Nick Liolis is Chief Investment Officer at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian). In this role, he is responsible for evolving our investment policy and strategy across all of Guardian’s investment categories, including public and private equity, fixed income, and commercial real estate.

Prior to joining Guardian, Nick spent seven years at the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), where he was the Senior Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for the General Account of TIAA, where he oversaw portfolio strategy, asset allocation, risk-adjusted targets, and Treasury functions for the $280+ billion General Account, consisting of public and private fixed income, private equity, real estate, and real asset alternatives.

Earlier in his career, Nick was Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company in New York. At AXA, he was responsible for asset-liability management, asset allocation and overall investment strategy for AXA Equitable’s General Account investment and pension portfolios. He worked in several areas at AXA, including investment analysis, asset liability management, credit investments, structured products, and alternative investments. He held several positions including Head of Hedge Fund Investments, Chief Credit Officer, and Deputy Chief Investment Officer prior to being named Chief Investment Officer.

Nick earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Information Systems from New York University’s Stern School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University.

Radhika Gupta is the MD & CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund. Under her stewardship, the company has seen a meteoric rise in Assets Under Management (AUM), growing from over ₹6,500 crore as of 31st March 2017 to more than ₹1.40 Lakh crore by 31st July 2024. A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Radhika is also a hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and author. In 2022, she authored 'Limitless,' a ground-breaking guide steering the journey of self-investment towards success. Her dynamic presence in motivational sessions at corporate events and podcasts underscores her commitment to enlightening others on both fiscal understanding and mental resilience.

Radhika has been listed by Forbes, Fortune, and Business Today among India’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Business’ and by Economic Times in their list of ‘India’s Hottest 40 Young Business Leaders.’ Further solidifying her global reputation in the finance domain, she was recognized as a Young Global Leader in 2022 by the World Economic Forum and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023 from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. She was also a judge on Shark Tank India (season 3 in 2024) and has been named one of GQ India's 35 Most Influential Young Indians (MIYI 2024).

Velina Peneva commenced her career at Bain & Company in 1998 where she became Partner in 2011. During her tenure with Bain & Company, she worked with General Partners (fund managers) and Limited Partners (investors) supporting investment due diligence, supporting M&A processes, and advising on investment strategy and asset allocation topics. She was a leader in the private equity practice in Zurich, and in 2015 became a member of Bain & Company’s global investment committee, which evaluates investment opportunities with leading private equity firms for Bain & Company’s co-investment funds.

Velina Peneva joined Swiss Re’s Group Asset Management as Head Private Equity in June 2017 and developed and executed the investment strategy for the Private Equity portfolio. She subsequently became Co-Head Client Solutions & Analytics in 2019 and was responsible for implementing Asset Management’s investment portfolio strategy across Business Units and Legal Entities, supporting the asset liability management and strategic asset allocation processes, and led and supported multiple strategic topics. Velina Peneva was appointed as Group Chief Investment Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee in April 2023.

Mr. West has served as President of Moody’s Ratings since November 2019. Mike served as Managing Director—Head of MIS Ratings and Research from June 2016 to October 2019. Previously, Mike served as Managing Director—Head of Global Structured Finance from February 2014 to May 2016 and Managing Director—Head of Global Corporate Finance from January 2010 to January 2014. Earlier in his career, Mike was also responsible for the research strategy for the ratings businesses and before that led Corporate Finance for the EMEA Region, European Corporates and the EMEA leveraged finance business. Prior to joining Moody’s in 1998, Mike worked at Bank of America and HSBC in various credit roles.

Kathrin Heitmann is an Associate Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Group (CFG) and heads the US Homebuilding Team. 

Immediately prior to her current role, Kathrin was a VP-Senior Creditor Officer in the Project and Infrastructure Finance Group, with responsibility for a portfolio of US infrastructure projects across the power, energy, and transportation sectors and the lead of Moody’s Project Finance Bank Loan default research.

