IPA Honors 21 Leaders Across the Alternative Investments Industry

The Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA) today announced the recipients of the 2026 IPA Awards, recognizing 21 leaders whose service and expertise have made a meaningful impact on the alternative investments industry and the IPA community.

Presented during IPAVision in Atlanta, the IPA Awards recognize the many ways industry leaders contribute to the association and strengthen the broader alternative investments marketplace. This year’s honorees were recognized across five categories: Outstanding Service, Policy Leadership, Rising Voice, Emerging Champion and Lifetime Achievement.

“The IPA Awards recognize individuals who give their time and expertise to strengthen our industry and our community,” said Anya Coverman, President and CEO of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives. “Each of this year’s honorees has made a meaningful contribution to IPA, whether by advancing important policy priorities or stepping forward to share their perspective with their peers. We are proud to recognize their impact and the leadership they continue to demonstrate.”

The awards were presented before more than 550 professionals gathered at IPAVision, representing firms from across asset management, wealth management and the broader alternative investments ecosystem.

Outstanding Service

The Outstanding Service Awardhonors individuals who consistently demonstrate exceptional leadership anddedication to advancing the alternatives industry and the work of IPA.

Bill Duffy, Head of Alternative Investment Platform Solutions, Fidelity Investments

Kimberly Flynn, President, XA Investments

Martin Griffin, Senior Director, Head of Product and Sales Support, SS&C

Bora Lim, Managing Director, Head of Hedge Fund & Alternative Credit Origination,Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Matthew Malone, President and Head of Investment Management, Opto Investments

Emily Reagan, Managing Director and Global Head of Evergreen Products for Alternatives Capital Formation, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Paul Weisenfeld, 1st Vice President, Head of Strategic Partnerships - Private Wealth, CIM Group

Policy Leadership

The Policy Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose expertise and advocacy have strengthened IPA’s policy efforts and helped advance a more effective regulatory environment for alternative investments.

John Cronin, Vice President, Head of State Government Relations, LPL Financial

John Mahon, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb

Peter Matejcak, Partner, Baker McKenzie

Nick Rosenthal, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Griffin Capital

Benjamin Wells, Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Rising Voice

The Rising Voice Award honors individuals who are newer to the IPA community but have already demonstrated meaningful engagement and leadership in advancing the association’s mission.

Jason Cross, Managing Director, Capital Markets and Head of Investor Relations, RedbrickLMD

Sydney Friedman, Managing Director in Blackstone Private Wealth, Blackstone

Paula Noble, Vice President of Key Accounts & Client Education, CNL

Nick Tiemeyer, Vice President of Wealth Alternatives Product, Nuveen

Natalya Zernitskaya, Senior Due Diligence Analyst, Cetera Financial Group

Emerging Champion

The Emerging Champion Award recognizes leaders who are helping expand the role of alternative investments within the broader wealth management marketplace and creating new opportunities for industry growth.

Peter Aliprantis, Partner and Head of Private Wealth Americas, EQT Partners

Danielle Hickey, Director of Platform Development for Private Markets Solutions, Macquarie Asset Management

Bill Stout, Head of Private Markets Strategy, Vanguard

Lifetime Achievement

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual whose career has demonstrated sustained leadership anda lasting contribution to financial services and the alternative investments industry.

Thomas Selman, President and CEO, SCOPUS Financial Group. Selman previously served as the Executive Vice President for Regulatory Policy and Legal Compliance Officer at FINRA. During his more than two decades at FINRA, he led numerous regulatory functions, including Advertising Regulation and Corporate Financing, as well as the Office of Financial Innovation.

For more information about the 2026 IPA Awards and this year’s honorees, visit www.ipa.com.

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