Women in Fund Finance Event

WFF Americas: Learning and Career Forum

Name: WFF Americas: Learning and Career Forum
Start: 2024-11-20T14:00:00Z
End: 2024-11-20T19:00:00Z
Location: Mayer Brown (New York)

November 20, 2024

New York, New York

Women in Fund Finance is excited to invite you to our inaugural WFF Learning and Career Forum

Saba Ahmad

Turning Rock

Kevin Alexander

Ares Management

Creative Capital Solutions: How funds fund

2:50 PM | 2024-11-20

Kevin Alexander

Partner | Ares Management

Mr. Alexander is a Partner in the Ares Credit Group, where he focuses on alternative credit investments. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group's Alternative Credit, Pathfinder and Pathfinder Core Investment Committees and the Ares Secondaries Group's Credit Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2019, Mr. Alexander was Deputy CEO and Head of Global Market, Americas at Natixis CIB. Previously, he worked at Deutsche Bank within the Interest Rate Derivatives Group. Mr. Alexander began his career as an Economic Analyst at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He holds a B.S. from Washington and Lee University in Business Administration and Accounting and an M.A. from Fordham University in Economics.

Stephen Ardizzoni

Marathon Asset Management

Sara Casey

AB Private Credit Investors

Liquidity Solutions

3:45 PM | 2024-11-20

Sara Casey

Director | AB Private Credit Investors

Sara Casey is a Director with AB Private Credit Investors, where she is one of the initial senior team members involved in the development of the NAV Lending strategy. Her responsibilities include deal sourcing, structuring, underwriting and execution, and portfolio management. Prior to joining AB in 2023, Casey was a Principal at Hark Capital, where she sourced and executed NAV loans. Prior to Hark Capital, she was an Associate at Wells Fargo Securities. Casey is a member of the Fund Finance Association’s NextGen Committee and was the Fund Finance Association’s 2023 NextGen Member of the Year. She holds a BS in finance from Providence College.

Priyanka Chandran

BMO Capital Markets

Lisa Chaney

Paul Hastings

Esther, Cho

KKR Infrastructure

Sarah Elliott

National Australia Bank Limited

Lending to Real Assets

2:50 PM | 2024-11-20

Sarah Elliott

Head of Client Coverage | National Australia Bank Limited

Sarah Elliott is Head of Client Coverage for NAB North America, and leads the Financial Sponsors, Infrastructure, Renewables, Asset Finance, Insurance, Banks, and Corporates coverage teams. Sarah is a member of NAB’s North American Executive Leadership team and Risk Committee. In the Financial Sponsors space, Sarah and her team work with open and closed-end Funds across the fund finance spectrum including subscription finance, NAV and Hybrid facilities, as well as FX and interest rate hedging. With 17 years’ experience in the market, Sarah has been based in New York for over 5 years, and during this time has led Fund Finance deals for some of the largest global Sponsors. Before NAB, Sarah was a Finance Attorney at top tier Australian law firm King & Wood Mallesons working with Funds across Fund Finance, Real Estate, Leveraged and Project Finance and DCM. Sarah holds qualifications in law (University of Sydney) and a degree in liberal arts, as well as business, finance and accounting certifications.

Fischer, Renee (Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP)

Renee Fischer

Jillien Flores

MFA

Ed Goldstein

Coller Capital

Jennifer Gray

ECP

Lending to Real Assets

2:50 PM | 2024-11-20

Jennifer Gray

Managing Director, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | ECP

Ms. Gray is Senior Managing Director, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at ECP. She chairs the Compliance Committee and co-chairs the ESG Committee. Ms. Gray previously served on the board for NESCO Holdings, Inc. (now known as Custom Truck One Source) and Ramaco Resources.

Prior to joining ECP in 2008, Ms. Gray was an Associate at the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. Ms. Gray represented both lenders and borrowers in several joint venture, financing, acquisition and development transactions.

Ms. Gray received her B.S. in International Business and J.D. from Pepperdine University.

Kirsten Hagen

Brinley Partners

Jane Hansen

Jane Hanson, former NBC News Anchor, Forbes Contributor & Coach to CEO’s

1:45 PM | 2024-11-20

Jane Hansen

Former NBC News Anchor Forbes Contributor & Coach to CEO’s

Emmy Award-winning television journalist and communications coach Jane Hanson has dedicated over 30 years to helping people master the art of communication. Her distinguished career began as a reporter and anchor for NBC New York, and today she continues her impact as a communications coach and Forbes contributor, where she focuses on business, leadership, and transition.

Jane works with an impressive array of clients, including C-suite executives across finance, technology, startups, pharmaceuticals, fashion, media, and more. Her coaching spans a diverse range of professionals—from scientists to chefs and restaurateurs—helping them communicate with clarity and confidence. She frequently partners with financial institutions and Private Wealth managers to host seminars and private sessions aimed at enhancing client communication.

