The Align Emerging Managers Summit 2026

Trusted Insights From Industry Experts

*Registration has now closed.

Join Align Managed Services for a morning of transformative takeaways and meaningful networking, topped with great food at the third annual Emerging Managers Summit on October 7th.

This half-day Summit, co-hosted by EAC, N-Able, and Salus GRC, will include breakfast, lunch, and insightful panels with industry leaders covering various topics pertinent to the alternative investment industry.

Date: Wednesday, October 7th
Time: 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: Midtown Manhattan - Location details to be confirmed once application to attend is approved.

Panel 1

Institutional-Grade on Day One:
AI, Cyber, and the New ODD Bar

Allocators aren't just asking whether you have an AI policy, they're asking it inside the ODD process. This panel merges AI and operational due diligence because that's how the buy side now experiences them — one conversation about whether an emerging manager can be trusted with capital.

On the Agenda:

AI Adoption: What's Real vs. What's Hype
Governance, Data Security & Risk Management
Meeting the Next Generation of Investor Due Diligence Standards

Panelists:

Chris Zadrima, COO, Align (Moderator)
Jacob Cane, CISO & Head of Cyber Services, Salus GRC
Barry Ipp, Operational Due Diligence, EAC
Robert Johnston, Chief Innovation Officer, N-able
Ryan Mihm, Sr Cloud Solutions Architect, Align

Panel 2

Build, Buy, or Wait:
20 Decisions in 45 Minutes

Every decision is a fork the manager must make — in-house or outsourced, now or later. Through a fast-paced series of real-world scenarios, our panelists will weigh the tradeoffs between building capabilities in-house, partnering with specialized vendors, or delaying investment until the need is clear.

On the Agenda:

Building the Right Operating Model
Vendor Selection & Strategic Partnerships
Scaling Efficiently & Creating an Investor-Ready Infrastructure

Panelists:

Vinod Paul, President of Managed Services, Align (Moderator)
Mike DiRocco, Partner, Middle Office, EAC
Robert Leonard, Partner, K&L Gates
Chris Lombardy, Founder & President, Salus GRC
Lindsay Muldoon, Sr VP, Sales & Partnerships, Arcesium

Vinod Paul
President, Align Managed Services

With over 20 years of extensive experience in financial services and technology, Vinod Paul serves in the role of President, Align Managed Services. As President, Vinod is responsible for spearheading the strategic development of Align's Managed Services offerings, including overseeing Align Cybersecurity™, a comprehensive solution for cybersecurity risk management. Additionally, Vinod plays a pivotal role in nurturing senior client relationships within the alternative asset management community, offering ongoing guidance on industry best practices and emerging trends in Managed Services.

Chris Zadrima
Chief Operating Officer, Align

Chris Zadrima has 20 years of experience building and leading high-performing Managed Services practices. He co-founded Align's highly successful Managed Services solutions and now, as Align's Chief Operating Officer, oversees the company's MS practice, which encompasses Client Support, Cloud Architecture and Strategy, Project Management, the Network Operations Center, and IT Service Desk. Chris has deepened strategic relationships with key partners including Microsoft, Adlumin, and Conduit Security. Under his leadership, Align has advanced its MSP501 rankings and won consecutive MSP of the Year awards.

Jacob Cane
CISO & Head of Cyber Services, Salus GRC

Jacob has over 25 years of experience providing cybersecurity and IT services. Jacob was the co-founder and CEO of Proactive Technologies, an outsourced IT and cybersecurity provider to investment managers. Proactive was acquired by Abacus Group, where Jacob was a member of the leadership team. Jacob was most recently the Global Head of Customer Success & Strategy at Drawbridge Partners, a cybersecurity firm serving the investment industry. Jacob has a BA from Columbia University and maintains a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.

Mike DiRocco
Partner, Experienced Advisory Consultants, LLC.

Mike DiRocco has more than 10 years of buy- and sell-side operations experience. As Head of EAC’s Middle Office team, he leads process improvement initiatives, system implementations, and custom operational projects. Prior to EAC, Mike held operations roles at MIO Partners, a subsidiary of McKinsey & Company, and MKM Partners, where he specialized in trade support, reconciliations, valuation, margin, settlements, and client onboarding.

Ed Fasano
Managing Principal, Experienced Advisory Consultants, LLC.

Ed Fasano has 25 years of experience as an investment adviser COO, CFO, CCO, Treasurer, and Head of Investor Relations. Mr. Fasano spearheads the firm's Pre-Launch and Treasury consulting services and leads EAC's global sales and marketing efforts. Prior to founding EAC, Mr. Fasano launched the advisory offering at Titan Regulation. Before Titan, Mr. Fasano launched SAYA Management LP, serving as COO, CFO, and CCO responsible for all finance and accounting matters in addition to compliance, investor relations, and personnel matters. Before founding SAYA, Mr. Fasano launched Seawolf Capital and served as the Firm's COO, CFO, and CCO. Prior to Seawolf, Mr. Fasano lead treasury and operations functions at FrontPoint Partners and spearheaded portfolio finance for DKR Capital. Earlier in his career, Mr. Fasano held operational and finance roles at Tiger Management and Paloma Partners. Mr. Fasano held a key role in establishing and operating the stock loan finance broker-dealer at Citadel Investment Group and managing its relationships with stock loan counterparties. Mr. Fasano holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Bryant University.

