Banking and Finance: Trends, Updates, 2021 Visionaries

Mohamed “Mike” Ahmar is a founder and the executive chairman of the board of Partners Bank of California.

For more than 30 years, clients have relied on Barney Allison of Nossaman for practical and strategic guidance in the public finance and infrastructure fields.

As the principal of Abacus Financial Management Group, Belva Anakwenze serves as a virtual CFO for several creatives in Los Angeles.

As president of business banking for Bank of America, Los Angeles-based Raul A.

Andrew Apfelberg, a partner at Greenberg Glusker LLP, is a corporate and finance attorney for middle-market companies throughout the United States

Bita Ardalan is managing director and head of Commercial Banking for MUFG Union Bank.

Ed Bagdasarian, of Intrepid Investment Bankers, has a professional career that spans more than three decades.

Frida Bank of CTBC Bank USA stands out for her leadership roles at top Los Angeles area banks.

With more than two decades of experience, Bruce Behnam leads Accenture’s banking and payments business in the West

Gal Ben-Naim is a highly experienced and talented private banking and investment management professional with an unwavering dedication to his clients’ success.

Deborah Benton is the founding partner of Willow Growth Partners, an early-stage consumer fund focused on investing in visionary entrepreneurs building the next generation of iconic brands and the technology that supports them.

Jan Brzeski founded Arixa Capital in 2006 and serves as managing director and chief investment officer.

Sherry Cefali is a managing director in the Transaction Opinions practice and the head of Duff & Phelps’ Los Angeles office of approximately 100 people.

Curt Christianssen has dedicated most of his career working in the banking industry, with a specific focus on community banks.

When Kelly Coffey took the job of CEO of the largest bank based in Los Angeles, City National Bank, two years ago, she became the bank’s fourth chief executive officer and is now one of only four women CEOs among the largest 50 banks in the country.

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Malcolm Davies of George Smith Partners has over 20 years of experience as an award-winning capital advisor and developer, having advised and been involved with nearly $7 billion worth of financings, both in the equity and debt markets.

Eva Davis of Winston & Strawn LLP works with some of the most active private equity funds in the country.

Jacky Dilfer, CEO of Business Finance Capital, is a trusted advisor, helping her clients grow their businesses, create job opportunities, and better serve their communities.

Caroline Djang of Best Best & Krieger is a leading business attorney and authority in bankruptcy law whom debtors, creditors, trustees and an array of other parties rely on

Gene Dunford of Umpqua Bank has been in the banking industry for 30 years and has worked with both large and small banks.

California Bank & Trust recently announced the promotion of Eric Ellingsen, a banking industry leader and company veteran of over 20 years, from president and COO to CEO, effective January 4, 2021.

Meredith Esarey is a senior vice president and regional manager for 1st Century Bank and is responsible for leading her team in developing new commercial banking clients.

Gilbert Estrada brings more than 35 years of financial experience to his role as senior vice president and regional manager of the Inland Empire for Citizens Business Bank.

Brian Ford is a Debt Finance partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland and Ellis where he continuously leads complex financing transactions for some of the firm’s most prominent clients, including Oaktree Capital Management and Francisco Partners.

Jim Freedman is managing director, chairman, and founding principal of Intrepid Investment Bankers.

Danielle Garcia of Holland & Knight LLP is a financial services attorney who focuses on representing lenders in secured finance transactions on an asset-based, recurring revenue, cashflow and leverage basis.

Ross Gerber is the co-founder, president and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management.

Russell Goldsmith serves as chairman of both City National Bank and RBC Wealth Management in the United States.

Lloyd Greif is at the top of his game in his field, which is M&A deal-making

Channing Hamlet is a managing director and co-owner of Objective Capital Partners, a leading investment banking and valuation firm serving the lower middle market.

Patrick Harder, chair of Nossaman’s Infrastructure Practice Group, has served as the leader of the legal team advising on several of the largest, most innovative, impactful and technically complex public-private partnership (P3) projects in the United States and California.

Jeri Harman of Avante Capital Partners has built teams and markets for major institutional investors and founded and run a highly successful private asset management business.

Based in Los Angeles, Michele Havens is Northern Trust’s president of the West Region.

Jeremy Holland, Managing Partner of the Riverside Company, moved to Los Angeles from Bakersfield to attend CSU Northridge, and he has remained in L.A. throughout his career.

Brad Holtmeier is a partner at CriticalPoint Capital (CPC), an operations-focused private equity firm in the middle market.

Carolyn Hunt, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, is regarded as an authority in the film and television finance and distribution arenas.

David Iannini of William & Henry Associates has over 30 years of investment banking transaction experience, having held senior positions at Salomon Brothers and Schroders, among others

Shadi Jahangir, partner at Blank Rome LLP, focuses her practice in the areas of commercial lending and corporate finance.

Catherine Jooyan is a senior vice president responsible for SBA lending in Southern California, as well as several mid-western states, for US Bank.

Danilo Kawasaki, Vice President and COO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, oversees the compliance and day-today operations of the firm.

Ron Kent, partner, West Region Financial Services Leader, RSM US LLP, is an accomplished audit partner with more than 30 years of experience in public accounting.

A s IDB Bank’s regional manager for California, Kiyoun Kim oversees the bank’s full-service branches in Downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.

Andrew Kline, managing director and founder of Park Lane, brings a broad background of professional sports experience, investment banking expertise, and industry knowledge to his firm

John Krambeer founded Camden Capital in 2004 and is a partner of the firm and the chairman of Camden Capital’s investment strategy team, where he oversees the investment management process, including manager selection and review.

