In 2018 Hazem took over the SME Forum and focuses most of his efforts there. Since its founding more than 15 years ago, The Forum has been a growing dynamic community of practitioners from the Asset Management industry who have roles in supporting the Sales, Marketing, Operations and Technology departments of their respective organizations.  The deep degrees of trust in sharing best practices, avoiding pitfalls, and learning from one another are hallmarks of how valuable this community continues to be for each firm and the individual employees.

As one of the original members, he has been a continual driver of the Forum’s growth and maturity since its inception in 2003.  Initially the senior representative for OppenheimerFunds, he grew to be a leader in the development of the CRM Forum,  providing  guidance,  mentorship,  facilitation  and participation in various aspect of the organization’s events over the years.  Hazem took over ownership and primary responsibilities for running the organization in 2018.  He also continues to provide consulting services to the industry under his Thoth Advisory Services organization.

Prior to the Forum, Hazem spent more than fifteen years at OppenheimerFunds in several different roles, always as a proven change agent to help define and implement appropriate and necessary improvements to propel the business.  He worked  most closely with the sales and marketing divisions directing their technology needs and adoption, onboarding third-party services, in addition to portfolios such as data management, reporting and analytics, business continuity and disaster recovery, among other responsibilities.

Mario began his career at Lord Abbett leading the firm’s effort to build Sales & Marketing data analytics functions, develop digital marketing strategies and create a comprehensive client touch point data analysis to facilitate client segmentation, predictive analytics, lead management, and CRM engagement. Through this work, he initiated a wholesaler training program to drive adoption of both the data & technology to help meet business plan goals.

Most recently Mario served as Chief Transformation Officer responsible for leading change management in Lord Abbett’s Technology and Operations areas in an effort to enhance agility throughout the firm. This included overseeing the integration of data management and analytics, reporting, and technology to increase efficiency, create an information advantage, and drive transformation across the organization. In this role, Mario led key initiatives such as; the migration of the firm’s Middle Office platform through a Strategic Partnership with a leading provider in the industry, provided strategic thought leadership, implementation planning & development for the firm’s move to a new Investment Management Solution and the development of a strategic product & client data platform for new product launches, customer acquisition/onboarding, lifecycle, and retention initiatives through interactive data analytics, visualization, & management tools.

Anthony Busacca is a highly accomplished business professional with more than 35 years of experience in the corporate world, as well as over 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur. He has a proven track record of success in driving growth, managing teams, and delivering results across a range of industries.

Mr. Busacca began his career in the financial sector, holding senior leadership positions in finance, operations, and business development at several prominent companies. He honed his skills in strategic planning, financial analysis, and team management, and gained deep expertise in industries such as banking, insurance, and investment management.

In 2009, Mr. Busacca made the leap into entrepreneurship, founding his own company focused on providing innovative solutions in the financial services industry. As the CEO of his own firm, he demonstrated his ability to identify new opportunities, develop effective strategies, and build high-performing teams.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Busacca has earned a reputation as a dynamic and results-driven leader. He is known for his ability to think strategically, execute effectively, and drive growth in even the most challenging environments. He has a proven ability to develop and motivate teams, and to build strong relationships with stakeholders across all levels of an organization.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Busacca is also actively involved in his community. He has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, and is committed to giving back and making a positive impact in the world.

Overall, Anthony Busacca is a seasoned business professional with a diverse range of experience and a proven track record of success. Whether in the corporate world or as an entrepreneur, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to drive growth, deliver results, and create value for stakeholders.

Inderjit S Chhatwal is a veteran of the Asset Management and Technology domains, with over 30 years of experience in IT, of which about two-third has been in managing IT efforts for Asset/Wealth Management. Inderjit’s broad and deep understanding of mutual funds distribution business, related technologies and data affords him to lend a unique blend of both business and technology perspectives.