Barry Ipp
Operational Due Diligence, Experienced Advisory Consultants, LLC.

Barry has over 25 years of experience in asset management and audit, specializing in operational due diligence. His extensive background includes evaluating back office technology and compliance programs. Prior to EAC, Barry founded and served as CCO and COO at Carson Advisory, and held roles at Fiera Capital and Larch Lane Advisors. Barry is a CPA and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Robert Johnston
Chief Innovation Officer, N-able

Robert S. Johnston is the Chief Innovation Officer at N-able, a cybersecurity technology leader delivering cloud native business resilience solutions. Prior to joining N-able, he founded and served as CEO of Adlumin, an industry leading security operations platform acquired by N-able Technologies in 2024. Mr. Johnston previously worked in the private sector as a principal consultant at CrowdStrike, where he led complex incident response engagements against nation state, criminal, and hacktivist adversaries across diverse industry sectors. Before transitioning to industry, he served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps in a series of distinguished and technically demanding roles.

Robert Leonard
Partner, K&L Gates LLP

Robert Leonard, a partner in the firm's Asset Management and Investment Funds practice, has over 30 years of experience advising on the formation, structuring, and operation of hedge funds, funds of funds, and other private investment vehicles, both domestic and offshore. His clients include fund managers across a broad range of strategies, family offices, institutional investors, and investment advisers. Robert has deep experience with complex fund structures, including master-feeder, mini-master, and side-by-side arrangements. In addition to fund formation, Robert advises on seed investments, founder and single-investor classes, and placement agreements, and works with clients to develop innovative strategies for capital raising.

Chris Lombardy
Founder & President, Salus GRC

Chris has over 25 years of experience including as Legal Counsel and CCO for RIA of multibillion dollar fund-of-hedge funds business. Most recently Chris was Managing Director at Kroll (formerly Duff & Phelps). Throughout his career Chris has worked closely with investment advisory clients on matters such as: establishing compliance and operations infrastructures, identifying and addressing risks and conflicts, operational due diligence, mock regulatory examinations, and preparing for and navigating regulatory examinations. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker on panels on all matters related to GRC. Chris has a BS, and MBA from American University, and JD from St. Thomas University School of Law.

Ryan Mihm
Sr Cloud Solutions Architect, Align

Ryan has spent the last six years of his career specializing in the architecture and migration of organizations in the Alternative Investment vertical to modern public cloud offerings. As a Cloud Solutions Architect, he has been instrumental in transforming more than 350 hedge funds, private equity firms, and fund service providers across thousands of users to an optimized public cloud environment, with a focus on cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. Ryan oversees all aspects of the Align Onboarding practice to ensure customers are effectively and efficiently migrated to an architected cloud solution. Ryan also serves as the Managed Services SME. He is a senior technical escalation point for all managed services customers and provides guidance on future technology initiatives. In an effort to give back to his community, Ryan has hosted numerous charitable events to raise awareness and fund research for men's and women's cancer. He is a graduate of Rutgers University.

Lindsay Muldoon
Sr VP, Sales & Partnerships, Arcesium

Lindsay recently joined Arcesium as a Senior Vice President of Sales and Partnerships, focused on building strategic relationships that drive growth and deliver value for clients and partners alike. She brings over two decades of industry experience, including nearly two decades at Northern Trust Hedge Fund Services, where she rose to Senior Vice President within the Corporate & Institutional Services division and drove new business across fund administration, operational outsourcing, and global custody. Earlier in her career, she served as a Relationship Manager with NTHFS — originally part of Omnium LLC, a division of Citadel Investment Group — developing deep expertise in hedge fund operations and middle- and back-office controls. She began her career at Goldman Sachs in operations and client service within the Equities Division.
Lindsay holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Fairfield University and serves on the boards of the Near & Far Aid Association, Inc. and the Fairfield University Athletics Advisory Board.

Vern Bratton
Founder & CEO, 47 Ventures

With more than two decades producing executive level events for the investment management industry, Vern Bratton is one of the most trusted relationship builders in alternatives. Throughout his career, Vern has worked for some of the largest conference companies in the world including Informa, IQPC, American Conference Institute, Institutional Investor, and played an integral role in building the Context Summits brand while also serving as a founding member of the iConnections Global Alts business. Vern is a global presence helping to shape how senior allocators, managers, and service providers connect.