Presenter Spotlight: 2020 ASA International Conference – Business Valuation Sessions

The ASA International Conference is the leading event for the global valuation profession. Backed by nearly a century of continued success, the Conference attracts thought leaders, practitioners, allied professionals, vendor partners, government agency personnel and more from all parts of the world.

Unlike any conference before, this year’s offering will be completely virtual, promising a fresh and innovative experience, where valuers will learn and connect with results. Attendees will save time and money with our online format; explore the latest ideas, trends and best practices with leading presenters; interact and engage with fellow professionals via e-networking opportunities. Don’t miss this future-changing experience.

Below is a spotlight of the event’s Business Valuation session presenters*:

Bradford Cornell is Emeritus Professor of Finance at UCLA. He has nearly 40 years of experience teaching economics and finance at prestigious universities like UCLA, USC and Caltech; and considered one of the world’s leading experts in the development of valuation theory and its application to legal analysis, investment, and appraisal. Mr. Cornell also has considerable professional experience as an advisor to investment firms, a financial consultant, and as an expert witness in high-profile litigation in dozens of cases. His financial and valuation models have played a significant role in the outcomes of those cases and are frequently cited in judges’ decisions.

John Taylor, ASA, is Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey Financial Advisors, Inc. He has over three decades of experience in appraisal, valuation and damages; and specializes in complex analyses with a multidisciplinary approach, as well as in providing litigation support related to fair value disputes, minority-interest buyouts, bankruptcy proceedings, management efficacy, damages analysis, and royalty disputes. Mr. Taylor has been a designated member of ASA for 27 years, an active volunteer with multiple leadership positions, including most notably serving as Chair of ASA’s Appraisal Review & Management Discipline Committee.

Yuka Itami, ASA, is Senior Vice President at Houlihan Lokey Financial Advisors, Inc. She has extensive experience providing financial analysis and litigation support related to management buyouts, joint venture disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, management efficacy, damages analysis, and contract compliance/royalty disputes. In her present role she specializes in corporate financial advisory, expert witness, and dispute resolution services. Ms. Itami has been a designated member of ASA since 2019.

Brian Pearson, ASA, is a Managing Member at Valuation Advisors, LLC. He has over 30 years of experience conducting valuations of privately held businesses for a wide range of financial and tax transactions, including for estate and gift taxes, mergers and acquisitions, matrimonial matters, fairness opinions, business corporation law, buy/sell agreements, incentive compensation plans, shareholder/partner planning, shareholder/partner disputes and various other employee, tax, and litigation matters. Additionally, he also works with public and non-public companies on fair value reporting issues such as purchase price allocations and goodwill impairment testing. Mr. Pearson has been a designated member of ASA for 25 years.

Joseph Thompson, ASA, is a Director at The Griffing Group. He has over 15 years of experience as a professional in the finance industry, and has performed valuation and damages analyses for purposes of commercial litigation, estate and gift taxation, employee stock ownership plan compliance, and purchase price allocation. Additionally, he has been retained to provide expert witness testimony for plaintiffs and defendants in a number of jurisdictions. Mr. Thompson has been a designated member of ASA for 11 years.

David Neuzil is a Consultant at The Griffing Group. He has over a decade of experience in financial services covering a wide range of industries, including software, technology, financial services, energy, heavy manufacturing, communications, retail, distribution, real estate, food services and others. In in present role he provides valuation and damages analyses for purposes of commercial litigation, estate and gift taxation, employee stock ownership plan compliance, and marital dissolution.

Roger Grabowski, FASA, is Managing Director at Duff & Phelps. He has over 40 years of experience in valuation services, and has directed valuations of businesses, interests in businesses, intellectual property, intangible assets, real property and machinery and equipment, as well as been recognized in various courts as an expert on matters of solvency, the value of closely held businesses and business interests, valuation and amortization of intangible assets and other valuation issues. Mr. Grabowski has been a designated member of ASA for 43 years.

Ashok Abbott, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Finance at West Virginia University. He has nearly 30 years of experience in academia, industry and litigation consulting; and has extensively presented at national and international finance and valuation conferences, as well been published in refereed scholarly finance research journals. Mr. Abbott’s specialty areas include: premiums and discounts in business valuation assignments, active and passive appreciation in business value during marriage; while his event studies include: economic impact, discounts for lack of liquidity, lack of marketability, lack of control and merger premia.

