NEW YORK, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Capital IQ, New Legacy Group, and Opal Financial Group, Inc. have announced this year's finalists for the third annual Global Emerging Manager Awards (GEMA), an industry-sponsored event that recognizes successful emerging hedge fund managers from around the world, and provides a forum for sharing best practices among colleagues within the investment community. 

In addition to the awards ceremony on March 9, 2015 at the New York Marriott Marquis, this year's GEMA event will also present a panel discussion on "Perspectives on the Decision to Launch a Fund," offering the viewpoints and experiences of three successful hedge fund professionals who have faced that decision.  Moderated by Christopher Parkinson, Head of Manager Research at Cardano, panelists will include Jason Karp, founder of  Tourbillon Capital Partners, the winner of GEMA's Emerging Manager of the Year for 2013; Sam Martini, Co-Director of Research at Omega Advisors; and Josh Resnick, Founder and Managing Partner of Jericho Capital Asset Management.  The awards event is being produced by the Opal Financial Group.

"Managers from 31 cities in 13 countries submitted GEMA nominations, many of which exhibited exceptional and disciplined performance," commented Jay Zachter, Managing Director at S&P Capital IQ.  "With more entrants than ever before, GEMA is leading the way in highlighting the best emerging talent in the industry, and supporting their growth through interactions with institutional investors."

The 2014 award finalists include:

Credit:
R&D Capital Partners, LP
Varadero Master Fund
Varden Pacific Opportunity Partners I LP
Venator Income Fund Class F

Event Driven:
Corre Opportunities Qualified Onshore Fund, LP
EOS Focused Equity
GOCM Fund, L.P.
Headlands Strategic Opportunity Fund, LP
Sachem Head LP

Global Macro:
Andurand Commodities Fund
PWP Global Macro Fund
ROW Diversified Fund, LP

Long/Short Equity:
Divisar Partners, L.P.
EastBay Onshore Fund, LP
Forge First Long Short LP
Harbor Group International Real Estate Securities Funds
MIG Master Fund, L.P.
Venator Founders Fund Class A

Multi-Strat & Arb:
Alambic Colombard Fund
Teak Hill Fund
Malachite Capital Partners LP

Asia-Focused:
Black Crane Asia Opportunities Fund
Hayate Japan Equity Long-Short Fund
RV Capital Asia Opportunity Fund

Emerging Markets-Focused:
Aperios Emerging Connectivity Fund
Chambers Street Capital Management

Europe-Focused:
Ben Oldman Special Situations Fund, L.P.
Serone Key Opportunities Fund
Taiga Investment Funds PLC

Global-Focused:
Creative Research Global Edge M
Rivulet Capital
Solstein Capital Partners, LP
Sphera Global Healthcare Fund

For more information about the Global Emerging Managers Awards, please visit: www.emergingmanagerawards.com

ABOUT S&P CAPITAL IQ:

S&P Capital IQ, a business line of McGraw Hill Financial, is a leading provider of multi-asset class and real time data, research and analytics to institutional investors, investment and commercial banks, investment advisors and wealth managers, corporations and universities around the world. We provide a broad suite of capabilities designed to help track performance, generate alpha, and identify new trading and investment ideas, and perform risk analysis and mitigation strategies. Through leading desktop solutions such as the S&P Capital IQ, Global Credit Portal, MMD and MarketScope Advisor desktops; enterprise solutions such as S&P Capital IQ Valuations; and research offerings, including Leveraged Commentary & Data, Global Markets Intelligence, and company and funds research, S&P Capital IQ sharpens financial intelligence into the wisdom today's investors need. For more information visit: www.spcapitaliq.com.

ABOUT NEW LEGACY GROUP:

New Legacy Group is a multi-disciplinary Registered Investment Advisor dedicated to serving the investment needs of high net worth investors, family offices, foundations, endowments, and pension funds. New Legacy's principals have extensive experience in the complementary worlds of Family Offices and Institutional Funds of Funds. They have managed significant pension, Taft-Hartley, corporate, and high net worth assets during their careers. The Group includes a hedge fund allocation business, an advisory firm to families of significant net worth, and a private investment business which includes holdings in an array of different asset classes and industries. Please visit www.newlegacy.com for more information on the firm.

About Opal Financial Group:

Opal Financial Group, Inc. coordinates leading institutional investment and securitization events in both Europe and the United States. Institutional investment conferences are designed for executives in Corporate Pension Funds, Endowments, Public Funds, Family Offices, Foundations, Taft-Hartley Funds, Financial Planners, 401 (k) Plans, Investment Consultants, Broker/dealers, Rating Agencies, Lawyers, Accountants and High-Net-Worth Individuals. Our securitization events target decision makers in both Asset-Backed and Structured Finance.

Opal provides the most current information on recent market trends and global competition, while allowing face-to-face networking opportunities between industry leaders. Our conferences provide delegates with the necessary information and networking opportunities to help their business grow in today's competitive business arena. We focus to provide a unique atmosphere where the emphasis is on education, not sales or marketing. This ensures the highest quality in all aspects for each event. We are viewed as the business information organization that is professional, yet allows for a comfortable environment within an interactive and educational forum.

CONTACT: Domarc Dayondon, (212) 532-9898 x281, marketing@opalgroup.net

SOURCE Opal Financial Group, Inc.