HedgeMark International has hosted the first of its newly launched “Meet the Managers” series at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

The inaugural breakfast gave qualified attendees the opportunity to learn more about the strategies and investment outlooks of three well established fund managers.

Speaking to the more than 50 attendees at this event were Michael Haynes, managing director with Beach Point Capital Management; Robert Jaffe, chief investment officer and founding partner with Force Capital Management; and Robert Kim, portfolio manager with Visium Asset Management. All three took part in a panel discussion moderated jointly by HedgeMark’s founder and chief executive Kenneth S. Phillips and Hiroshi Harada, HedgeMark’s head of manager research.

Following the panel discussion, each manager conducted three breakout sessions, giving each attendee the chance to speak with them personally.

“Bringing together sophisticated investment professionals and interesting managers is something that is at the core of the HedgeMark philosophy,” said Phillips. “We’re very pleased with how our first event was received and we look forward to adding more educational events like this to the calendar across the country in the months to come.”

HedgeMark’s “Meet the Managers” events join the firm’s global “Forums” Thought Leadership series. The most recent Forum in London, held earlier this month, drew more than 100 investment professionals for panels and presentations. A recent Forum in Tokyo drew more than 125 senior-level professionals while the inaugural Forum in New York a year ago drew more than 350 attendees. Additional Forums are being planned for major US cities, Singapore and Sydney, Australia.