25th Annual GIPS® Standards Virtual Conference

Lindsey Beecroft, CFA, is a Senior Advisor in Performance at CDPQ, which manages investments on behalf of many of Québec's public and parapublic pension and insurance funds. Ms. Beecroft is responsible for monitoring and analyzing investment returns for various asset classes and strategies, and is involved in developing tools, models, and applications to better interpret performance. Previously, she held roles in McGill University’s Office of Investments, working in areas such as manager oversight, asset allocation, and performance analysis and reporting. Ms. Beecroft has served as a volunteer for the GIPS Standards Asset Owner Subcommittee and earned a MA in Economics from Concordia University.

Emily Chew is Executive Vice President and Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Calvert Research and Management. Ms. Chew is responsible for overseeing Calvert’s Research and Engagement departments and works to develop and support Calvert’s strategies in data and technology, client solutions, thought leadership, and product development execution. She co-chairs the Morgan Stanley Investment Management Sustainability Council, and previously served as Global Head of Sustainability for Investment Management. Before joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, Ms. Chew was Global Head of ESG Research and Integration for Manulife Investment Management in Hong Kong and Boston, where she built an ESG investing program for public markets investments encompassing research, investee stewardship, thought leadership and thematic product development. Previously, she was Head of Asia-Pacific ESG Research for MSCI Inc. Ms. Chew is a member of the CFA Institute ESG Technical Committee, which is developing a new global ESG disclosure standard for investment funds. She has also served as rotating chair of the Steering Committee of the Climate Action 100+ investor engagement initiative and chair of the Asian Investor Group on Climate Change. Ms. Chew holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, and Bachelors of Laws and Arts (honors) from the University of Melbourne.

Shivani Choudhary, CFA, CIPM, is a Managing Director with ACA Group. Working from our Chicago office, Shivani manages a diverse client base of GIPS® verification engagements, as well as conducting performance certifications and focused reviews, for firms of all sizes and asset classes. Prior to joining ACA, Shivani worked for Guggenheim Partners Investment Management as a senior performance measurement associate for more than five years. During her tenure, she chaired Guggenheim’s GIPS committee, led the team maintaining GIPS compliance for Guggenheim’s GIPS firm, and oversaw the GIPS verification process. She has also served as a performance measurement associate at Wilshire Associates Inc., where she worked on business development and client servicing for Wilshire’s iQuantum clients for three years. These experiences have given her an in-depth knowledge of GIPS compliance from the client and verifier perspectives. All in all, Shivani has more than 10 years of investment industry experience in performance measurement, portfolio analytics, risk measurement, performance attribution, and operations. Shivani earned her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) (Finance emphasis) from the Illinois Institute of Technology and her Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Electronics and Instrumentation) from the Institute of Technology and Management in India. She also has earned a Certificate in Investment Performance Management (CIPM) from the CFA Institute and is a CFA Charterholder.

Christie Dillard, CIPM, is a Partner with ACA Performance Services, a division of ACA Group. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing business development, onboarding all new clients, and ACA’s education initiatives. Prior to joining ACA in 2007, Christie spent six years in private client banking at two regional banks in Chattanooga. Christie obtained her CIPM designation in 2011 and has served on the CIPM Standard setting in the past. Christie is also a past member of the CFA Institute Promotion and Awareness Subcommittee. She graduated from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee with honors in 2001. Christie is also a member of the CFA Society of East Tennessee.

Benjamin Dreyer is vice president, executive managing editor and copy chief, of Random House. He began his publishing career as a freelance proofreader and copy editor. In 1993, he became a production editor at Random House, overseeing books by writers including Michael Chabon, Edmund Morris, Suzan-Lori Parks, Michael Pollan, Peter Straub, and Calvin Trillin. He has copyedited books by authors including E. L. Doctorow, David Ebershoff, Frank Rich, and Elizabeth Strout, as well as Let Me Tell You, a volume of previously uncollected work by Shirley Jackson. A graduate of Northwestern University, he lives in New York City. For more information on Speaker, please visit www.prhspeakers.com.

Chris Fidler is a Senior Director in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute. Mr. Fidler leads the promotion of CFA Institute industry codes and standards globally and helps to identify areas where new standards are needed. He currently leads the development efforts for the CFA Institute ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products. Prior to joining CFA Institute, Mr. Fidler was a management consultant at Thought Logic Consulting, LLC, and served in a number of management roles at Capital One Financial Corporation. Mr. Fidler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia.

