AA Advisors

Alexandra Daly

Founder & CEO

Middle East Distribution

Alexandra Daly founded AA Advisors in 2007 and has been raising capital in the alternatives industry for the last 19 years, helping raise billions of dollars for Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Private Credit, Real Estate and Venture Capital firms to date.

Prior to founding AA Advisors, Alexandra worked for the Man Group, where she cross-sold the firm’s multi-manager platforms, fund-of-funds businesses and investment services capabilities to European and UAE institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices. Previous to this, Alexandra worked at J.P. Morgan in their London office in the derivatives products group. She started her career in finance at Morgan Stanley as a member of the Fixed Income and Money Markets division.

Alexandra has a BA Honours in Law from City University of London.  

Paul Sullivan

Head of Distribution

Paul Sullivan is an experienced fundraiser in the European Private Credit Markets. He was most recently a Director in Global Capital Markets at Funding Circle plc where he managed the private and public Funds businesses, built relationships with UK pension funds and insurance companies and raised capital for SME lending. Prior to this, he was a Partner and Head of Business Development at Pemberton Asset Management where he was instrumental in the raising of Pemberton Fund I of €1.2B (European Mid-Market Direct Lending). Over his 32 years in London, Paul has developed strong and longstanding investment relationships with most of the leading UK insurance companies and pension funds.

Paul has raised money for commingled private credit funds and several large separately managed accounts for European insurers and UK Pension Funds. He has been involved in fund structuring, currency hedging, balance sheet management, loan loss provisioning, dividend/distribution policy and all aspects of financial reporting to investors. Paul is also a Senior Advisor to Clearbrook Capital Partners LLP where he originates and advises on private equity transactions in European Financial Services. He started his career in finance at Chemical Bank in New York, as an Associate in Leveraged Finance with Jimmy Lee. Paul has a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan where he majored in International Finance and Trade Theory and an MBA from Northeastern University in Corporate Finance where he attended as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Sara Simmons

Switzerland & Canadian Distribution

Sara has worked in structured credit markets for over 25 years. Covering a range of products, from securitisations, receivables-backed transactions, LBOs, syndicated loans, high yield bonds, convertibles, asset swaps to trade finance. She has worked in London, New York and Hong Kong for Bankers Trust, JP Morgan, Mizuho.

Paula crockett

EU & UK Distribution

Paula Crockett has 25+ years experience in the Credit and Structured Credit Markets, most recently at Vantage Capital where she jointly set up a desk to source and place assets between clients. Formerly she worked in the London office of UBS for over 20 years as part of the leading ABS/Structured Credit team covering UK and European clients.

Alvaro Pernas

Head of Southern EU Distribution

Alvaro Pernas began his career at Banco Santander de Negocios in Madrid in 1987 where he ran the Fixed Income Sales desk. He moved to London in 1991 to join the Morgan Stanley Fixed Income Division where he set up and ran the Iberia & Greece Fixed Income sales team (Credit and rates) until 2006 when he left to set up Bretema Capital Advisors.

Alvaro joined Marine Capital, a shipping specialist FCA registered fund manager as a partner and Director in 2007 until his departure in 2021. He also held a position as Director in Eclipse Shipping until May 2023. He currently focuses on Transition Energy, Shipping and Real Estate advisory work at Bretema Capital. He holds a Law Degree and an Economics Degree from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICADE.

Rodrigo Cortes

Real Estate Distribution

Rodrigo Cortes has over 18 years of experience in the financial and real estate sectors. He started his career at Goldman Sachs in London, where he spent 13 years in both the M&A team (with a focus on Financial Institutions) and the Equity Capital Markets team. Throughout his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Rodrigo executed a score of strategic transactions, including mergers, IPOs, capital increases, ABOs and Convertible/Exchangeable Bonds, across a wide range of sectors.

Following his relocation to Madrid, Rodrigo joined Azora Capital (c.€10bn real asset investment manager) as Head of Fundraising and Client Development, leading the in-house raising of capital for multiple investment vehicles across the hospitality, Living (BTR and Senior), industrial and renewable energy sectors. Most recently, Rodrigo was a Managing Director at Tishman Speyer, responsible for the firm’s capital partner relationships across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Southern Europe and Israel, in addition to working alongside the European acquisitions team, continuing to broaden Tishman Speyer’s investments in Spain. Rodrigo holds a BSc in Business Admin and Finance from CUNEF University, in Madrid.

Robert Ekblom

Nordics Distribution

Mr Ekblom has thirty years of experience in Sales and Marketing of Fixed Income Credit Products, Structured Solutions and Alternative Investments to Institutional Investors, Family Offices and Private Wealth Managers. He has been Head of the Nordic Region at Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers and RBS Global Markets. He has directly represented asset managers and worked with allocators in Alternative Investments since 2005, and has successfully seeded several new talented mangers, assisted established mangers in growing AUM, and has brought several new concepts and solutions to market. Mr Ekblom holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Dayton, an MBA in Finance from Stern School of Business at New York University, and Executive Education Diplomas from Harvard Business School. 

