2024 Investment Adviser Compliance Conference

Conference Registration/Exhibit Hall

Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors

Find your old friends, make new ones, and get to know the exhibitors.

Welcome Remarks

• Karen L. Barr, President & CEO, Investment Adviser Association
• Alison E. Baur, Deputy General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; Chair, IAA Board of Governors

GENERAL SESSION: SEC Division of Investment Management: A Conversation with Director William Birdthistle

• William A. Birdthistle, Director, SEC Division of Investment Management
• Gail C. Bernstein, General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association

GENERAL SESSION: A Conversation with SEC Divisions of Examinations and Enforcement

• Natasha Vij Greiner, Deputy Director and National Associate Director of the Investment Adviser/Investment Company Examination Program, SEC Division of Examinations
• Corey Schuster, Co-Chief, Asset Management Unit, SEC Division of Enforcement
• Gail C. Bernstein, General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association

Networking Break

Concurrent Compliance Breakout Sessions

Choose one of four sessions to attend. Video recordings of these breakout sessions will be provided.  

AI, Behavioral Prompts, and Other Emerging Technology – Risk Governance and Conflicts Management
Learn best practices around risk governance, conflicts, and advisers’ compliance obligations for the use of artificial intelligence, models, and other new technologies. The panel will also explore the SEC’s proposal on the use of predictive data analytics.

• Jen Klass, Partner, K&L Gates
• Seth Rosenbloom, General Counsel, Betterment
• Danielle Nicholson Smith, Vice President and Managing Legal Counsel – U.S. Communications and Digital Services, T. Rowe Price
• Sanjay Lamba, Associate General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association (Moderator)

New Private Fund Adviser Rules
This panel will explore new requirements and interpretive questions around new rules for private fund advisers. Hear the latest on how to tackle rules on quarterly statements, restricted activities, preferential treatment, private fund adviser audits, adviser-led secondaries, and recordkeeping.

• Josh Levit, Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Ltd.
• Alpa Patel, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Julia Reyes, CIPM, Partner, ACA Group
• Andrea Santoriello, Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
• Monique Botkin, Associate General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association (Moderator)

Smaller Advisers: Making the Most of Compliance
This panel will focus on best practices for smaller advisers including maximizing your compliance resources to effectively implement your compliance program. Explore compliance challenges and practical strategies around fees, billing, disclosures, compliance testing, technology, annual reviews, integrating new businesses, and more. Hear how to prioritize your to-do list to make the most impact.

• Bliss Bernal, IACCP®, Chief Compliance Officer, Crestone Capital LLC
• Katie McGinley, Chief Compliance Officer/Investment Counselor, Mitchell McLeod Pugh & Williams
• Erik Olsen, Chief Compliance Officer, Vident Asset Management
• Patrick D. Hayes, Partner, Calfee (Moderator)

Registered Investment Companies Update
Examine the latest trends and compliance best practices for registered investment companies, including mutual funds and ETFs, around the 15(c) process for advisers and other governance practices around fees, disclosures and reporting, 38a-1 compliance programs, the names rule, the use of derivatives, fair valuation, and liquidity risk management.

• Naseem Nixon, Vice President and Associate Counsel, Capital Group
• Reza Pishva, Director, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer, Payden & Rygel
• Jennifer Reiche, IACCP®, Chief Compliance Officer, Eventide
• Sara P. Crovitz, Partner, Stradley Ronon (Moderator)

LUNCH: Hot Topics from Inside the Beltway

Gain insights into the latest regulatory and legislative landscape affecting investment advisers and the IAA’s current policy priorities.

• Langston Emerson, Partner, Mindset
• Neil A. Simon, Vice President, Government Relations, Investment Adviser Association
• Mara Shreck, Managing Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Karen L. Barr, President & CEO, Investment Adviser Association (Moderator)

Sponsored by

Concurrent Compliance Breakout Sessions

Choose one of four sessions to attend. Video recordings of these breakout sessions will be provided.

