NEW YORK and AMHERST, Mass., June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 100 Women in Hedge Funds (100WHF), Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, LLC (PAAMCO), and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Foundation today announced the ten recipients of the 2015 100WHF/CAIA Scholarships.

Established in 2011 by 100WHF and underwritten by PAAMCO, the scholarship program is designed to provide qualified and talented women in the alternatives industry access to an unmatched educational offering, the CAIA Charter, widely recognized as a springboard to future career accomplishments. Since its inception, the program has awarded fifty scholarships. Scholarship recipients are women who have achieved advanced levels of success in various financial fields and have expressed strong interest in furthering their careers by obtaining the CAIA Charter. The CAIA Association, which oversees the CAIA Foundation, offers the only educational program uniquely designed for individuals specializing in alternative investments.

"Investing in educational opportunities for women in alternative investments will make our industry better equipped to navigate an ever more complex investing landscape," said Jane Buchan, Ph.D., CAIA, Chief Executive Officer with PAAMCO and Chairman of the Board of CAIA.  "We need to encourage future generations of women in our industry to develop their professional skills and funding the 100 Women in Hedge Funds CAIA Scholarships removes financial barriers to achieving that goal."

Combined with relevant professional experience and association membership, the CAIA charter is the global benchmark for alternative investment education. In order to obtain the CAIA Charter, candidates must complete a rigorous, self-directed education program that develops and promotes deep knowledge and expertise in alternative investing. Candidates who participate in the program are granted the CAIA Charter upon successful completion of two levels of qualifying exams. The scholarship program is open exclusively to women with an interest in pursuing a career in alternative investment management, with a specific focus on portfolio management.

"Our 2015 CAIA scholars represent a broad spectrum of alternative investment professionals, consistent with the international membership of 100WHF. They also underscore our association's mission to provide professional development and educational programming to the next generation of leading female professionals in the global alternative investment industry," said Mimi Drake, Chair of the 100WHF Association Board, and President of Permit Capital Advisors. "Working with the CAIA Foundation, and with the support of PAAMCO, this competitive scholarship program is a celebration of our investment in the talent and dedication of these young women, enabling them to advance their careers by obtaining the prestigious CAIA designation."

The scholarship covers enrollment and registration fees for CAIA Level I and Level II exams, associated CAIA textbooks, study courses, and the CAIA Association membership fee for the first year.

The 2015 100WHF/CAIA Scholarship recipients are as follows:

• Lacey Farrell, Investment Associate, CareGroup Investment Office, Boston, MA
• Sharon Hwang, Investor Relations Associate, Watershed Asset Management, San Francisco, CA
• Karolina Kosciolek, Investment Consultant, Prime Quadrant, Toronto, Canada
• Sheena Lee, Student, Hong Kong
• Maria Juesas Portoles, Hedge Fund Analyst, Omega Asset Management, London, UK
• Leni Ramos, Supervisor, O'Connor Davies LLP, New York, NY
• Grace Reyes, Student, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Albany, NY
• Emilia Ronnqvist-Leivo, Manager International Sales, Estlander & Partners, Helsinki, Finland
• Vanessa Singh, Analyst, Innisfree M&A, Stamford, CT
• Ayse Ulgen, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus, Paris, France

"This year's ten scholarship recipients hail from six different countries around the world, a testament to the increasingly global nature of the alternative investment industry," said William J. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of CAIA. "As a group, they reflect the kind of diverse representation that CAIA has supported since our founding more than a dozen years ago. Additionally, I gratefully acknowledge the generous commitment, leadership, and financial support of PAAMCO that are key to making this initiative a success."

In order to be considered for the 100WHF/CAIA Scholarship, applicants must be full members of 100WHF, not be eligible for program reimbursement by their employers, and have one year of professional experience in the alternative investment industry.

About 100 Women in Hedge Funds (www.100womeninhedgefunds.org)
100 Women in Hedge Funds is a global, practitioner-driven non-profit organization serving over 13,000 alternative investment management investors and professionals through educational, professional leverage and philanthropic initiatives. Formed in 2001, 100 Women in Hedge Funds has hosted close to 500 industry education events globally, connected more than 250 senior women through Peer Advisory Groups and raised over $36 million for philanthropic causes in the areas of women's health, education and mentoring.

About the CAIA Association
The CAIA Association is the world leader in alternative investment education, offering the only education pro­gram uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional-quality alternative investments. The Association is best known for the CAIA Charter, an internationally recognized credential granted upon successful completion of a rigorous two-level exam series, combined with relevant work experience. Earning the CAIA Charter is the gateway to becoming a Member of the CAIA Association, a global network of more than 7,400 alternative investment professionals located in more than 80 countries. CAIA also offers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program (FAI), an introductory-level online course, designed to provide a foundation in the core concepts in alternative investing. This program represents a natural extension of CAIA's mission to provide solutions to specific market needs for alternative investment education. The CAIA Foundation partners with leading industry organizations to increase knowledge and talent in the field of alternative investing. Please visit http://foundation.caia.org for more information.

About PAAMCO
PAAMCO is a leading, privately held investment firm dedicated to offering strategic alternative investment solutions to sophisticated investors worldwide. Since its founding in 2000, PAAMCO has focused on investing on behalf of its clients while striving to raise the standard for industry-wide best practices. The firm is well known for its completeAlpha™ approach, which focuses on delivering performance from early stage opportunities, controlling costs and protecting client assets.

Media contacts:
For 100WHF
Brooke Flohr, RLM Finsbury, 100WHF@rlmfinsbury.com +1 (646) 805-2000

For PAAMCO 
Steve Bruce / Edward Rowley, ASC Advisors +1 (203) 992-1230

For CAIA Association
Chris Sullivan, MacMillan Communications
chris@macmillancom.com (212) 473-4442

Deborah McLean, CAIA Association, Managing Director, External Relations    
dmclean@caia.org (413) 253-7373

SOURCE PAAMCO