr. Mulvey has implemented ALM investment systems for many companies, including Pacific Mutual; American Express; Towers Perrin and Tillinghast; Merrill Lynch; American Re-Insurance; Siemens; and Falcon Asset Management (Swiss Re). These systems integrate the key risks and opportunities within the organization to assist the company in making high-level decisions. In addition, he has designed significant planning systems for U.S. government agencies, including the Office of Tax Analysis for the Treasury Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Defense Department, and personnel planning for the U.S. Army. His current research involves the role of alternative investments for large institutional investors, such as pension plans, insurance companies, and family trusts, with an emphasis on multi-period models for optimizing hedge-fund returns.

He worked for TRW Systems Group for six years as a project manager. Afterwards, he taught for three years at Harvard University (Business School and Economics Department) before moving to Princeton in 1978. He has edited four books, including Worldwide Asset and Liability Modeling, Cambridge University Press, and published over 120 scholarly papers. He holds a B.S. (1969) in general engineering and an M.S. (1969) in computer science from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and received an M.S. (1974) and a Ph.D. (1975) from UCLA in management science.

Cai J. Palmer
Cai Palmer is the proprietor of Wine at Five. Mr. Palmer began working in the commodity markets with Lehman Brothers in 1980. Throughout his career on "Wall Street" and other financial streets around the world, it was the excitement of the commodity markets that interested him. Twenty-six years later he has come full circle and now devotes his time exclusively to that commodity that most of us share a similar passion for - wine. In 2006, Mr. Palmer opened Wine at Five, in Rye, NY, a boutique wine store that expresses his passion for artisan, small production wines from around the world. He has collected and drunk wine since his early days at university in France. Now, a little more mature, and with a little more money to play in this commodity field, Mr. Palmer has encapsulated the knowledge and tasting experiences of the last twenty years into a multitude of wine oriented business. One business line that began as a hobby and has since developed into an all-consuming business is the management of personal wine cellars. Combining the asset management expertise that he gained in finance with his knowledge of the wine markets, Mr. Palmer now manages exclusive cellars for some of his friends from the hedge fund days. Utilizing the classic Asset Pyramid as the structure behind a managed wine cellar, Mr. Palmer demonstrates how a personal wine cellar can become self-funding in just a few years. "The ability to drink old vintages and know that they have cost you nothing is a terrific way to enter retirement."

Damien J. Park
Damien Park is president and CEO of Hedge Fund Solutions, LLC, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm providing strategic counsel to companies and investors on issues relating to shareholder activism. Mr. Park founded Hedge Fund Solutions in 2003 after leaving a publicly-traded company involved in a long and costly battle for board control with an activist hedge fund. Since that time, he has counseled numerous companies and investors ranging in size up to $4.5 billion in revenues and $25 billion in assets under management on how to work constructively toward enhancing shareholder value. In addition to activist-related consulting, Mr. Park distributes a weekly research report on activist investments and actively monitors the investment behaviors of more than 150 activist hedge funds and their investments into hundreds of companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mr. Park is recognized as an expert on activist hedge funds and is often quoted on the subject in the U.S. and Japan.

Mr. Park is also a managing partner at Hibernian Partners, Inc. Originally founded as a consulting practice to help clients significantly increase the value of their companies, Hibernian currently works with private equity sponsors and hedge funds to purchase and operate middle-market manufacturing companies with revenues from $25 to $500 million. Following the purchase, Hibernian strengthens the acquired business with highly qualified managers to improve performance in a short period of time.

Mr. Park holds a B.S. in business administration from Delaware Valley College and an MBA from the University of Dublin, Trinity College.

