Leveraging the CFA Charter and Future Career Opportunities

Come hear a panel discussion with three seasoned CFA® investment management practitioners discussing the future employment opportunities and the training needed to obtain highly rewarding jobs in the financial services industry. Is the CFA® charter right for you?

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

• The value of the CFA® charter to your professional development and career
• Enrolling in the CFA® Program
• Available Scholarships
• All Candidate Resources Offered By CFA Society Los Angeles
• Membership opportunities for CFA Institute and CFA Society Los Angeles

MODERATOR

Zack Ellison, CFA, CAIA | Zack Ellison is the Founder and CEO of Applied Real Intelligence LLC ("A.R.I."), based in Los Angeles, California. A.R.I. is an investment firm that provides debt capital solutions to high growth start-ups backed by venture capital and led by world-class entrepreneurs. Mr. Ellison is responsible for the firm’s management and investment activities, including sourcing, due diligence, structuring and execution, and portfolio management.

Previously, Mr. Ellison was Director, U.S. Fixed Income at Sun Life Investment Management, one of the world’s largest asset managers. At Sun Life, he was responsible for corporate credit trading and contributed to the firm’s credit strategy, investment processes, portfolio construction, and risk management practices.

Prior to joining Sun Life, Mr. Ellison worked in Deutsche Bank’s Global Credit Trading division, where he analyzed and traded crossover-rated corporate bonds, credit default swaps (“CDS”), hybrid securities, and preferred stock.

Preceding Deutsche Bank, and during the global financial crisis, he was an investment banker and leveraged loan analyst focused on the media and telecom sectors at Scotia Capital.

Mr. Ellison began his career in the financial services industry at Thomson Reuters in Corporate Advisory Services, where he served the majority of Fortune 500 energy and utility companies.

Mr. Ellison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College while majoring in Economics. He holds an MBA with concentrations in Analytic Finance and Economics from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business along with an MS in Risk Management from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations. Back To Top ^^

PANELISTS

Arielle Bittoni, CFA | Arielle Bittoni began her career in the financial services industry as a litigation consultant providing analysis for expert economists. She then transitioned into fixed income securities specializing in mortgages where she priced the servicing rights on billion dollar loan pools trading in the secondary market. She worked her way to becoming SVP, where she structured mortgage backed securities for various loans types including subprime, ALTA, and negative amortization loans. After the financial crises of 2008, Arielle made the move to municipal finance where she specialized in high yield California municipal bonds for large institutions. She began working with select high net worth clients in the municipal space which led to her decision to become a financial advisor. Today she runs her own investment practice that specializes in serving professional women. Arielle graduated from UC Berkeley with majors in Applied Mathematics and Economics. Her passion is providing a financial experience that aligns their values and priorities with the purpose of their wealth. Back To Top ^^

Alfredo Gomez, CFA, CAIA | Alfredo Gomez has over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. At Advisor Group, Alfredo leads efforts related to research and due diligence on mutual funds, ETPs, and interval funds, including a mutual fund reference list and white-labeled guidance models. He also works with the research team to produce market commentary and research reports. Prior to joining Advisor Group, he served as Managing Director of Research at Snyder Kearney, LLC from 2018 to 2019.

Prior to that, he was at National Planning Holdings (NPH) for 13 years in multiple capacities, most recently as head of alternative investment research and due diligence. Prior to joining NPH, he was a registered representative. Alfredo is a board member at CFA Society Los Angeles.

Alfredo is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, where he earned a BA in Business Administration and Economics. He is a CFA and CAIA charterholder, and holds FINRA Series 7, 66, and 24 registrations. Back To Top ^^

Robert J. Murphy, MBA, CFA®, FRM, CAIA | Robert J. Murphy is an accomplished financial industry professional with over 30 years of experience making decisions and achieving goals for clients through increasingly responsible roles in asset management and investment banking. Currently, Mr. Murphy is serving as a Contributing Consultant to Applied Real Intelligence LLC, a venture capital and financial consulting firm located in Beverly Hills, CA, providing advice, assistance and specific work products in conjunction with the firm’s investment and related activities.

Since 2016, Mr. Murphy has been an Independent Institutional Consultant, providing advice, insight and specific project deliverables to private equity firms, hedge funds, consultants, financial advisors, and investment industry and educational organizations. For the vast majority of the past 20+ years, Mr. Murphy has been focused upon active portfolio and risk management, all phases of manager and investment research and due diligence, and senior management of investment products, portfolios and firms. Most recently, Mr. Murphy served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Vice Chairman of the Investment Committee, Head of the Total Risk Group and Lead Portfolio Manager for Altegris Advisors through February 2016.

Prior to joining Altegris in 2014, Mr. Murphy served as Chief Investment Officer, Chairman of the Investment Committee, Director of Risk Management and Portfolio Manager for Hatteras Funds, where his contributions helped mainstream liquid alternative investments into the general investing landscape. Prior to joining Hatteras, Mr. Murphy worked with Ivy Asset Management Corp. LLC, a division of BNY Mellon Asset Management, where he served as a Managing Director in the Investments Group and in the Investment Products and Strategy Group. In these roles, he was responsible for investment research and portfolio management, and assisted product development and client communications, respectively. He was also previously a Partner and Director of Risk Management at Meridian Capital Partners; COO, CFO and Director of PriorityAccess (a regional private equity/venture capital firm); and, held senior fixed income investment banking positions with A.G. Edwards, Cowen & Company, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and Bear Stearns & Co., Inc.

Mr. Murphy received his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the State University of New York at Albany. He earned his designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has also earned designations as a Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). In addition, and reflecting his lifetime commitment to learning, Mr. Murphy participates in the Continuing Education programs as, and when, offered by all three designations and, in 2019, successfully completed the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s (“SASB’s”) Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (“FSA”) Level I and Level II exams, and became a FSA Credential Holder.  Back To Top ^^