MFA announces new Board Chair and welcomes new Board members for 2024-2025

Washington, D.C. - MFA announced its new Board Chair and members of its Board of Directors for the 2025 fiscal year today. The new Board members include leading executives from preeminent alternative asset management firms and service provider organizations.

Jody Gunderson, Managing Principal of AB CarVal was elected Board Chair by the MFA Board of Directors. Gunderson assumes the role from Natalie Birrell, President and Partner of Anchorage Capital Group, who oversaw the transformation of MFA into a more proactive association. Gunderson, who previously served as a Board member from 2020 - 2024, will serve a two-year term as MFA Board Chair. David Zirin, Chief Operating Officer of Pentwater Capital Management, will continue in his role as Vice Chair.

Under Birrell's leadership, MFA increased membership by 25% and expanded internationally-opening new offices in Brussels and London. Additionally for the first time as an organization, MFA, along with other trade associations, initiated legal challenges against the SEC for acting outside its statutory authority and violating the Administrative Procedure Act when instituting rulemaking. MFA's legal challenge successfully vacated the Private Fund Advisers Rule. Additionally, MFA enhanced its conference platform, attracting record attendance at MFA conferences. MFA also rebranded to better reflect the diverse strategies of its membership and the evolving role in the industry.

"The alternative asset management industry is forever grateful to Natalie Birrell for her many contributions and partnership as Board Chair during a period of significant organizational transformation. Under her leadership, MFA expanded its global presence, strengthened its relationships with policymakers, and enhanced its value to members. We also thank the outgoing board members for their support and service," said Bryan Corbett, MFA President and CEO.

"MFA is excited to welcome Jody Gunderson as our new Board Chair. Jody's extensive experience as a leader in the alternative asset management industry will enable MFA to continue delivering value for our members. She and the other members of the Board will be crucial in MFA advancing the interests of alternative asset managers amid unprecedented global regulatory scrutiny," Corbett concluded.

"I'm honored to serve as MFA Board Chair at this pivotal time for our industry," said Jody Gunderson, Chair of the MFA Board of Directors. "Building on the strong foundation established under Natalie's leadership, I look forward to working with our Board to navigate the industry's evolving landscape. Our collective expertise and commitment will be critical in ensuring that the alternative asset management industry continues to deliver value for institutional investors, including pensions, foundations, and endowments."
New members of the MFA Board include:

Elected Directors:

• Shawn Fagan, Chief Legal Officer, Citadel
• Heather Harris, Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer, HBK Capital Management
• Kristy Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer, Whale Rock Capital Management
• Kris Mastronardi, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer, Global Head of Strategy, King Street Capital Management
• Jamie Raboy, Partner & Chief Operating Officer, Marathon Asset Management
• Rose Shabet, Chief Operating Officer, Viking Global Investors
• Matt Siclari, General Counsel, Balyasny Asset Management
• Kerry Tyler, Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Lone Pine Capital
• Nathan Urquhart, President, Coatue Management

Appointed Directors:

• Alan Flanagan, Global Head of Client Coverage, Asset Servicing, BNY
• Phil Han, Americas Co-Head of Prime Brokerage Sales and Global Head of the Systematic Client Franchise, Goldman Sachs
• Natalie Horton, Managing Director, Global Head of Financing, UBS
• Barry Knee, Assurance Partner, PwC
• Eamon McCooey, Managing Director, Head of Equity Finance & FCM Equities, Wells Fargo
• Penny Novick, Global Co-Head of Prime Brokerage, Morgan Stanley
• Lance Zinman, Partner & Global Chair, Financial Markets and Funds Department, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Fifteen Board members concluded their terms in September 2024. Their service helped MFA become a more proactive and dynamic organization. Their leadership and contributions laid a strong foundation for continued impact.

Outgoing board members:

• Natalie Birrell, President & Partner, Anchorage Capital Group
• Julia Dailey, Chief Operating Officer, Holocene Advisors
• Brian Daly, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
• Bruce Darringer, Advisor, King Street Capital Management
• Eric Epstein, Vice Chairman, Davidson Kempner Capital Management
• Peter Greene, Co-Head of the Investment Management Group, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
• Chris Hayward, President, GoldenTree Asset Management
• Natalie Deak Jaros, Partner, Financial Services, Ernest & Young LLP
• Mike Kelleher, Managing Director, Americas Head of Equity Finance, J.P. Morgan
• David Lohuis, Managing Director & Chairman of Global Financing, Barclays Investment Bank
• Anthony Paquette, Chief Financial Officer, Point72
• Ted Post, Co-Head of Prime Brokerage, Head of Prime Sales Americas, BNP Paribas
• Shailini Rao, Advisory Board Member, Diameter Capital Partners
• Gil Raviv, General Counsel, Millennium Management
• Carl Stewart, Vice Chairman, HSBC Bank

Board terms started on October 1, 2024. The full list of MFA Board of Directors is available here.

About the global alternative asset management industry

The global alternative asset management industry, including hedge funds, credit funds, and crossover funds, has assets under management of $5.5 trillion (Q3 2023). The industry serves thousands of public and private pension funds, charitable endowments, foundations, sovereign governments, and other global institutional investors by providing portfolio diversification and risk-adjusted returns to help meet their funding obligations and return targets.

About MFA

Managed Funds Association (MFA), based in Washington, DC, New York, Brussels, and London, represents the global alternative asset management industry. MFA's mission is to advance the ability of alternative asset managers to raise capital, invest, and generate returns for their beneficiaries. MFA advocates on behalf of its membership and convenes stakeholders to address global regulatory, operational, and business issues. MFA has more than 180 member fund managers, including traditional hedge funds, credit funds, and crossover funds, that collectively manage over $3.2 trillion across a diverse group of investment strategies. Member firms help pension plans, university endowments, charitable foundations, and other institutional investors to diversify their investments, manage risk, and generate attractive returns over time.