Natasha Pearl
Natasha Pearl, CEO and founder of Aston Pearl, has more than 15 years of unique global industry experience with the ultra-high-net-worth and family office marketplace while at firms including Sotheby's, American Express, Mercer Management Consulting and Booz Allen & Hamilton. In 2001, she founded Aston Pearl, "the family office for everything except money." Ms. Pearl's relationships with a worldwide network of clients and experts throughout the art, luxury, and family office areas provide Aston Pearl with a strong foundation. In July 2006, as part of Institutional Investor's Fifth Annual High-Net-Worth Awards, Aston Pearl was nominated by Private Asset Management as "Family Group of the Year." Prior to founding Aston Pearl, Ms. Pearl served as senior vice president and worldwide director of relationship marketing at Sotheby's, and as chief marketing officer for Circline, a high-end global art firm. Before that, she spent a number of years in management consulting with Booz Allen and Mercer Management Consulting, advising top-tier global financial institutions, and held positions at American Express in operations and marketing. Her professional affiliations include the Family Advisory Council, Family Office Exchange, Luxury Marketing Council, Art Table, Harvard Club of New York, and Harvard Business School Club of New York. She was recently named a member of the Harvard Business School Dean's Board of Advisors.

Ms. Pearl is frequently invited to speak on topics related to family offices, luxury and the ultra-high-net-worth client, most recently at the NMS Family Office Forum, the Global Family Office Summit, the Family Office Symposium, Tiger 21, Institutional Investor's "Women and Wealth," Institute for Private Investors' Spring Forum, Metropolitan Circle, the World Luxury Congress, and the Family Office Business Operations conference. Her firm and her expertise have been highlighted in Robb Report Worth magazine on multiple occasions on topics that include renovating homes in Europe, finding a nanny, and collecting art and antiques.  Aston Pearl was featured in Businessweek.com in January 2007, in the February 2006 issue of Bloomberg Markets , "Battling for Billionaires," and in the October 2004 issue of Connecticut Cottages and Gardens : "Pearls of Wisdom: Get Professional Help to Avoid an Ultra-Luxe Fleecing." In addition, Aston Pearl has received recent mentions in Forbes.com, Der Spiegel, Private Asset Management, Maine Antiques Digest , and Accent . Ms. Pearl received her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard University.

Afroz Qadeer
Afroz Qadeer serves as CEO and co-CIO at Tapestry Asset Management LP (TAM), an investment firm focused primarily on managing customized multi hedge fund programs for institutional clients. TAM is an independent investment management firm with offices in Princeton, NJ, and London. TAM's team comprises of professionals with significant research, due diligence and portfolio management experience in alternatives. The firm focuses primarily on creating and managing multi hedge fund solutions for institutional investors and has a global approach to implementing investment programs for its clients.

Mr. Qadeer has been actively involved with the hedge fund industry since 1993, and prior to joining TAM in 2002, was a vice president with the Hedge Fund Strategies Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he was responsible for managing a number of multi manager funds. Mr. Qadeer holds a Bachelors degree from Sydenham College, Bombay University, and an MBA in finance and multinational management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Eliot D. Raffkind
Eliot D. Raffkind is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Mr. Raffkind maintains an active practice in the representation of investment advisors, including advisors to domestic and offshore hedge funds and other private investment funds, in connection with fund formations and portfolio investing activities.

Mr. Raffkind received his B.B.A. in finance with high honors in 1983 and his J.D. with honors in 1986 from the University of Texas, where he served as a teaching quizmaster from 1985 to 1986. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Mr. Raffkind is a frequent speaker before investment fund trade groups on issues affecting hedge funds and other private equity funds. He serves on the board of directors of the Texas Hedge Fund Association, Capital for Kids (currently serving on the executive committee), Jonathan's Place (currently serving as chairman), and on the Investment Committee of Akin Gump Investment Partners, LP, the private investment fund formed by Akin Gump.

Dev Raman
Dev Raman is principal and founder of Tricolor Advisory Services. Tricolor is an India dedicated absolute return fund house. They currently manage USD 90 million between two strategies, i.e., long short and long only. Tricolor India Opportunities Fund, has since inception, returned 21% net returns to investors every year with a volatility of 11.13, i.e., half of the volatility of the Indian market. The two principals of Tricolor have a combined experience of over 24 years in the Indian financial markets.

Mr. Raman has over thirteen years of experience in the Indian financial markets. He has held key senior positions in the equities broking and research business. Mr. Raman has set up successful businesses for domestic and international business houses. From January 2003 to June 2004, Mr. Raman was director and head of the India equities product at HSBC where he was responsible for the equities broking business for HSBC in India which included areas of research, sales, sales-trading functions and equities derivatives. Mr. Raman was the director of sales for CSFB from December 1996 to July 2002 and he was a senior member of the team that set-up the brokerage operation for CSFB in India. He was the senior salesperson for Indian equities for CSFB in Asia and advised many large institutional investors on their investments in India. Mr. Raman was responsible for research, sales, proprietary trading and equities derivatives business of the bank.

