Meet Our Advisors

Geoff Blaisdell is an experienced digital leader and executive with over 30 years working at the intersection of finance and technology, including 20-plus years in Chief Information Officer roles with global, world-class organizations.

Early in his career, Geoff performed many hands-on technical roles, allowing him to develop a strong appreciation and insight into the required disciplines of successful IT organizations. Highlights of his early career include being a key senior architect and developer of the leading portfolio management platform for investment management firms.

With 25 years in senior roles within financial services firms, Geoff has developed expert knowledge in critical business domains including portfolio management, trading, client service, risk management, investment operations, as well as traditional corporate functions.

Over the course of his career, Geoff has designed, developed, and led many large-scale efforts within the technology domains of application development, data, information security, and infrastructure.

Geoff is a recognized change leader and innovator, with significant proven successes deploying digital strategies including agile, data science, business intelligence, citizen enablement, RPA, cloud, and design thinking.

Geoff leverages his business domain expertise and forward-thinking approach to technology to consistently design, develop, and deliver solutions tailored to achieve desired business outcomes.

Geoff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Tom Filarski is a patent trial lawyer and partner at the international law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. For over 30 years Tom has litigated or patented pharmaceutical, chemical, silicon and mechanical technologies.

Tom is routinely recognized by peers such as Managing Intellectual Property, IAM Patent 1000 and Best Lawyers in America in Patent Law.

Tom led the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), an association dedicated to bringing new technology ideas from the laboratory to the consumer; served on the advisory board of the Clean Energy Trust, which helps sustain early stage companies; and held various executive committee and board positions throughout his legal career.

Tom also authored several articles and book chapters related to patent law and technology development.

Tom holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Loyola University of Chicago, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a J.D. from DePaul University School of Law.

COMPANIES

• Steptoe & Johnson

Frank is a retired senior partner from Ernst & Young, LLP (“EY”), where he served in a combination of practice management, operations management, client service, innovation, and internal initiative management roles throughout his 38-year career

Admitted into the partnership in 1994, Frank spent a significant part of his career at EY developing and leading many of EY’s most significant strategic transformational initiatives for the Global and Americas regions. Included in these roles were leading the Global Gross Margin Initiative (a sub-component of EY’s Global Vision 2020 strategy), and chairing the development of both EY’s Global Assurance and Americas Risk strategic plans.

Frank held significant management roles for several practice areas in the U.S. and abroad, including: Senior Partner for the EY Latin America Financial Services Advisory practice (redefined the business strategy and model, and restructured the practice); Americas Chief Operating Officer for the Assurance Practice ($4.5 billion practice with over 15,000 professionals and 1,350 partners); and, Americas Chief Operating Officer for the Assurance and Advisory Business Services Practice ($6.3 billion practice with over 22,000 professionals and 2,100 partners).

Frank is a skilled financial professional who has represented and served a broad range of clients in both audit and non-audit engagements. In combination with his leadership responsibilities at EY, he has served as a Global Client Service (Coordinating) Partner and/or a Senior Advisory Partner for multinational institutions, private equity funds, and high-growth clients in the energy, industrial products, automotive, financial services, and consumer product industries.

Frank’s diverse and broad ranging strategic, transformational, operational, and market leadership responsibilities at EY have provided him with unique insights into global markets, client needs and cultures, and innovation, as well as the experience and understanding of what is required for success in executing broad scale business strategies.

He has led and participated in numerous community activities, including serving as the Audit Committee Chairman for the Hawken School in Gates Mills, OH, and as a Board Member for the March of Dimes in Pittsburgh and the Achievement Center for Children of Cleveland.

Frank holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Duquesne University.

