Leadership

As Acorn's Executive Chairman, Dr. D’vari is responsible for the leadership of the Board and ensuring its effectiveness in all aspects of his role, including the governance of Acorn and the effective operation of its committees. In addition, Dr. D’vari is responsible for managing capital markets and asset management initiatives as well as regulatory and compliance matters
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Dr. D’Vari has over 35 years of experience in finance, academics, and engineering. He is an expert in portfolio and risk management, fundamental and quantitative credit, structured finance, portfolio alpha strategies and innovative structured solutions using a Quandamental™ approach
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Dr. D’vari founded NewOak, an independent financial services company, which provides strategic counsel and services around structured credit, complex asset valuation, enterprise risk, and regulatory compliance. He has led building of NewOak’s advisory services in credit, valuation, risk/asset management, litigation consulting, due diligence, financial technology and capital markets services. He is responsible for advising NewOak clients in matters throughout the structured products and fixed-income asset lifecycle. In this role, Dr. D’Vari leads the analyses concerning portfolio construction, structuring, securitization, portfolio management, valuation, credit and market risks and trading management
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Prior to forming NewOak, Dr. D’Vari was an executive at BlackRock, Inc. in charge of Structured Finance business and served on Portfolio Strategy Group, Fixed Income Business, Alternative, and New Product Committees. Dr. D’Vari was instrumental in establishing BlackRock Mortgage Investors and development of PennyMAC, a mortgage company and played a key role in BlackRock’s Financial Market Advisory at the beginning of credit crisis
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Prior to acquisition by BlackRock, Dr. D’Vari worked at State Street Research (SSRM) for 12 years culminating in him joining the executive team responsible for the fixed-income asset management business of SSRM. He led the day-to-day management of SSRM fundamental and quantitative bond research and heading the MBS/ABS/CMBS Portfolio Management and Trading sectors. He was a member of the firm’s Bond Policy Committee that managed $27 billion of fixed-income assets, and he established and led State Street’s collateralized debt obligation business and quantitative research team
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Dr. D’Vari is advisor to Chair of PRMIA Education Committee and was previously the chairman. Dr. D’Vari serves on the Editorial Board of Journal of Structured Finance and has previously been on the Board of Boston Security Analyst Society and Advisory Board of American Securitization Forum
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Dr. D’Vari has taught at UCLA, Brandeis University, and Boston University and has published in numerous publications. Dr. D’Vari holds B.S., M.S., Ph.D., and MBA from UCLA and is a CFA charter holder and has FINRA Series 24, 53, 7, and 63 licenses. Dr. D’Vari is Acorn Trade Finance LLC’s Executive Chairman and founder through NewOak Asset Management LLC
ron.dvari@acorntradefinance.com

Mr. Lewis is a senior member of NewOak Asset Management LLC, the parent of Acorn Trade Finance, and Financial Markets Advisory practice of NewOak Advisors and head of its Valuation and Risk Transparency service and Financial Modeling.  He has, nearly 30 years of experience in structuring, banking, financial modeling, valuation, and analytics of structured  products.

Prior to NewOak, Mr. Lewis was a director in the ABS group at Swiss Re for five years, managing risk in various exposures, including esoteric loans and collateralized debt obligations, as well as working on mortgage loan repurchases. Before joining Swiss Re, Mr. Lewis worked at Lehman Brothers for 11 years as a senior banker in securitization, where he led a team that covered most major originators and lead managed in excess of $3 billion of securitizations annually. Prior to that, he was a banker for three years in the ABS group at Goldman Sachs, executing securitizations. He began his career in structured finance with six years in the CMO group at Deloitte & Touche.

• Specialties & Asset Classes: Fixed Income Products, Structured Products, Sales/Trading, Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Derivatives

• Certifications & Licenses: Series 7 and Series 63

• Education:  M.B.A., New York University and B.A., PitzerCollege

At NewOak Capital Markets LLC, Mr. Roger Brandt is the leader responsible for the due diligence, syndication of variety of private assets including trade finance, asset-based loans, funds, private equity and structured products. He also drives buyside and sell side relations management and business development. Mr. Brandt performs underwriting and produces drafts investment memoranda and marketing materials for asset based loans and funds, new acquisition, development, and recapitalization assignments.

Previously, Mr. Brandt was a managing director at Clairfield’s New York office focused on capital markets, M&A transactions and financial advisory and modeling of complex assets, including new asset-based projects and real estate developments.

Prior to Clairfield, Mr Brandt was a director at Academy Securities, where he headed up its structured products syndication efforts, resulting in over USD 120 billion in transaction value. Additionally, Roger held various roles on Academy’s debt capital markets, investment grade syndicate, and investment banking teams. Prior to Academy, Roger was a vice-president at Johnson Capital, a real-estate investment bank active in the debt and equity capital markets.

• Specialties & Asset Classes: Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Asset Based Loans, Real Estate,Private Assets, Fixed Income Products. FinTech Ventures, SustainabilityProjects

• Certifications & Licenses: Series 79, 82, and 63

• Education: MS Real Estate, New York University

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