Steven Furst, CFA, CIPM is the Managing Director at Ares Management, a leading global alternative investment manager, where he leads the firm's Performance and Attribution Group. Prior to joining Ares in 2013, Mr. Furst was a Consultant at Vincent Performance Services (subsequently acquired by ACA Group). Previously, Mr. Furst was a Manager at Ares Management and a Performance Analyst at Western Asset Management Company. Mr. Furst holds a B.A., with honors, from Claremont McKenna College in Economics and Government. He has been an active volunteer at CFA Institute and currently chairs the GIPS Standards Interpretations Subcommittee.

Kathryn Gernert has 14 years of experience as Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Market Investments at Texas Permanent School Fund. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Investment Operations at Employees Retirement System of Texas for 10 years. Ms. Gernert is a CAIA charterholder and a Council Member on the Reporting Standards for NCREIF/PREA. She is also an active participant within industry professional groups such as ILPA, PEWIN, AIF Global, and KAYO-WAVE. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Pace University- Lubin School of Business, New York, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from George Mason University, Virginia.

Krista Harvey, CFA, CIPM, is a Director in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute.  Previously, Ms. Harvey held senior roles on investment performance teams at TIAA, Jennison Associates, and Goldman Sachs.  Prior to joining CFA Institute, she was a longtime volunteer. Ms. Harvey chaired the United States Investment Performance Committee (USIPC) and was a member of the GIPS Standards Interpretations Subcommittee.  She also co-founded and co-chaired the CFA Society New York Performance & Risk Committee.  Ms. Harvey received a B.A. in Economics from New York University.

Daniel E. Ingram has 13 years of financial services industry experience. Based in Santa Monica, California, Daniel helps advise institutional asset owners on how to protect and grow long-term capital by integrating Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) risks and opportunities into investment decisions. Daniel facilitates educational workshops, designs ESG policies, sources high-performing investment products and conducts portfolio impact analysis. He is the Chair of Wilshire’s ESG and Diversity Committee and a member of the CFA Institute’s 2020 ESG working group responsible for defining an industry standard. Before re-locating to the USA from the UK, Mr. Ingram worked in-house as the Head of the Responsible Investment for the BT Pension Scheme, the UK’s largest corporate defined benefit plan. Previously, he worked at Hermes Investment Management as a senior corporate governance analyst and as a policy analyst at Her Majesty’s Treasury on a number of high-profile reviews, including the landmark Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change. Mr. Ingram is an MA from University of Dublin, Trinity College, holds a post-graduate certificate in Sustainable Leadership from the University of Cambridge, and the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential.

Beth Kaiser, CFA, CIPM, is a Director in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute. Ms. Kaiser helps maintain the GIPS standards through management of the interpretations process, developing standards and guidance for new technical areas, and working extensively with volunteer committees.  Previously, Ms. Kaiser worked for both investment managers and investors in various performance, risk, and operations-related roles, both as an employee and a consultant.  As founder and president of Kaiser Consulting Associates, Inc., she worked with institutional investors on performance measurement and GIPS standards-related matters. Before working for CFA Institute, she was a volunteer on the North American Investment Performance Committee, the Investor/Consultant Subcommittee of the GIPS Standards Executive Committee, and the Intellectual Property Working Group of the GIPS Standards Executive Committee. Ms. Kaiser holds a BS degree in finance from Florida Atlantic University.  

Prior to joining the Investment Adviser Association in 2013, Sanjay Lamba worked at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for 10 years. He began his service in the rulemaking office of the Division of Investment Management before transferring to the Office of Chief Counsel (Legal Branch) in the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations in 2010. Prior to his roles at the SEC, Mr. Lamba was an associate in the investment management practice groups at Morrison & Foerster LLP and Dechert LLP. He received his B.S. degree in Finance from George Mason University in 1994 and his law degree from Boston University in 1997.

Matthew Liposky joined PRIM in 2013 and serves as PRIM’s Chief Investment Operating Officer.  Mr. Liposky is responsible for managing the PRIT Fund’s financial activities, including: investment performance reporting; investment accounting; operational due diligence; and investment manager onboarding and implementation. Prior to his position as CIOO, Mr. Liposky served as Director of Investment Operations at PRIM. He has more than 15 years of experience in investment operations and worked at Liberty Mutual Investment Group and Bank of New York Mellon before joining PRIM.  Mr. Liposky earned a B.S. in Finance from Quinnipiac University. 

