Below are the bios of the current speakers. Sorted by their first name.
Albert Muntane Casanova, Swiss Rockets (Switzerland)
Albert was born and raised in a small city close to Barcelona. His first investing experience was in the dot-com boom, and ended up in a bust. His professional experience has been developed in a variety of business management positions in different industries, with a strong focus in aviation. He is currently CFO of Swiss Rockets while his previous 2 positions were at MUFG and DVB Bank. He holds degrees in Business from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and by IE Business School. Albert invests in public markets, but also in start-ups as a business angel.
Alexander Pichler, Delmo SpA (Italy)
Alexander is the CEO of DELMO and is based in Bolzano, Italy. DELMO was originally involved in the B2B trade of dairy commodities in Europe and has evolved into an investment holding company that operates as a long-term investor in public companies. Prior to joining DELMO in 2002, Alexander was part of the Corporate Finance & Strategy team at McKinsey in Spain. Alexander holds a summa cum laude degree in finance from Università Cattolica Milan.
Anatoly Fedorov, Signet Capital Management (U.K.)
Anatoly is a Portfolio Manager and the Head of Equities of Signet Group. Anatoly manages Signet’s Global Leaders portfolio and has experience working with Long-Short Equity and Merger Arbitrage strategies. Prior to joining the Investment Manager in February 2018, he worked as a Vice President at J.P. Morgan in EMEA Diversified Industrials Practice. There he conducted financial and valuation analysis, execution, project management and due diligence on large scale IPO and M&A transactions. Prior to his employment at J.P. Morgan, Anatoly was an equity research analyst at Genesis Investment Management. During his time there, he executed financial analysis, valuation and communication with corporate management for emerging markets.
Andrius Jurkonis, Axia Capital Fund (Lithuania)
Andrius is the fund manager of Axia Capital Fund. He focuses on value-oriented public equities and private investments mostly in the US, Europe, and CEE. He has been an active manager for over 10 years while previously he held management positions in retail, utilities, commercial and investment banking. Andrius is a CFA Charterholder while he received his masters and undergraduate degrees from Vilnius University.
Arko Kadajane, Ambient Sound Investments (Estonia)
Arko is responsible for ASI’s Listed Equity investments, investing ASI’s stock portfolio based on value-investing principles. Investments are made into different sectors except for non-ethical industries. He also plays the key role working out ASI’s overall portfolio and investments strategy. As Arko has been involved in stock markets since 1996 and has previously worked in the fields of private equity as well as listed equity, he has extensive expertise in the qualitative and quantitative business factors.
Arthur van der Linden, Grit Capital (Thailand)
Founder of Grit Capital running 2 investment vehicles; Grit MultiFactor (a multifactor strategy), and Grit VariantView (a frontier/emerging market-focused value strategy). As a
technology enthusiast I also set up Finneir; a syndicated investment vehicle investing in early and mid-stage technology companies. Since 2008, I’ve been heading RMA Group’s mergers and acquisitions in mainly Asian emerging and frontier markets. I started my career in Business Development at Dow Chemical after which I joined entrepreneurial ventures in San Francisco, New York and Amsterdam. I hold a Master of Science (Chemical Engineering) from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University in New York.
Artur Melnyk, Parkview AG (Switzerland)
Artur is an analyst at Parkview AG, an international multi-family office based in Switzerland. He began his career at Deloitte Transaction Advisory, where he specialized in conducting financial and valuation due diligence for M&A transactions. He subsequently held positions as an investment advisor at another multi-family office and as an investment analyst at Quantex AG, a value fund manager. Currently, Artur is responsible for investment analysis and fund selection. As a generalist he researches various businesses and industries looking for undervalued opportunities. Artur is a CFA Charterholder and received his undergraduate degree from The University of British Columbia in Canada.
