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Alternative Asset Classes and Investments

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SEDA Experts

Alternative Asset

Classes & Investments.

Former senior executives who led global alternative investment practices at leading commercial and investment banks, former regulators — including a former Commissioner of the CFTC — and distinguished global economists.

PRACTICE AREA  · EXPERT WITNESS & CONSULTING

Related Experts

About this practice

PRACTICE OVERVIEW

Our team has extensive expertise in various investment vehicles, including hedge funds, venture capital (VC) funds, private equity (PE) funds, and complex master-feeder fund structures. Our experts in commodities, emerging market securities, and FX instruments possess a deep understanding of global supply chains, geopolitical risks, and macroeconomic market dynamics.

Our experts have substantial experience in structuring and managing a wide array of structured products, including CDOs, CLOs, CBOs, and CFOs, among other ABS. They are adept at facilitating complex investment structures through SPVs, structured financing, and securitization processes.

Our team also possesses specialized knowledge in real estate investments, with expertise in REITs and both residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (RMBSs and CMBSs).

SEDA's alternative assets practice serves both as expert witness resource and consulting partner. In litigation, our practitioners testify on CDO and CLO governance failures, hedge fund side-pocket disputes, REIT valuation challenges, and the duties of fund managers in connection with complex structured credit instruments. In a consulting capacity, SEDA advises fund managers, institutional investors, and their advisers on product structure review, valuation governance, and investment risk frameworks — drawing on the same depth of alternative asset experience that underpins our expert witness work.

WHY SEDA

Former global heads of commodities trading and hedge fund executives — direct first-hand experience at the highest institutional level.

Former CFTC Commissioner and senior regulatory counsel — enforcement and compliance perspective alongside deep industry knowledge.

Specialists in CDOs, CLOs, CBOs, CFOs, ABS, SPV structures, and securitization processes. Former FHFA Director covering REITs, RMBS, CMBS.

SUB-PRACTICE  AREAS

Areas of expertise

01

Commodities

Related: Energy · Governance & ESG · Regulatory

02

Emerging Markets & FX

Related: Monetary Policy · Risk Management · Securities

Extensive expertise across agriculture, energy, gas, oil, metals, environmental finance, and complex derivatives. Former CFTC commissioner adds essential enforcement perspective.

Former executives from leading hedge funds and asset management firms. Highly experienced in structuring BOLI, COLI, and IOLI hedge fund-linked products.

03

Hedge Funds, PE & Venture Capital

Related: Risk Management · Regulatory · Financing

Expertise spanning instruments issued by entities in developing economies. Extensive FX and interest rate experience at commercial and investment banks including executive committee roles.

04

Complex Structured Products

Related: Securities & Derivatives · Servicing

Direct experience structuring, originating, pricing, and underwriting CDOs, CLOs, REITs, RMBS & CMBS, and other ABS across all underlying collateral types.

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Richard A. Marin

Richard A. Marin

Bio

Managing Director

Richard Marin is a seasoned finance executive with more than 47 years of industry experience, and a distinguished career spanning asset management, alternative investments, high-net-worth banking, private equity, securities lending, pensions, and real estate finance.

Former 

Bear Stearns Asset Management - Chairman and CEO  

Deutsche Asset Management - Chairman and CEO  

Dawn Stump

Dawn Stump

Bio

Managing Director

Dawn Stump is a seasoned financial executive and regulatory leader, recently serving as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Her work has spanned all asset classes, with a focus on business continuity, supply chain disruptions, cyber risk, emerging assets including crypto, data protection, and climate-related market risks.

Former 

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) - Commissioner

Futures Industry Association - Executive Director Americas’ Advisory Board

Mitchell I. Gordon

Mitchell I. Gordon

Bio

Managing Director

Mitchell Gordon is an expert witness in corporate governance, capital markets and SPAC-related litigation. He has served as President and Chief Financial Officer and has sat on the boards of multiple SPAC vehicles.

