Claire Smith
Claire Smith is a vegan entrepreneur and impact investor based in Geneva, Switzerland. She created the humane investment platform Beyond Investing, which designs cruelty-free programs in public equity markets and undertakes venture capital investment in vegan, plant-based and cruelty-free businesses through Beyond Impact. Beyond Investing is the architect of the US Vegan Climate Index, a stock index which screens out all animal exploitation and fossil fuel from a US market benchmark, and which was listed on the NYSE as the US Vegan Climate ETF (ticker: VEGN) in September 2019. She is a co-founder of Beyond Animal, an online platform to accelerate the growth of a thriving vegan economy, and the chair of Beyond Cruelty Foundation, formed to campaign for zero animal exploitation and to fund safe havens for animals.
Previously, she was a research analyst, partner and shareholder at alternatives advisory firm Albourne Partners, covering managers globally across systematic quantitative equity, convertible and volatility and hedging strategies. Claire also led a project to expand Albourne’s proprietary database on alternatives managers and digitize the research process.
Prior to joining Albourne in 2004, Claire provided bespoke hedge fund research to London funds of funds and published well over 100 articles in the financial press. From 1986 to 1998 Claire was employed at various UBS group companies as a derivatives broker, marketer and structurer. Claire started her career in 1985 as a credit analyst at Chase Manhattan Bank after completing a Masters program in Chemical Engineering and Management at Imperial College, London.
Claire founded 100 Women in Finance in Geneva in 2007 and oversaw its growth in Switzerland through till 2014, as a member of the London Board, organizing over 100 events, including seven Galas which raised well over $1 million for charity.
Since 2013 Claire has served on the Board of AVVEC, a Geneva-based charity that provides support to victims of domestic violence.
Chris Solarz
Chris Solarz is the CIO of Digital Assets at Amitis Capital. In his early career, Chris worked at several major institutions including CIBC World Markets, Société Générale Barr Devlin, Antarctica Asset Management and ING Investment Management. In 2010, he joined SAIL Advisors (the family office of the founder of Duty-Free Shoppers) as Head of Research for Tactical Trading and Relative Value Strategies. He later joined Cliffwater LLC as Managing Director covering global macro and relative value strategies on the hedge fund research team. Most recently, Chris was the CIO of Digital Assets at Forest Road, where he oversaw a digital assets-focused venture capital fund of funds.
Chris has a BA in Economics and Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and a MComm in Finance from the University of New South Wales, where he was a Federation Scholar. Chris holds the CFA, CPA, and CAIA designations. Chris has broken 9 Guinness World Records and has run marathons on all seven continents and in all 50 US states.
Soriano Group Family Office
I’m a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at the Soriano Group Family Office, a leading consortium of global enterprises some privately-held others publicly traded, of approximately 500,000 employees with offices in the United States, Europe, LatAm and Asia. My key strategic experience involved:
• Domestic and cross-border private equity-backed and strategic mergers and acquisitions involving private and publicly-listed companies;
• Private equity and venture capital fund formation & management;
• Shareholder activist matters, including Advisory Board Memberships
• Public offerings and private placements of equity securities;
• Global Business Development
• Venture capital investments.
Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of leading a number of the world’s most recognized mergers, acquisitions, public offerings and fund formation transactions.
Prior to joining The Soriano Group, I served as a VP at Goldman Sachs Private Banking side in London, UK and The World Bank Group as a Senior Financial Analyst under the Special Representative to the United Nations.
Appraisers Association of America/DGS Art Consultants
Deborah Gerstler Spanierman, AAA, is President of DGS Fine Art Consultants, Inc., a full service fine art appraisal company and private art advisory founded in 2008. With nearly 30 years in the art business, Ms. Spanierman, has a wealth of experience that is invaluable to both new and seasoned collectors. She earned her Art History degree from Barnard College/Columbia University and spent considerable time with Sotheby’s in the department of American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture followed by 10 years an Associate Director at Spanierman Gallery, LLC in New York. There she focused on sales and acquisitions of art among private collectors, corporations and museums as well as curating important exhibitions for the gallery and traveling venues.
Ms. Spanierman, is a Certified Member and President of the Board of Directors of the Appraisers Association of America, the pre-eminent membership organization for independent appraisers of fine and decorative art. She prepares appraisals necessary for financial planning; insurance schedules; damage/loss claims; settlement of estate taxes for the IRS; determination of tax relief for the IRS in a non-cash-charitable donation; equitable distribution such as division of property in a divorce or business dissolution; disposition of collections or individual works and basis for collateral loans. Her appraisals comply with the highest standards in the field, known as USPAP, Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. In a profession that is unlicensed, USPAP standards promote and maintain the highest level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers that are accepted by such agencies as the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Spanierman also adheres to the Appraisers Association’s extremely stringent code of professionalism and ethics.
Ms. Spanierman advises collectors in the sale and acquisition of 19th and 20th American Art, Post-War and Contemporary and Fine Art Prints. Her art advisory services are confidential to protect clients’ privacy. They include assistance in developing areas of interest for collectors, both new and experienced; advice on purchase and sale of works of art privately and at auction; market analysis, determination of value and sensitive price negotiation; evaluation of condition; research and documentation; assistance with framing and installation.
Ms. Spanierman speaks on issues relating to art collecting and valuation. She was presented at the Appraisers Association’s 2009 National Conference entitled New Vistas in the Marketplace and on November 15th, 2011 participated on a panel entitled Beyond Valuation: A Practical Discussion of Stolen Art Issues and the Legal and Ethical Questions Faced by the Collector and Appraiser held at New York University’s annual Art Law Day. She is also a Chubb Masterpiece ® Protection Network Preferred Provider, an Antiques Roadshow appraiser, and has taught as an Adjunct Instructor in the Appraisal Certificate Program at New York University’s School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies.
Michael Spiro
Michael Spiro chairs the firm’s Tax group where his practice focuses on providing federal and state tax advice in connection with domestic and international transactions, including hedge and private equity fund formations, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity financings and restructurings.
Mr. Spiro holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a Senior Editor of the Journal of International Economic Law; an LL.M. in Taxation from Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he was the recipient of the Faculty Award in Taxation; and a B.A., magna cum laude from Brandeis University.
Mr. Spiro is admitted to practice in the States of Connecticut and New Jersey and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section of the Connecticut Bar Association. Mr. Spiro also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Taxation at the Fairfield University Dolan School of Business.
