I’m pleased to be involved with Pro-Forma Futures to share my 25+ years background with those who can benefit from a diverse financial background.

I initially started my career working for a small CPA firm doing both tax and audit services, and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in California. After leaving public accounting, I worked in the operations team for two large asset managers in California (Capital Group, parent company of the American Funds), and New York (Goldman Sachs Asset Management). I’ve worked for a small Registered Investment Advisors, and a boutique Asset Manager doing institutional sales. I’ve worked at BNY Mellon in San Francisco and London in the beta and transition management team providing services to institutional clients, foundations/endowments and sovereign wealth funds. I had a great experience working for the world’s largest index provider, MSCI, in their wealth advisory team in San Francisco, then spent time as an ETF Specialist at VanEck in a sales capacity across the Western United States focused on the wirehouse, regional and independent broker/dealer channel.

For my undergraduate studies, I attended the University of Southern California (USC) and earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in both Accountancy and Business Administration, and earned my MBA at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

In my career, I’ve always embraced ways to provide support to those who can benefit from my experience and background. I’ve had the good fortune of participating on the Board of Directors for the CFA Society of San Francisco, as well as for the Bay Area Financial Education Foundation. I’m a believer in ‘paying it forward’.

If I can provide assistance, please reach out to proformafutures@gmail.com and the team will coordinate a call.

I’m Zura Dzuliashvili, originally from Georgia, and currently a senior at the University of Richmond, where I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economics. My internship experience spans various roles in quantitative research, risk management, equity analysis, trading/structuring and so on. I’ve had the opportunity to intern at Credit Agricole NYC, Barclays Investment Bank NYC, and Thompson, Siegel, and Walmsley. I have also worked internationally. Navigating the finance industry as an international student has had its unique challenges, and I’m always happy to share my experiences—whether it’s insights into quantitative research, tips for interview preparation, or advice on the recruitment process in the U.S.

Hello, my name is Kiran Patel and I am currently a senior investment analyst at KrisDan Management, Inc., a single-family office, based in Naples, FL focused on evaluating public and private companies along with money managers. Prior to joining KrisDan, I worked as an investment analyst at another single-family office called Windancer Holdings, LLC in Dayton, OH and worked as a sales & trading associate (interest rates and foreign exchange derivatives) at Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, NC. I graduated from Wake Forest University in 2018 with a major in economics and a minor in entrepreneurship & social enterprise. Through mentorship, cold-emailing, and internships I was able to attain a robust base of knowledge amongst many finance career path opportunities, so I am happy to help from anything such as mock interviews, informational interviews, networking introductions, market questions, career path opportunities, opinions on firms, etc. I have experience interning in financial advising, asset management, outsourced-CIO/endowment management, coverage + product investment banking, equity research, and wealth management.

My name is Ben Smith and I am currently an Investment Associate at Access Industries, having previously worked as a Senior Investment Analyst at Spider Management Company. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2020, with a BA in Business Administration and concentrations in Economics and Finance. While it might be difficult to access out of college, a career in Investment Management offers you the unique opportunity to jump right into a ‘Buy-Side’ role and take on significant responsibility investing large pools of capital to support meaningful causes. I’d be more than happy to talk to you about my work experiences, or even the CFA program if that is something you are considering. Don’t be a stranger!

Hi, my name is Stephanie Michas, and I currently work as a Credit and Asset Management Financial Analyst at Trimont Real Estate Advisers in London. Prior to joining Trimont, I was a Sales and Trading Analyst at BNP Paribas in New York. I graduated from Colgate University in 2019 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Studio Art. I chose to work in Finance after school because growing up I was always interested in the markets. I would hear the hype around upcoming IPOs or share buybacks, and found it fascinating. After relocating to the UK I pivoted within the industry, now working within Commercial Real Estate Credit and Asset Management, after looking for work with more tangibility, which I’ve found in Commercial Real Estate. As a woman coming from a small Liberal Arts school, I can help you navigate the application and interview process. I can also help you to think about where in finance you can see yourself succeeding - as someone who has moved within the industry, I can help you think about where your skillset lies, and how to best utilize it. I have been lucky to have fantastic mentors thus far in my career, and hope that I can provide that same level of mentorship on to others.

Hi! My name is Jessica Wilson and I currently work in Richmond, Virginia at the London Company doing equity research. I am a generalist who focuses on US-listed stocks across a spectrum of market caps and industries. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2019 where I received a BSBA in Economics, with a concentration in finance, and a BA in Italian Studies. During the summer of my junior year I interned at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in their Sales & Trading division. After pursuing the summer internship I decided a research position would be a better fit for me. I have always had a curious and analytical mind and conducting in depth research is intriguing to me. To complement my work in equity research I am also pursuing a CFA charter. I recently passed Level II and will be taking Level III at the end of the year. It was certainly not easy getting to where I am today and I believe that is largely due to there being a lack of resources for people who didn’t grow up in a finance household. Don’t let this dissuade you from following your passions. I hope I can be a mentor to anyone, who like me, knows their strengths but just needs help finding their way.