Robbie Ekblom

Nordics & Switzerland Distribution

With a deep commitment to sustainability and financial services, Robbie has led initiatives and advisory roles across multiple sectors.  As the Founder of the Suomen Metsä initiative, he has worked to protect Finland’s natural heritage, combat deforestation, and foster community-driven environmental action.

In 2020, Robbie launched Pendulum Advisors, a firm dedicated to guiding global asset managers in expanding into the Nordic market. At Ernst & Young (EY) Nordic, Robbie supported regulatory, compliance, and sustainability efforts.  Collaborating across multiple teams to assist fund managers in regulatory compliance and business development. At Haven Green, he represented impact-driven asset managers and served on the firm’s Sustainability Committee. 

At GRIT Governance, he drove expansion efforts for international fund managers, particularly from North America, into European markets.  Previously, he supported the Nordic, Scandinavian, and U.K. Asset Management teams at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM).

Raj Dhown

Asian Distribution

Raj Dhown has 30+ years of experience dealing with and advising financial institutions in both Europe and Asia in respect of a wide mandate that covers risk & capital management, various forms of financing and investments into alternative products. Raj recently left NatWest Markets Singapore where he ran Sales across APAC.

During his tenure at NatWest, Raj focused on delivering UK alternative debt assets (CRE, infrastructure, consumer loans, etc) to institutional investors (including life insurance cos who have adopted new Solvency 2-type Risk Based Capital regimes) across Asia under “Originate-to-Distribute” co-investment partnership platforms.

Prior to joining NatWest, Raj co-founded iCapital Advisory Limited, with offices in HK and Singapore, a private debt advisory firm that advised medium sized borrowers in Asia seeking private financing from the growing number of non-bank lenders in Asia. In addition, it was placement agent for alternative asset managers in Europe (eg Cheyne Capital) looking to raise AUM from Family Offices, Private Banks and institutional investors in Asia. Prior to this, he was a senior Managing Director at Citigroup where he was responsible for the Financial Institutions Solutions business in APAC (ex-Japan).

His role at Citi involved extensive engagement with CFOs, CIOs and regulators of financial institutions regionally to identify key problems & issues and propose cross-asset class solutions including the delivery of derivative solutions and alternative investments. Raj was also responsible for the Citi International Funds Distribution business in APAC. Prior to his eight years at Citi, Raj held various senior client-facing roles at Lehman Bros, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan in Europe. Raj is a qualified UK Chartered Accountant (having previously worked at Price Waterhouse Coopers) and holds a BA Hons in Economics from Manchester University.

BARRY MCALINDEN

Asian Distribution

Barry has over 25 years of financial services experience. He has been based in the Asia Pacific region since 2002, with the last seven years spent in Singapore. His focus is on marketing of investment funds throughout the region. His investment career commenced in institutional equities, firstly in equity research, with Deutsche Bank in Sydney, then Asian equity sales with CLSA and as a Director at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong.

The early part of his career was spent in chartered accounting, concluding as a Manager with EY. Barry holds a BA (Hons) in Accounting & Law from the University of Manchester, a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Alessandro CitTerio

Latin American & Italian Distribution

Alessandro Citterio is an experienced investment professional with over 30 years across asset management, fund distribution, and capital markets in Europe and Latin America. He began his career in London with roles at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Nomura, and Bankers Trust, before transitioning into hedge fund management and launching the London office of Unifortune Investment Management.

In 2007, Alessandro moved to Chile, where he founded the hedge fund arm of LarrainVial and later co-founded Lanin Partners, managing Latin American equity strategies. As CEO and Partner of Azimut Investments AGF, he led the firm’s institutional distribution across seven Latin American countries, engaging with over 200 institutional clients.

Alessandro holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a cum laude degree from Bocconi University. He speaks six languages.

ANDREA BATTINI

Latin American Distribution

Andrea has over 25 years of experience in developing high-impact strategies for insurance companies and pensions funds in different Latin American countries. Andrea started his career at Assicurazioni Generali head office in Italy before spending 13 years in Mexico at the Joint Venture with Grupo Financiero Banorte, where he covered the role of director of actuarial functions and also the position of CEO of the annuity business, where he drove the company to lead the industry in market share.  He also covered the role of president of the Annuities Committee inside the Mexican Insurance association. Subsequently, he was CEO of Generali subsidiary in Ecuador.

Most recently, Andrea served in Chile as CEO of AFP PlanVital, one of the most dynamic and fast-growing Chilean pension funds, where he outperformed competitors both in AUM growth and investment return, reaching the first rank in the industry. Additionally, he served as senior advisor at McKinsey.

Andrea holds a BS in Statistics and Actuarial Sciences from the University of Triest in Italy and is a certified actuary by the Italian Society of Actuaries. He holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from IPADE Business School in Mexico as well as executive certificates from IMD Business School, London Business School and MIT.

