Main Conference Day 1
To be served on the terrace, with views of palm trees.
Registration Location: Ballroom Promenade
Breakfast Location: Ballroom Terrace
Breakfast Location: Vela
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Christine Ballantyne-Drewe - Partner, Walkers
Join us for a discussion on the trends shaping strategic decisions, the evolution of asset management in Cayman and the leadership lessons emerging from challenge and uncertainty. Our speakers will explore the following key themes:
• Global forces influencing strategic decision‑making in 2026.
• How asset management shifts are impacting Cayman’s standing on the world stage.
• Leadership under pressure: opportunities, risks, and lessons learned.
Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Hon Andre Ebanks, MP, Minister - Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce, Ministry of Investment, Innovation, and Social Development, Cayman Islands Government
- Ingrid Pierce - Global Managing Partner, Walkers
- Jason Kelly - Chief Correspondent, Quicktake, Bloomberg
Hear directly from the journalists who broke these stories and went on to write the most insightful books on each — and learn how they now work with investment managers today.
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Erin Arvedlund - Author/former Managing Editor, Pensions & Investments magazine, Author of Too good to be true: The rise and fall of Bernie Madoff
- Bethany McLean - American journalist and contributing editor, Vanity Fair Magazine, Author, The Big Fail
- Steve Bruce - Managing Partner, ASC Advisors, LLC
Drawing on his personal experience and work with financial institutions, Tom Hardin explores the behavioral drivers at the heart of insider risk.
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Tom Hardin - Author, Tipper X Advisors LLC
Location: Cayman Islands Ballroom Foyer
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Ravi Gupta - VP - Strategic Solutions, NAV Fund Administration Group
- David Bradley - Chief Operating Officer, Hawk Ridge Capital Management
- John D'Agostino - Head of Strategy, Coinbase
- Michelle McGurk - Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Millburn Ridgefield LLC
Two Chief Compliance Officers share real-world perspectives on regulatory pressure, decision-making and the practical realities of running compliance functions in today’s operating environment.
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Andrew Kandel - Chief Compliance Officer and Co-General Counsel , Cerberus Capital Management
- Mark Schein - Global Chief Compliance Officer, Värde Partners
Location: Little Cayman + Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Nick Goss - Head of Identity Solutions, iCapital
- John Meintanas - Global Head AML/KYC, iCapital
- Edin Hadzic - Business Relationship Consultant, Walkers
C-Suite Hosted Lunch Roundtables
First come-first-served
- Adam Cohen - Head of Operational Due Diligence, Cerity Partners
- Zane Alajou - CFO, Hawk Ridge Capital Management
- Jesse Burkhead - Vice President, ODD, First Trust Capital Management
- Nick Lotysz - Director of Operational Due Diligence, First Trust Capital Management
- Ronald Pierre - Chief Compliance Officer, VP of Operations and Finance, Composition Capital
- Tom Hardin - Author, Tipper X Advisors LLC
How managers and investors are setting and challenging private markets valuations amid higher rates, ongoing geopolitical conflict, and a softer exit environment.
- Lily Yang - Director, Cayman Islands - Financial Advisory, Deloitte
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- Gregory Xethalis - General Counsel, Multicoin Capital
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- Scott Walker - CCO, a16z
- Daniel Leonardo - Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel, Multicoin Capital
- Mark Dempsey - Founder & CCO, Crypto Regulatory Solutions
- Colin Jones - Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Outerlands Capital
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- Kristin Johnson - Former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Isabel Gumeyi - Head of VASP & Fintech Innovation Unit, CIMA
- Lucy Frew - Partner, Head of Regulatory and Risk Advisory, Walkers
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- Gerald Gallagher - General Counsel, Sei Labs
- Mari Tomunen - General Counsel, DoubleZero
- Lucy Frew - Partner, Head of Regulatory and Risk Advisory, Walkers
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Kenyon Shubert - Chief Legal Officer, Stone Coast Fund Services
- Cary Goldstein - Chief Technology Officer, Empyrean Capital Partners, LP
- Indy Dhiman - Information Security Officer, Humana
How DOJ and FBI enforcement priorities are evolving across financial crime, fraud and market misconduct.
What fund managers should understand about investigations, information requests and cross-border cooperation.
Practical steps firms are taking to reduce exposure, respond effectively and protect senior leadership.
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Thomas Redburn - Partner & Chair, Securities Litigation, Lowenstein Sandler
- Adam Reback - Partner, Optima Partners Compliance Advisory
How deep fake technology is being used to target fund operations, executives and service providers.
The operational, cyber and reputational risks posed by synthetic identity and manipulated communications.
Practical controls and response strategies firms are deploying to detect, prevent and manage incidents.
