100 Women in Hedge Funds (100WHF), Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO), and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Foundation, have announced the ten recipients of the 2015 100WHF/CAIA Scholarships.
Established in 2011 by 100WHF and underwritten by PAAMCO, the scholarship program is designed to provide qualified and talented women in the alternatives industry access to an unmatched educational offering, the CAIA Charter, widely recognised as a springboard to future career accomplishments. Since its inception, the program has awarded fifty scholarships. Scholarship recipients are women who have achieved advanced levels of success in various financial fields and have expressed strong interest in furthering their careers by obtaining the CAIA Charter. The CAIA Association, which oversees the CAIA Foundation, offers the only educational program uniquely designed for individuals specialising in alternative investments.
"Investing in educational opportunities for women in alternative investments will make our industry better equipped to navigate an ever more complex investing landscape," says Jane Buchan, PhD, CAIA, Chief Executive Officer with PAAMCO and Chairman of the Board of CAIA. "We need to encourage future generations of women in our industry to develop their professional skills and funding the 100 Women in Hedge Funds CAIA Scholarships removes financial barriers to achieving that goal."
Combined with relevant professional experience and association membership, the CAIA charter is the global benchmark for alternative investment education. In order to obtain the CAIA Charter, candidates must complete a rigorous, self-directed education program that develops and promotes deep knowledge and expertise in alternative investing. Candidates who participate in the program are granted the CAIA Charter upon successful completion of two levels of qualifying exams. The scholarship program is open exclusively to women with an interest in pursuing a career in alternative investment management, with a specific focus on portfolio management.
"Our 2015 CAIA scholars represent a broad spectrum of alternative investment professionals, consistent with the international membership of 100WHF. They also underscore our association's mission to provide professional development and educational programming to the next generation of leading female professionals in the global alternative investment industry," says Mimi Drake, Chair of the 100WHF Association Board, and President of Permit Capital Advisors. "Working with the CAIA Foundation, and with the support of PAAMCO, this competitive scholarship program is a celebration of our investment in the talent and dedication of these young women, enabling them to advance their careers by obtaining the prestigious CAIA designation."
The scholarship covers enrollment and registration fees for CAIA Level I and Level II exams, associated CAIA textbooks, study courses, and the CAIA Association membership fee for the first year.
The 2015 100WHF/CAIA Scholarship recipients are as follows:
• Lacey Farrell, Investment Associate, CareGroup Investment Office, Boston, MA
• Sharon Hwang, Investor Relations Associate, Watershed Asset Management, San Francisco, CA
• Karolina Kosciolek, Investment Consultant, Prime Quadrant, Toronto, Canada
• Sheena Lee, Student, Hong Kong
• Maria Juesas Portoles, Hedge Fund Analyst, Omega Asset Management, London, UK
• Leni Ramos, Supervisor, O'Connor Davies LLP, New York, NY
• Grace Reyes, Student, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Albany, NY
• Emilia Ronnqvist-Leivo, Manager International Sales, Estlander & Partners, Helsinki, Finland
• Vanessa Singh, Analyst, Innisfree M&A, Stamford, CT
• Ayse Ulgen, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus, Paris, France
"This year's ten scholarship recipients hail from six different countries around the world, a testament to the increasingly global nature of the alternative investment industry," says William J Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of CAIA. "As a group, they reflect the kind of diverse representation that CAIA has supported since our founding more than a dozen years ago. Additionally, I gratefully acknowledge the generous commitment, leadership, and financial support of PAAMCO that are key to making this initiative a success."