Iain McAra is a Director in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute, focusing on outreach in the EMEA region. Mr. McAra joined CFA Institute in April 2012 in New York, relocating to the CFA Institute London office in August 2013. Prior to joining CFA Institute, and for over 14 years, he was Vice President, US Performance Analysis Group for JPMorgan Asset Management, based in New York, where he also oversaw compliance with the GIPS standards. Originally from the UK, Mr. McAra worked in Performance Analysis for Citibank and Baring Asset Management, transferring to Baring’s Boston office in 1994 where he was also responsible for complying with the AIMR-PPS® standards and GIPS standards. Since 1992, he has served on various GIPS standards and AIMR-PPS standards committees. He was a member of the USIPC and the GIPS Standards Executive Committee, and chaired the Investment Manager Subcommittee. At CFA Institute, Mr. McAra supports the EMEA GIPS Standards Sponsors, and previously served as the staff liaison to the Investment Manager Subcommittee, the Interpretations Subcommittees, and the Risk and Investment Reporting Working Groups. He was a member of the EIOPA PRIIPs KID consultative expert group and the Costs and Past Performance expert group and works with other industry groups in the UK and the EU. Recently he worked on the development of the GIPS Standards for Fiduciary Management Providers to UK Pension Schemes, which are now mandated by the UK regulator. Mr. McAra has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of London.

Michael W. McGrath focuses on advising global asset managers in the formation and operation of
investment funds, regulatory compliance, and securities and commodities law across a wide range of
asset classes and fund structures.

He has significant experience advising asset managers on regulatory and transactional matters,
including the formation and operation of private equity funds, hedge funds, real estate funds, credit
funds, separate accounts and mutual funds. In addition, he frequently works with investment advisers,
broker-dealers and commodity trading advisers on regulatory compliance, examinations, the
development of novel investment products, and the implementation of strategic transactions.

Mr. McGrath also regularly advises investment managers and broker-dealers on marketing, advertising
and fundraising issues, including compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards
(GIPS®), across all major asset classes and distribution channels. He also has extensive experience
assisting clients in the development and implementation of business operations and compliance
programs that reconcile U.S. and non-U.S. regulatory requirements.

Mr. McGrath is a graduate of Stanford University (B.A.) and Duke University (J.D.).

Brian Minns, CFA, is the Managing Director of Responsible Investing at University Pension Plan (UPP). He is responsible for integrating responsible investing (RI) into UPP’s total portfolio approach and corporate practices. He oversees UPP’s RI strategy, ensuring RI commitments are achieved through investment processes and stewardship practices and that UPP communicates openly and transparently about its RI practices as they evolve. Brian came to UPP after nearly a decade at Addenda Capital, culminating in his last position as Vice-President, Sustainable Investing. Prior to Addenda, he held positions in responsible investing with CPP Investments and Mercer. A veteran in responsible investing, Brian is Co-founder and Co-chair of the Canadian Responsible Investing Working Group, a member of the CFA Institute ESG Technical Committee and was Co-chair of the Reporting and Advisory Committee of the Principles for Responsible Investment. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and hold a Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University, the Sustainable Investment Professional certification from Concordia University, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University.

Kate Misic, CFA, is head of alternative investments at Telstra Super Pty Ltd, an Australian corporate superannuation fund with over 95,000 members. She is responsible for the hedge fund and private markets programs. Ms. Misic has more than 17 years of experience in investment manager research and performance analysis. Previously, she was senior portfolio analyst for the Australian equities funds at Warakirri. Ms. Misic has also worked at Frontier Investment Consulting, a leading asset consultant, and Wilshire Associates, a private equity specialist. She has served as president of CFA Society Melbourne. Ms. Misic earned a bachelor of science at the Australian National University and a graduate diploma of applied finance and investment from FINSIA.

Jason Mitchell is Head of Responsible Investment Research at Man Group and Chair of Man Group’s Stewardship Committee. Previously, Jason was Co-Head of Responsible Investment at Man Group.