Inderjit managed multiple technology teams working on various CRM and data efforts for the Sales and Distribution business line for Oppenheimer Funds, with overall responsibility from inception to adoption. His keen interest in latest technology trends brought Design Thinking approach to Oppenheimer as well as utilization of data science for predictive modeling. Prior to Oppenheimer, Inderjit was leading the Distribution Technology team supporting sales and marketing efforts at Allianz Global Investors.  

Bill Finnegan has extensive financial services experience in senior leadership roles within marketing and sales. His more than 30-year career encompasses working in and across the asset management, retirement, insurance, and banking industries. Most recently, Bill was leading global marketing for Seismic software’s financial services business, the firm’s largest vertical.

Before Seismic, Bill was the Chief Marketing Officer for AMG. Prior to that, Bill was Senior Managing Director of Global Retail Marketing at MFS.

As a company spokesperson, Bill has been quoted extensively across consumer and industry publications regarding investor behavior and the application of technology and data to improve outcomes. At Broadridge, Bill is leveraging his integrated digital, data, and technology experiences to guide asset management clients as they apply software and data to improve client engagement.

Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in economics from the University of Massachusetts. He has held Series 7, Series 24, Series 51, and Series 63 securities licenses as well as state life insurance & annuity licenses.

Loren Fox is the Director of Research at FUSE Research Network, a provider of business intelligence and consulting for investment management firms. He’s responsible for leading the research team and managing client support, as well as contributing to the firm’s research publications and interfacing with industry executives.

Before joining FUSE, Loren spent nearly 10 years as the director of Ignites Research, a unit of the Financial Times and complement to the Ignites news site that produced original research on strategic issues in the asset management industry; he also created and ran the annual rankings of US financial advisors that appeared in the Financial Times from 2013 through 2020. Previously, he was a senior research analyst at Strategic Insight, producing market intelligence on the mutual fund industry. Prior to that, Loren was a business journalist for many years, having worked at Institutional Investor, Business 2.0, and other publications, and he is the author of the book Enron: The Rise and Fall (2002).

As an industry expert, Loren has spoken at numerous conferences and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other publications. He earned his BA from Johns Hopkins University and his MS from Columbia University.

Dennis Gallant is an Associate Director and Product Engagement Specialist at ISS Market Intelligence.

Dennis is an industry expert with over 25 years of diverse experience providing research and consulting services for the asset management, wealth management, and financial advisor markets. His coverage includes investment product distribution, advisor portfolio construction, model portfolios, the TAMP marketplace, the independent advisor/RIA market, direct indexing, retirement income, digital/hybrid advice, advisor recruiting, and the transition to advice/planning. Prior to this, he was a Strategic Advisor with Aite Novarica Group’s Wealth Management practice, managed his own consulting firm (GDC Research), and was a Director at Cerulli Associates.

Dennis conducts numerous presentations for client and industry conferences and is often quoted in industry trade publications, including WSJ, Investment News, Financial Advisor Magazine, Financial Planning, Ignites, and Institutional Investor

Marianne is a recognized thought leader in digital marketing trends and an implementer of marketing programs, practices and organizations. Her career includes Fortune 100 manufacturing, insurance and high tech positions in marketing, sales and IT. Ms. Hewitt is a member of and blogs for the CDP Institute.

Hari serves as Managing Director in our New York office as part of our Asset and Wealth Management, Financial Services and Fintech practices. He brings over 15 years of experience with prestigious financial institutions and top management consulting firms and startups to place senior executives in distribution, marketing, product, and investment roles.

In his most recent role as Principal for ISS Market Intelligence, Hari built trusting relationships, delivered actionable market insights and provided astute guidance to senior leaders. Prior to that, Hari served clients in an advisory capacity in roles with Deloitte Consulting and SS&C.

He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge on competitive positioning, product strategy, digital strategy, compensation, staffing and advisor satisfaction. Through Hari’s breadth of personal and professional experience, he has cultivated strong market knowledge, environmental adaptability, intellectual flexibility, and a keen eye for identifying and placing talent.

Hari earned a BS from Binghamton University, as well as a diploma in theater from Drama Studio London.