Kathrin joined Moody’s in 2007 and has held various roles during her tenure, such as lead analyst for regional and local governments in Canada as well as for European heavy industrial corporations out of the Corporate Finance team in Germany. 

Kathrin is a certified Financial Risk Manager and a CFA charterholder. Kathrin is a Country Champion for Moody’s Network of CFA Charterholders (MNCC), a Mentor for Young Women in Finance, and Co-Treasurer of Dance/NYC, a NY non-profit. 

She studied business administration at UAM University in Madrid, Spain, and holds a Master’s degree in business administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.

Marc Pinto is the Global Head of Private Credit. In this role, he coordinates across the financial institutions, corporate, structured, and public and infrastructure finance rating groups to provide thought leadership, and ratings oversight in growth areas of the private credit market, including fund finance, private asset-backed securities, and privately placed investment-grade corporate assets. For over a decade, Marc has held a series of leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility at Moody’s, including Global Co-Head of Insurance and Global Head of Funds & Asset Management.

Marc is deeply committed to educational and empowerment initiatives, acting as an Executive Sponsor for Moody's CFA and Global Administrative Professionals Networks, a Mentor Advisor in the Women’s Business Resource Group, and a frequent participant in career development seminars.

Marc’s extensive career in the fixed income credit markets, in New York and London, has included leadership roles at sell-side and buy-side firms including Merrill Lynch, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, and Susquehanna International. At Merrill Lynch, Marc was also a top-ranked financial institutions analyst.

Marc is a Chartered Financial Analyst and an alumnus of Columbia Business School and Trinity College (Connecticut).

David Allen, CFA, is a Director on the Board of the CFA Society of New York. He is also Managing Director at Octane Investments, a firm he founded to invest in traditional energy companies. Prior to this, he served large institutions at Schroders and served in a similar position at AB, for nearly a decade at each of those firms. He also has founded and ran two FinTech startups and he traded FX in the 1990s. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Economics and completed the Value Investing executive education curriculum at Columbia University. Allen is Chair of the NY Society’s Programming Committee, and recently passed the CFA Institute’s ESG certification.

Mr. West has served as President of Moody’s Ratings since November 2019. Mike served as Managing Director—Head of MIS Ratings and Research from June 2016 to October 2019. Previously, Mike served as Managing Director—Head of Global Structured Finance from February 2014 to May 2016 and Managing Director—Head of Global Corporate Finance from January 2010 to January 2014. Earlier in his career, Mike was also responsible for the research strategy for the ratings businesses and before that led Corporate Finance for the EMEA Region, European Corporates and the EMEA leveraged finance business. Prior to joining Moody’s in 1998, Mike worked at Bank of America and HSBC in various credit roles.

Marc Pinto is the Global Head of Private Credit. In this role, he coordinates across the financial institutions, corporate, structured, and public and infrastructure finance rating groups to provide thought leadership, and ratings oversight in growth areas of the private credit market, including fund finance, private asset-backed securities, and privately placed investment-grade corporate assets. For over a decade, Marc has held a series of leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility at Moody’s, including Global Co-Head of Insurance and Global Head of Funds & Asset Management.

Marc is deeply committed to educational and empowerment initiatives, acting as an Executive Sponsor for Moody's CFA and Global Administrative Professionals Networks, a Mentor Advisor in the Women’s Business Resource Group, and a frequent participant in career development seminars.

Marc’s extensive career in the fixed income credit markets, in New York and London, has included leadership roles at sell-side and buy-side firms including Merrill Lynch, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, and Susquehanna International. At Merrill Lynch, Marc was also a top-ranked financial institutions analyst.

Marc is a Chartered Financial Analyst and an alumnus of Columbia Business School and Trinity College (Connecticut).

Kathrin Heitmann is an Associate Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Group (CFG) and heads the US Homebuilding Team. 

Immediately prior to her current role, Kathrin was a VP-Senior Creditor Officer in the Project and Infrastructure Finance Group, with responsibility for a portfolio of US infrastructure projects across the power, energy, and transportation sectors and the lead of Moody’s Project Finance Bank Loan default research.