Avi Fruchter, Vintra Capital (UK)
Avi is the founder and CIO of Vintra Capital, a London-based investment firm, which seeks to compound investment returns over time through concentrated stock-picking within a universe of good businesses, and with an owner-oriented and independent mindset. Vintra is focused on Identifying such investments at a time when they are shunned by others, offering attractive entry points at dislocated valuations, thereby reducing risk and enhancing prospective returns. Prior to Vintra, Avi was co-founder and portfolio manager of Anavon Capital and prior to that an equity research analyst at Attara Capital and its predecessor, Atticus Capital. He holds an MSc from Cass (now called Bayes) Business School in London and a BA from the Jerusalem College of Technology. Originally from Belgium, Avi currently lives in London with his wife and five children.
Barry Pasikov, Hazelton Capital Partners (U.S.A.)
Barry Pasikov is the Managing Member of Hazelton Capital Partners, a concentrated investment fund located in Chicago, Illinois since 2009. With 35 years of experience in finance, Barry began his journey as a floor trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, trading Eurodollar & currency options. Over his career, Barry has been a Trader, Portfolio Manager, Regional Sales Director, Risk Manager, Chief Dealer, and Partner with Mitsui Trust, Bank of Montreal, Peak 6, and BBR Trading. Those opportunities allowed him to work in Chicago, London, Singapore, Toronto, and back to Chicago.
Berna Barshay, Empire Financial Research (U.S.A.)
Berna is an independent equity analyst and investor, a partner in the Wall Street Beats financial media platform, and the author of the Consumer/Culture/Commerce Substack under the handle @HedgeFundGirl. She also conducts primary research in Consumer and TMT stocks as a consultant. Berna has three decades of experience in the capital markets and deep expertise in retail, e-commerce, traditional and digital media, gaming/lodging, and consumer packaged goods. Berna previously worked at Empire Financial Research, and before that was a Senior Analyst and Partner at Sky Zone Capital, a startup long-short equity fund focused on the European consumer sector. Her primary experience is in the U.S. market where she was a portfolio manager at Swiss Re and the Ingleside Select Fund, and a buy-side analyst at several long-short hedge funds – including Metropolitan Capital, Buckingham Capital, and LaGrange Capital. She began her buyside career at Sanford C. Bernstein and her Wall Street career on the equity derivatives desk at Goldman Sachs. She graduated cum laude from Princeton University and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. She currently lives in New York with her husband, daughter, and three rescue dogs.
Bjorn Beam, Arcano Partners (Spain)
Bjorn Beam served in the CIA and intelligence community for ten years, from running operations to conducting White House briefings. Beyond his intelligence career, he has served as director of innovation for continuing education programs, building courses for MIT, the University of Chicago, and Chicago Booth. He also was the founder of an educational technology startup for children and author of four books on the subject. Currently, Bjorn runs the geopolitical and technology research and consulting teams of Arcano Partners, a Spanish financial advisory and asset management company. Bjorn holds an MBA from IE Business School, a Master’s Degree in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations from King’s College London and a BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
David Diranko, Private Investor (U.S.A.)
David is a Data Scientist at IBM that has a deep passion for value investing. Even if he is not a professional investor, he considers himself a “serious amateur”. He uses the value investing principles to manage and invest his family’s savings with the goal of growing wealth over the long-term. To gain an edge in the markets, he focuses on smaller companies that are underfollowed or temporarily out of favor. He recently started the blog “Contrarian Cash Flows” to document his research process and share it with like-minded people.
David Kessler, Robotti & Company (U.S.A.)
David Kessler is a Senior Investment Associate with Robotti & Company Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining Robotti & Company, David was a Research Analyst Consultant with Aquamarine Capital and held portfolio management roles with Rochdale Investment Management and Morgan Stanley. David received an MBA from Columbia Business School and was a member of Columbia’s Applied Value Investing Program. As an MBA student, David co-launched Columbia’s first student-run investment newsletter, “Graham and Doddsville.” He also gained valuable experience as a summer intern with Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb (Sequoia Fund). David graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Finance and Marketing.
David Lewis, Sisu Investment Holdings (U.S.A.)