Having spent over a decade advising large institutional investors on their investments in India, Mr. Raman has extensive experience and expertise in analyzing Indian businesses and stock picking. Having held key positions in the Indian market through its evolution, Mr. Raman has a good understanding of the market. He received a Masters in business from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and graduate of Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics, University of Mumbai.

Richard M. Rosenfeld
Richard Rosenfeld is a partner in the corporate and securities practice group of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Based in the Washington DC office, Mr. Rosenfeld's practice covers securities compliance, corporate governance and enforcement matters for broker-dealers, hedge funds, investment advisers, financial service providers and public and private companies both in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Rosenfeld concentrates litigation work on securities litigation, SEC enforcement and arbitration, NASD, NYSE and other SRO enforcement, as well as other regulatory and law enforcement agencies in the United States and throughout the world.

Before joining Pillsbury, Mr. Rosenfeld was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. In private practice he represented issuers, broker-dealers, hedge funds, underwriters and private equity firms; including representing the largest customer of Refco, Inc., and aiding in establishing that Refco Capital Markets was a stockbroker, which mandated priority treatment of customer property under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. He also represented multiple defrauded investors, including 23 separate fund of funds' and others in several of the most prominent hedge fund frauds of the last few years. Mr. Rosenfeld has extensive internal investigation experience and has handled litigations in multiple countries around the globe involving all facets of the securities laws. 

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Rosenfeld worked in London as the SEC's first and only internationally based representative. His time in London was balanced between organizing, managing and directing one of the largest multinational financial fraud litigations in SEC history, and working with the highest-ranking regulators of several countries to address cooperation in international securities matters. During his over eight years with the SEC, Mr. Rosenfeld assisted multiple U.S. attorney's offices throughout the United States, including working as a federal prosecutor, where he led U.S. criminal cases involving money laundering; tax evasion; securities fraud; and bank, mail and wire fraud. While working at the SEC, Mr. Rosenfeld was responsible for numerous high-profile cases; highlights include SEC v. AremisSoft Corp., et al ($1.1 billion financial fraud case, civil and criminal; the largest international freeze - over $250 million - and repatriation in the SEC's history); United States of America v. Lycourgos K. Kyprianou, et al (major securities fraud and money laundering indictment involving fleeing felons, a TRO and civil injunction, several In Rem actions, numerous international repatriation actions and the largest amount ever frozen by SEC/DOJ joint action in a financial fraud case); United States v. Jon Jeffery King, et al (major securities fraud and money laundering operation based in Texas; as a special assistant U.S. attorney, Mr. Rosenfeld prosecuted six defendants, secured landmark sentences and repatriated laundered funds held internationally); SEC v. American Telephone + Data, Inc. (financial fraud case in the Central District of California, which included fleeing defendants and repatriation of stolen funds); and In the matter of AFLI, et al (one of the largest variable annuity insurance matters ever investigated by the SEC).

Mr. Rosenfeld has guest lectured at the George Washington School of Law on the topic of international negotiations and money laundering and is frequently quoted in the financial press on securities law issues. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the SEC Chairman's Award for Excellence and the SEC Enforcement Division Director's Award, as well as awards from the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.

Mr. Rosenfeld received his B.A. with highest honors in 1991 from Rutgers University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received both the Henry Rutgers and New Jersey State Scholarships, and his J.D. in 1994 from Cornell Law School, where he was a member of the Cornell International Law Journal 's board of editors. He is a member of the Maryland, Connecticut and District of Columbia Bars.

Richard Sauer
Richard Sauer is a member of Copper River Management, which he joined in October 2006 from the international law firm Vinson & Elkins, where he was a partner. Prior to joining Vinson & Elkins, Mr. Sauer served for 13 years with the Enforcement Division of the SEC, most recently as an assistant director. At the SEC, he supervised major financial fraud, market manipulation and insider trading cases. Mr. Sauer is listed in the publication Best Lawyers in America 2007 and has received numerous awards, including a citation from the Department of Justice for "exemplary assistance in the criminal enforcement of the securities laws." He is a noted author on securities law topics, received a doctorate in law (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School and has taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America.

