DIVERSITY IN FUND FINANCE

In today’s ever-changing economic, political, and global business environments, diversity and inclusion are important considerations for all organizations. The vision of Diversity in Fund Finance is a Fund Finance (“FF”) community that: (i) recognizes that diverse perspectives strengthen the FF industry and organizations within it, and enhance the ability of those in the FF industry to better serve their clients and colleagues by working together, (ii) is inclusive of diverse individuals across each organization within the FF industry, including at the highest levels of each organization, and (iii) respects the viewpoints and contributions of diverse individuals in their organizations and the FF industry as a whole.

The Diversity in Fund Finance initiative is focused in the areas of education, opportunity, action, and affinity, as further detailed below.

Education – Part of our mission with respect to education is to educate students about the FF industry, provide opportunities for students to network with industry professionals and facilitate recruitment and retention of students in positions in FF industry organizations. Diversity in Fund Finance recognizes that engagement and relationships need to be built with students early in their careers to create more opportunities to recruit and retain talent to address the current generalized lack of diversity within the FF industry.

Opportunity – Part of our mission is also to provide opportunities for would-be and current FF professionals to network, build connections, secure positions and obtain support to progress their careers and advance within their organizations as leaders in the FF industry.

Action – We understand that effecting change requires time, shared efforts and new thinking to drive progress. We aim to bring together FF professionals who want to take action to contribute to positive changes, particularly with respect to diversity and inclusion, within the FF industry.

Affinity – We provide an open, inclusive, supportive, welcoming, and respectful space for diverse FF industry professionals, students and other would-be professionals in the FF industry to connect based on their shared diverse perspectives and professional experiences. We strive to be inclusive of all diverse individuals, regardless of their culture, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or beliefs.

2024 Diversity in Fund Finance Association Award Recipient

Saaima Khaliq - New Mountain Capital

Saaima Khaliq is the recipient of this year’s Fund Finance Association Diversity in Fund Finance Award. In her capacity as Managing Director and Private Equity CFO at New Mountain Capital, Saaima has proven to be an indispensable leader, steering the firm's financing and accounting operations with remarkable skill and dedication. Beyond her professional duties, Saaima is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the finance industry. She actively champions these causes through her involvement with Women in Fund Finance, where she is a member of the US Committee and organizes events that promote an inclusive environment. She also leads the Ascent women’s group at her firm which is focused on professional development and retention of women in the private equity industry. Additionally, Saaima lends her support to Inroads, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting minorities in breaking into the workforce, further exemplifying her commitment to fostering diversity and equal opportunity. Saaima’s tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to diversity make her a deserving recipient of this award!

Emerging Leaders

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion (July 6, 2021)

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

Our Leadership Team

Natasha Puri

Global Chair

Lloyds Bank

Natasha Puri

Director | Lloyds Bank

Natasha is a Vice President on the Sponsors & Structured Finance team based in New York at Lloyds Bank. In her role, Natasha is responsible for the origination and structuring of fund financing facilities and hedging products for private equity, real estate, infrastructure, secondaries and private debt managers. Her experience includes finance structuring across traditional capital call lines, hybrid, and NAV facilities, as well as fund-level FX solutions.

Natasha is the Founder and Global Chair of the FFA’s Diversity in Fund Finance Group. Natasha started the initiative in 2017, and has championed its efforts to grow into a global committee, driving DE&I engagement within the organization. She was recognized by the FFA with the Rising Star Award in 2020 and the inaugural recipient of the Diversity in Fund Finance Award in 2021 for her outstanding contributions to the industry. Within Lloyds Bank, Natasha is an active member of the local DE&I committee and was recognized as a DE&I Role Model.

Prior to joining Lloyds in 2017, Natasha worked at PwC for ~5 years where she was a Senior Associate in the Alternative Investments practice. Natasha is a Certified Public Accountant in New York with a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University.

Anastasia Kaup

Co-Chair Americas

Fund Finance Partners

Anastasia Kaup

Managing Director and Partner | Fund Finance Partners

Anastasia N. Kaup has represented asset managers, fund sponsors, investment funds, bank and non-bank lenders, and other parties in financing and investment transactions across the private equity, private credit, real estate, hedge fund, venture capital, and distressed investment spaces. Ms. Kaup structures, negotiates, and documents complex financing transactions domestically and internationally at all levels of the organizational structure.

