CEO Power Breakfast Discussion: Hedge Funds: Current Trends, Employing Leverage and Making Miami Home

The event is sponsored by Bilzin Sumberg, Kaufman Rossin, ALPS Alternative Investment Services, US Trust and Miami DDA in partnership with the Hedge Fund Association.   Join Miami Finance Forum audience and regional and visiting Hedge Fund managers for a discussion on the industry and it’s impact on Miami.

Opening Remarks:

Alyce Robertson, Executive Director, Miami DDA

Moderator: 

Raul A. Garcia, Principal, Kaufman Rossin
Raul Garcia leads both audit and tax engagements for clients across the investment industry, including hedge funds, private equity funds, registered investment advisors, broker-dealers and venture capital funds. He takes a hands-on approach when counseling clients and involves himself in every step of the auditing process, walking clients through policies, procedures and examinations to deliver quality reporting.

He focuses on helping clients reach their financial goals, whether related to tax, audit, business consulting or other entrepreneurial services. As an engagement partner on these projects, Raul oversees compliance and advises clients on assurance, tax planning and business strategies.

Since joining Kaufman Rossin in 1998, Raul has become a trusted adviser not only to clients, but also to employees ― in and out of the office. In addition to mentoring his team and guiding staff throughout tax engagements and audits, he coaches the firm’s softball team and participates in the Kaufman Rossin Empowering Women (KREW) diversity committee.

Raul is also a leader in the community. He is president of the Miami Finance Forum, an organization composed of South Florida’s leaders in finance, investment management, banking and capital markets. With his expertise in the investments industry, Raul has been featured in publications such as Forbes.com, Hedge Fund Law Report, Hedgefund.net, Privateequity.net and Latin Business Chronicle.

Raul is chair of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade and supports the preservation of green spaces. In this role, he secures funding for projects such as the Underline, which is transforming spaces below Miami’s Metrorail into an urban trail. He is also an advisory council member of the Arts & Business Council of Miami, through which he supports the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, Raul presents before the Board of County Commissioners for Miami-Dade County.

He is a Certified Public Accountant in Florida, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Florida State University. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Panelists:

Jorge R. d­e Cardenas, Senior Vice President, ALPS Alternative Investment Services
Jorge de Cardenas is responsible for corporate direction, operations, personnel recruiting and training, and business development for ALPS. His experience includes fund structuring, development of front, middle and back-office policies and procedures, preparation of operations manuals, management and investor financial reporting and compliance testing.

Jorge earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of North Florida. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Joshua M. Stone, Partner, Bilzin Sumberg
Josh spent nearly a decade of his career focusing on private investment funds and investment adviser regulation, including six years as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for a fund with more than $3 billion in peak assets. During his tenure with leading law firms in New York and Miami, Josh worked with some of the largest and best-known private investment fund managers.

Josh has particular experience evaluating and pursuing investments in emerging (e.g., Brazil, India, China) and frontier (e.g., Rwanda, Iraq, Argentina) markets. He has worked with funds in distress, such as those that have suspended redemptions or have wound down. Josh is also a well-rounded corporate attorney, advising on M&A deals, private placements, venture capital investments, and corporate governance and securities matters.

Scott J. Paige, Portfolio Manager, AAG Capital Markets
Mr. Paige joined Apollo Aviation and helped form AAG Capital Markets in 2013.  From 2003 to 2013, Mr. Paige served as a Portfolio Manager at Trilogy Capital LLC, where he managed a portfolio of aviation-related securities.  Prior to Trilogy, Mr. Paige worked at Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corporation (“Mitsubishi”), where his ultimate title was Executive Vice President, Head of Special Finance.

During his 19 year tenure with Mitsubishi, he helped structure more than $17 billion of loan assets and managed a portfolio of at times up to $2.8 billion.  In 1997 and in 2002, certain investments Mr. Paige worked on received the “Deal of the Year” awards by Air Finance Journal and IFR Transport Finance, respectively.  In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Paige received the “Hedge Fund Innovator of the Year” and “Airline Restructuring Deal of the Year” for his work and leadership during the Delta Air Lines bankruptcy.  Most recently, Airline Economics recognized Mr. Paige for the Aviation 100 Award for “Restructuring Deal of the Year: American Airlines.”  Mr. Paige graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a bachelor’s degree in Management and Finance.

Chris Chevannes
, Senior Vice President Structured Credit Executive, Bank of America
Chris Chevannes is a Senior Vice President and Structured Credit Executive for Bank of America’s Global Banking & Markets-Wholesale Credit division. He and his team assist Credit Specialists with the Hedge Fund product, conducting due diligence, structuring, and approving hedge funds for Bank of America’s Global Wealth & Investment Management high net worth clients.

Chris and his team work closely with U.S. Trust and Merrill Lynch Credit Executives to identify and capture opportunities to work with your clients whether they are a Hedge Fund Investor or Hedge Fund Manager. The Team will analyze and review a client’s Hedge Fund / Hedge Fund Portfolio and assist in structuring a tailored solution that may consist exclusively of Hedge Funds or as part of a diverse pool.

Chris was born and raised in Forest Hills, New York and began his banking career in Detroit in 1989 when he joined NBD Bank as a Credit Analyst out of Graduate School. He stayed with NBD through successive mergers with First Chicago Bank and Bank One, with stints as a Commercial Banker and Municipal Bond Underwriter. After a few years in Phoenix with Bank One he moved back to New York in 2002 and joined Bank of New York as a Senior Underwriter in their Private Bank. He moved on to HSBC Bank, USA in a similar role in 2005, then joined Bank of America in 2007 as part of the newly formed Hedge Fund Team.

Chris received his B.S.B.A. in Finance from Boston University and earned his M.B.A. from Indiana University.

Emmanuel Hermann, CEO, Leste Group
Mr. Hermann has more than 22 years of experience in the financial market and initiated his career in 1992 at Banco Pactual as a fixed income analyst. In 1998, he became head of asset management and partner. From 1998 to 2006 he was responsible and co-head of the Equities Division. After the acquisition of Banco Pactual by UBS, Mr. Hermann became responsible for the Global Emerging Markets Equity Desk and was Head of the Latam Equities Derivatives and Structured Products Desk.

He was a founding partner of BTG Asset Management in 2009 and served as the Global Head of Equities. From 2010 to January 2014 he was a Statutory Director and member of the Board of Executive Directors of Banco BTG Pactual, and from 2011 to 2014 he was a Senior Vice President. In 2014 he founded Leste Group.