Mike Lampa is an accomplished transformation agent, with a speciality in modernizing enterprise Data and Analytics Programs. Mike’s expertise lies in the selection and implementation of modern technology tools, platforms, and tactical migration roadmaps.

With over 23 years of experience as a Data and Analytics practitioner, both as a consultant and an employee in Global 100 enterprises, Mike has worked in diverse industries, including Banking & Financial Services, Industrial Manufacturing, High-Tech Manufacturing, Telecommunications, Oil & Gas, Retail, and Consumer Packaged Goods. 

He serves as a mentor and guide to enterprises, facilitating a seamless transition to increase the value of their Analytics Programs. Mike’s passion for the Data and Analytics industry is palpable, and his dedication to his work has earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor to his clients. 

Austin has over 16 years of industry experience spanning retail intermediary as well as institutional businesses. He is a business, data strategy, and analytics leader with a deep understanding of asset management and the data-driven processes that are the crux of the industry. He has led global teams supporting the implementation and rollout of CRM systems and integrations, data governance structures, and data and analytics solutions and outputs. 

Justin is a consultant based out of the ZS Toronto office and is focused on supporting financial services clients, globally. Over the last 7+ years at the firm, he has helped clients transform their organization, developed short- and long-term growth strategies, designed playbooks and incentives to motivate sales leaders, and built numerous analytical tools and programs to support data driven decision-making.

Justin’s expertise is in B2B, with a focus on designing growth and go-to-market strategies and elevating sales and marketing effectiveness. In addition to Financial Services, Justin brings with him broad industry exposure spanning Travel, Transportation, Healthcare, Agriculture, High Tech, and Hospitality. Across his work, he has designed commercialization teams and business units to derive more value from customers, developed predictive models to improve decision making, and developed analytical tools to enable market operations.

Justin holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto – where he focused on Business and Operations Research (application of advanced analytical methods to drive decision making) – and also holds a Six Sigma Green Belt from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

Trained in engineering, research, and psychology (B.S. in Psychology, Kansas State University), Todd Neese has worked at a psychiatric research and training hospital (coordinating treatment outcome studies), a variable annuity company (coordinating customer information management), a major research university (coordinating business intelligence for the Vice Provost for Research), an insurance and asset management company, Athene / Aviva / AmerUs (leading business intelligence, sales and marketing related reporting and analytics, and data governance), and for the most recent eight years at Janus Henderson Investors as the Global Head of Business Intelligence and Distribution Operations.  In each of these opportunities, he was responsible for building out and improving business intelligence capabilities.  The central theme of his career has been using information to drive better decision making.

While at Janus Henderson for the past 8 years, Todd has been responsible for building the Business Intelligence and Distribution Operations function globally – transforming the focus from sales reporting of what has happened to suggesting what we could do to acquire more clients, to serve, grow and retain our existing clients, and to enable our sales and marketing teams to optimize their time and efforts by presenting the right idea to the right client at the right time.  His Teams focus on delivering Competitive and Market Intelligence, Data and Solution Driven Selling Opportunities, Outcomes Analyses, Distribution Enablement and Advanced Analytics, CRM Training and Support, AUM & Flows Processing and Reporting, and Sales Reporting.

Career development (his own and those with whom he works), community involvement, and corporate responsibility are extremely important to Todd.  He led the establishment of the Insuring a Future Program at Aviva, which provided two “retroactive life insurance” awards for uninsured or underinsured non-customer recipients in need, through a corporate and community agency team.  He led an enhanced employee leadership development team, which delivered 11 department-wide Finance continuing education sessions, expanded employee recognition, and launched a mentorship program.  His teams are regularly involved in Habitat for Humanity-type events; and he has chaired the Leadership Level Giving effort within the Aviva United Way Campaign for three years.  In the past, he has served as the president of the Board of Directors of a (United Way sponsored) Crisis Counseling Center.