Marketing Rule Compliance: Best Practices
This panel will share best practices for compliance and lessons learned on all aspects of the new marketing rule. Learn about interpretations of the rule’s provisions and dos and don’ts. Performance, general prohibitions, recordkeeping, testimonials, endorsements, third-party ratings, and more will be covered, as well as unique issues for private fund managers.

• Robert Shapiro, Assistant Director, Chief Counsel’s Office, SEC Division of Investment Management
• Alejandro Staroselski, Senior Manager, Director of Internal Audit, Prudential Financial
• Karyn D. Vincent, CFA, CIPM, Senior Head, Global Industry Standards, CFA Institute
• Michael McGrath, Partner, Dechert LLP (Moderator)

Compliance 101
Whether you are new or seasoned, understand best practices to execute a proactive and tailored compliance program, including fostering an appropriate tone at the top of the firm, risk management, conflicts of interest, and remediation. Hear also about the SEC Division of Enforcement’s focus on creating a culture of proactive compliance.

• Maria Chambers, IACCP®, Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President, Klingenstein Fields Advisors
• Ken Joseph, Managing Director, Kroll LLC
• Kurt Wachholz, IACCP®, Managing Director, Bates Compliance
• Michelle Jacko, Managing Partner, Jacko Law Group, PC (Moderator)

InfoSec: Data Privacy and Regulation S-P
Hear from panelists on best practices for safeguarding sensitive client data and complying with evolving state, local, and federal privacy regulations. Learn about the amended Reg S-P requirements.

• Davie Baccei, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Jordan Park
• Ryan Burch, Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer at LPL Financial
• Wei Zhao, Chief Compliance Officer, Fiera Capital
• Jacob Prudhomme, Director Advisory, KPMG US (Moderator)

ERISA/DOL: Investment Advice Fiduciaries Rule and Other Developments
This panel will explore the Department of Labor’s new proposed rule defining who is an investment advice fiduciary for purposes of ERISA and related potential challenges and impacts for advisers. Learn also about current focus areas under ERISA obligations.

• Christopher Gilkerson, President, RiAdvantage Consulting LLC‬
• Aliya Robinson, Managing Legal Counsel, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, T. Rowe Price
• Jennifer Eller, Principal, Groom Law Group (Moderator)

GENERAL SESSION: Off-Channel Communications – Recordkeeping Obligations and the Use of Personal Devices and Messaging Apps

Explore the regulatory landscape around electronic communications, including use, monitoring, supervision, and recordkeeping practices. Discover best practices, compliance strategies, and trends in technology going forward around the use of personal or firm devices, messaging apps, and off-channel communications for business purposes and related compliance and recordkeeping obligations. The panel will highlight lessons learned from SEC enforcement actions.

• Adam Aderton, Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
• Mukya Porter, Principal, Chief Compliance Officer, CIM Group
• Adam Reback, Partner, Optima Partners
• C. Dabney O’Riordan, Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP (Moderator)

Sponsored by

Networking Break

GENERAL SESSION: ESG Investing and Compliance: Adapting to the Changing Environment

While investor demand for investment products and financial services that incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing factors continues to grow, regulatory requirements and scrutiny continue to increase. Hear about best practices in ESG and sustainable investing compliance programs, including disclosure, marketing, and data and portfolio management. Consider how the latest moves by the SEC, states, and other regulators may impact your firm.

• Zeena Abdul-Rahman, Branch Chief, SEC Division of Investment Management
• Kelly L. Gibson, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
• Dan Mistler, Partner, Head of ESG Advisory, ACA Group
• William Nelson, Associate General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association (Moderator)

GENERAL SESSION: DEI in the Investment Management Industry – Developments and Next Steps

Following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision in SFFA v. Harvard last June, many advisers are taking a fresh look at their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities and initiatives. This panel of legal experts will share insights they’ve gained from assisting advisers as they navigate the evolving legal landscape surrounding DEI.

