Kaplan, UpperMark & Wiley also provide key support to this year’s 20 recipients; program celebrates its 10^th year

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS (June 18, 2020) – PAAMCO Prisma, LLC (formerly, Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company LLC), 100 Women in Finance, and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Foundation, today announced that in recognition of their scholarship program marking its tenth year, 20 recipients rather than the traditional 10 have been awarded 100 Women in Finance/CAIA Scholarships.

This program, underwritten by the team at PAAMCO Prisma, provides important resources and support to exceptional candidates as they work towards obtaining the CAIA Charter, an important mark of distinction in the alterative investment space. 

“In the midst of such upheaval and incredible challenges as we have seen over the past few months, we want to make sure we elevate some key milestones, such as the approaching 20^th anniversary of the founding of 100 Women in Finance, the 10^th anniversary of this scholarship program, and the strides that women have made over the past decade-plus in rising to the highest echelons of this industry, “ said William J. Kelly, CEO of the CAIA Association. “There is certainly still work to be done though, which is why we are so excited to be awarding double the usual number of scholarships, adding 20 new names to the distinguished list of recipients who have benefited from this program in years past.”

The 2020 scholarship recipients represent a range of geographies and organizations:

• Alex Eicher, Investor Relations, Owl Creek Asset Management (USA)
• Victoria Kapetanopoulou, Associate, JPMorgan Asset Management (UK)
• Nancy Colindres, Associate, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors (USA)
• Zoe Ennin, Regulatory Solutions Analyst, RBC Investor & Treasury Services (UK)
• Hiu Kwan (Mandy) Lok, Manager – Greater China and HK, Apeiron International Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong)
• Veronica Rocha, Owner/Founder, VAXS Investments (USA)
• Telly Valerie Onu, Managing Director, Quintessence Consulting LLC (St. Kitts and Nevis)
• Alejandra M. Salaverria, Senior PM, AMS Consulting, LLC (USA)
• Jasmin Pullinger, Financial Services Associate, KPMG (UK)
• Emma Platter Olcott, Registered Associate, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management (USA)
• Susan Wisialko, Founder/Portfolio Manager, Global Infrastructure Finance, LLC (USA)
• Francesca Whalen, Managing Partner, Integra Groupe (USA)
• Cecilia Ban, Portfolio Analyst, State Street (UK)
• Sofia Gamboa, Community Partner/CEO, Fintech Connector Mexico/Puente Negocios (Mexico)
• Laura Knox (Clingerman), Head of Director Services, Wakefield Quin Limited (Bermuda)
• Zoe Zhao, Quantitative Associate, Noviscient (Singapore)
• Kerry Wong, Director of Investor Relations, Scalar Capital (USA)
• Courtney Dunlevie, Vice President – MSET Options, Morgan Stanley (USA)
• Shaydi DeJesus, SoGalAustin, SoGal Foundation (USA)
• Rosa Huamani, Analyst, Prima AFP (Peru)

“These 20 exceptional women make up our 10^th class of scholarship recipients, and we are inspired by the level of ambition and aptitude they showed during the application process and the potential they bring to our industry,” added Amanda Pullinger, Chief Executive Officer, 100 Women in Finance. “We also acknowledge and recognize the extraordinary commitment and vision PAAMCO Prisma demonstrated a decade ago in helping to create this partnership with the CAIA Association and advance women in financial services.”

The underrepresentation of women in high-level leadership roles in alternative investments remains stark, even after years of research and performance data have shown that women-run hedge funds tend to outperform. According to Girls Who Invest, while women make up 33% of doctors and 35% of lawyers in the U.S., only 6% of senior leaders in private equity are women, and only 4% of senior roles in hedge funds are held by women.

“PAAMCO Prisma is very proud to welcome such a distinguished list of scholars for this class of 2020” said Anne-Gaelle Carlton, Head of Client Partnerships at PAAMCO Prisma. “While our decade long sponsorship comes to as close this year, we are thrilled to know that this program will continue at a time when diversity in our industry has never been more of an urgent priority.”

Other supporters of this program include Kaplan Schweser and UpperMark, who will be providing complimentary test preparation assistance to all scholarship recipients. Additionally, Wiley will be providing free textbooks.

# # #

About CAIA Association  

The CAIA Association is a global professional credentialing body dedicated to creating greater alignment, transparency, and knowledge for all investors, with a specific emphasis on alternative investments. A Member-driven organization representing professionals in more than 95 countries, CAIA Association advocates for the highest ethical standards. The organization provides unbiased insight on a broad range of investment strategies and industry issues, key among them being efforts to bring greater diversification to portfolio construction decisions to achieve better long-term investor outcomes. To learn more about the CAIA Association and how to become part of the organization’s mission, please visit https://caia.org/. 

About 100 Women in Finance

100 Women in Finance's more than 15,000 members strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage. Its members inspire, equip and advocate for a new generation of industry leadership, in which women and men serve as investment professionals and executives, equal in achievement and impact. Through Education, Peer Engagement and Impact, the organization furthers the progress of women who have chosen finance as a career and enables their positive influence over pre-career young women.

# # #