Andrew is responsible for supporting the independent wealth channel. Prior to joining iCapital, Andrew was at Cetera Financial Group, one of the nation’s largest independent wealth management firms. There he supported strategic relationships across multiple product lines, as well as curating and managing their alternative investment platform. Andrew maintains FINRA Series 7, 66, 63, 6, and 22 licenses.  He has a B.S. in Physics from the University of Delaware and has earned the right to use the CAIA® designation.

Joanna Berg is the Sr. Alternative Investment Strategist for BNY Advisors. In this role she is responsible for providing alternative investment advice to high net worth and institutional clients of the firm, articulating complex investment solutions across liquid and private alternatives, and providing guidance on portfolio construction and asset allocation.  Joanna also plays a key role in developing new products and solutions across hedge funds, private equity and private real estate, and drives new idea generation that shapes alternative investment strategy.  Joanna serves as a member on Wealth Management’s Alternative Investment Strategy Committee and the BNY Advisors Alternative Investments Council.

Joanna has over 20 years of experience in alternative investments across various investment functions. Prior to joining BNY in 2020, Joanna spent 10 years with Morgan Stanley, most recently as Senior Portfolio Manager in the OCIO group, managing discretionary portfolios for Endowments and Foundations and Ultra High Net Worth clients, with a focus on Alternative Investment allocations.  Prior to this, she was a Senior Investment Analyst on the Alternative Investments Due Diligence team at Morgan Stanley, originating and selecting private equity, private real estate and private credit funds for the wealth management platform.  Joanna began her career at Citigroup where she spent 7 years with the Citigroup Alternative Investments Group providing hedge fund and private markets investment advice to Financial Advisors and high net worth clients.

Joanna received her MBA degree from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Fordham University.  Joanna also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute.

Scott Brady is the head of US Product Development and Strategy for Columbia Threadneedle Investments. Mr. Brady joined Columbia Threadneedle Investments in 2016.

Previously, Mr. Brady was Head of Global Mutual Funds at Merrill Lynch. Prior to that, he served as Head of U.S. Mutual Funds and Director of Asset Transition Services. Before joining Merrill Lynch in 2004, Mr. Brady held various roles within Eaton Vance and Putnam Investments. He has been a member of the investment community since 1995.

Mr. Brady received a B.S. in Finance from Boston College. He holds Series 7, 24, and 66 licenses with FINRA.

Jeff Chapman is an experienced technology leader and AI expert, currently the Field CTO at Vectara, where he helps enterprises deploy Generative AI solutions. With Vectara’s serverless Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-as-a-Service, Jeff focuses on enabling organizations to build secure, scalable AI-powered assistants that leverage their data for accurate and explainable insights.

Before Vectara, Jeff held technology leadership roles at UBS, ING, and Capital One, where he led AI and technology innovations across global banking operations. A UCLA graduate in Computer Science, he has a strong background in AI, data architecture, and enterprise solutions.

Kelly Chapman has over 15 years of experience working in the asset management industry, with over 12 years as an attorney in the space focusing on the intersection of private fund formation and management, securities regulation, and fintech & digital assets. 

At Wave Digital Assets — a registered investment adviser focused on digital asset-related investing for institutional and other sophisticated clients — her role spans both legal and compliance functions, and includes managing the development and deployment of innovative, digital asset-related investment products and strategies in line with securities and other relevant laws and regulations.

Previously, she held the position of Product Counsel at Figure Technologies, where she advised the company in building out its Digital Fund Services platform served as in-house counsel to their RIA, their corporate investing arm, and in respect of the initial development of their innovative, proposed registered stablecoin product, among other things.

She also previously spent over 8 years in private practice at law firms Wilson Sonsini, Fried Frank, and K&L Gates. 

Prior to law school, Kelly worked at the Carlyle Group, where her work focused on the administration and corporate governance of the firm’s €10 billion+ in AUM European and Middle East/North Africa funds – directly before and during the 2008 financial crisis, proving to be a fascinating introduction to the asset management industry. 