David R. Sawyier
David Sawyier is a partner in the Commodities and Financial Litigation practice of Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. Mr. Sawyier has over 25 years experience in advising and representing clients in hedge fund and futures-related corporate and regulatory matters, including the organization and offering of interests in hedge funds and commodity pools and investments in advisory and trading firms. After receiving his B.A. from Harvard in 1972, Mr. Sawyier attended Oxford University, where he was captain of the rowing crew, and received his M.A. in 1974. Mr. Sawyier then returned to Harvard, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, and received his J.D. in 1977, prior to attending Cambridge University, where he received a Diploma in Law in 1979. Mr. Sawyier was admitted into the Bar Association of Illinois in 1977 and of the District of Columbia in 1978. He was the U.S. National Rowing Champion in 1971, subsequently representing the United States in the 1971 World Championships as well as in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, in which he was a finalist.

Sanford J. Selman
Sanford Selman is the founder and managing director of Asia West LLC in Greenwich, CT. Asia West is the fund manager of the Asia West Environment Funds - strategic venture capital funds that invest in privately-held companies located in North America or Europe who generate a meaningful environmental, as well as financial, return. In addition, Asia West's portfolio companies' technologies must be commercially relevant to the developing world and be underpinned by economic, as opposed to regulatory, drivers. Asia West's preferred investment themes include "up-cycling" of materials, resource efficiency and related financial products.   Working actively with its affiliated funds in Europe and China, Asia West takes a hands-on approach to assist its portfolio companies to scale as quickly as possible, both in their home country market as well as overseas.

Mr. Selman has 25 years of project finance and venture capital experience. During his career, he has arranged approximately $1.5 billion in structured financing. Much of this experience was obtained in less developed countries where availability of private capital is a key developmental constraint. His industrial experience includes power generation and transmission, energy efficiency, water and wastewater treatment, mass transit, air pollution control, pulp and paper, oil and gas production, and refining and petrochemicals.

Mr. Selman holds a Master of Business Administration in finance and investments from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering (with distinction) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Selman serves as chairman of Mobius Technologies, Inc. and Maser Corporation. He serves as a director of MBA Polymers Inc. and E-Leather Ltd.

Michael E. Singer
Michael Singer is co-president of Ivy Asset Management. In this capacity, Mr. Singer is responsible for establishing Ivy's strategic plan and managing the firm's business. His areas of focus include finance, legal and compliance, risk management, hedge fund manager operational due diligence, information technology, fund administration and human resources. Prior to joining Ivy in October 2004, Mr. Singer spent nine years with Weiss, Peck & Greer where he served as a senior managing director and executive committee member   responsible for corporate development, relationship management, legal and compliance, human resources and risk management. He began his career as a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand, L.L.P. Mr. Singer received a B.S. in accounting with honors from the Pennsylvania State University and was awarded a J.D. from the Emory University School of Law.

Ron Suber
Ron Suber was named president of Spectrum Global Fund Administration in July 2006.   He has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development across the hedge fund, broker dealer and registered investment advisor industries. Prior to joining Spectrum, Mr. Suber worked at Bear Stearns from 1992 to 2006. At Bear Sterns, Mr. Suber was a senior managing director and the manager of global clearing sales for the prime brokerage, correspondent clearing & registered investment advisor businesses.   Mr. Suber began his career in 1982 at Pershing LLC.

Mr. Suber holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.   During his college career, he co-founded the Cal Berkeley Federal Credit Union. Mr. Suber was on the board of directors of Junior Achievement of the Bay Area from 2001 to 2004.   In addition to supporting the board on strategic issues, he educated students about the brokerage industry, while teaching them valuable life skills. Mr. Suber is a founding member of the West Coast executive committee of Hedge Funds Care, and he co-chaired the second & third annual "West Coast Open Your Heart to the Children" benefits. He now serves on the National Board of Directors for Hedge Funds Care.