Todd’s daily goal is to improve the company and his team in everything that he does – with the desired impact being increased collaboration and insight.  Innovation, integrity, fairness, humor, and quality are central values driving his actions.  His Real Deal cards (PEAK Learning) are Being Challenged, Contributing to a worthy cause, Freedom to innovate, Respect, and Humor/Laughter; and his Deal Breaker is Enthusiasm / Passion.  With his roots in academic settings, he views a central part of his role as a leader to help develop the next generation of leaders and to help those on his team achieve their aspirations.

Todd and his wife, Barb, have been married for 15 years and have no children of their own.  However, they have many nieces and nephews whom they adore and spoil.  Outside of work his passions include music, culinary adventures, and art.

Ryan is the EVP of Sales at Revenue Grid. He is a proven SaaS sales and business leader for over 20 years and with more than 15 years of experience building high-performing sales, sales development, sales operations, and sales enablement teams in the software technology industry. Prior to joining Revenue Grid, he was VP of Sales at Jifflenow, EVP of Riskalyze, helping them scale from $6M-$25M, and part of the sales leadership team that helped Act-On grow from $2M-$50M.

Ryan has helped build and scale startups, as well as growth companies looking to implement a high-performing sales organization. An Avid fan of Extreme Ownership, and the Dichotomy of Leadership by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink, as well as Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.

Specialties: Sales, Sales Strategy, Sales Development, Go-To-Market Strategy, Sales Training, SaaS, Enterprise Sales, Marketing Automation, and Leadership Development. 

He loves to travel with his family and is a huge bay area sports fan, including the Sharks, Warriors, Giants, and 49ers. 

Kevin Rosenfeld is a strategic leader with extensive experience in the asset management industry. He is a seasoned professional in all areas of distribution, with a focus on delivering distribution business intelligence. In his recent roles, Kevin was responsible for aggregating and analyzing sales-related data, informing the strategic direction of sales teams, and overseeing the implementation and delivery of business intelligence initiatives. 

Kevin’s background in sales leadership, data analytics, and sales enablement gives him a unique skill set that enables him to understand client needs, analyze industry data to better serve clients, and leverage technology to enhance distribution. Throughout his career, Kevin has worked for top asset management firms including Prudential Financial, AllianceBernstein, and Lazard Asset Management.

He holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of South Florida.

Dan is CEO of Sondhelm Partners, a firm that helps institutional asset managers, mutual fund and ETF firms, alternative investment managers, wealth managers, and fintech firms attract investors and build brands through marketing, public relations, and sales strategies.

With over 25 years of financial services marketing experience, Sondhelm has been instrumental in helping boutique firms develop growth programs and larger firms support and energize their sales teams. He helps asset managers understand what’s possible and how to position themselves for growth. In addition, Sondhelm has helped clients navigate the strategy of strategic partnerships. He has helped forge numerous successful relationships and transactions such as M&A, mutual fund adoptions/reorganizations, liftouts, and subadvisory, often matching firms with solid investment expertise with those that have strong distribution.

Sondhelm is sought after by influencers for his expertise in industry news. He frequently contributes to the financial news media, presents or moderates at industry conferences and webinars, and speaks on-site to mutual fund boards of directors. He also writes about industry trends and best practices through firm’s popular Insights page.  In 2009, MutualFundWire nominated Sondhelm as one of the Most Influential People in Fund Distribution.

Sondhelm earned a BSBA and MBA from the Kogod College of Business Administration at American University in Washington, DC.  He lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife Jenna, twin children Madeleine and Gabriel, and cat Remy.

Jeff Strange is a Strategic Business Consultant for SS&C Research, Analytics, and Consulting, where he partners with leading asset managers to support the WalletShare analytics platform.  

He has subject matter expertise on distribution strategy, separately managed accounts (SMAs), and alternatives. Jeff previously served as DST kasina’s Director of Research, along with experience at FUSE, Strategic Insight, and Cerulli.

Jeff graduated from Georgetown University and is a CAIA charterholder.