COMPANIES

• Ernst & Young, LLP

Dominic Janssens is an accomplished C-Level Executive known for his extensive strategic leadership experience in top tier global asset management companies ranging from $250 billion to $2 trillion in assets under management. He has served on Executive Management teams as a trusted advisor and has led large, diverse and high caliber teams across all major global locations. His experience includes overseeing the governance, administration and operations of fund complexes, including those with assets of over $500 billion, in the US and jurisdictions around the world. Highly regarded for successfully setting strategy and navigating complex change, he provides market leading, client focused and cost effective solutions to drive revenue, increase efficiency and support global growth.

Dominic was most recently the Global Chief Operating Officer of Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) with assets under management of over $250 billion globally, including the Delaware Funds in the US. He served on the Executive Committee, the most senior committee in the firm responsible for the overall business and strategy, and chaired the Global Operating Committee which was responsible for overseeing the firm’s fiduciary and risk management responsibilities, infrastructure strategy and business operations of the firm’s operating companies and fund complexes.

In this senior leadership role, he led the integration of 5 heritage firms with operations around the world which comprise MIM. This included the implementation of a global governance structure, streamlined organization, market leading technology and operating platform and assimilation of fund complexes.

Prior to joining MIM, Dominic led Global Investment and Institutional Client Services for T Rowe Price with over $750 billion in assets under management globally. This included responsibility for operations and technology serving the investment and trading organization, administration and accounting for the firm’s fund complexes globally including the T Rowe Price Funds, and servicing institutional clients globally.

At T Rowe Price, Dominic directly led a global team of over 600 associates and was responsible for implementing a global operating model to support the growth of the business. This included negotiating one of the industry’s largest outsourcing arrangements which generated significant efficiencies for both the operating company and fund complexes.

Prior to T Rowe Price, Dominic held executive leadership roles of increasing responsibility at State Street Global Advisors, Deutsche Bank and other top tier firms. Each of these roles combined strategy, operating and technology platforms and significant transformation to deliver organic and inorganic growth on a global scale.

COMPANIES

• Macquarie Investment Management, Inc.
• T Rowe Price, Inc.
• State Street Global Advisors, Inc.
• Deutsche Asset Management, Inc.
• Cargill, Inc.
• Deutsche Bank AG
• National Westminster Bank plc

Georgette Kiser is an Operating Executive at The Carlyle Group where she is advising across the firm and in particular, the firm’s Global Technology and Solutions (GTS) organization, by developing and driving IT strategies across the global enterprise, which includes application development, data, digital, infrastructure, cyber security, and program management and outsourcing activities. Prior to this Ms. Kiser served as a Managing Director and the CIO (Chief Information Officer ) for The Carlyle Group driving the global technical strategy and solutions.

Prior to The Carlyle Group, Ms. Kiser was the Vice President of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. where she headed Enterprise Solutions and Capabilities within the Services and Technology Organization. She led and managed teams that provided creative solutions and leveraged technology for investment front office, trading, and back office operations. Prior to T. Rowe Price, Ms. Kiser worked for General Electric within their Aerospace Unit.

Ms. Kiser earned a B.S. in Mathematics, with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, a M.S. in Mathematics from Villanova University, and an M.B.A from the University of Baltimore.

Ms. Kiser serves on the Board of Directors of Aflac, Jacobs Engineering Group, and Adtalem Global Education, as well as the Carlyle portfolio company, Claritas.

Ms. Kiser has also served on various non-profit boards, including the T. Rowe Price Foundation Board, the Maryland Business Roundtable STEMnet Advisory Board, The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, and the University of Baltimore Foundation. Georgette currently serves on the Board for Year Up (National Capital Region) and is committed to the development and exposure of youth and young adults.

Mr. Kneeley is President and CEO of Driehaus Capital Management LLC.

Mr. Kneeley served as CEO of Context Asset Management, which offers liquid alternative investment solutions, and of Spider Management, which provides investment management services to endowments and foundations.

Prior to joining Spider Management, he was the CEO of Ardmore Investment Partners, a consultant to asset management firms on strategic initiatives. Mr. Kneeley was also a senior partner of Logan Circle Partners and the managing director of Brandywine Global Investment Management, a Legg Mason affiliate.

