Eric Siegel

Managing Partner, Workplace Intelligence

Eric Siegel is a renowned AI thought leader, bestselling author, and former Columbia University professor. In this keynote, he will explore when predictive AI should be harnessed instead of generative AI and introduce a gold-standard, six-step practice for deploying ML projects. Using real-world examples from the asset management industry, Eric will demonstrate how to effectively apply both predictive and generative AI to drive value.

Uche Abalogu

Chief Technology Officer, Euclidean Capital

Uche Abalogu is the Chief Technology Officer at Euclidean Capital – a New York based family office for James H. Simons & Marilyn H. Simons.The Simons Foundation is dedicated to advancing research in mathematics and the basic sciences. It is currently one of America’s two or three largest private funders of these areas.

Prior to his current position, he was Chief Technology Officer at UTIMCO, the University of Texas, Texas AM Investment management company in Austin, Harbinger Capital Partners and Vice President at Goldman Sachs Global Securities Services respectively.

Uche holds an MSc in Computer Science from the University of North London in the UK and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

Leon Abudaram

Managing Director and Chief Information Officer, Antares Capital

Leon Abudaram currently serves as the Managing Director and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Antares Capital. Before assuming this role, Leon was the Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Napier Park, responsible for managing technology infrastructure, applications, and information security. Prior to his time at Napier Park, Leon Abudaram had a distinguished career at Citi, where he served as the CIO of the Investor division within the Capital Markets segment.

Leon initially joined Citi as the Chief Technology Officer for Citi Alternative Investments, where he played a pivotal role in building comprehensive front-to-back platforms for various asset classes. This undertaking involved striking a balance between meeting the stringent regulatory requirements of a global bank while also catering to the agile and rapid deployment needs of hedge funds and private equity investments.

Before his tenure at Citi, Mr. Abudaram held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Intellexchange, a web-based financial and technology B2B exchange services company. Prior to that role, he served as the Head of Global Application Development for Standard and Poor's Credit Ratings Group. During his time at S&P, Leon spearheaded the development and launch of their premier e-commerce product, Ratings Direct, into the market.

Mr. Abudaram is an alumnus of Iowa State University, holding both a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a degree in Economics. In addition to his professional endeavors, he is an advisor to startups operating in the Finance, HR, and Insurance sectors.

Andrew Helms

Chief Technology Officer, Värde Partners

Andrew Helms is Chief Technology Officer, Värde Partners, infrastructure and operations, and business analysis teams. Andrew joined the firm in 2018 and is responsible for the firm’s technology strategy and execution. He previously served as Chief Data Officer and Head of Engineering.

Prior to joining Värde, Andrew held several roles spanning 8+ years at The Carlyle Group including Technical Lead, where he was responsible for the technology strategy and vision for Carlyle’s Investment Solutions segment. Prior to that, he was a Data Architect and Analysis Manager at American Cancer Society.

Andrew received a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from University of Kentucky and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University Robinson College of Business.

Robby Bourgeois

Chief Financial Officer, Varagon Capital Partners

Arvind Chandramohan

Chief Information Officer, Sound Point Capital

Rashmin Dahake

Chief Application Officer, Jennison Associates

Rashmin Dahake is the Chief Application Officer at Jennison. He oversees the firm’s software development and works closely with senior management in the development and execution of the firm’s technology road map. Rashmin joined Jennison in 2021. Previously, he was with Caxton Associates, where he was most recently the Chief Technology Officer responsible for the firms Infrastructure, Software and the Quant group. Prior to that, Rashmin was at Publicis group, where he provided consulting services for buy side firms and previous to that at Angelo Gordon where he served as Chief Application Officer. Earlier in his career, Rashmin held various senior development roles at Avenue Capital and at SS&C Advent. He received a Bachelors in Electronics and Telecommunication from Mumbai University.

Monica Kelsey

Chief Financial Officer, Antares Capital

Monica Kelsey is the Chief Financial Officer of Antares Capital and a member of the Antares Executive Committee. She is also head of Operations and Information Technology at Antares. Prior to joining Antares, Ms. Kelsey was managing director and Chief Financial Officer at Madison Capital Funding (now Apogem Capital), a position that she held since 2004. Previously, she was executive director, head of global finance at UBS Global Asset Management. Ms. Kelsey began her career with the audit firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. A certified public accountant, Ms. Kelsey earned a B.S. in Accounting/Computer Information Systems from Murray State University and an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She has over 30 years of industry experience.