Founder of Sisu Investment Holdings, I bring over 15 years of experience in capital allocation and operations. My background includes serving as the former Vice President of Rubicon Technology (Nasdaq: RBCN), where I oversaw day-to-day operations and led a successful consolidation/turnaround strategy. With early career roles in private equity at Loop Capital and accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, I have developed a strong foundation in financial management. My expertise in supply chain management and logistics was honed during my time at Bed Bath & Beyond and UPS while pursuing my education. Holding certifications as a Turnaround Professional, I specialize in value creation strategy, organizational behavior, restructuring, marketing, revenue enhancements, and cost optimization. I also contribute to the community as a Board member for The Ronald McDonald House Charities and Chicago Hope Academy, where I serve as Chair of the Development and Finance Committees, respectively. My educational background includes an MBA from the University of Chicago (Booth), a JD from Indiana University, and a BS in accounting (cum laude) from Hampton University.
Evan Tindall, Bireme Capital (U.S.A.)
Evan is the Chief Investment Officer of Bireme Capital, a performance-focused wealth management firm he co-founded in 2016. Previously he was the sole equity analyst at Ballentine Capital, a Connecticut based long-short hedge fund. Before joining Ballentine Capital Evan was a professional poker player, winning a total of more than $1,000,000 and finishing tenth at a European Poker Tour event in 2008 for $104,000. He graduated from MIT with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2007.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Family Office (Switzerland)
Evgeny Kuznetsov runs a single-family office based in Geneva, Switzerland. The portfolio aims to achieve superior returns over the long term by allocating strategically across asset classes. Evgeny has more than 20 years of fund management experience. Between 1996 and 2016 he worked as an analyst, portfolio manager and, eventually, as a partner at London-based Genesis Investment Management LLP, a long-only Emerging Markets specialist fund management company and a subsidiary of the Boston-based Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. Over the course of his career Evgeny conducted fundamental research and made investments in listed companies in various emerging markets.
Gianluca Ferrari, Clearway Capital (Germany)
Gianluca Ferrari is the Founder and CIO of Clearway Capital, an investment firm focused on impact investing. Clearway adopts an opportunistic value-oriented approach and uses shareholder activism to drive returns and impact. Prior to founding Clearway, Gianluca was a director at Shareholder Value Management, where he led the fund’s activist investments.
Joel Schols, Chess Capital (Belgium)
As a telecommunications engineer, I’ve always worked in the ICT industry. 20 years ago I started my own business. In 2018 I sold my company to one of Belgium’s leading operators and started to read the best investing and psychology books. Value investing is like a ‘aha erlebnis’ since my company grew mainly by acquiring stressed businesses. Together with Sam Hollanders, I started Chess Capital, a ‘shameless copied’ Zero Management Fee fund. Today we are a compartment in an existing Umbrella structure. We are in the process of opening a regulated fund in Luxemburg. We also run an educational website (in Dutch). My aim is to learn a lot and to give back as much as possible.
John Zolidis, Quo Vadis Capital (U.S.A.)
John Zolidis is the Founder and President of Quo Vadis Capital, Inc. Mr. Zolidis formed Quo Vadis in 2017 to provide high-quality research on the restaurant and retail industries for institutional investors as well as consulting services to companies in the industries. Previous to founding Quo Vadis, Mr. was a sell-side analyst at Buckingham Research covering retail and restaurants. Mr. Zolidis also served as a buy-side consumer analyst at Buckingham Capital Management, a long-short hedge fund. He was with Buckingham since 2001. He was added to the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” list in 2005 for the Specialty Stores category. Prior to Buckingham, he got his start on Wall Street at Sidoti & Co. and Morgan Stanley. His undergraduate studies were at Mansfield College, Oxford and Kenyon College where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy. Mr. Zolidis currently resides in Paris, France with his wife and two daughters.
Jonathan Tanne, Tangible Investment Management (U.K.)
