Mark Falkner
Credit Benchmark
Mark has an established track record in bringing transparency to rapidly-developing areas of financial services. Alongside his business partner Donal Smith, he co-founded Credit Benchmark in 2013, introducing the world’s most comprehensive source of consensus credit risk data. In 1994, Mark spotted an opportunity to provide customers in the securities financing industry with independent specialist advice and services. The company he founded, Data Explorers, became the leading provider of securities lending data across all global market sectors, and was acquired by IHS Markit in 2012. Mark graduated from the London School of Economics and held management roles at LM Moneybrokers, Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers.
Roy Zimmerhansl
Pierpoint Financial Consulting
Roy is Practice Lead at Pierpoint Financial Consulting, a boutique securities finance consultancy. Roy is a recognised expert with many decades’ experience in securities finance
and collateral management with a strong banking background. The Pierpoint Perspectives podcast which he hosts, provides insights into this key, but hidden part of the financial markets.
He is Strategic Advisor - Global Practice and Outreach for the Global Principles for Sustainable Securities Lending. He is also advising three entities: The Angel Investors Club - an investment platform that offers ethical and Sharia-compliant investments for the digital age; another using Distributed Ledger Technology to improve the investment process in the alternative space; and is part of the Equities Product Committee for the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Sarah Nicholson
Consolo
Sarah worked at Aviva Investors for over 20 years in investment management and was the Global Director of Securities Finance and Derivatives. In this role Sarah helped develop the business in Europe, US and Asia, incorporating all elements of financing and collateral management. Specialising in business strategy and regulatory issues Sarah is now a partner in Consolo Ltd, a specialist consultancy firm helping market participants maximise returns and minimise risks. Sarah also provides training across financial market subjects and holds the Securities Institute Investment Management Certificate.
Bob Currie
Securities Finance Times editor and group editor for BKM
Bob is editor of Securities Finance Times. He has over 25 years of research and publishing experience, with a background spanning securities finance, asset servicing, financial technology and regulation.
Bob was previously co-founder and editorial director of Financial Services Research and research director at Funds Europe.
He is author of a Global Securities Operations (GSO) manual for the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI), which was used as the course handbook for its GSO module from 2005 to 2016. He was also a member of the CISI examinations committee for this subject area.
For much of the 1990s, Bob was lecturer and researcher in the UK university sector, specialising in international political economy and development strategy for emerging markets. He has a PhD in International Political Economy and has been studying part-time for an MSc in Computer Science.
Tom Daniels, CFA, MBA
Aon Consulting, Inc.
Tom leads the Securities Lending Consulting efforts within Aon’s Custody and Lending Advisory Services division globally.
Working with a diverse group of asset owners and asset managers Tom is responsible for the management of the securities lending oversight function.
Having joined with 30 years of hands-on securities finance experience gained from multiple, major agent lenders and a borrower that include the Bank of New York, Chemical Bank, The Chase Manhattan Bank, Salomon Brothers and Mellon Financial in varying roles and, most recently, BNY Mellon where he headed US and LatAM business development efforts to two decades.
His broad knowledge of securities finance coupled with his past public accounting and audit experience enables Tom to provide deep and unique insights, as well as broad consultative guidance to beneficial owners. Tom is a CFA charter-holder and member of the CFA Institute. He received his CPA and Series 3, 7 and 63 licenses, a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting and an MBA in finance with honors.