Gil Matthews is Chairman Emeritus and Senior Managing Director at Sutter Securities, Inc. He has over five decades of experience in investment banking, having worked with a wide variety of clients in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, friendly and unfriendly tender offers, public and private offerings of securities, recapitalizations, bankruptcy and other financial restructurings, and international transactions. Mr. Matthews has testified as an expert with respect to investment banking practice, corporate valuation, fairness, and other issues in numerous Federal and state courts and before regulatory agencies.

Anthony S. Kelly is a Partner at Dechert LLP. He has nearly two decades of experience in financial services anti-corruption investigation, litigation and enforcement. His background in supervising investigations of misconduct by investment advisers and service providers to mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, private equity funds and other investment products has paved the way to his present practice focus on trial, investigations and securities litigation with an emphasis on matters concerning the asset management industry. Mr. Kelly has received multiple awards for his exemplary commitment and performance in enforcing federal securities laws.

Natalie Hoyer Keller is a Partner/Tax at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has over three decades of experience in tax and related litigation. Her present practice focus covers all aspects of tax controversies, including IRS audits, IRS appeals and litigation, as well as providing advice to U.S. and foreign multinational clients on intercompany transfer pricing planning and compliance, resolution of transfer pricing audits, competent authority and advance pricing agreements. Ms. Keller has received numerous professional recognitions and awards.

John Buley is Professor of the Practice of Finance at Duke University, Fuqua School of Business. He has nearly four decades of experience in corporate finance with advisory and leadership roles specializing in the capital markets, commercial banking, investment management, mergers and acquisitions, private placements and loan syndications. In his present role, Mr. Buley teaches Project Finance, Energy Finance, Corporate Restructuring, Advanced Seminar in Social Entrepreneurship and the Consulting Practicum.

Antonella Puca, CPA/ABV, CFA, CEIV, is a Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal Valuation Services LLC. She has more than 20 years of experience in the alternative investment industry. She has particular expertise in providing valuations of early stage companies at fair value to private equity funds and hedge funds, including the use of option pricing models and Monte Carlo Simulation. Ms. Puca also has extensive experience in the valuation of financial instruments of privately-held companies, including term loans, convertible bonds, stock options, warrants, SAFEs, as well as common and preferred stock, and contingent consideration (earnouts and clawbacks).

Roger G. Ibbotson is Professor in the Practice Emeritus of Finance, Yale School of Management and Chairman of Zebra Capital Management. He has over five decades of experience in finance and academia with extensive writing, lecturing and research on capital market returns, cost of capital and international investment. He is also founder, advisor and former chairman of Ibbotson Associates, now a Morningstar Company. Mr. Ibbotson serves on numerous boards, has received numerous professional recognitions and awards and is a frequent speaker at universities, conferences, and other forums.

Vanessa Claiborne, ASA, is President & CEO of Chaffee & Associates, Inc. She has over three decades of experience in accounting and valuation, with a focus in business valuation services primarily for estate and gift taxes, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), GAAP fair value reporting, financial reporting, corporate planning, business interruption claims, litigation support including expert testimony, exit planning, and shareholder transactions and restructuring. Ms. Claiborne has been a designated member of ASA for 26 years, and an active volunteer, most notably serving as President for the ASA New Orleans Chapter and Regional Governor for the ASA Board of Governors.

Hillary Hughes, ASA, is a Director at Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc. She has over 13 years of experience in finance specializing in the valuation of businesses and business interests for purposes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), ESOPs, gift and estate planning and strategic planning. She also is a frequent speaker in forums around the country on topics including valuation, ESOPs and ownership transition planning; and has receive multiple professional recognitions and awards. Ms. Hughes has been a designated member of ASA for 10 years.

Erin Hollis, ASA, is a Managing Member of AIW, LLC. She has two decades of experience in valuation services in both the United States and Canada focusing on transfer pricing, including the analysis of cross-border intercompany transactions for multinational companies involving tangible goods, services, and intangible properties using advanced economic and valuation models. Ms Hollis also has provided expert testimony, spoken at national conferences and published articles in leading trade journals. She has been a designated member of ASA for 13 years, an active volunteer, most notably serving as President of ASA’s Chicago chapter and Vice Chair of ASA’s Business Valuation Discipline Committee.

James Harrington, is a Director at Duff & Phelps LLC. He is an experienced and accomplished business communications expert, specializing in valuation research and reports. In his present role, he provides technical support on client engagements involving cost of capital and business valuation matters and is a leading contributor to his firm’s efforts in the development of studies, surveys, online content and tools and valuation models.