Former

Cambridge Capital Acquisition Corp./SPAC - President and CFO
Interpool (NYSE: IPX) - EVP and CFO

Peter U. Vinella, Ph.D.

Peter U. Vinella, Ph.D.

Bio

Managing Director, Advisor to the Board

Peter U. Vinella has more than 35 years of experience in the financial industry as a consultant and as an executive with leading financial institutions and government agencies. Mr. Vinella has extensive testifying experience acting as an expert for both plaintiff and defendant over more than 40 engagements.

Former 

Berkeley Research Group - Managing director

Wilmington Trust Conduit Services, LLC - President and CEO

Mark J. Buono

Mark J. Buono

Bio

Managing Director

Mark Buono is a CMBS and CRE industry pioneer and former Goldman Sachs Managing Director with 20 years in commercial real estate. He also served as Managing Director and CRE Portfolio Manager at Global Atlantic Financial Group and specializes in CMBS, CRE CDOs, REITs, portfolio, and risk management.

Former 

Goldman Sachs  - Managing Director, Special Asset Group

Freddie Mac - Vice President, Mortgage Trading

Bruno Roch

Bruno Roch

Bio

Managing Director

Bruno Roch has over 20 years of experience in energy markets covering both physical and derivatives transactions and has overseen global trading activities within Goldman Sachs and Trafigura amongst others. He is a world-class expert in Power, Gas, Dry Freight, Iron Ore, Fertilizers, Biomass, Emissions, Petroleum Coke, Thermal and Metallurgical Coal.

Former 

EuroChem and Suek - Head of Commodity Trading

Goldman Sachs - Senior Executive Director, Coal & Freight 

Jean Chung

Jean Chung

Bio

Managing Director

Jean Chung has over 25 years of experience in Asian private credit and distressed investing. He has held senior investment roles at Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Lehman Brothers, and currently serves as Chief Portfolio Manager of the Asia Debt Opportunities Fund. He is a qualified attorney and FINRA arbitrator.

Former

GICAM - U.S. Representative

PA Balanced Fund, Singapore -Chief Investment Officer

Morgan Stanley, Hong Kong - Head of Asia Proprietary Credit Group 

Lehman Brothers,Tokyo - Senior Vice President 


Babak Eftekhari

Babak Eftekhari

Bio

Managing Director

Babak Eftekhari has over 25 years of experience as an emerging markets and FX derivatives trader. He served as Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, overseeing European emerging markets trading and related rates and structured products.

Former

Bank of America Merrill Lynch - Managing Director, Head of Emerging Markets Trading, Europe

Goldman Sachs - Managing Director. Head of CEEMA foreign exchange trading, Emerging Markets FX options trading

Ross Youngman

Ross Youngman

Bio

Senior Advisor

Mr. Youngman is an expert in asset management, investment management governance, and senior executive leadership within global financial services organizations. He has over 30 years of experience managing Australian and global equities and leading regulated investment businesses across Australia, the United States, and international markets.

Former

Ausbil Investment Management - Chief Executive Officer and Board Director

Five Oceans Asset Management - Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

Deutsche Bank - Chief Executive Officer


David Sabath

David Sabath

Bio

Managing Director

David Sabath is an expert in bankruptcy and restructuring with over 30 years of experience in distressed investing. His background includes leading and building asset management businesses, analyzing and trading across asset classes, and managing portfolios through major market dislocations.

Former

Pretium Partners - Senior Managing Director and Co-Head, Corporate Opportunistic Investing and Distressed Platform

Latigo Partners - Co-Founder and Co-Portfolio Manager

JPMorgan - Managing Director, Proprietary Positioning Business

Goldman Sachs - Head, Distressed Loan Research


Douglas Lucas

Douglas Lucas

Bio

Managing Director

Douglas Lucas has 30+ years of experience in finance and is a leading expert in fixed income and structured product credit risk. He developed Moody's Investors Service’s CLO rating methodology and introduced widely used portfolio risk measures such as WARF and the diversity score.

