Jon Beyman joins the Polaris Board
Moneylife – Jan. 22, 2015
Jon Beyman, MBA ’81, former managing director and global head of operations and technology, Institutional Clients Group, Citi, joined the board of directors of Polaris Consulting & Services Ltd, a global leader in financial technology for banking, insurance and other financial services. “With his experience in driving technology as an enabler at Citi, Beyman is an evangelist for digital transformation,” the articles reports. “The Board of Directors unanimously felt that he would add immense value as Polaris enables the digital transformation of its clients.”
iZotope Adds Michael Bayer to Executive Team as Chief Financial Officer
Boston Business Journal – Jan. 22, 2015
iZotope, Inc., a leading audio technology company, has hired Michael Bayer, MBA ’92, as its Chief Financial Officer. Bayer brings more than twenty years of expertise in finance, operations, technology and business development for venture-backed technology companies. "It's a thrilling opportunity to join a fast-paced organization like iZotope," says Bayer in the article. "The passion for audio and technology is palpable, and the creative drive is strong. I look forward to contributing my expertise and helping to build the infrastructure we need to achieve our vision." Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, iZotope, 2014 winner of the SBANE Innovation Award,develops award-winning products and audio technologies for professionals and hobbyists.
3VR Announces Advisor Board for Customer Insights Business
Nebraska TV/ABC – Jan. 6, 2015
Janet Carr, MBA ’90, was appointed to the newly formed retail advisor board for video intelligence company 3VR. “With over 20 years of experience in the retail industry, Ms. Carr was most recently the President of the Handbag Division at Nine West Group (fka The Jones Group),” the article reports. “Previously, she has held executive leadership roles at Safeway, Gap Inc., Coach, and Ghurka.” The 3VR retail advisor board will serve as a strategic resource to 3VR as it continues to advance its Customer Insights business for in-store analytics.
FEI Congratulates 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees
PR Newswire – Dec. 1, 2014
Robert Blakely ’64, MBA ’65, former CFO of WorldCom, was named to the FEI Hall of Fame by Financial Executives International (FEI), a national association for CFOs and other senior level finance executives. Blakely was formally inducted into the FEI Hall of Fame during a celebratory gala in New York City, Nov. 17, 2014. The FEI Hall of Fame is a distinguished honor which annually recognizes highly respected financial executives for displaying exemplary performance, leadership and integrity. Blakely serves on the boards of Ally Financial Inc., Westlake Chemical Corporation, Greenhill & Co., Inc. and Natural Resource Partners, LP, and was a former trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation. He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, including roles as CFO of WorldCom/MCI and executive vice president and CFO of Fannie Mae, where he led the financial restatement and implementation of SOX controls. Blakely has also served as a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 1996.
Pakistan sex taboos challenged by TV phone-in show
BBC News - Dec. 1, 2014
Faizan Syed, MBA ’09, CEO of Pakistan’s Health TV (HTV), is featured in this video and story about “Clinic Online”, a weekly call-in show discussing sexual health. HTV is a channel that focuses “on everyday lives of Pakistanis with a mix of health and lifestyle content,” reports the article, which includes this comment from Syed: “As for 'Clinic Online', the chief executive of the HTV channel, Faizan Syed, says the show is going through a period of trial and error. ‘Frankly, we are in an unchartered territory. Is there room for improvement? Certainly! But that doesn't take away the fact that we are providing a service that no one else has the courage or willingness to offer.’"
Seres Health Appoints Biotechnology Finance Leader Eric Shaff As Chief Financial Officer
BioSpace – Nov. 17, 2014
Eric Shaff, MBA’04, was appointed chief financial officer of Seres Health, a clinical-stage therapeutics company. Prior to joining Seres, Shaff was the vice president of corporate finance at Momenta Pharmaceuticals. Shaff brings over 15 years of corporate biotech finance and development experience to Seres. “His experience and contributions will be extremely valuable as we further advance SER-109, our lead Ecobiotic® microbial therapeutic and accelerate Seres' progress towards commercialization,” said Dr. Roger J. Pomerantz, President, CEO and chairman of Seres Health.
B2R Finance Adds Chief Executive Officer
Wallstreet Online – November 17, 2014
Jason Hogg, MBA ’02, was appointed CEO of B2R Finance, a leading provider of residential buy-to-rent mortgages for single-family rental property investors. “With Jason’s success turning great ideas into profitable companies, we know he will enhance stakeholder value and establish B2R as the preeminent provider of residential finance products and services,” said Nick Gould, executive chairman of B2R. Hogg is most notable for founding the alternative payment company Revolution Money and being the first name inventor of a scalable, global platform that supports a number of businesses including Bluebird by American Express and Walmart. Hogg is a senior lecturer of entrepreneurship and innovation at Johnson.
Todd Schnuck rises to chairman and CEO of Schnuck Markets
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Nov. 13, 2014
Todd Schnuck, MBA’83, became chairman and CEO of Schnuck Markets Inc., the Maryland Heights-based food and pharmacy chain. Schnuck, 55, succeeded his brother, Scott Schnuck, who will serve as chairman of the company's executive committee.
The $100 Custom Shirt Is Here. Does It Have Room for Profit?
Bloomberg Businessweek – November 11, 2014
Susan Kantor, MBA ’91, gets a mention as a top stylist at J. Hilburn, a premium custom shirt maker. Kantor is a senior managing partner in the business and she regularly travels to fit new clients and show off the season’s fabric swatches. She has sold so many J. Hilburn shirts that the company bought her a new Lexus.
Hires and promotions at Lehigh Valley businesses
The Morning Call – November 7, 2014
Louis E. Costanzo, MBA ’14, was appointed president at L.R. Costanzo Construction Services Co. Costanzo previously served as the vice president in the company. A fourth-generation Costanzo, he is the vice chairman of Lackawanna County Redevelopment Authority and a board member of Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprise. Costanzo previously served on the board for Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Co., United Way of Lackawanna County and the Lackawanna County Work Force Investment board.
