Global Alts Asia

Amadeo is an Investment Manager in the Systematic Equities team. Before joining Jupiter, Amadeo worked at Merian Global Investors and at Old Mutual as a portfolio manager and head of research. Prior to this, he worked for the Financial Stability Group at the Bank of England, developing simulation models for systemic and liquidity risk. Before this, he was a software developer for CAD systems and robotic applications. He began his investment career in 2005. Amadeo has a BEng in robotics, an MSc in computer science, and a PhD in computational finance. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Donna Hutchings is the Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific at Citco Fund Services. With over 15 years at Citco, Donna has been instrumental in overseeing operations and client services across multiple global offices, including Sydney, Dublin, New Jersey, and Singapore. She currently leads a team dedicated to delivering expert knowledge and innovative solutions to clients in the Asia Pacific region.

Donna’s experience in the fund services industry includes her previous roles HSBC Alternative Funds Services, formerly Bank of Bermuda, where she worked in Bermuda, South Africa, and New York. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, is a Chartered Accountant in Canada, and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Lasanka Perera is the co-founder of Independent Reserve and currently serves as the chief executive officer of Independent Reserve Singapore. Perera has played a pivotal role in steering Independent Reserve to become one of the leading crypto financial services firms in the Asia Pacific region. The company has also achieved the notable distinction of being the first cryptocurrency exchange to be licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Independent Reserve is recognised for its commitment to providing safe and reliable access to digital assets through good corporate governance and ensuring the safety of customer assets. Prior to his involvement with Independent Reserve, Perera accumulated extensive experience in markets and trading and successfully established several regulated consumer-facing financial services businesses. Recognising the inefficiencies of foreign currency transfers, he identified the significant potential of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to enhance people’s lives, ultimately leading him to transition his career into the crypto space. As an early adopter of cryptocurrency and a dedicated advocate for the industry, Perera actively participates in trade conferences and industry events. His participation serves to connect with like-minded individuals and businesses, fostering the growth and development of the cryptocurrency industry.

Kathryn Rooney Vera is the Chief Market Strategist at StoneX Group, bringing over 22 years of expertise in global economics and investment strategy. She delivers high-frequency, actionable insights tailored to institutional and global clients across multiple asset classes and geographies.

A recognized authority in macroeconomic forecasting and cross-asset investment strategy, is known for her independent, out-of-consensus market calls that have consistently delivered exceptional returns. She is a sought-after keynote speaker at global finance conferences and a frequent contributor to major financial media.

Prior to StoneX, Kathryn served as chief investment strategist at a Miami-based broker dealer, as adjunct professor of Global Economics at the University of Miami, and as fixed income strategist at Bear Stearns and MetLife. She holds an MBA from New York University and a BA from Rutgers College and is Series 7, 63, and 65 certified.

Before launching ION Macro Fund, Michael Shaoul was Chairman, CEO, and Portfolio Manager at Marketfield Asset Management, where he developed investment insights and published research. He often contributes to financial media on economic cycles and markets. He joined Oscar Gruss and Son in 1996, became CEO in 2001, and founded Marketfield as a subsidiary in 2006. He served as CEO until its spin-out in 2012 and continued until March 2024. He is Treasurer of American Friends of Tel Aviv University and serves on its Board of Governors, a Board member of North American Friends of Manchester University, and part of the Economic Council of New York. He holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester.

Zachary Squire is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Tekmerion, a global macro hedge fund whose strategy combines the fundamental insights of a fundamental macro trader with the analytical rigor of a systematic investment manager. Launched in 2017, the strategy has recently announced a $1B spin-out from Brevan Howard, with strategic backing from Engineers Gate. The investment process spans all major global macro asset classes, including equities, foreign exchange, rates, and commodities, allowing the team to express macro views where risk–reward is most compelling. Squire began his career at D. E. Shaw, where he worked primarily on risk, reporting to the firm’s first CRO. He subsequently moved to Bridgewater, where he worked on the “Ray Team” supporting CIO Ray Dalio and headed execution strategy for FX, the firm’s largest asset class. Following Bridgewater, Squire was a multi-asset emerging markets trader at HBK, before launching Tekmerion.

Amy Cheung leads Capital Introduction for Marex Prime Services across Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. Over the past four years with Marex Prime Services (formerly Cowen), she has cultivated a robust network of hedge fund allocators throughout Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

Prior to joining Marex, Amy spent three years at an Asian macro hedge fund and seven years at Bloomberg, where she served as a Relationship Manager to global and local hedge funds and family offices in Hong Kong.

Amy is an active member of 100 Women in Finance in Hong Kong. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Joseph (Joe) Latini is the Chief Commercial Officer for MUFG Investor Services, responsible for business development, global sales, marketing and business consulting.

