| SPEAKERS |
Here is a guide to the speakers confirmed so far for the Summit. Additional speakers will be added here shortly.
Prof. Dr. Peter Meier, head, centre for asset management, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
09:45 Keynote address
Peter Meier is head of the Centre for Asset Management at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). He studied at University of St. Gallen where he received a doctoral degree in economics in 1982 and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University. At the Cantonal Bank of Zurich he was Chief Economist before he started to build up a modern asset management unit for institutional and private portfolios as well as mutual funds from 1992 to 1998 for the same bank. As CEO of Swissca Portfolio Management Ltd, Peter was responsible for one of the larger Swiss institutional asset management companies.
His research, speaking, consulting and teaching experience range from economics to finance and particularly banking, investment management, mutual funds and pension funds. Since 2000 he published regularly about alternative investments and hedge funds and is a speaker at international conferences. Peter Meier is also member of investment committees of pension plans and member of the boards of a bank and of asset and fund managers. In 2002 he founded the The Swiss Council for Hedge Funds encompassing leading asset managers which support the ZHAW Centre to do research and to publish about hedge funds. He was also initiator and co-founder of a start-up company for hedge funds ratings.
- KEYNOTE: Prof. Dr. Peter Meier, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
- Miranda Ademaj, Skënderbeg Alternative Investments
- J. Peter Andersland, Sector Asset Management
- Max Ferri, Swiss Capital Alternative Investments AG
- Cédric Kohler, Fundana SA
- James L. Koutoulas, Typhon Capital Management
- Marcus Storr, FERI Trust
Prof. Dr. Peter Meier, head, centre for asset management, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences09:45 Keynote address
Peter Meier is head of the Centre for Asset Management at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). He studied at University of St. Gallen where he received a doctoral degree in economics in 1982 and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University. At the Cantonal Bank of Zurich he was Chief Economist before he started to build up a modern asset management unit for institutional and private portfolios as well as mutual funds from 1992 to 1998 for the same bank. As CEO of Swissca Portfolio Management Ltd, Peter was responsible for one of the larger Swiss institutional asset management companies.
His research, speaking, consulting and teaching experience range from economics to finance and particularly banking, investment management, mutual funds and pension funds. Since 2000 he published regularly about alternative investments and hedge funds and is a speaker at international conferences. Peter Meier is also member of investment committees of pension plans and member of the boards of a bank and of asset and fund managers. In 2002 he founded the The Swiss Council for Hedge Funds encompassing leading asset managers which support the ZHAW Centre to do research and to publish about hedge funds. He was also initiator and co-founder of a start-up company for hedge funds ratings.
 Miranda Ademaj, CEO, Skënderbeg Alternative Investments AG 15:15 - Understanding and selecting the best in emerging manager talent Miranda has over 8 years of experience in the finance industry. She is the CEO and Chairwoman of Skënderbeg Alternative Investments AG. Prior to establishing Skënderbeg Alternative Investments AG, Miranda worked at BrunnerInvest AG and Sallfort Privatbank AG. Before that, she worked at Credit Suisse for several years and did a world trip. Miranda is a CAIA candidate (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) and member of the global association „100 Women in Hedge Funds”. She was a featured speaker for the segment “blissful uncertainty” at the TEDxTirana event in May 2014. Back to top  J. Peter Andersland, co-founder, Sector Asset Management15:15 - Understanding and selecting the best in emerging manager talent Peter co-founded Sector Asset Management in 1999. He has 30 years of experience as an analyst (both macro-economic and financial) and investment manager of both financial and real assets portfolios, extensively using financial derivatives and short selling. Peter’s co-leadership transformed Sector AM from a single-fund operation in 1999 to the multi-boutique asset management company it is today. Before co-founding Sector AM, Peter was Head of Equities at Handelsbanken Markets, where he was responsible for Norwegian operations