Kelly holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and Bachelors of Arts in Economics and International Studies from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. 

Kate Chatzopoulos is a seasoned financial services executive with over two decades of experience in the capital markets. As a Market Solutions Strategist she has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions that drive revenue generation and industry innovation.

Kate has held leadership positions at leading financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, and Blackrock. In her most recent role as Head of Operations Workflow at Symphony Communications, she spearheaded product innovation for Post Trade Lifecycle Management delivering an Industry Directory and capabilities to embed communication into workflow removing the need to context switch.

Kate is also a certified coach and mentor,and image consultant committed to supporting professionals in their career growth. She is passionate about helping others see their value, find their voices, and realize their full potential.

Kate is deeply involved in nonprofit causes, particularly those focused on youth development. She is a co-founder of the George C Fund, which supported young adults' growth through action sports from 2009 to 2014.

Kate is known for her dynamic leadership, strategic thinking, and ability to build strong relationships. She is a sought-after speaker and has presented at numerous industry events.

Kate resides in New York City and travels extensively

Nickolaus Darsch is Managing Director, responsible for client development activities and contributing to firm growth strategies. Nick focuses on building strategic investment adviser and industry partner relationships and supports product structuring, governance, and operational design efforts. In addition, Nick leads the firm’s retail alternatives practice including interval and tender offer funds, business development companies, as well as wealth platforms. Nick joined Ultimus in July 2019 as Senior Vice President, Business Development.

Prior to Ultimus, Nick held multiple roles within SS&C Technologies (including predecessor firms DST Systems, ALPS, and Boston Financial Data Services) in sales, strategic relationship management, product, and research groups. In 2022, Nick was named to the Rising Leaders Council by the Institute of Portfolio Alternatives and previously selected as a “Rising Star” in the Asset Management industry by Fund Directions. Nick serves on various industry committees including IPA, NICSA, and ICI.

Nick received B.S. from Bentley University in Economics and Finance and an MBA from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University.

Jim Fitzpatrick is the President and CEO of Nicsa, a global asset management trade association with a mission of connecting industry participants in order to advance leading practices. Jim joined Nicsa in 2015 with 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles within the asset management industry. Working closely with the Board of Directors, Jim has set the strategic direction of Nicsa, which includes the launch of the Diversity Project North America in late 2018. The Diversity Project promotes an inclusive asset management industry and seeks to achieve diversity across all dimensions through collaborative leadership from senior business executives.

Previously, Jim was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management with responsibilities that included senior leadership responsibilities in both global operations and global sales roles during his career. In addition, he served as an officer of the Goldman Sachs Funds for fourteen years and served as an Independent Trustee for the Hays Series Trust until December 2017. Jim began his career with The Boston Company and later First Data Investor Services Group, a subsidiary of the surviving entity, First Data Corporation, where he held several senior management positions during his tenure.

Jennifer Flitton is Head of US Government Affairs at Invesco. In this role, she works to drive Invesco's advocacy initiatives with policymakers and regulators, ensuring the firm is an influential part of the Washington conversation and solidifying Invesco's seat at the table. Ms. Flitton also leverages her expertise to provide timely political and policy insights to clients and portfolio managers.

Ms. Flitton joined Invesco in 2018 from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). At SIFMA, she led lobbying initiatives on behalf of the asset management and broker dealer industries with a focus on asset management, wealth management, and tax issues, including the 2017 tax reform bill and the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule. Prior to joining SIFMA, Ms. Flitton spent 16 years on Capitol Hill, last serving as the deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Congressman Patrick McHenry and as Congressman McHenry's designee to the House Financial Services Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. She started her Capitol Hill career with former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Mike Oxley. She has appeared on Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio.

