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Mentors

Anish Jina, Analyst, Morgan Stanley Inc.

    Investment Banking Vertical Mentor

Bio coming soon!

Connie Leung, Investment Banking Analyst, Jefferies & Company

    Investment Banking Vertical Mentor

Connie is a second-year investment banking analyst at Jefferies & Company. She is currently in the Leveraged Finance Group, focusing on potential debt financing opportunities in middle market companies. She graduated summa cum laude from UCSD with a B.S. in Management Science in 2007.

Prior to her start at Jefferies, Connie interned as a summer analyst in Sempra Energy's Corporate Development Group. While at Sempra she analyzed acquisitions and divestitures for the company and prepared materials to brief executives on potential opportunities.

Ian Nguyen, Investment Banking Senior Associate, Thien Viet Securities

    Investment Banking Vertical Mentor

Ian graduated from UCSD with a B.A. in Economics in 2007. He is currently a Senior Associate at Thien Viet Securities, a Vietnamese boutique investment bank. Ian currently manages trading account relationships where he executes equity, debt, and hybrid financing transactions for global institutional investors looking to position themselves for exposure to Vietnam via private equity or complex trading strategies. Additionally, Ian is actively involved in sourcing capital raising opportunities for M&A transactions, private placements, project financing and asset divestment. Furthermore, Ian works closely with the firm's executive management, including the former Regional Chief Equity Strategist of Merrill Lynch-Asia Pacific, on capital markets strategy.

Prior to joining Thien Viet, Ian joined the Management Associate rotational program for Citi (formerly Citigroup) in Ho Chi Minh City where he was eventually placed as a sales dealer under the Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities Group - Corporate Sales & Structuring. During his tenure at Citi, his main role was facilitating G7 currency options structuring, interest rate derivatives products, and online foreign exchange trading platforms with Vietnamese bank counterparties.

Jeffrey Lonsdale, Senior Associate, Clarium Capital

    Investment Management / Hedge Funds Mentor

Jeffrey Lonsdale graduated from UCSD in 2006 with a B.S. in Bioengineering. While at UCSD, Jeffrey was the Chair and Senior Energy Analyst of the Student Foundation Investment Committee. He was also involved with the Undergraduate Investment Society and mentored students during his last year at UCSD. He currently is a Senior Associate at Clarium Capital, the largest global macro hedge fund in the world.

Kameron Kordestani, Engagement Manager,
McKinsey & Co.

    Management Consulting Vertical Mentor

Bio coming soon!

Mark Higgins, Associate, MM&A Renewable Ventures

    Private Equity Vertical Mentor

Mark Higgins is an Associate at MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC where he is responsible for managing utility-scale renewable energy investments in the solar, wind and bioenergy sectors. Mr. Higgins also serves as Vice President of Finance of Hū Honua Bioenergy, LLC, a portfolio company of MMA Renewable Ventures.

Before joining MMA and Hū Honua, Mr. Higgins was an Associate in the Investment Banking division at Roth Capital Partners, where he was responsible for placing over $125 million in equity for publicly traded companies and led a number of M&A advisory projects, including a $50 million acquisition by a $1 billion company. Prior to Roth, Mr. Higgins served as the founding Associate at Finistere Partners, where he managed the launch of a $70 million Pacific-rim focused venture fund investing in the agricultural biotech and medical devices sectors. Mr. Higgins’ has also worked for the United States Foreign Commercial Service in Auckland, New Zealand, and as a systems analyst at Deloitte Consulting. Mr. Higgins holds a Masters in Pacific International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Notre Dame.

Melody Jones, Director, Stanford Financial

    Investment Banking Vertical Mentor

Bio coming soon!

Sam Farahnak, Associate, Platinum Equity Advisors

    Private Equity Vertical Mentor

Sam Farahnak is responsible for the origination and evaluation of investment opportunities at Platinum Equity. Platinum is a private equity firm headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA with over $20B in aggregate revenue and is currently in market with a $2.75B investment fund. Prior to joining Platinum, Sam spent two years as a Project Manager within the R&D group at The Toro Company. Sam holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Professional Finance Certificate from the University of California, San Diego and is a 2010 MBA Candidate at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.

Tat Sun Ho, Investment Banking Senior Associate, Thien Viet Securities

    Investment Banking Vertical Mentor

Tat Sun Ho graduated from UCSD with a B.A. in Economics in 2007 to join Thien Viet Securities (TVS), a Vietnamese boutique Investment Bank headed by
the former Regional Chief Equity Strategist of Merrill Lynch-Asia Pacific. At the firm's Sales & Trading desk, Tat is responsible for managing institutional clients facilitating equities trading while also prominently active in sourcing private equity deals and M&A transactions. He is also involved in structuring complex trading strategies and sales products for various offshore investors.