Nick Monogenis

North American Distribution

Nick Monogenis brings over two decades of experience in institutional sales, investor relations, and capital raising across hedge funds, private credit, and private equity. With a career anchored in client-focused capital markets, Nick has built and led investor engagement strategies for both established and emerging investment platforms.

Nick began his career at AIG before spending nearly 13 years at Portales Partners as Managing Director of Equities Sales, where he helped institutional investors navigate the U.S. financials sector through independent sell-side research. He then served as Director of Business Development and Investor Relations for North America at Algebris Investments, leading capital development efforts and expanding the firm’s footprint across U.S. institutional and consultant channels.

Most recently, Nick served as Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at Scopia Capital Management, where he led investor communications and fundraising strategy for the firm’s long/short equity hedge fund.

Nick holds a BA in American Studies from Bates College and an MBA in Finance from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester.

steve nelson

Founder

Steve Nelson founded The Nelson Group in 2020 with a vision to provide capital formation and consultation for emerging and niche asset managers. With nearly 20 years of experience, Steve’s network of relationships extends deeply into the institutional, family office, and RIA space, offering The Nelson Group a unique advantage in connecting with a diverse array of clients. Steve’s extensive connections within the ultra-high-net-worth (“UHNW”) sector and RIA space specifically enhance the firm’s ability to navigate these specialized domains.

Steve brings his investor relationships and knowledge of structuring vehicles for family office and HNW investors to help Shelter Rock navigate the environment on behalf of its clients. Previously, Steve served as Managing Director at Magnetar Capital, a leading alternative asset manager specializing in fixed-income energy, quantitative, and event-driven strategies. Steve also contributed to the investor relations team at Och-Ziff and gained valuable investment experience at SCS Financial and Alternative Investment Partners (AIP). 

Steve received his BA in Economics from Hamilton College, where he was a member of the varsity basketball team.

eric perrY

Managing Director

Eric Perry has over 25 years of experience, primarily focused on business development and investor relations. Eric brings his extensive network of investor relationships, which focuses on the UHNW, family office and institutional space, as well as capital formation expertise for drawdown and evergreen structures. Previously, Eric served as a Managing Director on Varde Partners’ business development team for eight years, where he played a pivotal role in building new client relationships across institutional and family office investors in North America, the Middle East, and Australia.

Eric also partnered with former Varde colleagues to launch Hyland Hill, an alternative credit investment firm, where he and his partners successfully raised their first institutional fund. Prior to Varde and Hyland Hill, Eric was a Senior Vice President in Business Development at Mesirow Financial and spent two years in Abu Dhabi as part of a joint venture with Mubadala, a United Arab Emirates investment company. Eric also spent time on the business development team at UBS. 

Eric received his BA in Geography and Economics from St. Cloud State University.

ROB SCHWAB

Managing Director

Rob Schwab brings over 15 years of experience spanning hedge funds, credit, and private investments. Over the course of his career, Rob has built an extensive network of relationships with institutional and UHNW investors.

Previously, Rob served as the head of IR & Marketing at Anchor Bolt Capital and was a member of the IR & Marketing team at Och-Ziff Capital Management. Rob also spent time at Hatteras Funds, Goldman Sachs, and Putnam Investments. 

Rob received his BA in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross and is a CAIA charterholder.

Joanna Koczuk

Head of Project Management

Joanna Koczuk is an Investor Relations and Fundraising professional with 8 years experience. She was most recently Head of Investor Relations at Ventuure, a market leading agency for high growth Series A & B companies, where she specialised in preparing investor reports, presentations, communications, and assisted in fundraising initiatives across the platform for venture fund clients, amongst other roles. Joanna was previously Head of Investor Relations and Fundraising at Picus Capital, an early stage technology investment firm, where she focused on the fundraise for Picus Venture Fund II. Prior to that, Joanna worked as a Distribution Business Manager and in Private Asset Sales for Schroders Capital in London where she was part of the private markets team and helped to quadruple the size of the platform in three years. She worked on implementing cross selling and new client acquisition strategies and contributed to strategic distribution acquisitions. Joanna holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a MBA degree from Imperial College Business School. 

Marco ceresa

Project Management & Investor Relations

Marco Ceresa is an experienced markets professional with extensive and versatile experience in both sales and operations across various asset classes at top-tier financial institutions. Marco spent 6 years at HSBC where he was responsible for maximising efficiency and reducing costs, whilst gaining market share across Fixed Income markets with HSBC’s Strategic and Focus clients. 

Prior to that, he was at UBS for over 8 years where he worked on the Institutional Fixed Income sales desk. Marco specialises in selling Fixed Income products to institutional clients such as Sovereign Wealth Funds, Central banks, Asset managers and Hedge Funds. Products include Government and Corporate Bonds, Interest rates swaps, Bond futures, STIR, CDS. Operational experiences spans across Equity and Fixed Income asset classes. Marco holds a BA in Economics from Fairfield University.

HanaH Ovenstone

Investor Relations

Hanah is responsible for investor relations and runs project administration alongside interfacing with AA Advisors general partner clients.