Prior to joining FFP, Ms. Kaup most recently led the fund finance practice group at an AmLaw 100 law firm where she represented alternative asset managers, sponsor-backed companies, and lenders to such entities, in a wide array of financing and investment transactions. Anastasia’s extensive fund financing expertise spans subscription and NAV-based credit facilities, partner loan programs, management fee lines of credit, and portfolio company financings. She has also advised both emerging and established financial sponsors in connection with all aspects of product development and capital formation in various formats, benefitting institutional, high- (and ultra-high-net-worth) and sovereign wealth investors. Anastasia’s advice to clients on the entire range of strategic and capital-related needs, throughout economic cycles has always been practical and commercial, as well as legal.

Anastasia is consistently recognized for both her professional expertise and community contributions. She is a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ community advocacy, volunteer work, and education initiatives, including as a leader for Out in Finance and Lambda Legal. She was recognized as one of the “Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” and has been lauded as a “rising star” by clients and industry publications. Additionally, she served on the Board of Directors of New York’s largest civil rights and advocacy non-profit organization. Currently, Anastasia serves as Co-Chair of the Fund Finance Association’s Diversity in Fund Finance initiative. She also actively participates in various professional organizations serving the Hispanic/Latinx community, women, and individuals in need. Anastasia is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Kyrstin Streeter

Co-Chair EMEA

Reed Smith

Beelee Seah

Co-Chair APAC

Norton Rose Fulbright

Beelee Seah

Partner | Norton Rose Fulbright

Beelee is a Partner of Norton Rose Fulbright and is based in Singapore. He advises on a broad spectrum of financings, with specialisations in Fund Finance, Vietnam and South-East Asia. His clients include major international banks, financial institutions and sponsors. Clients have remarked that Beelee is "great to work with - intelligent, hard-working and always on top of his work" and that "his structuring skills have come in handy for us many times on multi-jurisdictional transactions". Beelee is also one of the core people behind Mindful Business Singapore, which is a ground-up initiative inspired by the Mindful Business Charter established by bankers and lawyers in order to promote better mental health in the workplace and reduce unnecessary sources of stress.

Anuj Shah

Co-Chair APAC

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Anuj Shah

Counsel | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Anuj Shah is Counsel in Simpson Thacher’s Asia Banking and Credit Practice, based in Hong Kong. Anuj advises on cross-border financing transactions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He represents a range of private equity firms, their portfolio companies, financial institutions, private credit funds and corporate borrowers across all levels of the capital structure. This includes fund level and NAV financing, back-leverage and mezzanine finance, acquisition and leveraged finance, real estate finance and infrastructure finance.

Anuj is passionate about diversity initiatives and has served as a member of the Firm’s Diversity Advisory Council since 2018. He is also an active member of the fund finance community and sits on the Fund Finance Association’s Asia-Pacific Diversity Committee.

Diversity Committee Members

Laura Archange

Counsel

Arendt

Laura Archange

Counsel | Arendt

Laura Archange is a Counsel in the Finance & Capital Markets practice of Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg.

Laura assists international clients in all types of fund financings, including subscription, NAV, or hybrid deals. Before honing her financing specialization, Laura spent three years as part of Arendt’s investment fund team, where she advised on the setup, organization, and marketing of Luxembourg investment funds. She recently authored an article entitled “Subscription facilities in Luxembourg: an overview of a decade of legal practice,” published by the Luxembourg Association of Banking Jurists (ALJB).

When she is not working on fund finance transactions, Laura is heavily involved in securitisation projects, various types of financing, and sustainable finance.

Laura is a member of the Paris and Luxembourg Bars. She takes part in the EMEA sub-committee of the FFA diversity committee.

Bryan Barreras

Kathryn Cecil

Partner

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (London) LLP

Ester Chow

Counsel

Mayer Brown

Ester Chow

Counsel | Mayer Brown

Ester is a Counsel in the Banking & Finance practice at Mayer Brown, based in the Hong Kong office. Ester advises both lenders and borrowers across the full spectrum of banking and finance matters, and is specialised in fund finance (including fund level and NAV financing, GP/ management fee lines, and LP financing), event-driven financing and private credit lending.

Ester has been recognised by various notable legal publications and has been rated her as a “recommended” lawyer and a “rising star” in banking and finance in Hong Kong by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific and the IFLR1000, respectively.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Ester worked at the Hong Kong and New York offices of international law firms. She is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and New York, and speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.”

Donald Cooley

Associate

Latham & Watkins

Donald Cooley

Associate | Latham & Watkins

Donald Cooley is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the Finance Department and the Private Equity Finance Practice.

