New York
Edward J. Tobin
Edward J. Tobin is a Director of Global Emerging Markets North America, Inc., where he manages Special Situations and Venture investing. In addition to these activities, he has overseen structured finance transactions in industries such as clean tech, media, telecommunications, manufacturing, real estate and life sciences. Prior to joining GEM, Mr. Tobin was Managing Director of Lincklaen Partners, a private family investment office. Previously, he had been a portfolio manager with Neuberger and Berman and prior to that Vice President of Nordberg Capital, Inc. Mr. Tobin received his MBA from the Wharton School, as well as a Master of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Economics (cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher Brown
Christopher Brown is the founder and Director of The Global Emerging Markets North America, Inc., where he oversees the New York office and manages private placements on a global basis. He is on the Board of Directors of Bahrain-based VC Bank, co-sponsor of the GEM MENA Fund. In addition he is Chairman of the CITIC-GEM Fund, a non-voting General Partner in Kinderhook Industries and on the Board of Directors of the Global Leadership Foundation. He began his career with Drexel Burnham Lambert in Sales & Trading in 1985. He later joined Smith Barney as an Investment Advisor from 1986 to 1988 and worked for Shearson Lehman Brothers from 1988 to 1993. Mr. Brown attended UCLA.
Anthony Romano
Anthony Romano is an investment professional with Global Emerging Markets. Mr. Romano's responsibilities include sourcing, structuring and monitoring private equity, venture, mezzanine and other alternative investments globally. Mr. Romano is currently a co-chair for the CITIC GEM Fund investment committee, and holds seats on several other investment committees across the group. He is also on the board of directors of Ansen Electronics, a vertically integrated ODM consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Hong Kong and with a factory in Dongguan, China (www.ansen.com.hk), as well as the company's entrepreneur in residence. Prior to joining GEM, Mr. Romano was an investment professional with the International Finance Corporation ("IFC"). While with the IFC, he executed investment due diligence throughout Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa, and engaged in all aspects of the investment process. His responsibilities included on-site commercial/technical due diligence with company management and country ministers, deal structuring/term sheet negotiations, analysis of technical contracts, and construction of complex financial models for prospective and portfolio investments. Prior to the IFC, Mr. Romano was an investment banking professional with Merrill Lynch & Co. and Citigroup Global Markets. Mr. Romano received his Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Finance and Entrepreneurial studies from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Peter de Svastich
Peter de Svastich is the Managing General Partner of GEM Brazil Private Equity Fund SCA/SICAR where he is responsible for the overall Brazilian operations of the Fund and interfaces with GEM New York in matters related to fund-raising, private placement opportunities, and investor relations. Prior to joining the Fund, he worked as an investment banker involved in Brazil. He has been the CFO/COO/CCO for a number of hedge funds and funds of funds, most recently with Alpha Equity Management where he helped sell a 25% equity stake to SunTrust Bank N.A. of Atlanta, Georgia. He served as President of Delegated Management S.A., a fund of funds and asset allocator in Geneva, Switzerland. He founded and ran WestHem International Group for 15 years, a boutique investment and asset management firm that also had a broker/dealer in New York. Prior to that he ran the International Division of one of Brazil's top five banks in the 1980's and spearheaded its international expansion. He has formed joint-ventures in banking and alternative investments with N.M. Rothschild & Sons (Madrid), Banco Internacional y de Comercio Exterior (Santiago), Banque Francaise de Commerce Exterieur (BFCE) (Montevideo), and BNP (Rio de Janeiro). Peter received a B.A. cum laude from Princeton University, an LLB and JD from the Yale Law School, and a Latin American Teaching Fellowship from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Rick Joshi
Mr. Rick Joshi is Managing Director with Global Emerging Markets North America, Inc., where he is responsible for sourcing, structuring and monitoring minority investments in listed companies as well as private equity investments globally. He has made principal investments primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Germany in industries including technology, pharmaceuticals, IT, energy, telecommunications, mining, manufacturing and media. At GEM, Mr. Joshi has overseen the completion of equity fund commitments and advisory transactions exceeding US$250M in aggregate value. He also advises the private equity fund GEM India Advisors on making early stage growth investments in India. Earlier, as the Mumbai-based Vice President of Investments with the merchant banking subsidiary of the Times of India Group, Mr. Joshi headed the Asset Management and Research functions, managing over INR500M in proprietary investments and advising on the parent company's INR10B portfolio, which was among the largest proprietary portfolios in India at the time. Prior to that, Mr Joshi gained operating experience as Worldwide Product Line Manager with Oracle Corporation and as Product Manager with Intel Corporation in Silicon Valley, California. Mr. Joshi holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Idaho and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