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Abigail Penzell - General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Bienville Capital Management
Location: Rembro
- Nick Morgan - Founder & President, Investor Choice Advocates Network (ICAN)
How AML and KYC requirements are evolving for private equity firms as regulatory scrutiny increases.
The operational and compliance challenges of scaling onboarding, monitoring and reporting across portfolios and jurisdictions.
Practical approaches firms are using to build proportionate, scalable AML/KYC frameworks without slowing growth.
Location: Rembro
- Stephanie Miller - COO, Juniper Square
- Suzan Rose - Senior Advisor, Government & Regulatory Affairs, AIMA
Recent and upcoming AML regulatory developments, enforcement priorities and supervisory expectations.
How regulators expect firms to update governance, policies and board oversight in response.
What compliance leaders should prioritise now to stay aligned with evolving regulatory standards.
Location: Rembro
- Prem Jacob - SVP, Transfer Agency, NAV Fund Administration Group
- Michael Barry - General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Samlyn Capital
Location: Rembro
- Nick Morgan - Founder & President, Investor Choice Advocates Network (ICAN)
- Kujo Osei - Chief Financial and Compliance Officer, Integrity Growth Partners
- Suzan Rose - Senior Advisor, Government & Regulatory Affairs, AIMA
Location: Vela
- David Bradley - Chief Operating Officer, Hawk Ridge Capital Management
What actually drives allocation decisions: risk, track record, trust, and timing
How operational strength, transparency, and governance influence conviction
Why “soft factors” (people, process, communication) often tip the final decision
Location: Vela
- Michael Levin - Managing Director, PAAMCO
LP priorities in operational due diligence, including common red flags, reporting quality and governance expectations.
How LPs assess transparency, controls and oversight when making allocation and re-up decisions.
Clear insight into how to align operations, reporting and governance with LP expectations to build trust and retain capital.
Location: Vela
The red flags investors won’t debate, explain, or “work around”
How small operational gaps turn into fatal trust issues during diligence
When a manager’s behaviour—not performance—ends the conversation
Location: Vela
- Ghufran Rizvi - COO, HC Global
- Scott Beechert - Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, Granby Capital Management, LLC
As institutional investors increase allocations to digital assets, operational considerations are becoming as critical as investment strategy. This session explores the key challenges around custody, valuation, governance, liquidity management, and risk oversight when investing in digital asset funds. Panelists will share practical insights on the operational frameworks investors need to evaluate managers, mitigate risks, and support scalable digital asset allocations.
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- Connor Aller - Vice President, Finance, BDT&MSD Partners
- Ambuj Garg - Chief Operating Officer, NAV Fund Services
- Neil Schwam - Head of Operational Risk, L1D
- Ronald Pierre - Chief Compliance Officer, VP of Operations and Finance, Composition Capital
- Brian Smith - Partner, CFO and COO, Multicoin Capital
Location: Little Cayman (Ballroom)
- John D'Agostino - Head of Strategy, Coinbase
- Ayesha Kiani - COO, Monarq Asset Management
- Colin Jones - Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Outerlands Capital
How cyber threats are evolving and where alternative investment firms remain most exposed.
What effective incident response, recovery planning and communication look like in practice.
Lessons learned from real events that have strengthened operational and reputational resilience.
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Art Murphy - Chief Information Security Officer, Drawbridge
How firms should communicate with investors during operational, regulatory or market-driven crises.
What investors expect to hear, when they expect it and how tone and transparency shape trust.
Practical guidance on preparing messaging, escalation paths and spokespersons before a crisis hits.
Location: Cayman Brac (Ballroom)
- Robert Johnson - Partner, Lowenstein Sandler
Where AI is already being used across legal, compliance, and surveillance
What AI can realistically automate vs where human judgment remains critical
Managing regulatory risk, explainability, and accountability in AI-driven tools
Location: Rembro
- Brian Meyer - Partner, CCO, General Counsel, Fir Tree Partners
- Justine Leung - Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel, Hawk Ridge Capital Management
- Angela Ty - Partner, CohnReznick LLP
- Jamie Houghtlin - General Counsel, Whale Rock Capital Management LLC
Location: Rembro
- Rebecca Heun - Managing Director, Operational Due Diligence, Aksia
New structures, new pressures: Semi-liquid and retail vehicles are redefining liquidity, valuation and servicing models.
Higher scrutiny, tighter governance: Expanded investor bases mean stronger disclosure, controls and compliance discipline.
Scale without margin drag: The tech, data and operating infrastructure required to grow retail channels efficiently.
Location: Vela
- Chris Crawford - Independent, Independent
- Dayna Kleinman - Managing Director, Head of US Wealth, Sagard Holding
Location: Vela