Kathrin joined Moody’s in 2007 and has held various roles during her tenure, such as lead analyst for regional and local governments in Canada as well as for European heavy industrial corporations out of the Corporate Finance team in Germany. 

Kathrin is a certified Financial Risk Manager and a CFA charterholder. Kathrin is a Country Champion for Moody’s Network of CFA Charterholders (MNCC), a Mentor for Young Women in Finance, and Co-Treasurer of Dance/NYC, a NY non-profit. 

She studied business administration at UAM University in Madrid, Spain, and holds a Master’s degree in business administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.

David Allen, CFA, is a Director on the Board of the CFA Society of New York. He is also Managing Director at Octane Investments, a firm he founded to invest in traditional energy companies. Prior to this, he served large institutions at Schroders and served in a similar position at AB, for nearly a decade at each of those firms. He also has founded and ran two FinTech startups and he traded FX in the 1990s. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Economics and completed the Value Investing executive education curriculum at Columbia University. Allen is Chair of the NY Society’s Programming Committee, and recently passed the CFA Institute’s ESG certification.

Radhika Gupta is the MD & CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund. Under her stewardship, the company has seen a meteoric rise in Assets Under Management (AUM), growing from over ₹6,500 crore as of 31st March 2017 to more than ₹1.40 Lakh crore by 31st July 2024. A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Radhika is also a hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and author. In 2022, she authored 'Limitless,' a ground-breaking guide steering the journey of self-investment towards success. Her dynamic presence in motivational sessions at corporate events and podcasts underscores her commitment to enlightening others on both fiscal understanding and mental resilience.

Radhika has been listed by Forbes, Fortune, and Business Today among India’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Business’ and by Economic Times in their list of ‘India’s Hottest 40 Young Business Leaders.’ Further solidifying her global reputation in the finance domain, she was recognized as a Young Global Leader in 2022 by the World Economic Forum and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023 from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. She was also a judge on Shark Tank India (season 3 in 2024) and has been named one of GQ India's 35 Most Influential Young Indians (MIYI 2024).

Nick Liolis is Chief Investment Officer at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian). In this role, he is responsible for evolving our investment policy and strategy across all of Guardian’s investment categories, including public and private equity, fixed income, and commercial real estate.

Prior to joining Guardian, Nick spent seven years at the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), where he was the Senior Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for the General Account of TIAA, where he oversaw portfolio strategy, asset allocation, risk-adjusted targets, and Treasury functions for the $280+ billion General Account, consisting of public and private fixed income, private equity, real estate, and real asset alternatives.

Earlier in his career, Nick was Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company in New York. At AXA, he was responsible for asset-liability management, asset allocation and overall investment strategy for AXA Equitable’s General Account investment and pension portfolios. He worked in several areas at AXA, including investment analysis, asset liability management, credit investments, structured products, and alternative investments. He held several positions including Head of Hedge Fund Investments, Chief Credit Officer, and Deputy Chief Investment Officer prior to being named Chief Investment Officer.

Nick earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Information Systems from New York University’s Stern School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University.

Velina Peneva commenced her career at Bain & Company in 1998 where she became Partner in 2011. During her tenure with Bain & Company, she worked with General Partners (fund managers) and Limited Partners (investors) supporting investment due diligence, supporting M&A processes, and advising on investment strategy and asset allocation topics. She was a leader in the private equity practice in Zurich, and in 2015 became a member of Bain & Company’s global investment committee, which evaluates investment opportunities with leading private equity firms for Bain & Company’s co-investment funds.

Velina Peneva joined Swiss Re’s Group Asset Management as Head Private Equity in June 2017 and developed and executed the investment strategy for the Private Equity portfolio. She subsequently became Co-Head Client Solutions & Analytics in 2019 and was responsible for implementing Asset Management’s investment portfolio strategy across Business Units and Legal Entities, supporting the asset liability management and strategic asset allocation processes, and led and supported multiple strategic topics. Velina Peneva was appointed as Group Chief Investment Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee in April 2023.