He also is a founder of Turner Investment Partners and served as its President and CEO. While at Turner, Mr. Kneeley was responsible for all non-investment activities of the firm. He began his career with The Travelers Companies.

Mr. Kneeley served on the University of Richmond's Board of Trustees from 2002 through 2010 and as Emeritus Trustee from June 2010 through 2012, and 2014 through the present. He also served on the Board of Spider Management is currently on the Investment Committee of Thomas Jefferson University.

Steve received a B.S. degree in economics and political science from the University of Richmond.

COMPANIES

• Driehaus Capital Management, LLC.
• Context Asset Management
• Spider Management
• Ardmore Investment Partners
• Logan Circle Partners
• Brandywine Global Investment Management
• Turner Investment Partners
• The Travelers Companies

Frank Mergenthaler was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IPG. In his role as CFO, Frank had direct management responsibility for all areas of Global Finance, Information Technology and Investor Relations. In addition to his CFO role, Frank was Chairman of CMG, with operational responsibility for CMG operations, which included the company's public relations, sports and experiential marketing businesses.

Frank joined Interpublic with extensive experience in the media and entertainment industry, having played leadership roles at Columbia House, which was owned by the Blackstone Group, as well as The Seagram Company Ltd., owners of Universal Studios, Universal Music Group, and the Universal Theme Parks. In addition, he spent more than a decade at Price Waterhouse, becoming a partner in the Entertainment and Media practice of the firm in 1996.

From January 2009 to December 2018, Frank was a board member of Express Scripts Holdings (ESRX) and was Chairman of the Audit Committee. ESRX is a full-service pharmacy benefit management and specialty managed care company managing more than a billion prescriptions each year for tens of millions of individuals.

COMPANIES

• Interpublic Group
• CMG
• Columbia House
• Blackstone Group
• The Seagram Company Ltd.
• Universal Studios
• Universal Music Group
• Universal Theme Parks
• Price Waterhouse
• Express Scripts Holdings

Christopher Perry is President of Global Sales, Marketing and Client Solutions at Broadridge Financial Solutions.

As a member of Broadridge’s Executive Committee, Chris oversees all client and market facing activities globally and is responsible for delivering the company’s annual enterprise sales and revenue targets spanning all business units and product lines.

He joined Broadridge in September 2014 after more than 25 years of experience in banking, brokerage and financial information services. Over the previous 14 years, he held numerous general management and commercial roles at Thomson Reuters and its predecessor, Thomson Financial including: Global Managing Director of Risk for the Financial and Risk Division; President of Global Sales and Account Management of the Financial and Risk Division; and President, Americas for Thomson Reuters, and the prior Thomson Financial.

Earlier in his career, Chris worked in institutional trading and retail brokerage. He is also Chairman of BritishAmerican Business, a membership organization that enables trans-Atlantic commerce.

Chris is Secretary of the Board of Directors of The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for NPower, an organization that provides individuals, veterans opportunities to build tech skills and achieve their potential.

COMPANIES

• Broadridge Financial Solutions
• Thomson Reuters
• Thomson Financial
• BritishAmerican Business
• Make-A-Wish Foundation New Jersey
• NPower

Mr. Rosenfield is the Founder and CEO of The Panther Consulting Group, a firm focusing on real estate acquisition, real estate leasing, and special projects. Panther also provides business consulting and sales and marketing strategies for small to mid-size businesses.

Mr. Rosenfield was the co-founder of Lightning Golf & Promotions in 1990 where as the President and CEO, he led the company to become one of the largest independent promotional products companies in the U.S. In addition to providing a full spectrum of high quality name-brand promotional products to a distinguished customer base, Lightning Golf also implemented marketing and incentive programs for Fortune 500 companies across the country in the financial, healthcare, and wine and spirits markets. The company was sold to InnerWorkings (ticker INWK).

Mr. Rosenfield has a B.S. degree in Political Science and is involved in many charitable endeavors.

COMPANIES

• Lightning Golf & Promotions