Ms. Flitton earned a BA degree from Ashland University and a master's in public policy from George Mason University

Michelle is a seasoned executive with over 22 years of experience in financial services.  She was most recently Head of Private Wealth distribution for John Hancock Investment Management, where she was responsible for the expansion of alternative investment solutions and private wealth advisor-focused distribution efforts in the US. Prior to that role, Michelle was tapped to build the firm’s Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) distribution efforts, structuring and leading a team of RIA salespeople. Michelle began her career with John Hancock with the responsibility of building out exchange-traded fund (ETF) distribution across the US, leading a team of ETF specialists and managing relationships with key ETF stakeholders at partner firms nationwide. 

Before joining John Hancock, Michelle held Sales Management, ETF Specialist and National Account roles at both PIMCO and State Street Global Advisors, respectively. She began her career at UBS Financial Services as a recruit into their Graduate Talent Program.  Michelle holds FINRA Series 7, 66 and 24 licenses, as well as the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Certified ETF Advisor (CETF) and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designations.

Currently on a short-term sabbatical from corporate life, Michelle is actively engaged in financial services consulting, volunteer projects, travel, and supporting the growth of her family’s automotive business.

Martin (“Marty”) Griffin leads the Asset Manager in its fund operations activities.  Mr. Griffin is a financial services operations executive with 30 years’ experience in differing leadership and management roles in global asset management and global custodian firms.  Mr. Griffin has worked in management roles within registered transfer agent and alternative investment investor servicing operations, sales operations, and business development.  

Mr. Griffin has held executive roles for similar activities with MFS Investment Manager, Amundi US Investments (Pioneer Investments), State Street Bank and Trust, and BNY Mellon Asset Servicing over his career.  

 Mr. Griffin is a graduate of Northeastern University.  

Dan Hays is a principal with PwC and leads the firm’s enterprise strategy consulting practice for the technology, media, and telecommunications sector. He also co-leads the regulatory and policy strategy practice team. As a senior member of PwC’s Strategy& consulting practice, Dan works with investors, online platforms, communications and infrastructure service providers, and entertainment and media companies worldwide. 

Based in Washington, D.C., Dan has worked with clients across the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania, and focuses in the areas of growth strategy, regulatory and policy strategy, deals, innovation, product strategy, and operational strategy.

A prolific author and speaker, as well as often-quoted industry expert, Dan’s writing includes leading thinking on the growth strategies, regulation, and new technology.  Dan is a frequent guest columnist and often-quoted industry expert in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, The New York Times, RCR Wireless News, and Variety.

Dan has nearly 30 years of experience across the technology and telecommunications sector, in both consulting and operating roles. Prior to joining PwC via the acquisition of PRTM Management Consultants, Dan worked for Intel and IBM in marketing and product development, where his responsibilities included supporting the development of the world’s first smartphone, driving the adoption of new connectivity standards such as USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and developing new product concepts for advanced technology products.

Dan holds an Electrical Engineering degree with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Kristina Hooper is Chief Global Market Strategist at Invesco. In this role, she leads Invesco’s Global Market Strategy (GMS) Office, which has strategists on-the-ground in North America, Europe and Asia. Ms. Hooper and her team formulate macro views of the markets and economy, examine the investment implications of those views, and share their insights with clients and the media around the world.

Prior to joining Invesco, Ms. Hooper was the US investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors. Prior to Allianz, she held positions at PIMCO Funds, UBS (formerly PaineWebber) and MetLife. She has regularly been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The New York Times, Reuters and other financial news publications. She was featured on the cover of the January 2015 issue of Kiplinger’s magazine, and has appeared regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg TV. She joined the investment industry in 1995.

Ms. Hooper earned a BA degree, cum laude, from Wellesley College; a J.D. from Pace University School of Law, where she was a Trustees’ Merit Scholar; an MBA in finance from New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where she was a teaching fellow in macroeconomics and organizational behavior; and a master’s degree from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where she focused on labor economics.

Ms. Hooper is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC) professional. She previously served on the board of trustees of the Foundation for Financial Planning, which is the pro bono arm of the financial planning industry.