related to equities research, sales and trading. Prior to that, he was Head of Equities at Christiania Markets, having started with the company in 1991 as investment analyst. Peter started his career in 1986, with Gearbulk Ltd., a major London-based shipping company, covering macro/commodity research and strategic development roles. He holds a BBA from University of Miami/Florida International University and an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University. Back to top  Max Ferri, chief risk officer, Swiss Capital Alternative Investments AG15:15 - Current best practice in ODD Max is Chief Risk Officer and Operational Due Diligence Analyst at Swiss Capital, an European AIFM providing investment management services to institutional investors. Max has 17 years financial industry experience having worked in London, the Caribbean and Ireland. Prior to joining Swiss Capital, Max was Managing Director and Head of Operational Due Diligence at Laven Partners, a London based consulting firm. He was responsible for performing independent operational due diligence assessments on behalf of large private banks, pension funds and institutional investors. He was a co-author and committee member for various AIMA publications, including the 2014 Hedge Fund Manager’s DDQ. He holds a PG Diploma in Finance from the University of London (SOAS) and has passed his Level 3 (Unit 1) IMC CFA Society exam in the UK. Back to top Cédric Kohler, head of advisory, Fundana SA 15:15 - Understanding and selecting the best in emerging manager talent Back to top |
 James L. Koutoulas, Esq., CEO, Typhon Capital Management15:15 - Understanding and selecting the best in emerging manager talent James is the CEO of Typhon Capital Management, a CTA/CPO which operates several niche trading strategies, including the Metis Momentum Macro Program, Plutus Grain Strategy, Tauros Livestock Strategy, Trevinci Liquid Ag Strategy and the Proteus Dynamic Volatility Program. Mr. Koutoulas is also the President and Co-Founder of the Commodity Customer Coalition, a non-profit customer advocacy organization formed in response to the MF Global bankruptcy. Mr. Koutoulas is the lead attorney for the CCC and represented over 10,000 MF Global customers pro bono in the bankruptcy and helped force the full return of $6.7B in customer assets. Mr. Koutoulas has frequently appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg, and CNN, as well as being featured in major national print publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, and Reuters, and has written advocacy pieces for ZeroHedge, (a list of publications and articles can be provided on request). Mr. Koutoulas currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Futures Association. Mr. Koutoulas has a J.D. from The Northwestern University School of Law and is a member of the Illinois Bar. He serves as a consulting expert to the Northwestern Investor Protection Clinic and is a member of its Advisory Board. Mr. Koutoulas also has a degree in Finance from the University of Florida, where he was a National Merit Scholar, AP National Scholar, and Angelo Langadas Classics Scholar. Back to top |
 Marcus Storr, Head of Hedge Funds, FERI Trust GmbH15:15 - Understanding and selecting the best in emerging manager talent Mr Storr joined FERI in 2005. He is responsible for the Absolute Return portfolio management, manager selection (offshore & UCITS) and due diligence within FERIs asset management department. Furthermore he is responsible for hedge fund operations including client reporting. He started his career in 1994 as an advisor to UHNWI before moving to London in 1998 joining the Investment Banking division of Robert Flemings Ltd. (acquired by JPMorgan). Until 2003 he was a Director within the Global Equities department of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London. He has over 20 years experience in capital markets, corporate transactions and manager selection. He has written several articles and book chapters on hedge funds which have been published in professional journals and industry magazines. Mr Storr holds a masters degree in Finance/Capital markets and international management / economics from Humboldt University Berlin in addition to a two-year apprenticeship as a bank manager. He is married and father of three children. FERI is one of the largest Asset Manager in Germany based in Bad Homburg managing more than EUR29bn including EUR3bn in Alternative Investments. FERI invests in hedge fund (UCITS and offshore) for Institutional Investors and UHNW / family offices on a global scale, mainly in German-speaking Europe. FERI allocates to Alternative Investments since 1999 and has build up the largest hedge fund team in Germany. Back to top |
