Managed Funds Association

John joined MJE Recruiters as a Managing Director in 2001 after serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Heidrick & Struggles' Financial Services Practice (CY 2000 revenues $152m), where he worked directly for Brian Sullivan (then Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles' Global Financial Services Practice and now Chairman & CEO of Christian & Timbers and the founder of Sullivan & Co.) and Barry Bregman (formerly CFO Practice Leader at Heidrick & Struggles and now a Partner at Christian & Timbers. Prior to that, John was Director/Chief of Staff for the Vice President of Human Resources at Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, where he implemented a strategy to align the Human Resources area more closely to support the business. Before Dow Jones, John spent seven years at Goldman Sachs/Commodities Corporation, where he was responsible for compensation, benefits, employment and a number of systems projects including a headcount and control system for the Asset Management Division (GSAM). He was also on the project team that established Stockton Reinsurance, a Bermuda-based reinsurance company. John joined Commodities Corporation from Patrick Shea Consulting, where he was founder and President. His clients included Commodities Corporation and Goldman Sachs & Co, Time-Warner and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Pennsylvania. John has also worked for Roadway Express, Hewlett-Packard, Asea Brown Boveri and Honeywell. John graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he played football and lacrosse, with a B.S. in Psychology/Science. He also holds a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from Rutgers University and he attended New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he pursued a Masters in Computer Science. John is a member of the Managed Funds Association and the Mid-Atlantic Hedge Fund Association and has spoken at the Managed Funds Association meetings. He and Barry Emen are planning to write a book about Hedge Fund recruiting with a similar approach to the book, Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs (Wiley; 2006).

In June 1989, Mr. Slazas became an equity member of the Index and Option market at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) with the National Futures Association. In November 1989 Mr. Slazas was instrumental in creating Stellaris Futures L.P., a full class A clearing member of the CME with a focus on professional execution. Mr. Slazas served as Chairman of Stellaris until he stepped down in 1992 to concentrate on research and trading. Mr. Slazas is a member of the Managed Funds Association (MFA) and has sat on its Trading and Markets committee. During the formative stages of GLOBEX, Mr. Slazas participated in its screen design committee. Currently Mr. Slazas is head of research at JS Services.

Rian Akey is the Vice President and COO of Cole Partners and is responsible for overseeing the firm's operations, due diligence, and compliance. He is a principal of the organization. Rian was hired in 1999 and he has guided the firm's review and due diligence of investment managers, industry research, and development of proprietary alternative investment curriculum. In 2003 his role was expanded to include business development and operational oversight responsibilities. Prior to joining Cole Partners, Rian's experience includes tenure in a product development and marketing capacity with Thomson Financial, a Boston, Massachusetts-based financial services firm; and in a marketing role for a Fidelity Investments subsidiary. Rian is a registered member of the NASD and the NFA and a member of the Managed Funds Association. He received a BA cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.