Joe became Chief Commercial Officer in 2023, after serving as Global Head of Business Development, Global Head of Client Service Management and Client Integration and Executive Director, Relationship Management. He joined MUFG Investor Services in 2017 from ENSO Financial Analytics where he served as Director of US Sales. Prior to that, Joe held senior relationship management roles in Morgan Stanley’s Prime Brokerage business.

He has volunteered with organizations including Camp Fire NJ, Interfaith Caregivers, It’s From the Sole, the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Everybody Wins!, College Summit, and the RBI Foundation.

Joe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Drew University.

Allen Lau is Co-founder and Operating Partner at Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage deep tech venture capital firm focused on the next frontier in computing and its applications. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of Wattpad, growing the platform to 100 million users, raising US120million,andleadingitsUS660 million acquisition by Naver. A three-time entrepreneur and electrical engineer by training, Allen brings a founder-operator perspective to venture investing and serves as a trusted sounding board to entrepreneurs. He also sits on the boards of MaRS Discovery District, Openmind Research Institute, and several Two Small Fish portfolio companies.

Giorgio Lombardo is Co-Chief Investment Officer at Kirkoswald, where he is responsible for the Kirkoswald Emerging Market Credit Absolute Return Strategy.

He began his career in 1993 as an IT analyst at Eurostat before joining Salomon Brothers’ Fixed Income Arbitrage Research team in 1996. In 1998, the group became CLMP Software Research, which developed applications to present financial data, performance and risk information to traders at Salomon Brothers and Endeavour Capital Management Ltd.

In 2001, Giorgio joined Banca Fideuram in Rome, where he developed applications for internet banking. He returned to London in 2007 to join Emso, initially developing and enhancing the firm’s internal portfolio management systems before moving to the investment desk as a portfolio manager focused on external credit markets.

He served as the team’s Chief Risk Officer from 2013 to 2019, when he was appointed Chief Investment Risk Officer. In 2022, he became Deputy Chief Investment Officer before assuming his current role as Co-Chief Investment Officer at Kirkoswald.

Eric SayWei Neo is a distinguished leader with over 23 years in capital markets, FinTech, and wealth management, offering a unique Asia family office perspective. He serves as Board Director of Medway Investments and was the former founding CEO of Majulah Equity Partners. A graduate of MAS’ Asian Financial Leaders Programme, his global acumen is honed through global education from IMD, SMU, and Tsinghua, and leadership roles, including former President of Alta Exchange and co-founder of RF International Holdings. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Singapore Armed Forces, his strategic leadership has earned him national and regional accolades, advancing family office excellence across Asia.

Utkarsh spearheads Business Development and Sales across Asia Pacific and the Middle East at NAV Fund Services, a leading global fund administrator serving more than 2,550 clients with over US$450 billion in assets under administration. Based in Singapore, he leads NAV’s commercial growth across key regional markets including Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Mauritius and the UAE, working with fund managers across a broad range of alternative investment strategies. With a strong understanding of complex fund structures and administration requirements, Utkarsh advises managers on fund administration solutions aligned with their strategy, investor base, operational requirements and reporting needs. His experience spans hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, private credit, real assets and digital asset strategies, including managers launching new funds as well as established firms evaluating administrator transitions and more sophisticated operating requirements. Beyond client development, Utkarsh is an active participant in the alternatives ecosystem across Asia, engaging regularly with institutional investors, fund managers and leading service providers. He represents NAV at major industry forums and conferences, contributing to discussions around fund operations, institutional digital asset adoption, tokenisation and the evolving alternative investment landscape.

Jonathan (Jonny) Thompson, CFA, is Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Isabella Capital Management. He has over 18 years of experience in credit markets. Prior to founding Isabella, he established the international convertible bond business within Citadel London. During his time at Citadel between 2018 and 2022, his role and responsibility extended beyond leadership of the international convertible bond business to European high yield and distressed European systematic capital structure arbitrage. Between 2016 and 2018, Jonny worked for the international convertible bond team of Arrowgrass, another London-based multi-strategy hedge fund. Jonny began his career at JPMorgan. He interned on the European Convertible Bond desk in 2008 and subsequently joined in 2009, initially as a desk analyst, and moved to market making within a year. He progressed through the graduate scheme and titles, Analyst, Associate and Vice President, before transitioning to the buyside to focus on portfolio management. Jonny is a CFA Charterholder and graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2009 with a Cambridge Master of Engineering Degree (MEng), MA, BA (Cantab).

Markian is the chief investment officer of the Mission Crest strategy. Markian is responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management at Mission Crest Capital, which includes overseeing portfolio construction, capital allocations, and risk management. Markian led the launch of the strategy in 2019 while serving as a managing director at Lighthouse, where he was the chairman of the firm’s quantitative and macro committee. At Lighthouse, Markian previously held responsibility for managing external allocations to portfolios pursuing CTA, commodity, quantitative equity, and multi-strategy approaches. Markian joined Lighthouse in 2008 after attending Loyola University Chicago, where he graduated magna cum laude with a BBA in Finance and Economics. Markian is also a CFA charterholder.