Manish Thakur
Manish Thakur is a managing partner and CEO of Hudson Fairfax Group (HFG), an investment company focused exclusively on India. HFG is an investment firm focused on sponsoring and promoting India-related investments, in particular its development of the HFG India Continuum Fund, an investment fund that focuses on publicly traded equities of Indian companies and other securities linked to these securities, as allowed by prevailing regulations in India.

Prior to joining HFG, Mr. Thakur worked in finance for 10 years, both as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch and SG Cowen, where his responsibilities included numerous advisory assignments related to initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, strategic investment, and privatization. During his various jobs, Mr. Thakur gained extensive experience in emerging markets, having worked with clients in such countries as India, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Russia. Between 1998 and 1999, Mr. Thakur served as CFO of Ellipso, Inc., a Washington-based global satellite communications start-up backed by the Boeing Company. Mr. Thakur began his career in 1989 as an international officer at Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation's Trade Finance division in Hong Kong. 

Mr. Thakur is also executive director of the U.S.-India Institute, a Washington-based think tank established to promote a lasting alliance between the world's two largest democracies, rooted in stronger economic and national security ties between the two countries. Mr. Thakur holds a B.Sc. (Honors) in economics from the University of London and an MBA in finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Stephen C. Vogt
Stephen Vogt is the chief investment officer of Mesirow Advanced Strategies, Inc., and is a member of its investment, executive and management committees. Additionally, he is a member of its parent company, Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc.'s executive committee and board of directors. Dr. Vogt is responsible for overseeing all aspects of research including portfolio management, risk management, manager due diligence and manager monitoring. He is also active in managing the day-to-day operations of Mesirow Advanced Strategies, Inc. Prior to joining Mesirow Advanced Strategies, Inc., Dr. Vogt was an associate professor of finance at DePaul University. His research focused on empirical tests of financial theories and has been published in both academic and trade journals. Dr. Vogt received a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Bemidji State University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Washington University-St. Louis.

Andrew Weisman
Andrew Weisman is the managing director & CIO for the Merrill Lynch Hedge Fund Development & Management Group. Mr. Weisman was a founding member and director of research and risk management for Strativarius Capital Management LLC, a New York based global/macro hedge fund. Until April 30, 2002, Mr. Weisman was the CIO and member of the board of directors for The Nikko Securities Co. International, Inc. (Nikko). Some of his professional achievements include the development of several risk management products, analytical tools and trading methodologies used by Nikko and other money management firms. Mr. Weisman also worked in the position as head of Bankers Trust's Automated Currency Trading Unit and senior asset manager for Commodities Corporation LLC (Goldman Sachs Princeton LLC).

Mr. Weisman published an extensive collection of articles on asset allocation and risk issues related to hedge funds. Research awards include the Fourth Annual Bernstein Fabozzi/Jacobs Levy Award for Outstanding Article published in The Journal of Portfolio Management during the volume year 2001-2002; and the GAIM Research Paper of the Year, 2003. He is currently a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Portfolio Management, and member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Financial Engineers.

Mr. Weisman has a B.A. from Columbia College (1982), a Masters in International Affairs specializing in international business from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (1983), completed all course work and comprehensive exams towards a PhD in money and financial markets at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

John Wolfe
John Wolfe is co-founder of Mannahatta Partners. Prior to Mannahatta, Mr. Wolfe was the global head of the ICAP Managed Funds Group. He is a founding member of Wolfehaus LLC, a specialty consulting company, focusing on marketing strategy and business management for alternative asset management companies and broker/dealers. Prior to forming Wolfehaus LLC, Mr. Wolfe was at Deutsche Bank for two years in the Managed Funds Group, responsible for structuring and closing principal protected alternative products, and was a senior Deutsche Bank member of the integration team for alternative investments during the Deutsche Bank/Bankers Trust merger. He worked at Merrill Lynch for 21 years where he held a number of positions in futures, derivatives, fixed income, equity and financial business. Mr. Wolfe is an adjunct Professor at Seton Hall, and a guest lecturer for the Chartered Financial Analyst programs on alternative investment due diligence and strategy. He is a graduate of Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin with a B.A. in religion and theatre.