Simone Lagomarsino serves as president and chief executive officer of Luther Burbank Corporation and Luther Burbank Savings.

Jason Lawit is the president of the Los Angeles region for Northern Trust.

Jonathan Lee recently began his 15th year at George Smith Partners, having moved to the firm from a home building development firm in 2006

Chris Lewis co-founded RLH and led the firm through a multi-decade trajectory of growth and success, developing from a small family office to an institutional private equity group managing assets in excess of $1 billion.

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Derek Lynn serves as Vice President, Los Angeles regional manager for Partners Bank of California.

Jim Madden of Carrick Capital Partners is an entrepreneur, investor, and pioneer of the HR Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Samuel Maizel is a partner in the Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy practice at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm.

Jenn McCabe, partner at Armanino LLP, has more than 25 years of outsourced accounting and finance experience, with a particular expertise in startups and the advertising and creative production industries.

Entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Marc F.

Rudy Medina serves as the Southern California market president for U.S.

Noor Menai, president of CTBC Bank USA, has more than 30 years of experience in global banking, having successfully led and transformed a variety of consumer and commercial businesses.

Karen Miles is a managing director and head of Houlihan Lokey’s Financial Advisory Services business for Southern California.

Steve Miller is a partner in Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP’s Finance practice, advising equity sponsors and their portfolio companies as well as strategic buyers and borrowers.

Josh Mogin is a partner at Raines Feldman LLP and head of the real estate finance practice group.

Joel Montminy founded and leads Montminy & Co., spearheading its client assignments and operations across the globe.

Steve Moon has been with Duff & Phelps Securities for over 20 years, he is managing director.

Ed Moyzes, CEO of Strategic View Advisors, was born in Kiev before the fall of the Soviet Union, eventually immigrating to Denver with his family when he was five.

Daniel Muñoz, who began his financial career in the spring of 2011, has worked in small business banking for Bank of America, Chase Bank and now CDC Small Business Finance

David Nemecek is a corporate partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ Los Angeles office.

After 25 years as a financial advisor in the corporate world, René Nourse left a major firm in 2012 to launch Urban Wealth Management Group.

Kevin O’Malley, partner at Blank Rome LLP, concentrates his practice on financial services and secured lending across several industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and technology.

Co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Structured Finance Practice, Daniel Passage has more than 25 years of experience structuring programs for the origination, financing, and securitization of novel or esoteric financial assets.

Anant has over 25 years of public accounting experience and leads GHJ’s Advisory and Transaction Advisory Services practices and is a member of GHJ’s Executive Committee

Jim Pitrat has been the managing partner of SingerLewak LLP since 2013.

Nishen Radia is managing partner and co-founder of FocalPoint Partners, a leading investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles.

As CEO and founder of Parkview Financial, Paul Rahimian manages a national debt fund that provides construction financing to ground-up real estate development projects.

Bonnie Rubin is currently an executive vice president with 1st Century Bank, a division of MidFirst Bank.

Trevor Saliba is NMS Consulting’s managing partner and global head of private equity, M&A and strategy of NMS Consulting, based in the firm’s Beverly Hills headquarters

Mark Sampson co-founded Pacific Growth Investors and its predecessor fund, Vintage Capital Partners, to accelerate value creation at lower middle market companies.

Amanda Schutzbank of Willow Growth Partners spent the last six years investing in and supporting portfolio companies.

John Schweisberger serves as Armanino’s partner-in-charge of the Business Outsourcing Services practice.

Greg Seibly stepped into his role at Union Bank at the beginning of March 2020, joining Union Bank from Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, where he served as president and CEO.

Shainberg leads EastWest Bank’s New Media Lending Group, leveraging her 10+ years of experience in the new media, advertising and technology industries.

Dan Shea is a managing director of Objective Capital Partners, a leading investment banking and valuation firm serving the lower middle market.

LaVon Short of Citizens Business Bank has more than 40 years of financial services experience.

Dan Shumovich is a principal of business risk consulting at RSM US LLP.

Routinely listed among the best lawyers in America for banking and finance litigation, Lisa Simonetti joined Greenberg Traurig in 2019.

Aaron Solganick of Solganick & Co. has built a strong boutique investment bank focused exclusively on software and technology companies over the past 11 years.

Alex Soltani founded Skyview Capital in 2005 and is chairman of the firm’s executive and investment committees.

Stoddard is currently a partner in Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP’s Transactional Finance Practice

Duane Stullich is managing partner and co-founder of FocalPoint Partners, a leading international boutique investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles.

Paul Sweeney is a member of the K&L Gates LLP Los Angeles office’s commercial litigation group

When a childhood friend introduced him to Northwestern Mutual, James Verzino discovered a place where he could truly lead and inspire people.

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A founding partner, Jeffrey White has been actively involved with all M&A efforts at Skyview Capital since its inception.

Jared Wolff is President and Chief Executive Officer of Banc of California, Inc., one of the state’s leading full-service business banks.

Matthew Wrysinski is co-leader of Alston & Bird’s Finance Group, the largest transactional practice in the firm, with over 100 attorneys.

Matt Young is the founder and CEO of the investment banking firm CriticalPoint Partners (CPP).

Boryana Zamanoff of BNY Mellon works with high-net worth multigenerational families and entrepreneurs as well as their private foundations

Beyond serving as the partner-in-charge of Barnes & Thornburg’s San Diego office, Troy Zander counsels banks and non-regulated lenders.