Jason worked at Man GLG from 2004 to 2008 as a portfolio manager. Between 2008 to 2010, he advised the UK government on infrastructure development across Sub-Saharan Africa. He returned to Man GLG in 2010 as a portfolio manager, before becoming a sustainability strategist across Man Group in 2017. Prior to Man GLG, he was a Vice President at Andor Capital Management and an investment research analyst with Pequot Capital Management.

Besides having managed environmental and sustainability strategies, he speaks and publishes widely on responsible investment. Jason’s articles and comments on sustainable investing have been quoted in a number of top-tier publications, including Financial Times, Institutional Investor, Wall Street Journal, CNBC Squawk Box, Responsible Investor, Aftenposten and Global Times. He has written widely on the European refugee migrant crisis. He also hosts the award-winning podcast series, A Sustainable Future.

Jason is Chair of the Board of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF). He serves on the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Investment Committee, ISSB (International Sustainable Standards Board) Investor Advisory Group, the CFA Institute’s ESG Technical Committee, the World Bank Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) Advisory Group and the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Academic Advisory Committee. He previously served on the EFRAG (European Financial Reporting Advisory Group) Lab Steering Group and chaired the PRI Hedge Funds Advisory Committee. He is a contributing author to: CFA UK’s Certificate in ESG Investing Textbook (Ed. 2 & 3, 2021); Responsible Investing: A Guide to Environmental, Social, and Governance Investments (Routledge: 2018); Sustainable Investing: Revolutions in Theory and Practice (Routledge: 2017) and Evolutions in Sustainable Investing: Strategies, Funds and Thought Leadership (Wiley Finance: 2012).

Jason holds a MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in English literature and classics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and the British-American Project. He was named one of Institutional Investor’s 2011 Hedge Fund Rising Stars and one of the 50 most influential people in sustainable finance by Financial News in 2022.

John Molesphini is Global Head of Insights for the Investment Intelligence unit of Nasdaq which includes eVestment and he continues to participate as part of the eVestment leadership team. In his role, he focuses on enhancing the relationship with leadership at client firms and also discussing industry trends and eVestment’s data and analysis with broader client and industry audiences. Previously, he was Global Head of Client Success, managing efforts to ensure eVestment’s clients realize their full value and satisfaction with their subscriptions while having an amazing client experience. Prior to that, he has served as the Director of eVestment’s Global Sales Specialist team, an Omni Specialist on the eVestment Business Development team, and Vice President and Manager of Client Service. Prior to joining eVestment in July 2006, John worked for a hedge fund for a short time and before that, he spent four years at INVESCO, most notably as a Marketing Support Manager which included the consultant database reporting team and product strategy team. John began his career as a financial advisor with Quick & Reilly (now part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch).

Kristen L. Murray is Vice President and Manager, Performance, at Wellington Management and is the Composite Team manager within Performance. For more than ten years, Ms. Murray has had oversight responsibilities for the firm’s policies and procedures for compliance with the GIPS standards, including composite management and analysis. She works closely with the Investment Products & Fund Strategies Group, Legal and Compliance, and the Global Relationship Group to interpret new guidance statements and address client solutions. She is a member of the firm’s Composite Working Group and Composite Oversight Group. Ms. Murray joined the firm in 2005 as a trust administration analyst, overseeing the Wellington Trust Company pools until 2010. Prior to joining Wellington Management, she held a variety of fund accounting positions within State Street Corporation. Ms. Murray earned her BA in economics from the University of Rhode Island.

Neal Prunier is the Director, Standards and Best Practices at the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) within the Industry Affairs group. He is responsible for the continuing evolution and expansion of the ILPA standards to help ILPA provide impactful service for its members. Prior to ILPA, Neal spent his career at Cambridge Associates where he most recently served as Senior Director in CA’s Arlington, Virginia office. In this role, he oversaw staff across Singapore, London, and Arlington as head of a global investment operations department responsible for enterprise data management for Private Investment, Hedge Fund, and Long Only investment manager/client specific data. There he focused on serving the data needs of research, consulting, and performance reporting functions, as well as clients and the broader industry, including the creation of the ILPA Private Markets Benchmark reports. Neal holds a BS in Finance from Elon University and an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.