Jonathan founded Tangible Investment Management in 2012 originally managing a long only listed equity portfolio for a family office. Tangible’s investment strategy is a long-term approach with an emphasis on compounding and capital preservation. It is a highly differentiated global concentrated portfolio of under-valued and under-researched businesses at different stages of their life cycles. Each business is identified by a bottom-up stock selection process and is subjected to a comprehensive 70-point research checklist. The portfolio is benchmark, sector, style, industry & market-cap agnostic. Jonathan was born in South Africa, established in Australia, and lives in London with his wife and three children. He is a CFA Charterholder.
Kaushal “Ken” Majmudar, Ridgewood Investments (U.S.A.)
Kaushal “Ken” Majmudar, CFA founded Ridgewood Investments in 2002 and serves as its Chief Investment Officer. Ken graduated with honors from the Harvard Law School in 1994 after being an honors graduate of Columbia University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Prior to founding Ridgewood Investments in late 2002, Ken worked for seven years on Wall Street as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers. He is admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey though retired from the practice of law. Ken is a member of both the CFA Institute and the New York Society of Securities Analysts.
Kenneth Yap, ASV Fund (Singapore)
Kenneth Yap manages the Always Seek Value VCC Fund, a global public equities fund that focuses on market cycles and mispriced opportunities. His 26-year career in equities has spanned both buy-side and sell-side, Europe and Asia. He graduated with a BA in Economics & Management from the University of Oxford before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in London. He now spends his time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Kyle Tuschaus, New West Capital (U.S.A.)
Kyle Tushaus manages New West Capital, which oversees investments in public securities modeled after the original Buffett Partnership structure and focuses on long term quality as well as corporate action investments. Prior to New West Capital, Kyle spent time as an engineer in the energy industry before moving into acquisition roles for private family offices and real estate companies. He lives in Lisbon, Portugal with his wife and daughter.
Lorne Steinberg, Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management (Canada)
Lorne Steinberg founded Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. (LSWM) with the vision of providing investment counsel services to high net worth individuals, based on principles of integrity, transparency, trust, and capital preservation. Prior to founding the firm, he was President and Chief Investment Officer of AGF’s investment counsel business in Montreal, Magna Vista Investment Management Ltd., which he joined in 1999. Before Magna Vista he spent 10 years at Lafferty, Harwood and Partners, where he began as a research analyst and was later responsible for the fixed income desk. Lorne received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his BA from McGill University. He has been a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder since 1996.
Mariya Messerli, Private Investor (Switzerland)
Mariya is an investor managing her family private funds, based in Switzerland. Her investment philosophy is global and long-term focused with aim to compound value over years. Prior to turning her investing passion into a profession, Mariya had a decade of experience working in various corporate finance roles in Swiss Re. She holds a MSc degree in Accounting & Finance from Umeå University, Sweden. Mariya is a life-long learner, a cheerful thinker and a mother of two young kids.
Mikhail Pavlenko, Family Office (Cyprus)
Currently works as a portfolio manager / Co-CIO for a large single family office. I’m in charge of our whole multi-asset portfolio, covering such asset classes as public equity, equity options, fixed income and PE/VC. Previously led investment function in large life insurance companies and worked for a long/short hedge fund. In my personal investment portfolio, I primarily focus on long-term value equity ideas. I’m also interested in topics such as using option strategies to enhance/defend returns or finding optimal portfolio weights.
Naard Broeckaert, Wealtheon Asset Management (Belgium)
Naard is a partner at Wealtheon Asset Management (AUM EUR 600 Mio). Wealtheon is a wealth manager with offices in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He is responsible for the value investment strategy at the firm since october 2020. Between 2007- 2020 Naard managed a multi-family office business (Torrebos). Torrebos merged with Wealtheon in 2020. Lives in Belgium. Married with 3 children.
Dr. Olaf Hein, Elbstein AG (Germany)
Currently board member at investment firm Elbstein AG. Three decades of experience of public markets investing with a focus on Germany equities. Has held numerous positions within Deutsche Bank (New York, Frankfurt) and various boards in Germany.