Joanne Kane is the Chief Compliance Officer for SS&C’s Global Investor and Distribution Solutions Division (GIDS), US.  Ms. Kane joined SS&C in May of 2023 and is responsible for the full range of compliance initiatives and issues related to 40’ Act mutual funds and SS&C’s asset management clients.

Ms. Kane has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including extensive knowledge of transfer agency and compliance as well as various Securities and Exchange Commission regulations pertaining to asset managers. Prior to joining SS&C, Ms. Kane served as Chief Industry Operations Officer for the Investment Company Institute where she spent almost 10 years.  Earlier in her career, she held various senior positons including as Vice President of Transfer Agent Governance and Administration for Columbia Management Investors Services, Corp. and as Assistant Vice President of Transfer Agent Compliance with IXIS Asset Management Services. Ms. Kane graduated Magna Cum Laude from Providence College with a BS degree in finance. 

Rob joined Commonwealth in July 2013 as an alternative investment analyst and has since transitioned to director of the Alternative Investments team. In this role, he facilitates due diligence and oversight on research activities related to asset classes and products within alternative investments. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst. He holds his FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 securities registrations and the CAIA designation.

Ada leads Business Development at DTCC Digital Assets (formerly Securrency). In her role, Ada works closely with her team and key stakeholders across the organization to generate revenue growth, enhance client engagement and ensure successful program execution. 

Ada joined DTCC Digital Assets in 2021, following a 15-year career at State Street Bank and Trust. At State Street, she worked across several asset servicing business lines including Custody Operations, Middle Office Outsourcing, Global Markets and Product Innovation and Strategy. Her most recent role at State Street was in the Digital Asset and Innovation area, where she participated in several industry POCs focused on digital assets.

Ada has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in International Relations from Emmanuel College.

Doug Krupa (New York) joined KKR in 2019 and is a Managing Director and Head of Global Wealth Solutions in the Americas. He leads a team focused on distributing KKR strategies to advisors and clients of leading wealth platforms and registered investment advisors and led the development of KKR’s evergreen solutions across asset classes. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Krupa spent eight years at Blackstone as a managing director and global head of product strategy for the private wealth solutions group. Previously, he worked at Legg Mason and Citigroup in product development and sales roles. Mr. Krupa holds a B.S. in Management from the State University of New York at Geneseo and is a CFA Charterholder.

Carl Lingenfelter is the Artificial Intelligence product manager for Northern Trust, where he leads the use of AI to improve productivity and deliver innovative client solutions.

Prior to this role, Lingenfelter served as head of technology strategy and optimization, leading strategy, digitalization, and optimization, and negotiating multi-year public cloud agreements.  Lingenfelter also served as platform executive for Northern Trust’s Omnium® technology platform, which provides fund administration, trade operations, and investment analytics to asset managers and sophisticated institutional investors. Lingenfelter led the integration of the Omnium business following its acquisition from Citadel, and was head of strategy for Northern Trust’s asset servicing business, leading market development, innovation, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions.

Before joining Northern Trust, Lingenfelter served as chief of staff to the board of the Chicago Transit Authority, where he chaired the investment committee for the CTA pension. His work for CTA culminated in transit reform and labor-management agreement that reduced retirement liabilities and tripled pension assets to $3 billion.

Lingenfelter was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and McLarty Associates. He served as a policy advisor and speechwriter on economic and international affairs in President Clinton's White House, and on the staff of Congressman Lee Hamilton, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lingenfelter also worked as staff director of the Illinois Office of Management and Budget and a trustee of the State Employees’ Retirement System.

Lingenfelter holds a B.A. in History and International Studies from Yale University and an M.B.A. in Economics and Finance from the University of Chicago.

York has been a key member of the team responsible for manager selection and oversight and product development and management for global fund platforms. While at the firm, he’s launched products across structure types, asset classes, and styles, which has contributed significantly to the firm’s growth. 

