CFA Institute Live Advisory Panel

Purpose

This advisory group works with CFA Institute staff to develop the program for our annual conferences. Drawing on their experience and knowledge of timely educational topics, group members provide guidance on the overall program plan as well as input on specific speakers and topics. Group members may also be involved with coordinating and/or moderating individual sessions at the conference.

Members

Managing Director, Portfolio Management Corporation

Investment Adviser, Ritholtz Wealth Management

Blair duQuesnay, CFA, is an investment advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management and a member of the firm’s investment committee. She is an active financial commenter whose writing has been published in The New York Times and on her personal finance blog, The Belle Curve. Ms. duQuesnay has spoken at the CFA Institute Annual Conference, Morningstar Investment Conference, and CFA Institute Wealth Management Conference. She is also a former president of CFA Society Louisiana, where she continues to serve on the board. Ms. duQuesnay holds a BBA degree in finance from the University of Georgia.

Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Rani is a managing director in Public Equity within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as global head of Client Portfolio Management for the Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) Alternatives team. The team focuses on investor engagement, content creation, strategy, product development and communications for the Alternative strategies on the QIS platform, bringing
differentiated and customized solutions across institutional, private wealth management and third-party channels. She joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2022 as part of the firm's acquisition of NN Investment Partners (NN IP). Prior to joining the firm, Rani worked at NN IP as head of Adaptive Investing team and member of the Global Management Team Investments.
Previously, she was a founding partner and senior portfolio manager for 10 years at Saemor Capital, a long/short equity hedge
fund, before continuing as head of Equity Strategies at Aspect Capital in London. Prior to that, Rani managed quantitative European equity strategies at Aegon Asset Management from 2004 to 2008. Earlier in her career, Rani was a consultant at Ortec
Finance. Rani earned an MSc in Econometrics from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands in 2001.

Partner, HSZ Group

Lynn Raebsamen, CFA, founded her own investment business in 2017 focusing on real estate and China and partners with HSZ Group in Hong Kong to develop their business in Europe. Throughout her career in Europe and Asia, she has explored many different disciplines, ranging from derivatives structuring to leading interdisciplinary teams in financial technology and building businesses from scratch. Ms. Raebsamen has worked for major investment banks, such as Credit Suisse and UBS in Switzerland, made an adventurous move to a Korean bank in Seoul, and subsequently moved to Hong Kong to work for Bloomberg.

Director, LNG Capital LLP

George Spentzos, CFA, FSIP, is a Director at LNG Capital, Board Member at CFA Institute and non-executive director at NOW Bank. Most recently, he was managing director at Société Générale in London. Prior to that, Spentzos ran the Portfolio Advisory Group at Credaris, a UK-based asset manager. Prior to that, Spentzos was head of structured credit at Brevan Howard Asset Management after having worked for three years at another hedge fund, Cheyne Capital, where he managed a $1.3 billion long/short credit fund. He started his financial career at Nomura International, where he traded credit derivatives and corporate bonds for the bank. Before completing his MBA, he spent ten years at Amoco Petroleum (Canada, USA) in a variety of chemical engineering and business development roles. For the past 15 years, Spentzos has been an engaged CFA Institute member. His volunteer efforts include working on the Council of Examiners with a two-year term as chairman, authoring CFA curriculum, and serving his local member society in a number of board capacities including chairman. He is also a fellow of the CFA Society United Kingdom. Spentzos earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in finance (Beta Gamma Sigma) from the University of Denver. He is also an Executive Advisory Board member of Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

Founding Partner and CEO, Connectum

Richard Stott is a founding partner, CEO, and CIO of Connectum Capital Management AS, one of Norway’s first fee-only wealth management companies. Apart from management and key relationship responsibilities, Mr. Stott has responsibility for the company’s investment policy and heads its investment committee. Prior to moving to Norway and starting Connectum, he worked in both the UK and Switzerland for a number of institutions such as Coutts and J. Rothschild International. Mr. Stott was also a co-author of the book "The 7 Secrets of Money – the insider’s guide to personal investment success." A founder member and past president of CFA Society Norway, he has also served as the Chairman of the British Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Stott has a degree in finance and accounting from Leeds Metropolitan University and Hochschule Bremen.

Managing Director, Sundquist Advisory LLC

PCR, Middle East & Africa
ETF Strategist & Advisor, Director, Co-owner of etfSA Portfolio Management Company (Pty) Ltd, President, CFA Society South Africa

Nerina Visser, CFA, is an ETF strategist and adviser and a director of the etfSA Portfolio Management Company, where she oversees the management of specialist investment portfolios of exchange-traded products for a broad range of clients. She serves as president on the board of CFA Society South Africa, chair of the ETF Standing Committee of the Association of Savings and Investments in South Africa, and a member of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Issuer Regulation Advisory Committee. Ms. Visser is a co-founder of the South Africa chapter of Women in ETFs, serves on the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Collective Insight publication, and is a retirement fund trustee. She was recognized by the Financial Mail in its Analyst of the Year Awards and by CEO Magazine as one of the Most Influential Women in Business and Government in the Financial Services (Banking) category in South Africa. Ms. Visser was also recognized by CFA Institute as Volunteer of the Year in the EMEA region. She earned a BSc in mathematical statistics and applied mathematics from the University of Stellenbosch and an MBA specialising in finance from the Stellenbosch Graduate School of Business.

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