Mr. Cooley represents borrowers in secured lending and other financing transactions, including:

Private equity and private debt subscription lines of credit
Acquisition and carve-out financings
Debt restructurings

Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Cooley was an associate at a prominent New York law firm. He obtained his JD from New York University School of Law and his BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In addition to his practice, Mr. Cooley served as a Global Chair of Latham's First Generation Professionals Affinity Group from 2018-2021, is a former member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and a current member of the firm’s Associates Committee. Outside of Latham, Mr. Cooley is also a member of the Fund Finance Association’s Diversity Committee.

Mr. Cooley was awarded the Fund Finance Association’s 2020 Inaugural Rising Star Award.

Chris Davis

Partner

Reed Smith LLP

Malindri De Alwis

Executive Director, Fund Finance

Standard Chartered

Malindri De Alwis

Executive Director, Fund Finance | Standard Chartered

Malindri De Alwis is an Executive Director of Fund Finance at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) in New York. She currently handles the Americas Fund Finance business by originating, structuring, and executing a multi-billion dollar portfolio. Prior to this role, Malindri worked in her home country Sri Lanka, Singapore, then moved to New York. In her prior roles, she has worked across a number of teams, including Corporate Finance, Credit Analysis, and COO teams. Malindri obtained her Bachelor's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science (external program), and her MBA at Warwick Business School. She is also a Diversity in Fund Finance committee member. Malindri has been working in fund finance for seven years.

Dowdall-Platt, Chrisitne (Macfarlanes LLP)

Christine Dowdall-Platt

Senior Associate

Macfarlanes LLP

Christine Dowdall-Platt

Senior Associate | Macfarlanes LLP

Christine is a Senior Associate in the Banking & Finance team at Macfarlanes LLP and acts on borrower- and lender-side fund financings covering the full spectrum of investor call bridge facilities, NAV facilities, GP facilities and co-invest facilities.

In addition to her fund finance practice, Christine also acts for borrower- and lender-side clients on cross-border and national real estate finance transactions. She has particular expertise in private-rental sector and hotel financing and is a Legal 500 recommended lawyer for property financing.

Trevor Freeman

SVP, Managing Director-Head of Fund Finance

Axos Bank

Trevor Freeman

SVP, Managing Director-Head of Fund Finance | Axos Bank

Trevor Freeman is SVP, Managing Director of Fund Finance at Axos Bank where he has built a full-service Fund Finance business that offers comprehensive NAV, Hybrid, Subscription (to both diversified and single-investor vehicles), Management Company, and General Partner Capital Contribution financing solutions to Private Equity, Private Credit, and Venture Capital clients.

Prior to joining Axos Bank, Trevor Freeman was a founding member of Signature Bank’s Fund Banking Group. In that role, he helped launch the team and grew the portfolio from inception to over $55B at its peak. Trevor began his career in leveraged finance providing senior secured revolvers to private equity backed companies and soon held senior positions at both Silicon Valley Bank and Citibank in their Sponsor Finance/Fund Banking groups. He completed formal credit training at the outset of his career and earned a postgraduate Diploma in Credit Analysis from New York University.

Originally from the Bay Area, Trevor was recruited to play NCAA Division I water polo at Fordham University where he was a four-year starter, team Captain and graduated in fifth-place on the school’s single-season scoring list. Trevor resides in Manhattan with his wife and daughter. In his free time, he enjoys swimming on a local Masters team and attempts to restrain himself while watching his seven-year-old daughter’s swim practices and competitions.

Stephen Giacolone

Managing Director, Head of Financial Sponsors and Structured Finance North America

Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets

Flora Go

Partner

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Flora Go

Partner | Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Flora Go is a partner in the Corporate Department and the Finance Practice, resident in Fried Frank's New York office.

Ms. Go represents asset managers, sponsors, corporates, lead arrangers and private funds in a wide range of complex leveraged financing transactions. In particular, Ms. Go advises the world's leading asset managers in financings for their private equity, senior credit, mezzanine credit, real estate, infrastructure and other investment funds during all parts of the fund life cycle. She has extensive experience in asset-based facilities, subscription-based facilities and hybrid facilities and in other types of investment fund leverage.

Jeannie Kim

Vice President

Macquarie Group

Ana Lazgare

Associate

Maples Group

Ana Lazgare

Associate | Maples Group

Ana is an associate in the London Finance team at Maples and Calder, the Maples Group's law firm. She advises on both British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands law and has been involved on a wide range of fund finance transactions from traditional capital call facilities (including umbrella facilities) to more innovative GP facilities and NAV financings.