PE-backed Patch Products buys Onaroo
Reuters PE Hub – Nov. 3, 2014
Adam Hocherman ’97, MBA ’06, founder and president of American Innovative, sold his company’s Onaroo line of night lights and alarm clocks for children to Patch Products, a portfolio company of Topspin Partners. ‘“Teaming with Patch brings the Onaroo line greater consumer reach through diverse retail channels and access to a world-class team at a company that’s been in the juvenile industry for over forty years. I couldn’t be more pleased with Onaroo’s new home and look forward to working with Patch,’” Hocherman says in the article.
Finding and using unique datasets by hedge funds
Hedgeweek – Nov. 3, 2014
In this article, author Gene Ekster, MBA ’08, reviews datasets known as “alternative data” in financial circles that are becoming more commonplace in the research arsenals of institutional funds. He explains how alternative data can bring about data sourcing, evaluation of news datasets, compliance, and a new set of trading strategies. Ekster is director of data product development at 1010Data, where he and his team use raw alternative data to create research products for the investment industry.
National American University Holdings, Inc. announces appointment of James A. Rowan to board of directors
World News Report – October 17, 2014
James A. Rowan, MBA ’72, was appointed to the board of directors of National American University Holdings, which operates National American University, a regionally accredited, proprietary, multi-campus institution of higher learning. Rowan currently serves as senior advisor and education group head at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, a full-service investment banking firm recognized as a leader within the education sector. "We are pleased to have Jim join the Company's Board of Directors,” said Ronald Shape, CEO of NAU. “We believe his extensive experience in finance and investment banking, particularly as they relate to the education space, will prove valuable to our company. We look forward to working closely with Jim and benefiting from his counsel as NAU continues to grow in the years ahead.”
Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP Admits Yair Holtzman to Partnership
PR Newswire – Oct. 9, 2014
Yair Holtzman, MBA ’01, CPA, became partner at Anchin Block & Anchin, LLP, based in New York City, as of Oct. 1, 2014. Holtzman is a member of the firm's tax credits and incentives group and is the practice leader of the R&D tax credits group. He has more than 20 years of experience with national public accounting and management consulting firms focusing on federal tax consulting issues and assisting senior executives with strategy development and implementation. Anchin Block & Anchin is a full service tax, accounting, and advisory services firm that specializes in servicing the tri-state area.
Ridgewood Private Equity Partners Appoints Michael Albrecht as Managing Director
Yahoo Finance – October 9, 2014
Michael Albrecht, MBA '05, was appointed managing director of Ridgewood Private Equity Partners (RPEP), an investment firm focused on energy-centric real asset private equity strategies. Prior to his new role, Albrecht served as acting global head of infrastructure and real assets in Allstate Investments. "We are very pleased to be welcoming Michael to the RPEP team," said Ross Posner, senior managing director of RPEP, who also hired Albrecht back at Allstate.
Travelport Announces the Appointment of Three Additional Non-Executive Directors to its Board
Yahoo Finance – Oct. 1, 2014
Travelport announced the appointment of Michael Durham, MBA ’77, to its board of directors along with Elizabeth Buse and Douglas Hacker. Durham is a former president and CEO of Sabre Group Holdings and us currently a member of the board of directors of Hertz Global Holdings. “We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth, Mike and Doug to our board, each of whom are seasoned business executives who will bring significant expertise in travel, technology and payments to Travelport's brand,” said Douglas Steenland, chairman of the board of directors.
Still Going Strong
New Straits Times – September 17, 2014
Rhoda Yap, MBA '08, speaks about the clothing brand BritishIndia that she now heads. Yap returned to Malaysia a few years ago to take the reigns from Pat Liew, founder of the company. Prior to this, Yap worked with McKinsey & Company in the United States.
Core Services Announces Addition of Key Senior Executive
IT Briefing.net – September 19, 2014
James R. Marlow, MBA '73, was appointed president of Core Services and will be a part of the company’s senior management team. Marlow comes with over 30 years of experience as a management consultant including positions of CEO, COO, and CFO with manufacturing, high tech, and investment companies. "Core Services is extremely pleased to welcome to our team a professional as accomplished as James who brings with him a wealth of knowledge, breadth, and depth of skills to this pivotal position," says Jim Bistis, CEO of Core Services.
Exploring the newly opened Mexican energy business
The Deal Pipeline – Sept. 12, 2014
Daniel Chavez, MBA ’12, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP in Houston, is interviewed by The Deal's Claire Poole for this article and Q&A about private equity investing in Latin America. “The regulatory environment for private equity funds and investors in the major Latin American markets continues to improve, and population growth and increasing urbanization driving demand for oil and gas, power and infrastructure, creates ‘significant investment opportunities for private equity investors,” he says in the article, which continues: "He expects a pickup in activity particularly in Mexico, which is opening up its oil and gas sector to private investment.”
NOVADAQ Announces Appointment of Robert S. White to Its Board of Directors [Global Data Point]
Technology News – Sept. 3, 2014
NOVADAQ appointed Robert S. White, MBA '89, to its board of directors. “Mr. White is a medical technology industry veteran with over 25 years of high-level experience gained through numerous leadership positions with Medtronic, Instromedix-LifeWatch, ALARIS Medical Systems, Eli Lilly and General Electric,” notes the article. Dr. Arun Menawat, NOVADAQ President and CEO, is quoted as saying: "Bob has an accomplished history of sales and marketing, operations, business development and general management success within the medical device industry, and I believe his expertise and guidance will be of great benefit to NOVADAQ and our shareholders during this important time of growth for our company.