Peter Manion

Managing Director, Napier Park Global Capital

Peter Manion is a Managing Director for Napier Park Global Capital and is responsible for Napier Park’s Global Operations and Technology. Peter has spent the majority of his 34-year career in Operations and Middle Office roles building and implementing support and control infrastructure solutions. Peter has been with Napier Park since its inception in 2013. Prior to Napier Park, Peter worked at Citigroup, in its Alternative Investments business, managing the Credit Middle Office. Peter’s prior experience also includes Middle Office and Operations Management roles at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. Peter holds an M.B.A. from Fordham University and a B.S. degree in Finance, from Manhattan University.

Craig Pope

Director, Head of IT, Crestline Investors

Mr. Pope joined Crestline Investors in November of 2009. He brings to the firm an in-depth knowledge of enterprise and commercial software development processes. His prior 13 years of experience include coding and managing projects in the Education, Financial Services, Commercial Real Estate, Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Logistics and Retail business sectors. Mr. Pope graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering.

Rebecca Short

Senior Director, Head of Investment Operations, ORIX Corporation

Rebecca Short is Senior Director and Head of Investment Operations of ORIX Corporation USA, responsible for reporting, processing external financing and trade settlements, maintaining compliance with the principal investment credit authority, and maintaining the asset management subledgers. Ms. Short has more than 15 years of experience in financial services, with a focus on process execution, redesign, and control – including previous roles in the ORIX Corporation USA Internal Audit department where she led the annual Sarbanes-Oxley control design, implementation, and operating effectiveness project. She joined the firm in 2010 and is based in Dallas.

Prior to joining ORIX USA, Ms. Short spent four years at Ernst & Young LLP in Advisory Services, supporting clients across multiple industries, focused on internal control.

Ms. Short is an alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a BBA and a Masters in Professional Accountancy (MPA) with a specialization in audit. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Texas. She is a recipient of the Presidential Civil Service Award and a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts of USA where she is a troop leader, troop cookie manager and business manager for a summer camp.

Christina Stirling

Managing Director, Director Of Operations at Offit Capital Advisors

David Pessah

Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

David Pessah is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and a member of the Morgan Stanley Private Credit team, where he serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Middle Market Direct Lending strategy. In his role, David oversees all accounting, valuation, internal controls and financial reporting activities for this strategy. In addition, Mr. Pessah serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Morgan Stanley Private Credit business development companies. Mr. Pessah joined Morgan Stanley in 2023 and has over 17 years of relevant industry experience. Prior to joining, Mr. Pessah held various positions at Goldman Sachs, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer of its business development company complex within Goldman Sachs’ Private Credit group. Mr. Pessah started his career at Ernst & Young LLP as an auditor in their financial services group. Mr. Pessah received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Delaware and his MBA in Finance from Baruch College.

Matt Sobraske

Chief Financial Officer, Management Company at Castlelake

Matt oversees the Castlelake Management Company accounting, FP&A, and general partner investment functions. Matt joined Castlelake in 2017 as the firm’s Corporate Controller and over his tenure has managed various roles in operations including fund accounting and valuation. Matt has over 20 years of professional experience and has worked in the investment industry for 10 years. Prior to joining Castlelake, Matt was with Waycrosse, a single-family office, where he managed the corporate financial reporting and budgeting along with client treasury and investment accounting operations. Prior to Waycrosse, Matt worked in various financial management and technology roles at Patagonia in California. He received his B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Finance.

Dwayne Weston

Head of Operations, AGL Credit Management LP

Erik Wynkoop

Strategy and Technology Infrastructure, Napier Park Global Capital

Erik Wynkoop leads global Strategy and Technology Infrastructure for Napier Park Global Capital. Napier Park is a Global Alternative Asset Manager focused primarily on credit. Erik leads strategic programs and initiatives across Client, Operations and Product. He is responsible for the annual strategy planning process, firm data and analytics, global project management, vendor management, and firm technology.

Prior Napier Park, Erik was a member of the N.A. Leadership Team at Ericsson Inc. During his time at Ericsson, Erik held various roles within the digital, big data, analytics, cloud, and mobile infrastructure. He executed a digital practice growth plan resulting in 300% annual recurring revenue growth within a 3-year period.
When not working, Erik spends time with family, exercising, volunteering, and mentoring early career professionals.

Mr. Wynkoop holds a B.S. degree in Finance from Miami University where he currently serves as an Executive Advisory Board member.