Event Speakers

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Sanjay Arora, CFA, CMA, ACA, is Managing Director of Institutional Fixed Income Capital Markets at Raymond James (listed “RJF”). Sanjay started his professional career in 1991 with PwC (Pricewaterhouse) at their Bahrain office and travelled on assignments around the Gulf including restoration of Kuwait Oil Company post the Gulf war. After PwC, Sanjay moved to Saudi Arabia to setup finance and operations for Landmark Group, one of the largest retail conglomerates that was expanding their business in Middle East. Sanjay moved back to Bahrain as CFO for one of largest private investment company to manage their financial operations and global multi-currency investment portfolio. In 2001, Sanjay was hired by Morgan Keegan, owned by Regions Financial (listed “RF”), at their head office in Memphis, TN to expand their sales in International Institutional Fixed Income Capital Markets. Raymond James bought Morgan Keegan in 2012 and Sanjay relocated to New York. Sanjay is Chartered Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and CFA charterholder.

Thomas Brigandi, CFA, is a Lead Analyst in the Global Project and Infrastructure Finance Group at Moody’s Investors Service, where he is responsible for a portfolio of 34 power, toll-road, airport, port, water, wastewater, natural gas pipeline and project finance credits that collectively have over $15 billion of debt outstanding. Brigandi also serves on Moody’s public pension steering committee, ESG Americas working group and formerly served on the veteran recruiting sub-committee. Brigandi previously worked at the ~$200bn NYC Pension Fund, where he focused on energy and natural resources and reported directly to the chief investment officer. Brigandi is a Board Director of the roughly 12,000 investment professional member CFA Society New York (CFANY), the largest CFA Institute Society globally. Brigandi, the CFA Institute Inaugural Global Outstanding Young Leader and CFANY’s 2016 Benjamin Graham Distinguished Service Award recipient, has organized 89 CFA Society conferences globally that were attended in-person by over 16,000 investment professionals. These events featured over 400 senior asset owner and investment consultant speakers who represent organizations that collectively oversee or advise on more than $72 trillion in fiduciary assets, in addition to over 200 senior asset manager speakers who represent firms that collectively manage in excess of $30 trillion in assets. Brigandi, the founder of CFANY’s Asset Owner Series, Emerging and Frontier Market Series, Investment Employment Outlook and Professional Development Series, Putting Beneficiaries First Series and Global Infrastructure Conference Series, leads a team of over 500 investment professional CFA Society volunteers globally. While serving as the Director of Global Volunteers of the American Foundation for African Children’s Education, Brigandi organized the NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony on September 23, 2011, hosted for the President of Sierra Leone. Brigandi maintains over 13,000 connections ‎on Li

Mr Danso is responsible for advising institutional investors, governments and development finance institutions on major infrastructure and private equity investments in Africa. Mr Danso serves as the Chairman of the African Sovereign Wealth & Pension Fund Leaders Forum and Chairs the CFA New York Society, Global Asset Owners Advisory Board. He was also recently appointed as a Commissioner for the UN Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development.

Mr. Orji brings a wealth of global experience in the financial services sector to his role as MD/CEO. He joined NSIA as CEO in October 2012, from Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS Securities, where he was Managing Director in the New York branch of its Equities Division. Prior to his UBS experience, Mr. Orji spent six years at JP Morgan in London, 2001-2006, rising from the position of Vice President to Managing Director within the Equities Division. Prior to JP Morgan, he worked for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London, 1998-2001, as an Analyst/Portfolio Manager. His first banking financial industry experiences were at Diamond Bank Plc., Lagos and Arthur Andersen, Lagos. Mr. Orji studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, graduating in 1990. He also obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1990.

Dave Uduanu is the CEO of Sigma Pensions Limited, a Nigerian Pension Fund Manager and a Trustee of the CFA Institute Research Foundation.He previously worked at Ernst & Young in Lagos and has held Board roles in Insurance and Healthcare. Dave initially qualified as a Civil Engineer and a Chartered Accountant in Nigeria. He also holds a Certificate in Institutional Private Equity Investing from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford and is a CFA Charterholder.