100 Women in Finance, CAIA Foundation, and PAAMCO Announce the 2017 CAIA Charter Scholarship Recipients

NEW YORK, AMHERST, Mass., and IRVINE, Calif. (June 26, 2017) – 100 Women in Finance (100WF), the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Foundation, and Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, LLC (PAAMCO) today announce the ten recipients of the 2017 100WF CAIA Charter Scholarships. Scholarship recipients are women who have achieved advanced levels of success in various financial fields and have expressed strong interest in furthering their careers by obtaining the prestigious CAIA Charter. The scholarship program, administered by the CAIA Foundation, was established in 2011 in collaboration with the 100 Women in Finance Institute and 100WF Scholarship committee. The program is generously underwritten by PAAMCO in support of women seeking to earn the CAIA Charter designation, the highest standard of education in alternative investments. The 100WF CAIA Charter Scholarship is open annually to 100WF members globally who are interested in pursuing a career in alternative investment management with a specific focus on portfolio management. The program has awarded seventy scholarships since its inception. “I am so impressed by the caliber of this year’s recipients and by the global reach of the 100 Women in Finance/CAIA Foundation Scholarship program,” said Jane Buchan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of PAAMCO. “Women play an increasing role in the alternative investment industry and the CAIA Charter is an important step in building the investment background needed for success in this industry.” She continued, “The impetus behind the scholarship program is to provide women in the investment industry with a deeper knowledge of investing in alternative assets. Obtaining the CAIA Charter will help further advance the careers of these already notable women.” Combined with relevant professional experience and CAIA Association membership, the CAIA Charter is the global benchmark for alternative investment education. In order to obtain the CAIA Charter, candidates must complete a rigorous, self-directed education program that develops and promotes deep knowledge and expertise in alternative investing. Candidates who participate in the program are granted the CAIA Charter upon successful completion of two levels of qualifying exams and a current membership. “Leaders in finance, around the world, recognize the broad knowledge of professionals who earn the CAIA charter. 100 Women in Finance thanks PAAMCO and CAIA for their support of these candidates, who have already proven themselves as extraordinary professionals in their education and accomplishments and are on the way to greater career success,” said Amanda Pullinger, Chief Executive Officer, 100 Women in Finance. The 2017 100WF CAIA Charter Scholarship recipients are: • Yuliya Barsukova, Business Manager in Global Securitized Markets and Structured Credit, Citigroup • Celine Bourban, Associate Relationship Director, Anz Signature • Catherine Carlstedt, Director, Piedmont Fund Services • Christina Nickolova, Portfolio Manager, RV Capital • Brett O’Brien, Vice President, BlackRock • Mridula Padmanabhan, Private Equity Associate, Gulf One Investment Bank • Rashmi Pasapula, Credit Analyst – Associate Treasury Manager, The Dow Chemical Company • Mathilde Penin, Analyst – Counterparty Credit Risk, Societe Generale CIB • Jane Singer, Associate, Blackstone • Sarah Tong, Associate, Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia “An investment in the education of the next generation of our industry’s leaders is one where we actually can guarantee outsized returns,” said William J. Kelly, CEO of CAIA. “We are thrilled to once again be partnering with 100 Women in Finance and PAAMCO in making these scholarships available and we look forward to all ten of this year’s recipients becoming full-fledged CAIA Members.” The scholarship covers enrollment and first-time registration fees for the CAIA Level I and Level II exams, associated CAIA textbooks, preparation courses, and the CAIA Association membership fee for the first year. In order to be considered for the 100WF CAIA Charter Scholarship, applicants must be full members of 100 Women in Finance, not be eligible for program reimbursement by their employers, and have one year of professional experience in the alternative investment industry, among other specifications. About 100 Women in Finance 100 Women in Finance (www.100women.org) is a global network of professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries working together to empower women at every stage of their careers. Through peer engagement, philanthropic, and educational initiatives, our more than 15,000 members are making connections and creating opportunities that help to advance careers and strengthen our field. About the CAIA Association The CAIA Association is the world leader in alternative investment education, offering the only education pro-gram uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional-quality alternative investments. The Association is best known for the CAIA Charter, an internationally-recognized credential granted upon successful completion of a rigorous two-level exam series, combined with relevant work experience. Earning the CAIA Charter is the gateway to becoming a Member of the CAIA Association, a global network of more than 8,700 alternative investment professionals located in more than 90 countries. CAIA also offers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program (”Fundamentals”), an introductory-level online course, designed to provide a foundation in the core concepts in alternative investing. This program represents a natural extension of CAIA’s mission to provide solutions to specific market needs for alternative investment education. The CAIA Foundation partners with leading industry organizations to increase knowledge and talent in the field of alternative investing. Please visit http://foundation.caia.org for more information. To learn more about the CAIA Association, contact Deborah McLean (413) 253-7373 or dmclean@caia.org. For more information on the CAIA Charter, please visit caia.org. About PAAMCO PAAMCO is a leading institutional investment firm dedicated to offering alternative investment solutions to the world’s preeminent investors. Since its founding in 2000, PAAMCO has focused on investing on behalf of its clients while striving to raise the standard for industry-wide best practices. Headquartered in Irvine, California with a global footprint that extends across North America, South America, Europe and Asia, PAAMCO serves institutional investors including large public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, insurance companies and financial institutions. The firm is known for its completeAlphaTM approach to hedge fund investing which focuses on delivering performance from early-stage opportunities, controlling costs, and protecting client assets. In addition, it offers fixed income investment solutions through Horizons and long-only active equity investing in select emerging markets through PAAMCO Miren. In June 2017, KKR and PAAMCO announced the completion of their strategic transaction to combine PAAMCO and Prisma Capital Partners LP to create PAAMCO Prisma Holdings, LLC. Contacts 100 Women in Finance: 100WF@finsbury.com CAIA Association: Deborah McLean Managing Director, External Relations dmclean@caia.org (413) 253-7373 Chris Sullivan MacMillan Communications chris@macmillancom.com (212) 473-4442 PAAMCO: Whitney Gomez wgomez@paamco.com (949) 261-4900 ###