Throughout her career at NBC, Jane anchored iconic programs like Today in New York and The Today Show, covering pivotal moments like 9/11, Yankees victory parades, Wall Street trends, and Washington politics. Her reporting took her around the globe, from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia to the depths below New York City for her award-winning program, Jane’s New York. She most recently hosted New York Live.

Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Jane has earned nine Emmy Awards and was named "Correspondent of the Year" by New York's Police Detectives and Firefighters. In addition to these honors, she has received numerous accolades for her community service. Today, Jane continues to serve as a sought-after speaker, interviewer, panel moderator, and podcaster, sharing her expertise on topics ranging from healthcare and science to pop culture, finance, and religion.

Mariel Healy

TD Cowen

Sara Klymkowsky

Royalty Pharma

Chris LiPuma

Fortress Investment Group LLC

Jeff Maier

Citizens

Liquidity Solutions

3:45 PM | 2024-11-20

Jeff Maier

Managing Director | Citizens

Jeff Maier is a Senior Managing Director on the Private Equity Finance team at Citizens Private Bank and based in New York. Jeff has worked in private capital since 2002 when he joined JPMorgan’s proprietary private equity group, JPMorgan Partners (JPMP). After the spin-out of JPMP in 2005, Jeff helped launch JPMorgan’s Private Equity Fund Services, a leading third-party provider of banking and fund administration services to private equity sponsors globally. In 2012, Jeff joined Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to lead their Global Fund Banking group out of New York. During his tenure at SVB, Jeff was able to grow the New York Private Equity and Venture portfolio from $1B to over $6B in loan commitments. In 2017, Jeff and his business partner, Scott Aleali, joined First Republic Bank (FRB) to lead their Private Equity Finance business in New York. During their tenure at FRB, Jeff and his team originated over $8B in loan commitments. Jeff has extensive middle office, back-office, and business development expertise in private capital, including banking and lending to some of the leading private capital sponsors in the world. His team has experience lending to Funds, Management Companies, and GP entities.

Jeff holds a law degree from the University of Missouri and a B.S. from Illinois State University. He was a founding Board Member of the Fund Finance Association and current co-host of #FundFanatics.

Cat Middleton

The Venture Collective

Stephanie Miller

Hazeltree Fund Services

Bree Mitchell

NAB

Julia Monfrini Peev

PACE Healthcare Capital

Montaperto, Deborah (Morgan Stanley Wealth Management)

Deborah Montaperto

Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

Michael Orphanides

BMO Capital Markets

Career Advancement/Pivot

4:40 PM | 2024-11-20

Michael Orphanides

Managing Director | BMO Capital Markets

Michael Orphanides joined BMO in May 2019 as MD and Head, Asset & Wealth Managers, Corporate Banking, part of the Global FIG franchise. He is responsible for managing a team focused on the delivery of corporate banking products and services for the sector.

Prior to joining BMO, Michael held various roles across Coverage and Credit, covering FIG at Barclays, he started his Banking career in 2005 based in London. In 2008, Michael was responsible for establishing and developing coverage of US Funds & Asset Managers. He then moved to New York in 2011 to build the broader coverage of Financial Institutions in the Americas, where he was Head of FIG Corporate Banking, Americas. He was responsible for managing a team focused on the delivery of corporate banking products and services across Banks, Broker Dealers, Insurance, Funds & Asset Managers and Financial Technology sectors.

Michael has a BSc (Hons) in Computing of Mechanical Engineering from Brunel University.

Caitlin Schwietering

Bank of America

Dee Dee Sklar

Women in Fund Finance

Liquidity Solutions

3:45 PM | 2024-11-20

Dee Dee Sklar

Co-Chair | Women in Fund Finance

Dee Dee Sklar is a Board and Advisor Candidate. As a senior banking executive with global experience in banking and alternatives, she has managed global businesses providing financing and other solutions to private equity firms, portfolio companies, and asset managers across three international banks. Dee Dee retired from her role as Vice Chair, Subscription Finance at Wells Fargo. She is the current Global Co-Chair of Women In Fund Finance and is a part of the Fund Finance Association’s business development initiatives. She is a member of the Cerberus Operating and Advisory Company Competitiveness Council , 17Capital’s Strategic Advisory Board and Tealbook’s AI Supply Chain Technology’s Business Advisory Board.

Liz Tabas Carson

Sidley Austin LLP

Creative Capital Solutions: How funds fund

2:50 PM | 2024-11-20

Liz Tabas Carson

Partner | Sidley Austin LLP

Elizabeth Tabas Carson represents alternative lenders, investors, asset managers, hedge funds, traditional banks, and investment banks, as well as corporate borrowers, financial sponsors and their portfolio companies on a wide range of complex domestic and cross-border leveraged finance and special situations transactions. Liz has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating private financings, secured and unsecured lending transactions, cash flow and asset-based leverage facilities, merger and acquisition financing, mezzanine and second lien financings, debt restructurings and workouts, recapitalizations, SPAC and de-SPAC support transactions, fund financings, private debt, and financings of alternative assets, including structuring financings and liquidity solutions for investment funds and asset managers, public and private companies, and not-for-profit institutions.

