AssetOps New York schedule

During this 5-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet two people you don't already know. 

• Navigating geopolitics, tariffs, and divergent global regulations 

• The shift from efficiency to adaptability in the ops agenda 

• U.S.-led innovation in data structuring and workflow design 

• Lessons from firms that have mastered simplification without sacrificing scale 

• Moving beyond pilots: building GenAI maturity across ops and data 

• Governance, control, and model transparency in regulated environments 

• Talent models and upskilling needed to support AI-led workflows 

• Case studies: where automation is driving measurable ROI 

Moderator: Ramesh Sepehrrad, VP, Head of Tech and Cyber Risk, Navy Federal Credit Union

Speakers: 

Alaka Mishal, Chief Technology Officer, Wealth & Investment Management, Northwestern Mutual 

Rashmin Dahake, Chief Technology Officer, Managing Director, Jennison Associates 

Jay Gattani, Senior Managing Director: Global Head of Tech - Products, Front Office Trading and Real Assets, Nuveen a TIAA company 

• Rethinking the ops-data-tech triangle to align with investor expectations, regulatory reporting demands, and digital-first strategy 

• Designing a modular operating model to balance innovation speed with long-term platform stability 

• Tackling system interoperability in U.S. firms with entrenched legacy infrastructure and vendor fragmentation 

• Embedding clear data ownership, stewardship, and usage rights across silos to reduce duplication and operational risk

Speakers: 

Keri Tusa, Global Head Of Investment Technology, Lazard Asset Management 

Michael Reger, Head of Global Investment Data Management, Vanguard 

Evan Fire, Managing Principal, Chief Operating Officer, Pzena Investment Management  

• Breaking down legacy friction points across reconciliation, settlement, and reporting chains 
• Designing workflows that reduce break risk and eliminate manual touchpoints 

• Coordinating across global teams and vendors to deliver cross-market scalability 

• Success metrics: from exception rate reduction to improved audit trail transparency and cycle-time compression

Speaker: 

Mark Persiani, Director, Derivative Operations, BlackRock 

• Tackling regulatory fragmentation and data lineage demands 

• What does ESG compliance look like in a post-greenwashing world? 

• Practical responses to AI-related policy proposals 

• Harmonizing ops and legal teams under pressure 

Speaker:  

Rochelle Levy, Chief Compliance Officer, Wealth Management, City National Bank 

• What tokenization, secondaries, and co-investments mean for U.S. ops — and where the infrastructure gaps remain
• SEC scrutiny on valuation, liquidity, and transparency: how ops leaders are responding
• Supporting hybrid workflows for institutional and retail alternative products
• Managing compliance friction across global regulatory regimes

Moderator: David Teten, Partner, Orange Collective

Speakers:

Dylan Germishuys, Managing Director, Head of Alternatives Operations Asset Management, UBS Asset Management Americas 

• How do you scale up without adding structural bloat and inefficiencies? 

• Success strategies for expanding AUM, jurisdictions, or asset classes 

• Building connective tissue between change, ops, tech, and data teams 

• Learnings from mergers, strategic hires, and third-party collaborations

Speakers: 

Jess Baker, Head of Data Governance, CBRE Investment Management 

Frederick Shaw, Chief Operating Officer, Unifi Asset Management 

• Why fragmented architecture is the enemy of efficiency—and what to do about it 
• Rationalizing tech vendors without losing functionality or innovation 

• Strategies for cross-functional data flow, system integration, and reporting harmonization 

• Making the case for investment in platform consolidation 

• Preparing for the next evolution beyond T+1: clearing models, treasury clearing deadlines, and the path toward real-time settlement in global markets. 

• Building interoperability between buy-side platforms, custodians, brokers, and CCPs through real-time data, gold-copy standards, and neutral connectivity layers. 

• Exploring new settlement rails — tokenized cash and securities, stablecoin-enabled settlement, and digital-asset infrastructure — and what firms of all sizes must do to get ready. 

Speakers: 

Lou Rosato, Managing Director, Investment Operations Group, BlackRock 

• Why digital initiatives stall in large firms: Matrixed decision-making, risk aversion, and unclear ownership 
• Winning executive buy-in in firms where tech is seen as a cost center, not a strategic asset 

• Coaching managers to become change leaders — not blockers — and navigating distributed teams 

• Avoiding burnout and “initiative fatigue” with clear metrics, communication loops, and phased rollouts

Moderator: Rene Madden, CEO and Founder, Elevare Dynamics LLC 

Speakers: 

Andrew Cinquina, Head of Compliance Technology, Point72 

Vincent Pasqualicchio, Investments Chief Operations and Technology Officer, American Family Insurance 

Martin Breheny, Head of Audit, Guggenheim Partners

• Embedding digital-first operating models that enhance resilience, reduce operational drag, and support firm-wide scalability 

• Strengthening end-to-end process reliability through integrated data, workflow automation, and real-time exception management 

• Designing operating frameworks that balance innovation with control — enabling modernisation while safeguarding mission-critical investment processes 

Speakers:  

Chris Chung, Chief Operating Officer, Bayview Advisors LLC 

Jeff Frusciante, Managing Director, Head of Operations, Brigade Capital 

A fast-paced, interactive Operator Lab where senior leaders tackle real operational challenges live — revealing how modern Ops drives performance, resilience, and alpha. Each contributor brings one concrete challenge tied to themes such as:

• Reframing operations as a revenue enabler
• Real-time, data-driven operating models
• Supporting new product launches and evolving client demands

What to expect: rapid challenge pitches, collaborative solution sprints, and live audience signal checks. A high-energy format that surfaces practical insights, stress-tests assumptions, and highlights how Operations is becoming a strategic engine of growth. 

• Unpacking the "Data Trinity": How data models, metadata, and ontologies collectively shape enterprise AI readiness 
• The metadata gap: Why incomplete or inconsistent metadata remains the single biggest blocker to scalable AI adoption 

• Building the AI-ready data foundation: Key principles for aligning business context, governance, and automation 

• From static systems to agentic enterprises: Enabling dynamic decision-making through intelligent data frameworks and metadata-aware architecture

Speaker: Raman Tallamraju, Senior Director, Head of Enterprise Data Architecture and Engineering, Vanguard 

• Exploring emerging trends: tokenized assets, digital twins, and fractional portfolios 
• Reskilling ops teams for a hybrid human-AI environment 

• Future-proofing governance models to handle automation, embedded finance, and DeFi 

• How to remain client-centric and compliant while radically modernizing ops

Discussion Leader: Jarron Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Marshfield Associates