He brings 25 years of experience in the asset management industry in the United States and Asia, previously working for firms such as UBS and Putnam Investments in business development and research roles. York holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and Certified Investment Management Analyst designations and serves on the DEI Advisory Board of the CAIA Association. Education: M.B.A., MIT Sloan School of Management; B.S.B.A., Finance, Boston University Questrom School of Business. Joined the company: 2008, Began career: 1998

Kevin Mahn is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Hennion & Walsh Asset Management. Mr. Mahn is responsible for the Wealth and Asset Management products and services offered at the Firm including the SmartTrust® platform of Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Mr. Mahn also was the Portfolio Manager of the SmartGrowth® family of Mutual Funds.

Mr. Mahn is the author of the quarterly “CEF and ETF Insights” and "Market Outlook" newsletters as well as a co-author of the book, Exchange Traded Funds: Conceptual and Practical Investment Approaches, © 2009 Riskbooks. Articles written by Mr. Mahn have been published in The Journal of Investing and The Journal of Index Investing. Mr. Mahn is a contributor to Forbes, Talk Markets and Seeking Alpha.

Prior to Hennion & Walsh, Mr. Mahn was a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers where he held several senior management positions, including CAO of the High Net Worth Product and Services group within Lehman’s Wealth and Asset Management division as well as COO of Lehman Brothers Bank.

Mr. Mahn received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Muhlenberg College and his M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). Mr. Mahn has also served as an adjunct professor at FDU within the Department of Economics, Finance and International Business. In 2015, Mr. Mahn received the "50 Under 50" award from the Silberman College of Business at FDU.

Mr. Mahn currently serves on the Board of Directors of NICSA and was formerly a Co-Chair of the NICSA UIT Industry Committee, winning the 2014 and 2016 NICSA MVP Awards for his accomplishments in that role. Kevin also won the Rising Stars of Mutual Funds Award from Institutional Investor in 2009.

Mr. Mahn has appeared in/on CBS News, Fox News, CNBC, Fox Business News, Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Fortune, Forbes, New York Times, Financial Times, USA Today, Bloomberg, Reuters, Nasdaq and Yahoo! Finance.

Tod is a Director out of the Boston office. He is the Global Head of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for the Data, Digital, and Innovation team within Securities Services. Tod joined Citi in 2022.

Prior to Citi, Tod spent three years with Alpha Financial Markets Consulting where he was a client director responsible for the public and private market strategy, design, and implementation of transformative change for some of North America’s largest Asset Managers and Asset Owners. In addition, Tod was the North America head of the ESG and Responsible Investing Practice.

Before joining Alpha, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Prudential’s Portfolio Management Group in London, where he oversaw technology, operations, and data for the £180b multi-asset manager. Prior to that, at NN IP, he was a Senior Quant, Head of Portfolio Analytics, and member of the Quant Leadership Team.

Carlos Kazuo Missao is Head of Innovation, Americas, at GFT, where he guides some of the world’s leading banking, finance, and insurance companies through large-scale digital transformation journeys. Missao's work spans the complete overhaul of legacy architectures and full cloud migrations to the adoption of advanced technologies and the introduction of open banking frameworks.

Brian is the CEO and Founder of FLX Networks.

Brian launched FLX in December 2019, addressing a need for modernization and simplification in the asset and wealth management industries. Since inception, FLX has added dozens of high quality team members, strategically partnered with hundreds of enterprises, and attracted almost $10+ million of  investments from global institutions.   

Prior to founding FLX, he held multiple senior leadership roles, where he guided teams of financial professionals at Neuberger Berman and AMG to more than $100 billion in sales. During his 25+ year career, Brian has developed a broad perspective due to his numerous roles within the distribution ecosystem, ranging from wholesaling and  national accounts, to being the Head of Distribution.

Brian earned a B.S. in Marketing from Penn State University, an MBA in Finance from Temple University, and is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA).