Originally from Mexico, she is both a qualified English solicitor and Cayman Islands attorney-at-law. Her diverse background and cultural values have played a significant role professionally and shaped her abilities to see things from many different angles. She is passionate about helping others and believes that true diversity and inclusion brings value to every corporation and network and is fundamental in the growth of any organisation.

Christie Loong

Vice President

Natwest Markets

Christie Loong

Vice President | Natwest Markets

Christie is currently a Vice President in the Natwest Markets (“NWM”) fund finance team with a focus on providing structured subscription financing and GP financing solutions to Sponsors. Prior to her current role, she held various fund finance and Institutional client coverage roles at Mizuho Bank and Lloyds Bank. Christie is a CFA Charter holder and holds a Maths & Statistics degree from University of Warwick. She is particularly passionate about social mobility initiatives, notably working with charities in her personal time which support those from an under privileged background with tutoring and mentoring sessions.

Michael Mbayi

Director

Wildgen

Nokulunga Mdluli

Fund Solutions - Syndications

Investec

Nokulunga Mdluli

Fund Solutions - Syndications | Investec

Nokulunga is part of the Syndications team at Investec responsible for underwriting and syndicating products originated by Fund Solutions, and managing relationships with external lenders. Nokulunga covers both Bank and Institutional investors across multiple geographies with appetite for Investec’s bespoke fund financing solutions including GP Facilities, Capital Call Facilities and NAV facilities. With over 9 years of banking experience, Nokulunga brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. Prior to joining Investec in 2022, she worked in the Loan Syndications team at Standard Chartered Bank, where she supported multi-billion dollar syndicated transactions across Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her work primarily involved assisting multi-national Corporates, Financial Institutions, and Sovereign borrowers.

Lily Miao

Partner

Appleby

Lily Miao

Partner | Appleby

Lily Miao (苗蕾) is a Partner in the Corporate Finance department of Appleby’s Hong Kong office.

Lily has over a decade of offshore and onshore experience in the Asian and UK market, having started her career at Clifford Chance in London. Lily has worked on some of the most market leading and first of its kind fund finance transactions, spanning the range of capital call, NAV, hybrid, umbrella and GP/LP facilities. Her clients include major international and PRC financial institutions, asset managers, listed and private corporations and investment funds.

Lily was the only offshore lawyer in Asia to be recognised as a 2023 Fund Finance Association Rising Star.

With her proficiency in English, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Cantonese and German, she advises clients on a broad range of Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda law financing matters.

Shelley Morrison

Head of Fund Finance

abrdn

Shelley Morrison

Head of Fund Finance | abrdn

Shelley Morrison is Head of Fund Financing at abrdn with extensive experience in the origination, structuring and execution of fund level debt facilities. She has been with the company since 2019. Before joining the company, Shelley was a Relationship Director in the Fund Finance team at RBS for 6 years where she managed a portfolio of subscription loans, NAV loans and GP finance to global funds across Private Equity, Private Debt, Infrastructure and Real Estate. Prior to that, she worked in structured asset finance at RBS and Lloyds for 10 years, with a focus on commercial ship finance. Shelley received a first-class honours degree in Geography and an MSc in Social and Political Theory, both from the University of Edinburgh.

Jad Nader

Partner, Banking & Finance

Ogier

F. William Reindel

Partner

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

F. William Reindel

Partner | Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

F. William Reindel is a partner in the Corporate Department and the Finance Practice, resident in Fried Frank's New York office. He joined the Firm in 1978 and became partner in 1986.
Mr. Reindel's practice includes advising sponsors, borrowers and lenders on syndicated senior facilities, second lien facilities, US and European mezzanine financings, private placements and commodities hedge financings, as well as assisting private equity and mezzanine funds in raising fund level financings.
Mr. Reindel is consistently recognized by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading individual in Banking & Finance. He is also consistently recognized by Legal 500 in Finance: Bank Lending.
Mr. Reindel received his JD from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. He received his BA, magna cum laude, from Amherst College in 1975, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He is admitted to practice in New York.

Anthony Ribeiro

Associate Director of Fund Finance

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong)

Alastair Smith

Associate Director

Lloyds Bank

Albert Tan

Partner and Co-Head of Fund Finance

Haynes Boone

Albert Tan

Partner and Co-Head of Fund Finance | Haynes Boone

Albert Tan is a Partner and Co-Head of the Global Fund Finance Group with Haynes and Boone, LLP. Albert also currently on Haynes Boone’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Partners Compensation Committee.

