2025 Alternative Investments Conference

Cofounder; President; CEO, Better Markets

Dennis Kelleher is the cofounder, president, and CEO of Better Markets, the leading Washington DC-based not-for-profit fighting for an economy that works for all Americans. His focus is on broad-based wealth creation for Main Street Americans; resisting wealth extraction; and promoting economic security, opportunity, and prosperity. At Better Markets, Dennis leads a team of substantive professionals in litigation, regulation, rulemaking, legislation, public advocacy, and research to ensure the economy works for all Americans and is supported by a stronger, safer, more balanced financial system. He has participated in more than 400 rule makings, 25 legal cases, 4,000 media inquiries, 250 meetings with high level government officials, 150 live TV appearances, 100 radio appearances, 50 op-eds, 35 speeches, 12 media profiles and documentaries, and 10 testimonies before Congress and other fora.

His wide-ranging influence reaches across Washington policymaking. In 2024, Washingtonian Magazine named Dennis one of Washington’s 500 Most Influential People in banking and finance for the fifth consecutive year, placing him among Beltway experts “who shape the laws that govern the country and ultimately affect the course of history.” The New York Times profiled Dennis in Facing Down the Bankers, and he was featured in the award-winning Frontline documentary Money, Power and Wall Street, on PBS’s Breaking the Banks, in Steven Brill’s best-selling book, Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America’s Fifty-Year Fall—and Those Fighting to Reverse It, and in Jerry Epstein’s book Busting the Bankers’ Club: Finance For The Rest of Us.

Prior to Better Markets, Dennis worked for almost eight years in senior staff positions in the United States Senate, concluding his service in 2010 as chief counsel and senior leadership advisor to the chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, a member of Senate leadership. Earlier in his career, Dennis was a partner with the international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he had an extensive and broad-ranging US and European practice specializing in crisis management and complex corporate matters that focused on governance, securities, and financial markets. Dennis served four years of active-duty enlisted service in the Air Force as a crash and rescue firefighter and medic.

Cofounder, Niural

Nabin Banskota is a finance executive turned serial entrepreneur who has built his career at the intersection of finance, technology, and AI. He began his journey in financial services with KPMG, where he advised Fortune 500 clients on complex audits and compliance matters, and later at Citi, where he oversaw the $30 billion Citi Alternative Asset Management unit as a CFO and COO for over eight years. These experiences gave him a deep appreciation for the discipline, precision, and regulatory rigor that define the accounting and finance profession. Drawing from over a decade of financial leadership, including serving as CFO in the financial services sector, Nabin went on to cofound Niural, an AI-native global payroll, HR, and compliance platform. At Niural, he’s pioneering how AI can transform traditional financial operations, from payroll and tax compliance to accounts receivable and payable management. Under his leadership, Niural has developed advanced AI agents that automate complex workflows, reduce operational costs, and provide finance leaders with real-time insights to drive decision-making. Today, Nabin speaks to finance and accounting leaders about how the profession is evolving in the age of AI. His perspective blends the rigor of his finance background with the bold vision of a technologist, making him uniquely positioned to guide finance professionals in embracing automation and data intelligence without compromising compliance and accuracy.

Managing Director, Iron Road Partners

Emilie Abate is a managing director with Iron Road Partners, a regulatory consulting firm that specializes in serving the alternative investments industry. Emilie leverages her industry experience and unique regulatory background to help sophisticated investment managers mitigate risk and implement effective compliance programs.

Before Iron Road, Emilie worked at the SEC for over eight years, most recently as branch chief of the Division of Examinations, Event and Emerging Risks Examination Team (EERT), where she investigated several high-profile market incidents and cybersecurity breaches. Emilie began her SEC career as an examiner conducting numerous exams across complex private funds, investment advisers, and investment companies. Emilie then helped form and lead the EERT, where she investigated a wide range of emerging risks within the industry and conducted exams of firms affected by significant market events.

While at the SEC, Emilie led and completed many examinations of investment advisers and private funds, several of which resulted in enforcement action. Some issues and deficiencies identified included breaches of fiduciary duty, violations of the Investment Advisers Act’s anti-fraud provisions, valuation, fee and expense allocation, co-investments, portfolio management, risk management, related party transactions, conflicts of interest, custody, cybersecurity, and alternative data.

Before joining the SEC, Emilie was a senior auditor with Ernst & Young’s Global Asset Management Practice, where she led global teams to perform financial statement audits of investment advisers and private funds, with a focus on hedge, private equity, and venture capital funds.

Partner, DNX Venture Partners

Rickie Koo leads DNX’s investments in fintech and retail. Rickie has been fortunate to invest in companies like Fieldguide, CRISP, Keychain, Coalesce, Zūm, LEAP, Agvend, Prime Roots, and Cofactr. Before joining DNX, Rickie worked at Deloitte's Transfer Pricing team, advising Fortune 100 companies on their cross-border transactions.

Principal, Moss Adams

Syed Rizvi has practiced public accounting since 2008. He has extensive experience providing accounting and consulting services to alternative investment funds, including private equity, venture capital, hedge, credit, and real estate funds. He also has experience providing accounting services to corporate offices of alternative investment funds.

In addition, Syed has advised executive management of alternative investment funds on operational matters, regulatory compliance, and accounting topics related to consolidation, revenue recognition, uncertain tax on foreign investments, derivatives, and fair value measurement. He also has significant experience in valuation of private equity, real estate, and credit assets.

Senior Manager, Moss Adams

Dylan Peters has practiced public accounting since 2014. He manages financial statement and regulatory compliance audits for broker-dealers, registered investment advisors, trust banks, and pooled investment vehicles such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds.

Dylan is well-versed in the accounting and auditing issues unique to these industry sectors, including the evaluation of a variety of internal control structures, investment portfolios, fair value measurements, and compensation arrangements in a regulatory environment.

Dylan also has experience in financial statement audits for employee benefit plans including 401(k), 403(b), defined benefit pension, and health and welfare plans.

Director, Moss Adams

Chad Gumm has worked in public accounting since 2001. He specializes in the tax implications of M&A transactions, including tax due diligence, tax structuring, and federal income tax research, writing, and technical analysis. He advises private equity and strategic corporate clients on the applicable federal and state income tax issues and the potential tax benefits and disadvantages of entering into both domestic and cross-border transactions.

Chad has deep technical knowledge of Section 382 net operating losses issues; determination of earnings, profit and stock basis; application of the consolidated federal income tax rules; cancellation of debt issues; and worthless stock deductions. During his Big Four experience in the San Francisco Bay Area, he worked with many large corporate tax clients and has extensive experience with technology and internet companies, both closely held and venture backed.