AAAIM High ELI

Our guest for today’s podcast is Sarah Hammer, Managing Director of the Center for Innovation in Finance and Senior Fellow of the Alternative Investments Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and who most recently served as Acting Secretary of the Dept of Banking for Commonwealth of PA and has now returned to her love for private capital investing and financial technology.  She is also Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, teaching a course on financial regulation and alternative investments.  No stranger to public service, she also previously worked at the US Dept of Treasury as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions and Director of the Office of Financial Institutions Policy. She is a lifetime learner who instills the same passion in her students and with the Cypher Accelerator Program at Wharton supporting new startups in the fin tech space including blockchain and crypto.

Sarah has held various leadership positions throughout financial services in portfolio management, trading, marketing, research, and analytics at various firms like Vanguard, PIMCO, JP Morgan, BlackRock, and Tudor Investments.

But it’s her love of learning and connecting folks that has led Sarah from finance to law to academia to public policy and back to financial technology and always with the [mindset] of being a public servant and serving the greater good.

Without further delay, here is my conversation with Sarah Hammer.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Pedro Ramos, CEO of Somar Capital Management, a consumer focused equity long/short hedge fund he started in 2015 after perfecting his craft as a portfolio manager at Tremblant Capital.

Pedro combines strategy consulting, investment banking, entrepreneurial and buy-side public and private investing experience in multiple industries and countries. His investing activities have spanned multiple macro-economic and political scenarios (including the 1980s inflation, the 1990s dot.com bubble, the 2008 GFC, sovereign crisis, Brexit, and the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic).

Joining me as guest co-host on this podcast is Rich Cheung, who looks after Alternative Investments and Hedge Funds for the private bank arm of Truist Financial.  Rich is an experienced hedge fund allocator with over 20+ years experience in the space.

Without further ado, here is our conversation with Pedro Ramos.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Damien Dwin, Founder and CEO of Lafayette Square, a national investment platform he founded in November 2020.

Lafayette Square aims to create investment opportunities in overlooked places and underserved markets. We invest across asset classes and seek to provide robust risk-adjusted returns to investors while positively supporting people and communities.  By increasing access to economic opportunity, Lafayette Square is helping to build a more inclusive American economy.

Previously, Damien served as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brightwood Capital Advisors for 10 years, and prior to that, Damien had a very successful Wall Street career with the majority of his time spent at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse.

Damien is an active thought leader on mass incarceration, economic inclusion, racial justice and representation, and the use of purpose and profit for good.  Without further ado, here is our conversation with Damien Dwin

Our guest for today’s podcast is Chris Shen, Co-Founder and COO of Revere VC, a start-up that he co-founded with Eric Woo, a veteran of the venture capital fund of fund business.  Revere VC is looking to become “the Morningstar of Venture Capital” and is building the first rating system for evaluating early-stage venture capital firms.

Chris’ professional work experience is deep and wide where he has spent time as an investor and lawyer for over 15 years in the US and Greater China across public and private investments, asset management, and financial products.

Chris shares many insights on this podcast, from his journey to working in China, his time as a lawyer, building out a family office and starting Revere VC.  Without further ado, here is our conversation with Chris Shen.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Victor Hu, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Lumos Capital Group, an investment firm focused on growth companies in the human capital development and education technology sectors globally. Lumos partners with companies that are creating better outcomes for individuals and institutions in the learning, teaching and talent markets.

Victor believes deeply in the power of education to transform society and help people reach their full potential. Growing up in Asia and Africa, he saw how a commitment to investing in human capital is the foundation for lifting entire societies out of poverty.
Victor’s career has been focused on the intersection of education, finance and technology. Prior to Lumos, Victor was a Managing Director and Global Head of Education Technology & Knowledge Services Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.  Prior to Goldman Sachs, Victor also spent time as an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.  Victor received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from Amherst College.

Without further ado, here is our conversation with Victor Hu.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Jon Grabel, CIO of the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, also known as LACERA.   In his role, Jon has the responsibility for managing over $70 billion in AUM on behalf of LACERA’s active and retired members.
 
Prior to LACERA, Jon was the CIO for New Mexico PERA and the Montgomery County Public Schools.  In total, Jon has served the important role of CIO for over 12 years in the second act of his highly accomplished career. 
Previously, Jon was a general partner at a private equity firm focused on growth-stage investments in technology, networking industries, and digital communications. Jon spent his formative years as an investment banker and licensed CPA.  He received his Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

I have to say, despite all his credentials and accomplishments, I am not sure if you will find a more humble and down to earth guy than Jon.  Without further ado, here is our conversation with Jon Grabel.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Scott Chan, Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (better known as CalSTRS).  CalSTRS is the largest teachers’ retirement system and second largest public pension fund in the United States.  A world-class financial services institution and state agency, CalSTRS is known for its unique organizational culture which emphasizes customer service, leadership and respect for its members and colleagues.

What a pleasure it was for me and fellow AAAIM Board member, Susan Soh, to hear Scott’s background and his path to becoming one of the most powerful people in finance.  As Deputy CIO, Scott oversees CalSTRS’ investment division and is responsible for leading a diverse and growing team of over 200 investment professionals. He manages eight critical investment functions including investment strategy and risk, global equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, risk mitigating strategies, inflation sensitive and sustainable investment and stewardship strategies. What a mouthful…  And, he reports directly into the great Chris Ailman who is highly regarded to be one of the best CIOs in the business.

Direct investing; getting to net zero; embracing diversity, equity and inclusion – you want it, Scott delivers it…  Without further ado, here is our conversation with Scott Chan.