Adam Pennacchio serves as an Executive Director in the Alternative Investments Group at Morgan Stanley. In this capacity, Mr. Pennacchio is responsible for the distribution efforts across the Northeast, Southeast and Mid-America regions. He focuses on asset allocation and positioning of alternative investments with institutional and ultra-high net worth investors. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Pennacchio worked at Clough Capital Partners, a $3 billion equity long/short hedge fund, where he was responsible for product development and capital raising. Prior to that, Mr. Pennacchio worked for Merrill Lynch, most recently as a Vice President in the Alternative Investments Group where he helped with the evaluation and selection of investment managers for the Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments platform. He began his career at US Trust where he served as an analyst on a three person advisory team with over $2 billion in assets under management. Mr. Pennacchio received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Union Collage. He also holds his Certified Investment Management Analyst designation.

Prior to joining TIFIN, Rob held the position of Executive Vice President of Wealth Management Solutions at LPL Financial. In this role, he was responsible for managing LPL’s wealth management capabilities, which included overseeing the company’s investment product distribution, retirement plan business, advisory platforms and support teams; its relationships with product and technology companies; and a large research organization with over $70B AUM. He held various other roles across investment product management and wealth management during his 19 years at LPL, allowing him to materially participate in the rapid growth of the organization that culminated in $1.4T in assets and over 22k financial advisors at the time of his departure.

Earlier in his career, Rob also amassed experience working as a financial advisor serving trial attorneys in the areas of settlement planning, trusts, and structured settlements. He credits this  experience as one of the most impactful of his career, as it enabled him to connect with investors and understand the importance of the financial advisor role.

Rob has held several industry board positions with organizations such as IRI and MMI, and a mutual fund board position at Macquarie for the Optimum Funds. Additionally, he has participated in an advisory board capacity for several private equity and financial technology firms.

Rob received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eckerd College and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Kirsten Pickens serves as Managing Director and Co-Head of US Distribution for FS Investments, where she oversees the firm’s National Accounts, Marketing, Investment Research and Fund Communications functions.

Ms. Pickens was a Partner and Head of Distribution at Chiron Investment Management, the global multi-asset firm which launched in 2015 and was acquired by FS in 2020. Prior to joining Chiron, she was Senior Vice President and Head of National Accounts at Ivy Funds, a subsidiary of Waddell & Reed. In 2010, she was named one of Institutional Investor magazine’s “Rising Stars of Mutual Funds.” She began her financial services career as a Retirement Specialist at Vanguard.

Ms. Pickens serves on the Board of the Expect Miracles Foundation. She is a member of the Sales Force Marketing Committee of the Investment Company Institute and a member of the Money Management Institute, and she holds her Series 6, 7, 24 and 63 FINRA securities licenses. She holds a BA from Arizona State University, where she majored in Justice Studies with a Pre-Law minor.

Mike is a leader within Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting practice specializing in capital markets. He works across the industry to drive strategic and transformational change for his clients. He has partnered with some of the largest asset managers, wealth managers, investment banks, and service providers globally. His work includes operational transformation, digital & data strategy, technology modernization, and innovation immersion. Mike also serves as the GenAI Lead for Accenture’s asset management industry practice and has been quoted in multiple publications on the use of GenAI across capital markets. 

Prior to joining Accenture, Mike worked at Federated Investors where he was responsible for the financial modeling of new products, proposed fund concepts, and corporate endeavors. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University.

Justin Schwartz has worked at DTCC for 19 years and serves as Executive Director of Product Management for Wealth Management Services at DTCC where he is responsible for the Alternative Investment Products (AIP) and Insurance & Retirement Services (I&RS) businesses. He is an active member on many industry committees, including Nicsa, Defined Contribution Alternatives Association (DCALTA), SIFMA, Blue Vault, Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) and the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA).

Kaushal Vinodchandra Sheth is the Chief Architect for GFT Americas. He has over 28 years in building solutions across the U.S., E.U. and Latin America for Banks and Capital Markets. Kaushal co-founded Sophos Solutions, a leader in financial technology solutions in Latin America,  where it was recently acquired by GFT.