Carla Nunes is a Managing Director at Duff & Phelps LLC. She has nearly three decades of experience in valuation, financial and tax reporting, conducting numerous business and asset valuations for a variety of purposes including purchase price allocations, goodwill and asset impairments, mergers & acquisitions, tax restructuring, debt analysis, and gift and estate tax planning. Ms. Nunes also has extensive experience working with multinational companies, having addressed complex tax, international cost of capital, and foreign exchange issues.

Daniel R. Van Vleet, ASA, is Managing Principal at The Griffing Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in providing valuation opinions and expert witness testimony in a broad range of industries for a broad variety of purposes. Additionally, he has published lectured, and presented numerous advanced education seminars on the topics of business valuation, pass-through entity valuation, controversy and transaction advisory services. Mr. Van Vleet has been a designated member of ASA for 25 years, an active volunteer, most notably serving as ASA International President.

Anthony Banks, ASA, is a Director at Marcum LLP Taylor. He has over 15 years of experience in business valuation, trial support, investment research and financial analysis. In his present role, his areas of responsibilities include business valuations for estate and/or gift tax purposes and litigation, as well as lost profit calculations and due diligence investigations. Mr. Banks has published multiple articles and presented at profession focused seminars. He has been a designated member of ASA for 19 years.

Taylor Rosanova is a Senior Manager at Marcum LLP. He has over 7 years of experience in the appraisal of business enterprises, ownership interests, intangible assets and various equity and liability securities. He has worked for both private and public clients across a variety of industries, performing numerous valuations for mergers and acquisitions, litigation support, strategic planning, and tax reporting. Mr. Rosanova has also participated in appraisals involving worldwide business enterprises ranging in value from less than $10 million to greater than $2.5 billion.

Joy Sy is a Supervising Project Manager at the FASB. She has nearly two decades of experience in accounting, specializing in auditing, management, policy and advisory related services. Ms. Sy has designed, led and completed numerous large complex projects.

Marina Kagan is a Director at PwC. She has 16 years of experience as an analytical professional with a strong capital markets background, leading teams and building complex quantitative models. Ms. Kagan also has experience in data analytics, risk management, and valuation.

Amir Alerasoul is a Vice President at Valuation Research Corporation. He has approximately 15 years of experience in valuing complex derivatives as well as business entities and interests. In his current position he oversees the valuations of complex securities such as options, warrants, convertible bonds, contingent considerations and preferred and common stock in privately-held companies. Mr. Alerasoul also has significant experience in the valuation of exotic equity derivatives.

Ryan Gandre is a Managing Director and Corporate Valuation Advisory Leader at Stout Risius Ross LLC. He has more than 15 years of experience providing a broad range of business valuation and financial advisory services for public and large private enterprises, and specializing in the valuation of debt and equity instruments, enterprise and legal entity valuations, and intangible asset valuations for tax planning and compliance and financial reporting purposes. Mr. Gandre is also well versed in valuation and accounting guidance related to business combinations, impairment testing, stock-based compensation, and other Fair Value measurements.

Adam Smith is a Managing Director with nearly 20 years of valuation experience. He has performed valuations of businesses, business interests, intangible assets, economic damages, derivatives, and lost profits. His experience includes preparing valuations for a wide range of purposes including financial reporting, litigation support, corporate planning and consulting, mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift tax reporting, and employee stock ownership plans.

David Polan, CFA, CPA is a PwC Deals – Valuation, Senior Manager at PwC. He has over a decade of experience in accounting and valuation, focusing on litigation support, assurance and valuation. In his current capacity Mr. Polan prepares and reviews valuations of businesses, assets, liabilities, debt, and other financial instruments for financial reporting, tax, litigation, and transactions.

Mark Zyla, ASA, CPA/ABV, CFA, is Managing Director at Zyla Valuation Advisors LLC. He has over 35 years of experience in business valuation and litigation services, with a particular focus on valuation issues in financial reporting, litigation consulting and valuation issues in tax reporting requirements. He is a frequent presenter, author and instructor on valuation issues. Mr. Zyla has been a designated member of ASA for 29 years, an active volunteer and currently serves on ASA’s Business Valuation Discipline Committee as a Member At-Large.

*Presenters subject to change, please visit www.appraisers.org/asaic20 for latest line up.

Register now at appraisers.org/asaic20 or (800) 272-8258.