Investment Management Operations

Hank Boughner, CEO of Dynamo Software, talks about software vertical consolidation, platform solutions, and the future of investment technology. He discusses brand awareness, user adoption, and the impact of M&A activity on industry players.

Darshan Desai is the COO and Head of Risk at Beach Point Capital, a $15 billion credit shop based in Santa Monica, CA.Darshan and I discuss his career path, which began at York Capital, his move to Kansas City to works for BATS, and then finding his way to Beach Point in 2010. Darshan shares his experience and learnings from seeing two firms ramp up assets and people.I was curious to speak to Darshan as he is also the Head of Risk, making for a unique opportunity to talk about data/analytics, how to be a risk-oriented COO, and why they outsourced their entire middle office.We close with the importance of IQ and EQ when building teams and how Covid changed the way he manages others.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Amy Knapp, COO of Corsair Capital, shares insights on transitioning from public accounting to COO, discussing operational challenges, ESG/DEI, and shifting from controller to strategic CFO/COO roles. Corsair's best practices and the importance of culture preservation and succession planning are highlighted.

This Sponsored Insight highlights Nasdaq’s Solovis, a multi-asset class portfolio, data, and risk management system for asset owners.We spoke with Jeff Manning of Verger Capital Management, a $2.8 billion OCIO that was created out of the Wake Forest University Office of Investments. Verger’s CIO, Jim Dunn, was an early guest on Capital Allocators, and that conversation is replayed in the feed.Jeff oversees all financial operations at Verger including the team, reporting, and strategic decisions. He provides a detailed case study on how Verger enhanced its operational capabilities as it scaled and how a partnership with Solovis helped drive efficiency.We are grateful for Nasdaq Solovis’s sponsorship of Investment Management Operations and are eager to highlight their contributions to the asset owner community.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Jim Dunn is the CEO and CIO of Verger Capital Management, an Outsourced CIO business whose anchor client is Wake Forest University. Prior to forming Verger, he served as CIO of Wake Forest for five years. That transition from a sole client to an OCIO business, is a fascinating part of our conversation. Before joining Wake, Jim traveled the world as CIO of Wilshire Associates, where among other things he experienced the best story of a manager getting their foot in the door that I’ve ever heard. He got his start in the business trading death spiral convertible bonds at a now defunct hedge fund and got introduced to manager selection at Investorforce.Our conversation starts with Jim’s career path, and covers a full range issues in allocating capital. We discuss defining risk tolerance, a factor-based approach to asset allocation, separating talent from luck in manager selection, the politics of endowment management, challenges using internal management, and culture. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear a few one-liners. Jim is chock full of gems and life lessons.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Karl Sprules is the COO at Alliance Bernstein, a global asset manager with $725 billion in assets and over 4,700 employees.  I really enjoyed speaking with Karl as he shows how you can be nimble at scale. We cover a lot of territory from his beginnings at Alliance Capital in the technology group, navigating the merger that created AB, and his evolution into the COO seat.   Karl shares how AB has evolved over time and the rationale behind the bold decision to move their headquarters from Manhattan to Nashville creating a new investment management hub and recalibrating work life balance for many people. We then turned to how AB is expanding into Asia, India, and their current thoughts on AI.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Michael Lukasek, Managing Director and COO for the University of Pennsylvania's Office of Investments, discusses the evolution of endowment operations, technological advancements, triggers for change, future of fund admins and custody banks, and the changing role of investment data. He also emphasizes the importance of research, networking, and operational due diligence in investment management.

Lawrence Miller is the CTO of Wilshire, an independent investment management firm that offers consulting services, analytical products, and manages funds for a global client base.For many of us owning and understanding technology is critical for our business. However, many of us have come up through the ranks without hands-on training.  This is where Lawrence lends a hand.We cover Lawrence’s start as a quant at JP Morgan, lessons learned launching a startup, and how his time as a technology consultant landed him the CTO role following a ransomware attack.While these cyber-related issues are often discussed at a high level one rarely get into the weeds on actual events. We cover how to respond to a ransomware attack, the current state of disaster recovery and what makes a good penetration test. We then turn to onboarding a new service provider, better tech focused due diligence questions for allocators and why taking a python class can help you be a better operational leader or IR person.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Ken Onorio is the Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer of Eagle Point Credit, a $9 billion credit-oriented investment firm.At some level, this is an interview about the softer skills in our space. Having spent time in hedge funds and a tour in fund administration, Ken shares his unique perspective with some key takeaways.Ken then discusses his career path and lessons learned while at JP Morgan, Amaranth Advisors and Sailfish Capital to create a firm and culture built for the long haul. We cover the operational complexities of running credit funds, what is takes to run a publicly listed fund on the NYSE, and how to take a partnership approach to hiring third-party service providers as an extension of your office.   We discuss how to build culture, employee empowerment and how Eagle Point promotes from within and the impact of hiring for attitude, not aptitude.All data included herein is as of February 29, 2024.Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership

Terry Thompson is the Chief Operating Officer of Berkshire Partners, Boston-based private equity firm started in the 1980s before adding public equity capabilities in 2007.   Terry shares how his background across 8 different industries helped him land the role at Berkshire. We talk about how to quickly transition into a new industry, how to assess a career opportunity with limited information, and building rapport with long-tenured team members.We cover Berkshire’s unique governance structure that focuses on stewardship, communication and transparency using a “team of teams” approach. We turn to his thoughts on industry trends with regulations, fundraising and what people doing right now with AI.     Learn MoreFollow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedInSubscribe to the mailing listAccess transcript with Premium Membership