• Ranah Esmaili, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
• Sofia Martos, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
• Seth Waxman, Partner, WilmerHale
• Lewis Collins, Partner and General Counsel, GW&K Investment Management (Moderator)

What to Expect on Day 2

Cocktail Reception

Sponsored by

Conference Registration/Exhibit Hall

Breakfast Compliance Roundtables

Share information with your peers about best practices from your compliance program and the role of compliance in your firm. Choose the roundtable topic that interests you:

Concurrent Meetings

These meetings are for group/committee members only and registration is required.

• IAA Marketing Implementation Group
• IAA Private Fund Advisers Implementation Group
• IAA Smaller Advisers Committee

GENERAL SESSION: Ethics for Advisers: Compliance with Fiduciary Standards – Part 1

An adviser’s code of ethics reflects its fiduciary obligation to its client, including the duty of loyalty and duty of care. Discuss code of ethics requirements and best practices for monitoring, testing, administering, and enforcing these policies and conflicts of interest. This session is approved for one hour of IACCP® continuing education ethics credit.

• Max Mejiborsky, Vice President Compliance Services, Executive Consultant, COMPLY
• Kim Versace, Chief Compliance Officer, National Real Estate Advisors, LLC
• Steven A. Yadegari, Chief Executive Officer, FiSolve
• A. Valerie Mirko, Partner, Armstrong Teasdale (Moderator)

Networking Break with Exhibitors

GENERAL SESSION: Fireside Chat with SEC Chair Gary Gensler

• The Honorable Gary Gensler, Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Karen L. Barr, President & CEO, Investment Adviser Association

Networking Break with Exhibitors

Concurrent Compliance Breakout Sessions

Choose one of four sessions to attend. Video recordings of these breakout sessions will be provided.

Cybersecurity Programs
Hear the latest on the SEC’s proposed cybersecurity risk management rules, including how to put into practice lessons learned from recent Division of Examinations Risk Alerts and Division of Enforcement cases. Keep apprised of the latest cybersecurity updates. Benchmark your program to proactively improve cyber hygiene and risk governance through information security and operational resiliency to protect your firm against ransomware, account takeovers, and credential compromise.

• Smaller and Medium Firms
  • Gordon Eng, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, SKY Harbor Capital Management, LLC
  • Christian Kelly, CISSP, Chief Technology Officer, Xantrion
  • Rachel Kuo, Senior Counsel, SEC Division of Investment Management
  • Joseph Mannon, Shareholder, VedderPrice (Moderator)
• Larger Firms
  • Katie Gorham, Associate Counsel, Global Technology & Cybersecurity, Capital Group
  • Kathryn (Kate) Mellinger, Associate Counsel, Privacy and Data Protection, Vanguard
  • E.J. Yerzak, Managing Director, SalusGRC
  • Charu A. Chandrasekhar, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (Moderator)

Private Equity Fund Advisers: Hot Topics in SEC Examinations
This panel will examine top examination areas for private equity fund advisers, including calculation and allocation of fees and expenses, contractual obligations and disclosure, portfolio management and fiduciary duty considerations, and valuation practices.

• Letti de Little, Chief Compliance Officer, Grain Management
• Christopher Mulligan, Investment Adviser/Private Funds Senior Advisor, SEC Division of Examinations
• Sean Murphy, Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, EIG Partners
• Jason Brown, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP (Moderator)

Compliance in the Era of M&A
This panel will explore challenges and opportunities in structuring a compliance program in the evolving landscape of mergers and acquisitions of advisory firms. Gain insights about initial due diligence and regulatory considerations; integrating processes, systems, and technology around portfolio management, billing, and CRM; and the impact acquisitions have on the annual compliance program testing.

