Investing for the Future – Red Oak Capital Holdings – 10.6.22

Summary:

Now On Demand

Join us for a dynamic, research-driven presentation that will cover key institutional investing trends by top-tier investment firms. Presentation highlights include:

• Strategic portfolio optimization strategies utilized by leading investment institutions
• Generating alpha and enhancing diversification through alternative assets and private debt
• Asset allocation trends leveraged by top-tier investment firms

Speakers:

Brook leads the implementation of our external Capital Markets strategy focused on solving and delivering alternative investment solutions that support the institutional return objectives of Foundations and Endowments, Family Offices, Corporate and Public Pension Plans, and Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Prior to joining the Firm, Brook served as a Managing Director with responsibilities for leading and directing the financial and investment risk complexities for well-known organizations such as the Georgia Tech Foundation, UNC Management Company, and the UPS Retirement & Pension plans. Brook has been involved in the participation and underwriting of more than $12 billion in capital deployed across multiple asset classes (i.e., equity, fixed income, diversifying strategies, hedge funds and alternative assets) and complex investment strategies. He was responsible for advancing the institutionalization of the investment program and leading the optimizing of portfolio performance in support of long-term return objectives.

Brook holds a Series 65 certification from the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), an exam administered by FINRA. He served as a client advisory board member of the Bank of New York Mellon and currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Roswell United Methodist Foundation. Brook earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University and a bachelor’s degree with a Finance concentration from Georgia Southern University.

Greg Spick, CFA is the Vice President of Investments and Chief Investment Officer for Cox Enterprises Retirement Plans. Spick and his Team are responsible for the investment management and oversight of Cox’s $7+ billion pension plan as well as $7+ billion 401(k) plan. In his role with Cox, he also works on investment strategies for Cox-related entities including an insurance captive as well as several foundations. Spick comes to Cox from UPS where he was serving as the Director of Private Markets for the UPS Group Trust. Prior to joining UPS, Mr. Spick held positions with New York Life and Credit Suisse in the respective firms’ real estate groups. He is a CFA Charterholder and holds a MBA from the University of Georgia.

Mr. Bailey contributes to the production of PGM’s flagship Global Strategy Note. In addition, he provides global asset allocation and tactical trading strategies for institutional investors. Prior to joining PGM, he worked for Natcan Investment Management and National Bank Financial as a Quantitative Analyst, followed by proprietary trading positions at OSTC Ltd. and FCL Trade, specializing in global interest rate futures markets. Mr. Bailey earned a B.Sc. Specialization Mathematical and Computational Finance from Concordia University.

Erik Sebusch is a Partner at Mercer Alternatives boutique, specifically focused on Private Equity. He is the Global Strategy Leader of Venture Capital and Growth Equity. At Mercer, he is a part of a global research/consulting team that works with clients from single-family offices to sovereign wealth funds to construct their private equity allocations. Before Mercer, Erik was a Partner with a San Francisco-based Venture Capital / Growth Equity manager Presidio Partners FKA CMEA Capital. His primary duties were managing the corporate strategic investors, traditional institutional limited partners and early-stage technology investing. In addition, Erik served on the boards of multiple technology companies, led technology investments and served on the Investment Committee while at CMEA. Before CMEA, Erik spent 10+ years at UPS. Erik began in New Product Development and Innovation, then moved to the Corporate Venture Capital group, and lastly worked as a Private Markets Portfolio Manager to a $5 billion allocation to private assets in the $30+ billion UPS Pension. Prior to UPS, he spent ten years working as a high-net-worth financial consultant for Merrill Lynch and in private practice for individuals and family offices. Erik holds an International MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management and serves on over 30 limited partner advisory boards.

Richard Excell is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Illinois, Gies College of Business. He has retired as a Senior Portfolio Manager at Wolverine Asset Management in Chicago where he ran a global equity long/short hedge fund portfolio. In this role, he oversaw a portfolio that combined quantitative factor and discretionary macro analysis, with bottom-up fundamental analysis and derivatives trade implementation to create a concentrated long/short portfolio that aims to deliver high risk-adjusted returns for institutional investors.

Before joining WAM, he was the CIO and a partner at Satori Investment Partners. He spent the majority of his career with UBS O’Connor, where his last role was Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the Fundamental Equity Market Neutral Fund. Prior to this, as head of the European office, he was responsible for both the global macro and the equity long/short strategies. Earlier in his career, he built and managed foreign exchange, precious metals, and emerging market cash and derivatives trading businesses around the world while with O’Connor, First Chicago, BZW (Barclays Capital) and Crédit Agricole Indosuez and has lived in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.

Excell holds a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Accounting and Japanese Studies from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He became a CFA® charter holder in 1999 while living in Singapore and became a CMT charter holder in 2018. He is a CFA ESG Certificate holder. He is on the Board of Directors of the CFA Society Chicago and produces the digital content for the Society. Outside of work, he is Director of the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation and, until recently, was a board member of the Bright Promises Foundation in Chicago.

Shar Kassam is the Chief Operating Officer of Nasdaq Asset Owners Solutions. She will focus on connecting with asset owners and aligning with industry stakeholders to pursue Nasdaq’s overall vision for the markets, data and technology.

Shar Kassam is an investment executive and recognized thought leader focused on operational efficiencies, financial innovation and pressing priorities of asset owners. She was the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the $35+ billion Employees Retirement System of Texas (Texas ERS). She managed investments across asset classes, her internal investment team and external managers. She was responsible for overseeing asset allocation, risk management, pursuing new initiatives, new investment structures and developing the highest levels of governance. She was a change agent working through various phases of the Texas ERS allocation into alternatives. She also reviewed the investment products for the $3+ billion Texa$aver 401(k)/457 Plan. She spearheaded ESG and DEI programming, including the launch of an emerging manager program to invest in small and/or minority managers. Shar grew this portfolio to over $1 billion outperforming larger, more established investment managers by 300-400 bps on average. She also led her team to produce strong 1-year, 3-year and 5-year relative performance with a public track record and top quartile performance among public pension plans.

Shar most recently served as the Executive Director for the AIF Institute, a global investment think tank that represents over $50 trillion AUM from the leading asset owners focusing on areas of research in private market investment strategies, ESG, DEI and financial innovation with esteemed academics, large asset managers, consultants and institutional investors. She is an Institutional Limited Partner Association (ILPA) Instructor and faculty member for the National Institute of Public Finance.