Ken Robinson, CFA, CIPM, is a Director in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute. Mr. Robinson is responsible for leading CFA Institute activities related to the GIPS standards in the Americas region, including managing and developing relationships with GIPS standards sponsors and volunteers. Prior to joining CFA Institute, Mr. Robinson was a director in the investment management audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.  He is a member of the Performance Measurement Committee of NCREIF and the GIPS Standards Task Force of the NCREIF PREA Reporting Standards. Prior to joining CFA Institute, Mr. Robinson served as a member of the North American Investment Performance Committee, the GIPS standards Interpretations Subcommittee, the Quantitative Investing Subcommittee of CFA Society Boston, and the Investment Performance Standards Task Force of the AICPA. Mr. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Indiana University.

Jed Schneider, CIPM, is responsible for compliance with the GIPS standards and performance reporting at Lazard Asset Management. Mr. Schneider has over 25 years of experience in the performance measurement industry and investment operations. Before joining Lazard, his roles have included Head of Performance Reporting for J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Private Bank division and Senior Verifier at The Spaulding Group, where he conducted verifications and performance attestations. He also spent time at Morgan Stanley and U.S. Trust managing performance measurement teams and was a statistician for Consumer Reports magazine, responsible for data analysis on all product testing. Mr. Schneider is a former co-chair of the Performance and Risk Committee of CFA Society New York and an active volunteer supporting the GIPS Standards and the CIPM Program. He holds the FRM® (Financial Risk Manager) designation and has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Stony Brook University and a M.S. in Statistics from Baruch College.

Dimitri Senik, CFA, leads the Investor Trust Services at PwC Switzerland. Mr. Senik provides assurance services to investment managers and investors with respect to investment process and governance, investment performance and risk management, GIPS compliance, and ESG Investing. He is a member of the Investment Committee of the Pension Funds of PwC Switzerland. Mr. Senik has been a long-standing volunteer in the standard-setting bodies for the GIPS standards and currently chairs the GIPS Standards Technical Committee. He is also a member of the GIPS Standards Expert Group of the Asset Management Association Switzerland. Mr. Senik chairs the ESG Verification Subcommittee of CFA Institute, which is currently engaged in the development of the new ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products. He holds a degree in international economics and is also a Chartered Certified Accountant.

Arin Stancil, CFA, CIPM, is a Managing Director and Principal at Guardian Performance Solutions LLC (GPS), a specialty compliance consulting firm established to help investment managers to comply with the GIPS standards. Mr. Stancil has been working with the GIPS standards for over 20 years and has extensive experience interpreting and applying them to almost any situation. Prior to joining GPS, he served as a Vice President and GIPS Compliance Manager for a global investment adviser with over $2 trillion in assets under management, where he was responsible for maintaining the firm’s ongoing compliance with the GIPS standards. Previously, he was a partner at an accounting firm that specialized in GIPS compliance consultation and verification services, where he conducted and oversaw hundreds of GIPS compliance verification projects for firms around the world of all sizes and levels of complexity. Mr. Stancil is currently a member of the GIPS Standards Technical Committee (TC), a volunteer committee established by CFA Institute. The purpose of the TC includes providing technical oversight of the GIPS standards and guiding the development and adoption of the GIPS standards. He is also a past member of the GIPS Standards Executive Committee (EC) and the United States Investment Performance Committee (USIPC).

David Terris, CIPM, is director, global industry standards, at CFA Institute. Previously, he worked for 10 years as a verifier, serving as a managing director at ACA Performance Services, LLC, and as a consultant at Vincent Performance Services LLC. Mr. Terris has also served as a fixed-income portfolio manager at Northwest Corporate FCU and as a senior portfolio strategist at USAA, where he worked on the asset management side of his prior firm’s pension plan. He earned a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MBA in finance from St. Mary’s University.

Karyn D. Vincent, CFA, CIPM, is the Senior Head in the Global Industry Standards department at CFA Institute and is the GIPS Standards Executive Director. Previously, Ms. Vincent was managing partner for client services at ACA Performance Services. She founded Vincent Performance Services LLC, which subsequently merged with ACA. She also served as the global practice leader for investment performance services at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prior to joining CFA Institute, Ms. Vincent served on the GIPS Standards Executive Committee, chaired the GIPS Standards Technical Committee, the GIPS Standards Interpretations Subcommittee, and the Verification Subcommittee, and served on the CIPM Advisory Council. She also chaired the AIMR-PPS^® Implementation Committee. Ms. Vincent co‐authored Complying with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS^®) with Bruce J. Feibel and holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.