• Matt Ahlstrand, Vice President of Product Management and Solutions Consulting, SS&C Advent
• Tori Erker, CIA®, Sr. Compliance Monitoring and Testing Manager, Mercer Advisors
• Chad Estep, Chief Compliance Officer, Corient Private Wealth LLC
• Jamie Lynn Walter, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP (Moderator)

Lunch: Use of AI in Investing and Compliance

Few developments in this century – or arguably, any other – have caused as great a stir as the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and the widespread access to AI tools. Whether one agrees with physicist Stephen Hawking’s warning that AI could be the “worst event” in the history of civilization or takes a more optimistic view of the technology and its potential, there’s no question that this genie is out of the bottle. Our featured speaker will share his experience with AI in his role as an investor, including the pivotal role that human input continues to play in ensuring desired outcomes and cautions to bear in mind with AI’s use in our industry. 

• Max Gokhman, CFA, Head of MosaiQ Investment Strategy, Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions
• James E. Thomas, Partner, Ropes & Gray (Moderator)

Sponsored by

Concurrent Compliance Breakout Sessions

Choose one of four sessions to attend. Video recordings of these breakout sessions will be provided.

Outsourcing and Vendor Due Diligence
Join one of these breakout panels to learn best practices and insights for initial and ongoing due diligence, risk management, and monitoring of outsourcing to service providers of the adviser. Hear the latest about the SEC’s proposed requirements for outsourcing “covered functions” to service providers.

• Smaller and Medium Firms
  • Joe LaFemina, Director, Solutions Management, Managed Services, SS&C Advent
  • Gretchen Lee, Chief Compliance Officer, Clifford Swan Investment Counsel
  • Jyothi San Juan, Senior Manager, Co-Head of Compliance Management, Segall Bryant & Hamill
  • Karen A. Aspinall, Partner, Practus LLP (Moderator)
• Larger Firms
  • Andrew J. Bowden, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, TCW
  • Nevis Bregasi, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, MFS Investment Management
  • Stephen Johnson, Managing Director and Chief Counsel, Schwab Wealth & Asset Management
  • Michael B. Koffler, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland LLP (Moderator)

Safeguarding/Custody
This panel will provide clarity and practical insights into current custody rule challenges and the SEC’s proposed safeguarding rule under the Advisers Act. The proposed rule would broaden application of the current custody rule beyond clients’ funds and securities to include all client assets, expand the segregation requirements for qualified custodians, and include new real-time asset verification rules. Understand how proposed contract, recordkeeping, and audit provisions may impact advisers too.

• David Bartels, Partner, Dechert LLP
• Samuel Thomas, Senior Counsel, SEC Division of Investment Management Office of Investment Adviser Regulation
• Zephram Yowell, Senior Vice President, Senior Counsel, PIMCO
• Laura Grossman, Associate General Counsel, Investment Adviser Association (Moderator)

Proxy Voting
Learn the latest on recent actions by the SEC related to proxy voting and what advisers should focus on as we head into proxy season, including advisory agreements, policies and procedures, and oversight of third parties. Hear practical steps to take to comply with new reporting on amended Form N-PX for Form 13F filers on executive compensation “say-on-pay” votes.

• Adia Finn, Senior Manager, Compliance and Risk Management, GW&K Investment Management
• Ian J. McPheron, Head of Legal–Americas, Aviva Investors
• Paul Miller, Partner, Seward & Kissel LLP
• Mari-Anne Pisarri, Partner, Pickard Djinis and Pisarri LLP (Moderator)

Ethics for Advisers: Compliance with Fiduciary Standards – Part 2

This session will cover the protection of material nonpublic information (MNPI) and prevention of insider trading, whistleblower policy issues and scenarios, and best practices for monitoring, testing, administering, and enforcing these policies. This session is approved for one hour of IACCP® continuing education ethics credit.

• Steve Farmer, Chief Compliance Officer, Confluence Investment Management
• Caroline P. Jankowski, Partner and Chief Compliance Officer, Operose Advisors LLC
• Robert Saperstein, Chief Compliance Officer, Guggenheim Investments
• Stephanie Avakian, Partner, WilmerHale (Moderator)

Closing Remarks and Conference Adjournment

• Karen L. Barr, President & CEO, Investment Adviser Association