Ole Søeberg, Nordic Investment Partners (Denmark)
Ole founded Nordic Investment Partners in 2017 and offers investment advice to family trusts. A fund run by Ole and with absolute return focus is planned to be launched later in 2018. He began his career in 1984 when he founded Dansk Aktie Analyse (independent research boutique in Copenhagen). In 1985 he worked for Privatbanken in international equities. In the 1990’s he was head of international equities in Denmark for Carnegie and Alfred Berg. He worked as head of Investor relations for Denmark’s TDC (1999-2005) and Tryg Insurance (2006-2010). From 2011-17 he was fund manager and Chief Investment Officer in Skagen funds, Norway. Ole has an MBA from Copenhagen Business School.
Dr. Oleg Obrezkov, Private Investor (Cyprus)
Based in Cyprus, Oleg currently managing his own money. Oleg has an MA in Economics and PhD in Mathematics. Between 2005 and 2020 he worked at a global multi-billion hedge fund focused on special and distressed situations (since 2009 as Senior PM).
Paolo Veneziani, Vidya Capital (Italy)
Paolo manages a small private family investment company, Vidya Capital. He started to invest with a value oriented approach (mostly focalizing on high quality companies) in the early 90’s, after he learned about Warren Buffett and Value Investing. He became a full time investor in 2013. Opportunities are sourced mostly in Europe and the US, and are sector and size agnostic. Previously Paolo has been an executive in the Pharmaceutical industry in the US, UK and Italy and then a senior partner at Egon Zehnder, one of the largest Executive Search and Management Consulting Firms in the world. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Rome.
Peter Winker, EOS Partners (Germany)
Peter is a private investor from Germany. Before focussing on public value investing, he started his career at Swedish buyout firm EQT and then co-founded EOS Partners which does SME buyouts in the DACH region. Since November 2022, he acts as Senior Advisor to EOS Partners.
Ratko Jovic, AVLNCH family office (Slovenia)
Investment Manager of AVLNCH family office. Formerly a Principal at Mid Europa Partners, a private equity fund focused on Central and Eastern Europe (2010-2021), working from London, Budapest, Warsaw and Ljubljana. Prior to that, an investment banker in the Restructuring & Special Situations group of Houlihan Lokey in London (2007-2010). Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Reimar Scholz, Bavaria Industries (Germany)
CEO and majority owner of BAVARIA Industries Group AG a listed holding with NAV of over EUR 500m, founded in 2003 with EUR 50k. Invested in turnarounds initially and since 2013 mostly in public equities. IRR 15% p.a. since IPO in 1/2006.
Samir Mohamed, Family Office (Switzerland)
Samir started with value investing in 1999 and manages a private family fund, full time, for the last few years. He focuses on good businesses with temporary problems and suppressed stock prices. Samir enjoys collaborating with other value investors regularly via in-person meetings or Skype calls. Samir was global head of the product management teams of a € 170m industrial business at Siemens. He worked at Siemens for 13 years. He has a master’s degree in Management, Technology, and Economics and a bachelor’s degree in material science, both from ETH Zurich. He recently relocated from Switzerland to Cyprus.
Simon Caufield, SIM Limited (U.K.)
Simon has been a professional investor since 2007 and manages family capital and has a private client advisory business. He specialises in deep value, cyclical and cheap compounders in the industrial, consumer discretionary and non-bank financial sectors. He is an active member of the value investing special interest group of the CFA in the UK and a regular visitor to value investing events.
Sophocles Sophocleous, Consultant (Cyprus)
A Fulbright scholar and CFA Charterholder, Sophocles currently works as a consultant. From 2022-24 he was a full-time advisor to Swiss-based activist Veraison Capital AG while during 2019-21, he managed two small funds at S.P.A. Financial Services, successfully outperforming their benchmarks. Sophocles has experience managing institutional portfolios across multiple geographies and asset classes, while he spent 11 years with London-based Emerging Markets fund manager Argo Capital Management. Sophocles is a visiting lecturer at the European University Nicosia and the Cyprus International Institute of Management. On an annual basis, he organizes the Cyprus Value Investor Conference. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a double major in Economics and Finance.