Former

Moody's Investor Services  - Managing Director 

UBS and JPMorgan Chase - Head of CDO Research

Richard Jefferson

Richard Jefferson

Bio

Managing Director

Richard Jefferson is a former Global Head of Commodities Trading at Deutsche Bank with over 25 years of financial markets experience. He spent 19 years at Deutsche Bank in London and New York as a Foreign Exchange Derivatives Trader and then helped to build the energy trading franchise in North American Power and Gas, Oil and Refined Products.

Former

Deutsche Bank - Managing Director, Global Head of Commodities Trading


Thorvin Anderson, CFA

Thorvin Anderson, CFA

Bio

Managing Director

Thorvin Anderson, CFA is a senior energy expert with deep experience in commodity structuring, power and gas trading, and valuation. He has led front-office analytics teams, developed risk frameworks, and provided decision support in trading environments, combining technical and market expertise across the energy sector.

Former

JPMorgan Chase – Executive Director Global Commodities Group 

Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. – Bear Energy - Managing Director

Robert Ohrenstein

Robert Ohrenstein

Bio

Senior Advisor

Robert Ohrenstein is a market-leading transaction adviser to private equity and similar investors. His career includes leadership roles at KPMG, where he served as Global Head of Private Equity and Vice Chair, as well as advisory positions in various commercial and charitable organizations.

Former

KPMG – Vice Chair, Global Head of Private Equity

Arvind Krishnamurthy

Arvind Krishnamurthy

Bio

Managing Director

Arvind Krishnamurthy is a private credit, private equity, specialty finance and alternative investments expert with nearly 30 years of experience originating, structuring, underwriting and managing complex investments across the capital structure.

Former

Metropolitan Partners Group - Managing Director, Senior Advisor

Caxton Alternative Management LP - Principal


Kenneth Tananbaum

Kenneth Tananbaum

Bio

Managing Director

Kenneth Tananbaum has over 35 years of experience in trading and investing, with deep experience in derivatives, convertible securities, and capital structure strategies. His work includes managing money for third party investors through multiple market cycles, including periods of market stress.

Former

Norcap Investment Management - Board of Managers & Portfolio Manager

Palisade Capital Management - Consultant


Hugh Clark

Hugh Clark

Bio

Managing Director

Hugh Clark is a trading expert with a career spanning multiple asset classes and both buy-side and sell-side roles. He spent 18 years as CIO responsible for strategies and trading at a boutique FX hedge fund. In recent years he operated as a leading expert on market abuse and trade surveillance advising tier 1 banks on detection strategy and system design.

Former

Scotiabank - Expert Advisor

HSBC - Expert Advisor

Arbiter Fund Managers Limited - Co-funder and Chief Investment Officer

Fred Brettschneider

Fred Brettschneider

Bio

Senior Advisor

Fred Brettschneider is a securitized products and asset-backed finance executive with 30+ years of experience at leading banks and asset managers. He specializes in ABS and securitized products, with broad expertise across fixed income, equities, investments, risk management, valuations, and compliance.

Former

LibreMax Capital - President

Deutsche Bank - Head of Global Markets Americas

Head of Institutional Client Group Americas

Head of ABS Trading and Syndicate


Eric Jacobs, CPA

Eric Jacobs, CPA

Bio

Managing Director

Eric Jacobs is a recognized expert in risk management, financial operations, and investment oversight, with nearly 30 years of leadership experience in the financial services industry. His career spans top-tier institutions on both the buy-side and sell-side, including alternative asset management, investment banking, and public accounting.

Former

King Street Capital Management - Director of Risk Management

Goldman Sachs - Vice-President, Finance Division

George Lucaci

George Lucaci

Bio

Managing Director

George Lucaci is an expert in asset-gathering across the fund management industry including alternative investments. He presently serves as Global Head of Distribution for FolioBeyond having previously held leadership roles in the hedge fund and private equity industry after a long career in investment banking.

Former

Mercury Capital Advisors, LLC - Partner and Senior Advisor

Channel Capital - Senior Managing Director

Normandy Asset Management - Head of Risk Analysis

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