Liz’s practice focuses on distressed debt, regulated and complex debt offerings in private and public markets with a particular focus on asset managers, healthcare, life sciences, technology, intellectual property, concentrated NAV financings, and other transactions involving regulated and esoteric asset classes. She has in-depth experience with deals of all sizes, from bi-lateral domestic financings and “club” deals for emerging growth and middle-market companies to more broadly syndicated credit facilities for large publicly traded companies, as well as private sponsor-owned businesses with cross-border operations.

Liz has been recognized by several industry publications, including IFLR 1000 (2020–2021) and Chambers USA (2021–2024).

Rebecca Tabb

Mubadala Capital

Rima Terradista

Raymond James Financial

Adriana Tibbits

Sidley Austin LLP

Bryony Widdup

Hogan Lovells

Cassie Winn

J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Alliance Bernstein - Private Credit Investors

Established in 2014, AB Private Credit Investors (AB-PCI) is AllianceBernstein's private corporate credit platform. As of December 2023, AB-PCI has committed $25+ billion across more than 335 portfolio companies, primarily in directly originated and privately negotiated senior secured loans to financial sponsor-backed borrowers in the US middle market. AB NAV Lending was established in 2023 to provide flexible fund financing solutions based on the net asset value of private equity funds and is a natural extension of AB-PCI’s existing platform. AB-PCI's team of 76 professionals manages more than $17 billion of capital available for investment. Visit here for more information on AB-PCI.

BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American-based financial services provider offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a complete range of products and services. These include equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, merger and acquisitions advisory services, securitization, treasury management, market risk management, debt and equity research and institutional sales and trading. With over 2,800 professionals in 35 locations around the world, including 23 offices in North America, BMO Capital Markets works proactively with clients to provide innovative and integrated financial solutions.

BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with US$924 billion total assets and approximately 57,000 employees as of April 30, 2023. For more information, visit https://capitalmarkets.bmo.com/en/.

Mayer Brown

Mayer Brown, the founding sponsor of the Annual Subscription Facility and Fund Finance Symposium, is a global legal services organization advising clients across the Americas, Asia and Europe. Our presence in the world’s leading markets enables us to offer clients access to local market knowledge combined with global reach. Mayer Brown’s finance platform is based on the Firm’s global position and our balanced and integrated practice, which encompasses all the focused skill sets that our clients demand— from cross-border acquisition finance and international capital markets work to project finance, structured finance, and derivatives.

Mayer Brown is a market leader and has acted as Adviser to Lenders and Funds on over 500 subscription credit facilities in the last two years. The firm has relationships with every major US lender along with the majority of active lenders in the European and Asian markets. The team has led transactions funded by balance sheet lenders and commercial paper conduits as well as large syndicated facilities to accommodate various types of insurance companies. Its lawyers are experienced documenting the full suite of fund and portfolio-level financings including subscription-backed credit facilities, NAV facilities, private placements, equity commitment facilities, hybrid facilities, open-end fund facilities, management fee credit lines and an assortment of leveraged asset level transactions.

Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

National Australia Bank (NAB)

National Australia Bank (NAB) is a leading Australian bank. Our global Corporate and Institutional Bank serves Financial Institutions and Corporates through our offices in Australia, Asia the US and Europe. The New York based team provide full relationship services, originating and executing product solutions with a focus on infrastructure, sustainability and investor solutions. We work with some of the leading participants in the infrastructure sector – leading deals across all market segments including renewables, energy, resources, transport and commodities – and coordinate closely across fund and asset level exposures. We have a dedicated Funds business which operates globally through US, UK, Asia and Australia which provides banking and markets solutions for asset managers and financial sponsors. We are an agent for subscription financing and credit facilities for private and publicly listed funds.

Sidley Austin LLP

Sidley is an elite global law firm powered by lawyers who practice at the highest level of the profession. Backed by 156 years of experience, we deliver superior service to a high-caliber group of market-leading clients worldwide, while placing a premium on collaboration and diversity. Our firm boasts a roster of 2,300 lawyers who wield deep experience in transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters spanning over 50 legal disciplines and industries.

Our fund finance practice is a team of highly skilled and dedicated practitioners at the forefront of the rapidly expanding fund finance market. With vast experience in all types of fund financing products we build and maintain deep relationships with fund, borrower, and lender side clients. We have experience with every major investment fund strategy and asset class, including many esoteric asset classes, and we represent our clients in all aspects of the structuring, negotiation, administration, restructuring, and termination of fund finance transactions. With 21 offices situated in major commercial and financial capitals around the world, our lawyers possess the cultural awareness and legal acumen needed to advise clients in today’s global economy.

We are nationally recognized by several industry publications, including:

Consistent Tier 1 rankings in Banking and Finance Law

U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” survey 2022

Two Time “Investment Funds Team of the Year for the U.S.” Recipient

Chambers USA

Mayer Brown (New York)

: 1221 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY 10020
New York City, New York 10020

: https://www.mayerbrown.com/en

Mayer Brown NYC - 1221 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY 10020