Albert has represented investment and commercial banks, as agents and arrangers in more than 600 subscription secured credit facilities with total value of over $200 billion to Asia, US, Europe, Latin America and global real estate, infrastructure, debt, buyout and energy private equity funds, including structuring and documenting some of the first subscription financing to real estate private equity funds in Japan, Greater China, Singapore and Korea and to some of the largest global infrastructure funds and Asia-focused buyout funds; and during the global financial crises of 2007-2008, Albert was one of few fund finance attorneys who represented lenders in the successful enforcement of subscription financing defaults against PE funds and their investors.

The National Law Journal selected Albert to its inaugural list of Finance, Banking and Capital Markets Trailblazers in 2019, Euromoney Expert Guides, Euromoney Institutional Investor 2012, listed him as a “Leading Practitioner” in its Guide to Leading Practitioners: International Private Equity, U.S., and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association recognized Albert as a 2021 MCCA Rainmaker for his outstanding leadership, business acumen, passion and dedication to proactive client development.

Albert serves as a member of the US Advisory Committee and Asia Pacific Executive Committee of the Fund Finance Association.

Albert received his BA from San Diego State University and his JD and LLM from Southern Methodist University and Georgetown University; and speaks Chinese (Mandarin).

Anna-Lise Wisdom

Partner

Conyers

Anna-Lise Wisdom

Partner | Conyers

Anna-Lise Wisdom is a partner in the Corporate department in the Cayman Islands office of Conyers. Anna-Lise joined Conyers in 2022. Anna-Lise specialises in fund finance, including subscription finance, fund-level finance and management fee facilities.

Anna-Lise regularly acts as Cayman counsel to leading financial institutions active in the North American and other markets in credit facilities ranging from tens of millions to billions of dollars in lender commitments.

Anna-Lise has been rated as a “rising star” in banking and financial services in the IFLR1000 rankings since 2019 and has been recognised in The Legal 500 Caribbean rankings since 2015. Anna-Lise has been Recognised in the 2022 edition of Chambers Global (corporate finance). Clients highlight her as having “an excellent fund finance practice” and “a calming force on transactions.” Anna-Lise has spoken on numerous industry panels, and has lectured in the fund finance space. She has also contributed to Global Legal Insight’s Fund Finance publication. She also regularly participates in industry working groups in respect of funds and fund finance matters.

Hong Cheong Wong

Of Counsel

Morrison Foerster

Hong Cheong Wong

Of Counsel | Morrison Foerster

Hong Cheong is of counsel in the Finance and Projects Group of Morrison Foerster, based in the Singapore office. He has extensive experience in advising private equity sponsors, corporates, founders, financial advisers, credit funds and banks on domestic and multi-jurisdictional finance matters. He specializes in acquisition and leveraged finance, public to private takeovers, syndicated and bilateral lending, margin financing and subscription line financing.

Clients have described Hong Cheong as “a terrific attorney” and “incredibly reliable... particularly when pressures are intense”, who ensures that his “clients’ interests are well protected” and whose advice is “thoughtful, creative and tailored”. Hong Cheong’s practice has a strong focus on financing transactions in Southeast Asia and Greater China representing Mandarin-speaking clients, who have commented that “any Chinese client who needs legal service in the realm of international banking and financing will be in need of such an excellent lawyer” and highlighted that Hong Cheong’s “proficiency in Mandarin is a valuable strength for Chinese clients”.

Hong Cheong has been recognized by leading legal publications in Asia, notably as an “Up and Coming Lawyer for Banking and Finance in Singapore” by Chambers Asia-Pacific, “Rising Star” by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and “Singapore Rising Star” by Asian Legal Business.

Hong Cheong is a member of the Fund Finance Association’s Diversity in Fund Finance (Asia) Committee, which promotes education, opportunity, action, and affinity in the fund finance industry in Asia.

Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Hong Cheong worked at the London and Hong Kong offices of international law firms. He is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Carl Windrup

Associate

Goodwin

Carl Windrup

Associate | Goodwin

Carl has acted for sponsors, general partners, funds, banks, and non-bank lenders on a range of financings across the fund finance sector. Carl’s practice includes advising on subscription line, net asset value (NAV), and hybrid facilities, management and co-investment liquidity lines, umbrella facilities and managed account financings. Carl advises clients across a number of sectors and asset classes, including private equity, real estate, debt, infrastructure, and secondaries transactions.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Carl worked in the fund finance team at a prominent international law firm. He also worked as a Vice President at a global financial institution.