THE BRIDGE TO DIGITAL ASSETS

Zoe Cruz is the Founder and CEO of Menai Financial Group, and a highly accomplished executive who spent decades at the forefront of the financial services industry, working in trading and capital markets. Zoe had a 25-year tenure at Morgan Stanley, where she was Co-President from 2005 to 2007; in this role, she ran major revenue-generating businesses, including the company’s securities, risk management and information technology organizations. Prior to that, Zoe was the Global Head of Fixed Income, Commodities and Foreign Exchange from 2001 until 2005. She joined Morgan Stanley in 1982 and was the third founding member of the company’s foreign exchange trading group. Zoe is also a former Senior Advisor at Promontory Financial Group, LLC, and the founder of an investment management firm, Voras Capital Management. In addition to her leadership position at Menai, Zoe serves as Founder and CEO of EOZ Global, a single family office. She also sits on the boards of MAN Group and the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business and Government Advisory Council. Zoe previously sat on the boards of Ripple, Old Mutual PLC, Morgan Stanley, Harvard Dean’s Council, and Bowdoin College Investment Committee. She also sits on the boards of the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business and Government Advisory Council. Zoe previously sat on the boards of Ripple, Old Mutual PLC, Morgan Stanley, Harvard Dean’s Council, MAN Group and Bowdoin College Investment Committee.

Jinal Surti is the Head of Menai Asset Management and Head of International Operations. An experienced leader in the digital finance industry, he joined Ripple in 2015 and developed the go-to-market strategy for the first enterprise blockchain product in the market. Jinal was the Head of Business Operations at Ripple from 2017 to 2020; during this time, he led key strategic initiatives for the company, including global expansion, strategic partnerships, reorganization, annual and quarterly priority setting, and company operations. Prior to Ripple, Jinal managed pricing strategy for an enterprise SaaS company. He began his career in management consulting with Booz & Company, servicing clients in the United States and China. Jinal has an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Marc Vesecky is the Head of Menai Markets. Marc has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently as the Chief Risk Officer at Tower Research Capital, where he spent 12 years. Prior to that, he spent four years as a Risk Manager at Citadel Investment Group. Previously, Marc was a Risk Analyst at Man Financial, an independent Equity Options Trader, and an FX and Interest Rates Options Trader for Societe Generale. Marc earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree, from the University of Illinois.

Julio Garcia is the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Risk Officer for Menai Financial Group. Julio has decades of experience building successful asset management businesses, most recently as a Founding Partner at FLSV Fund Consulting Services (FCS), an investment operations consulting firm. Prior to FCS, Julio was President, COO and CCO at Contour Asset Management, a global equity long/short hedge fund. Julio was also a Partner and CFO of Perella Weinberg Partners, a global corporate mergers and acquisitions advisory and investment management business, and a Partner and CFO at FrontPoint Partners, a multi-strategy hedge fund business. Julio also held executive positions at Credit Suisse AM, DLJ Merchant Banking, Chancellor LGT and Ernst & Young. Julio earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Mercy College and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Shubin Jha is the Head of Research & Portfolio Manager for Menai Asset Management. Shubin has led research efforts across various markets, industries and securities during his 17 years of experience in investing at three hedge funds. Most recently, he spent seven years at Southpaw Asset Management as Managing Director of Research. He has significant experience in studying macro variables, product and market analyses, as well as valuations driven by both fundamental and technical factors.

Prior to Southpaw, Shubin worked with Zoe Cruz at Voras Capital Management, where he conducted macroeconomic and fixed income investment research. Shubin began his career in International Finance in India. He has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Delhi University and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University.

Laya Khadjavi is the Global Head of Business Development & Client Relations for Menai Financial Group. Laya is a seasoned finance executive with more than 30 years of sell side and buy side experience, with a focus on solution-driven and innovative capital markets and investment products. Before joining Menai, Laya was an independent consultant, providing advisory services to institutions including FinTech companies. Prior to that, Laya was the COO, Head of Strategy and Business Development at ICE Canyon, a global investment management firm specializing in Emerging Markets. Before ICE Canyon, Laya was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley where, during her 23-year tenure, she held a succession of senior management positions, including the Global Head of Markets in Global Wealth Management and the Global Head of various structured products platforms within the Fixed Income Division in Institutional Securities. Laya began her career as a Financial Analyst at Salomon Brothers.

Laya is a non-executive board member of GoldenTree ABS Management LLC. She also serves on a number of non-profit boards, councils and visiting committees, including the Institute of International Education, Brown University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Laya holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University.

Adam Schuman is the General Counsel of Menai Financial Group. Adam previously was a Partner in the white collar and investigations practice of Perkins Coie, where he led the litigation department in New York. Adam earlier served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity in the New York State Governor’s Office and as General Counsel for New York State’s Homes and Community Renewal. Prior to that, Adam spent 12 years at The McGraw-Hill Companies/Standard & Poor’s becoming Executive Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer for S&P Ratings. Adam also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn and received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance, and earlier in his career was a law clerk to Hon. Loretta A. Preska in the United States District Court in Manhattan.

Adam holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law.

Karen Jamesely is Chief People Officer for Menai Financial Group with 30 years of experience in Financial Services.  She has deep expertise in the areas of Strategic Planning, Talent Development/Executive Recruitment, Executive Compensation, M&A Integration and Succession Planning. Karen spent the majority of her career at Morgan Stanley in the Human Resources Division where she ultimately became the Firm’s Global CHRO. She was the HR Lead on transformational events such as the Dean Witter merger, Discover Card spin off and Smith Barney acquisition. After leaving Morgan Stanley, Karen joined Korn Ferry as a Senior Client Partner in the Financial Service Practice focusing on identifying and delivering consultancy services across the entire talent spectrum.  Key initiatives included digital transformation, early leader development and succession planning. Karen holds a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Marketing from Pace University.