Alumni Class Notes

  • Benjamin Cunningham ’16 and Stephanie Coffua (A&S ’16) were married in Savannah, GA, Oct. 28, 2023, ten years after meeting at the Corner Parking Lot during a scavenger hunt for new students. Over 50 ‘Hoos attended the nuptials, where the bride and groom led a rendition of “The Good Old Song” during the reception. The couple lives in Brooklyn, NY, where Stephanie works as an Editor for ABC News and Benjamin works as a Consultant for McKinsey & Co.

  • Brent Surber ’02 has joined Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets division of Guggenheim Partners, as a Senior Managing Director to strengthen its capital markets capabilities within its investment banking division. Based in the firm’s New York office, Surber joins Guggenheim with almost 20 years of investment banking experience and focuses on arranging customized private capital raises in support of refinancings, recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts, and financings for acquisitions and other growth initiatives, as well as broader capital markets advisory, structuring, and distribution. Surber joins Guggenheim from Houlihan Lokey, where he spent almost a decade focused on bespoke capital raises, most recently serving as a Managing Director in its Capital Markets Group. Prior to Houlihan Lokey, he held investment and merchant banking roles at Integrity Square, Sagent Advisors and Bear Stearns & Co.

  • Thomas Finke ’86 has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Amia, a holding company focused on long-term global investments. With over 30 years of experience in the asset management and investment industries, Mr. Finke is a seasoned financial services executive. Mr. Finke served as Chairman and CEO of Barings from 2016 through 2020. He joined Barings’ predecessor, Babson Capital Management, in 2002, when Babson acquired First Union Institutional Debt Management. Mr. Finke was appointed Chairman and CEO of Babson Capital in 2008 and also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company from 2008 until 2011. Currently, Mr. Finke is a Director of the National Math and Science Initiative and a Trustee of Davidson College, and also serves on the Board of Directors of the global investment firm Invesco Ltd. and Alliance Entertainment Holdings Corporation. Previously, Mr. Finke served as a Director of the Barings Funds Trusts, Barings Global Short Duration Fund, and Barings Business Development Corp.

  • Hong Paterson ’93, CFO and COO of Green Climate Fund, was a guest on the “ESG Insider” podcast from S&P Global Sustainable1 Nov. 30, with co-host and UVA alum Lindsey Hall (A&S ’06), Head of ESG Thought Leadership at S&P Global. In the episode, Hong talks about her expectations for COP28—including the role the private sector can play in addressing the massive climate finance gap.

  • Alexis Unwalla ’16, Director of National Media for Michelob Ultra, one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the U.S., has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

  • Joseph Linzon ’15, Co-Founder of two popular fast-casual restaurants in Charlottesville—Roots Natural and Corner Juice—has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

  • Shreyas Hariharan ’17, Co-Founder of Llama, has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list with his Co-Founder, Austin Green.

  • Emily Huang (M.S. in Commerce ’16), Associate Manager at NielsenIQ, has been nominated for The Global 30 Under 30 by Significant Insights.

  • Aditya Bhagwat (M.S. in Accounting ’05) has joined Baxter International Inc. as Senior Director, Strategy & Transformation.

  • Nishat Jabin (A&S ’14, M.S. in Commerce ’15), Turnaround and Restructuring Engagement Manager at Oliver Wyman, was reelected to the IWIRC NY Network Board.

  • Monica Painter ’87, Executive Vice President at DolJenn Consulting, was featured in the November issue of CXO Outlook, as a 2023 Most Inspiring Business Woman, discussing her career in consulting.

  • Marisa Drew ’86, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered Bank, has been named as a Top 100 European CSO by Future/io.

  • Shiv Sharma (M.S. in Commerce ’10), VP International and India Head at Stocktwits, discusses the platform in a Nov. 24, 2023, BusinessWorld article titled “We Want to Be the Barometer of Retail Investor Sentiments: Shiv Sharma, Stocktwits.”

  • Beatriz Da Cunha ’05 has started a new position as Head of Sustainable Finance Strategy Execution at Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank.

  • Joe Iriarte ’09 (M.S. in Accounting ’10) married Katherine Mize on Sept. 30, 2023, at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA. They met in New York City and live in Boston with their pup, Alfie.

  • Kunal Doshi ’11, Chief Investment Officer at Accelerate Investment Group, discussed how investors and asset management owners are adopting net zero targets in practice at Pension Bridge Sustainability 2023 in October.

  • Kevin Wong ’13 and Sean Ro (A&S ’13), Co-Founders of Lunar Hard Seltzer, are excited to announce that Lunar Hard Seltzer can now be found both online and in stores at local Targets throughout NYC, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley!

  • Dominic Law ’09, CEO of Neopets, was the opening keynote speaker Oct 20, 2023, at gamescom asia, the first Asian satellite event of the world’s largest video and computer games festival, gamescom.

  • Michael D. Brown ’92 is President and CEO of Travel + Leisure Co. An Oct. 26, 2023, Clayton County Register article titled “The Dynamic Journey of Travel + Leisure Co.: A Deep Dive into Its Evolution and Achievements” describes how the globally recognized and iconic brand in the leisure travel industry has undergone a “remarkable transformation” under his strategic leadership, noting that he “has not only steered the company towards growth and innovation but also established its position as a socially conscious and inclusive organization.”

  • Francis Gotianun ’05, the first Senior Vice President for Filinvest Hospitality Corporation (FHC), shares in an intimate conversation with Lifestyle Asia how he aims to redefine Filipino hospitality with top-notch products and services to ensure guests create meaningful memories.

  • Jimbo Izlar ’16 has joined Kian Capital Partners, a lower-middle-market-focused private investment firm, as a Vice President to support Kian’s expansion after the closing of its oversubscribed third fund, KGP III, earlier this year. Izlar will be based in Atlanta and work closely with Kian partners in the investment sourcing and screening, due diligence, transaction execution, and portfolio management functions of the firm. Before joining Kian, Izlar was with KLH Capital, a private equity firm focused on founder-owned businesses, where he was involved in all phases of the investment process, including transaction structuring, deal execution and portfolio company management. His primary focus at KLH was working extensively with specialty service, value-added distribution, and niche manufacturing businesses across a variety of industrial end markets. Izlar also served on the board of directors for four of KLH’s portfolio companies, working closely with management to identify and execute strategic initiatives.