Welcome Aboard, New NABE Members!
Please join the NABE Board of Directors and staff in welcoming new members who joined in recent months. Between January and July of this year, 226 new members have joined NABE. The first issue of two IdeaLinks e-mailed to NABE members each month includes a listing of new members. Here are selections from brief interviews, conducted by e-mail, with four new members:
 Robert Balan
Senior Market Strategist
Diapason Commodities Management
Lausanne, Switzerland
What is your current position?
I am senior market strategist. I formulate macro strategy, with emphasis on commodities, utilizing both fundamental drivers and structural/technical data in modeling asset prices and sector movements for the benefit of traders in house and clients. I have held this position since October 1, 2008.
What is the main focus of your company or organization?
Established in 2003, Diapason is a commodities trading and asset fund management firm. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has an office in London.
What are your career highlights and education--before your current job?
I studied mining engineering and computer science. From late 1990 to early 2000, I served as global head of technical research at Bank of America in New York.
Why did you join NABE?
I admire the work of a lot of people featured in your programs and symposia.
 Amitabh Bhargava
Business Director
Commercial Credit Portfolio Analytics
Capital One
Richmond, Va.
What is your current position?
I am business director, Commercial Credit Portfolio Analytics with responsibility of improving portfolio structure and reducing concentrations in COF Commercial portfolio by developing sound analytic processes and prudent use of economic and competitor information. I have been in this role within Capital One for last two years. Prior to this, I have handled credit portfolio management and related activities in Capital One since early 2002.
What is the main focus of your company or organization?
Capital One is a Top 10 bank in the United States by way of deposits and loans.
What are your career highlights and education--before your current job?
I have worked in the field of defining credit policy and leading risk analytics for commercial and retail credit risk in large financial institutions in the United States (Capital One) and India (ICICI Bank) over last 14 years. I did a B Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi (India) and MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur (India). I am also an accredited Financial Risk Manager (GARP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Institute), an active member of International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers and first vice president of the Richmond Association of Business Economics [a NABE chapter].
Why did you join NABE?
I have been interested in economic research for a long time. Having joined the Richmond Association of Business Economics and been a part of its executive for last three years, I wanted to explore the activities offered by the “mother ship.”
What drew you to economics?
Economics has been my favorite subject since my MBA days. I have been involved in commercial lending from underwriting, as well as risk analytics viewpoint and managing consumer portfolio analytics for last 14 years; this interest kept growing over the years.
 Julia Coronado
Director, Senior US Economist
BNP Paribas
New York, N.Y.
What is your current position?
On July 27 I started as a director and senior U.S. economist at BNP Paribas in the firm’s New York office. I am responsible for contributing to forecasts and analysis of the U.S. economy and Federal Reserve policy. Previously I held the same position at Barclays Capital for three-and-a-half years.
What is the main focus of your company or organization?
I am in the U.S. investment bank arm of a global banking institution.
What are your career highlights and education--before your current job?
Before coming to the investment banking industry I spent a year in consulting, primarily with pension funds, and before that I spent seven and a half years as a staff economist at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. I started at the Fed after completing my Ph.D. in economics at the University of Texas at Austin.
Why did you join NABE?
NABE is the premiere organization for nonacademic economists and the seminars and conferences allow for valuable interaction between economists in various industries and policy positions.
What drew you to economics?
I was raised by an economist and cannot help but apply that framework and point of view to everything I see, much to the annoyance of my spouse and children! The current environment has been a challenging but very exciting time to be an economist.
 Lee Huffman
Vice President, Finance Manager
Real Estate, Entertainment Divisions
City National Bank
Beverly Hills, Calif.
What is your current position?
My current position is the vice president, finance manager for the real estate and entertainment divisions of City National Bank. Acting as a division pseudo-CFO, I am the trusted advisor for the executives and senior managers within the divisions, preparing their annual budgets and rolling forecasts, performing ad-hoc analyses, and strategic planning. I have been at City National Bank for just over four years.
What is the main focus of your company or organization?
City National Bank is a regional bank with $16 billion in assets and over 50 locations in California, Nevada, and New York. City National Bank provides entrepreneurs, professionals, their businesses and their families with complete financial solutions on the way up.
What are your career highlights and education--before your current job?
I started my career working for my father's law firm when I was 15 doing his billing and accounting. My experience with bankruptcy law led me to form a company specializing in bankruptcy consulting and the preparation of business plans for companies looking for debt and equity funding. When the dot-com crash occurred, I gained experience in investment planning and business banking in a series of progressive roles before returning to my roots performing financial analysis and strategic planning.
Why did you join NABE?
I attended NABE presentations in the past and was impressed with the quality of the speakers, the friendliness of the members, and the intimacy of the group size. When I was offered membership on the board, I researched both the local Los Angeles chapter and the national organization. I was thrilled to find that the qualities of the local chapter that drew me in, flowed all the way to the "mother ship." In June I was elected vice president of the Los Angeles chapter of NABE.
What drew you to economics?
Economics plays an important part in my role at City National Bank. Understanding the current economy, in addition to where we've been and where we're going, is critical to our quarterly forecast and annual budget processes. Personally, I enjoy reading about various components of the economy and have marveled at how seemingly unrelated components can interact and influence one another.
Share:
|