Steve Gorelik, Firebird Management (U.S.A.)
Steve is a Portfolio Manager with Firebird Management, a value-oriented asset manager with over 20 years of experience investing in the Eastern European and North American markets. Steve’s investment experience includes both public and private equity investments in Eastern Europe with a particular focus on Baltic Countries, Romania, Georgia and banks across the whole region. Steve is also lead portfolio manager of Firebird U.S. Value Fund. Steve is a graduate of Value Investing Program at Columbia University Graduate School of Business and is a CFA (chartered financial analyst).
Steve Rosenthal, Kopernik Global Investors (U.S.A.)
Steve Rosenthal is an analyst covering the energy sector at Kopernik. He has been in the investment industry since 1992 and joined Kopernik in 2013. Earlier in his career, he held positions at Mt. Eden Investment Advisors, Telegraph Hill Investment Counsel, and Farmers Insurance. Prior to his investment career, Steve was a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and a naval aviator flying attack helicopters. Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Santa Clara and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Taylor McKenna, Kopernik Global Investors (U.S.A.)
Taylor is an analyst covering materials and real estate sectors at Kopernik. He has been in the investment industry since 2007 and joined Kopernik in 2013. He held positions at QB Asset Management and Bank of America Investments earlier in his career. Taylor has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Skidmore College. He has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Tim Staermose, African Lions Fund
After finishing his studies in Australia, Tim Staermose spent 25 years working in equity research and managing money in Asia, including South Korea, The Philippines, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. After finding inspiration on a 2018 trip back to Tanzania, where he was born, in 2020 Tim launched the African Lions Fund, to invest in sub-Saharan Africa frontier market equities. African Lions Fund has achieved a CAGR of 14%+ since inception, and grown from $3.9mn at its outset to be managing more than $21mn today. Tim is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with his wife and two daughters.
Vasilis Spanos, Compliance Consultant (Cyprus)
Provides regulatory compliance consulting to investment firms and fund managers by identifying weaknesses in their policies and procedures, assessing the risks and impact of these weaknesses, and recommending practical improvements to ensure compliance with the relevant regulatory obligations. He has in-depth knowledge of MIFID II, UCITS Directive, AIFMD, AML and other relevant regulations. Vasilis was the Group Internal Auditor of FxPro Group from 2016 to 2022 and prior to that was at CySEC’s Supervision department for 5 years. Previously, Vasilis had 10 years of experience in investment analysis and portfolio management at various investment firms. Vasilis is a CFA Charterholder, a qualified accountant, and has an MBA from Warwick Business School.
Vitaliy Katsenelson, IMA (U.S.A.)
Vitaliy is CEO and CIO of IMA which he joined in 1997. He received both his BS and MS degrees in finance from the University of Colorado at Denver. His two books, Active Value Investing and The Little Book of Sideways Markets, were published by John Wiley & Sons and have been translated into eight languages. His articles have appeared in Barron’s, Financial Times, Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC, The Globe & Mail, and MarketWatch, among others. Vitaliy has also been a guest on CNBC, Fox Business, BNN, and Yahoo! Finance. Vitaliy has also taught a graduate investment class at the University of Colorado at Denver. He is a CFA charterholder and has served on the board of the CFA Society of Colorado. Forbes magazine has called him “the new Benjamin Graham”.
Yoav Zelikovic, Zelikovic Investments (Israel)
After working as a corporate lawyer and at one of the largest investment firms in Israel I decided to set up my own shop 8 years ago and to apply the Value Investing principles I studied. Today my partner and I manage almost $100 million via two funds – a hedge fund and mutual fund, where we apply mostly a micro-cap value long term strategy. Most of our clients are Israeli. We also have a weekly podcast in Hebrew about great value investors. I grew up in the U.S. but came to Israel after high school. I studied law at the Hebrew University, and I have an MBA from Bar Ilan University. I reside in Ashkelon, Israel and am happily married with 2 kids.