Former Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments Director Strengthens CAIS Team

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CAIS, a New York-based financial technology company providing an independent, alternatives investment platform to the wealth management industry, is pleased to announce that Landon A. Stone has joined as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.  Mr. Stone is responsible for legal, compliance and operational matters at CAIS, and will also serve as a Member of CAIS Capital LLC, the firm's FINRA-registered broker-dealer.  His addition will strengthen the CAIS team as the firm continues to expand. 

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"We are very pleased that Landon has joined CAIS.  His expertise in the alternative investment industry and knowledge of wealth management will be a valuable addition to the firm," said Matthew Brown, CEO of CAIS. "His experience with building and managing one of the largest global alternative investment platforms will meaningfully contribute to our ability to service our growing wealth management and private banking client base." 

Mr. Stone was previously a Director in the Merrill Lynch Alternative Investment Origination and Product Management group which included the HedgeAccess platform.   While at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Stone was a key leader in originating, on boarding and managing HedgeAccess funds including negotiating and drafting contracts with hedge fund managers, creating offering and marketing documents and coordinating due diligence, accounting and operations functions.  Prior to his tenure at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Stone represented hedge funds and private equity fund management companies as an attorney in Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP's Investment Funds practice.  He earned a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Williams College.

"I'm very excited to join the CAIS team and look forward to contributing to their continued success in servicing the alternative investment needs of the wealth management community,” Mr. Stone said.  "Coming from one of the largest wire-house alternative investment platforms, I believe the opportunity for CAIS to level the playing field is enormous."

In conjunction with the addition of Mr. Stone, Lachlan Cobon was promoted from Managing Director of Finance and Operations to Chief Financial Officer.  Prior to joining CAIS in 2010, Mr. Cobon was with Ernst & Young in New York and Sydney, where he was a member of the International Tax Services Group covering Alternative Investments.  

Additionally, over the past few months CAIS has made several key hires, strengthening the firm's technology, operations and distribution capabilities.   "We are confident that every new member of the CAIS team will play an instrumental role in the growth and management of the platform," said Rafay Farooqui, Managing Principal of CAIS. 

For more information about CAIS, please contact Dana Taormina at 973-850-7305 or [email protected].

About CAIS

CAIS is a New York-based financial technology company providing an alternatives investment platform to the global wealth management industry. The CAIS end-to-end solution offers improved access and independent oversight to a diversified menu of top-tier alternative investment funds coupled with streamlined execution and integrated reporting. The CAIS secure web-based interface provides advisors a menu of individual funds, strategy information, independent due diligence reports and a schedule of manager road-shows and educational events.

A true partner to the global wealth management industry, the CAIS proprietary solution empowers registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, private banks and other financial intermediaries to compete for clients while delivering a robust level of service. As a dedicated service provider, CAIS avoids key conflicts of interest by neither managing a wealth management business nor trading internal funds. Securities offered through CAIS Capital LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

For more information, please visit www.CAISfunds.com.

SOURCE CAIS