He is a graduate of NIIT and GMP Harvard Business School.  Kaushal co-founded many other startups such as Deepmoney.ai and Brain.studio, advises to multiple Fintechs, is a board member of Technology and Fintech companies PTM Commercial Card and ITR Machines. He is a leading expert in emerging Computational Neuroscience field and focused on a mission to build next generation of intelligent machines.

Edward Jones Principal Zar Toolan leads Wealth Platforms, Data & Artificial Intelligence and serves on the firm's Operating Committee. Prior to joining Edward Jones in 2020, Zar spent many years as an executive with Wells Fargo Advisors, most recently as managing director and head of Advice and Research. 

Zar has contributed to Fortune, Bloomberg, Business Week, The Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, Investment News and other wealth management publications on financial planning, investor behaviors, fintech and goals-based advice. He holds several patents in financial planning & portfolio management.

Earlier in his career, Zar worked as a nuclear engineer and operations manager for the United States Navy. He holds an MBA in finance from the College of William & Mary and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University, where he was an All-Ivy League rower.

Zar loves seeing the country on foot and has completed more than 65 marathons and ultra-marathons in 35 different states and three continents, including qualifying for the Boston Marathon multiple times. He and his "Team BrAvery" teammates have also run, biked, and kayaked across multiple states to raise funds and awareness for Fanconi Cancer – a rare genetic condition that impacts his niece, Avery, and thousands more like her.

Zar and his wife, Liz, have two children, Maeve and Finn. Zar serves on the board of trustees for several nonprofits, including the St. Louis Science Center, Seed St. Louis, University of Missouri–St. Louis' DEI Accelerator, and the Greater St. Louis Marathon.

Vanessa Touma is Head of CX Strategy, Distribution Intelligence and Digital Sales at Invesco. She also co-leads the distribution intelligence function for Americas and EMEA. In this role, she is responsible for client strategy formulation and the modernization of Invesco's distribution capabilities, including the use of data and analytics to drive better outcomes for clients. 

Ms. Touma joined Invesco when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds in 2019. While at OppenheimerFunds, she led client strategy for the corporate strategy and development team, focusing on the distribution and marketing operating model of the future. Before that, she spent 13 years in direct client-facing roles, leading the sales and entanglement strategy for some of the firm's largest enterprise clients, including UBS. Ms. Touma has been in the asset management industry since 2002.

Ms. Touma earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from both Columbia and London Business Schools. She is a member of the board of trustees at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in New York City.

David Unanue is the wealth management director for the investment resources team who support investment product due diligence to key strategic clients, at Capital Group, home of American Funds. He has 22 years of investment industry experience, all with Capital Group. Earlier in his career at Capital, he held previous client roles with private bank strategy, led the retail distribution introduction of separately managed accounts and was an investment counselor within Capital Group Private Client Services. He holds a juris doctor degree from Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, and a bachelor’s degree in government and law from Lafayette College. David is based in Los Angeles.

David Wu is Head of Firmwide AI Product & Architecture Strategy where he is responsible for Morgan Stanley’s GenAI platforms. In this capacity, he works closely with Technology to establish the technical framework that will support current and future use cases. Additionally, he is also Head of Wealth Management GenAI & Knowledge Management , where he is responsible for the deployment of Generative AI capabilities across the broader WM organization. In this capacity, David is responsible for building technologies that utilize Generative AI, partnering closely with control partners to ensure appropriate approvals / oversight, and scaling the launch of use cases through ongoing training and enablement support of different business units as they execute on their respective use cases. David also oversees the Knowledge Management function that is focused on providing high quality and accurate information to internal and external individuals. This includes the content curation and oversight processes, the knowledge platforms including the internal portal leveraged by WM, content management platforms, search engines, and virtual assistants. Prior to his current roles, David served as the COO for WM Analytics & Data, where he was responsible for business administration and group strategy. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2016 after serving in leadership roles across analytics, business development, and data strategy functions in both the US and Switzerland while at Credit Suisse. He started his career at Deloitte Consulting and spent a number of years providing business and technology strategy advice to a host of Fortune 500 companies. David graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University with dual majors in Finance and Accounting.