Daniel Ades is Kawa's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Daniel has been responsible for overseeing the firm's investment decisions since its inception in 2007. Daniel is ultimately accountable for the overall strategy across all of Kawa's investing and, together with Alex, the Chief Risk Officer, manages capital and risk among strategies and investments. Daniel has been instrumental in building the investment team and creating an infrastructure capable of processing large amounts of simultaneous transactions and analysis, as well as ensuring an institutional-quality foundation for the different areas of the firm. 
Before starting Kawa, Daniel was a Partner at Horn Eichenwald Investments, an SEC-registered boutique investment advisor servicing high net-worth clients based in Miami, FL. Daniel has a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from the Fletcher School with a minor in economic development and international business relations. 
Daniel received honors for his master's thesis on the pricing of emerging market debt. His thesis consisted of building a model for determining credit spreads in emerging market bonds by linking a government's tax revenue, its existing debt load, and the volatility of currency options markets. He was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is philanthropically active in several organizations in Miami and Israel, focusing on education. ​

Daniel Ades

Alex Saverin is Kawa's Co-Founder and Chief Risk Officer. Alex spends most of his time evaluating investment opportunities and actively participating in quantitative analysis, risk management, hedging, and downside analysis for liquid funds. He has also overseen the implementation and build-out of Kawa's proprietary trading and monitoring systems. 
Before Kawa, Alex worked at Horn Eichenwald Investments, where he led the development of an asset management software platform and explored automated computer-based trading models. Before Horn Eichenwald, Alex was a Senior Developer for Motorola's Multimedia Messaging team, where he helped to successfully launch Motorola's multimedia messaging platform to over 60 million Verizon and U.S. Cellular subscribers. Alex has a B.A. in Computer Science from Cornell University. At Cornell, he was involved in computer vision research and studied computational finance.

Alexandre Saverin

Cristina Baldim joined Kawa in March 2010 and currently serves as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, responsible for the Company’s day-to-day management and operations. &nbsp;Prior to June 2022, she served as a Managing Director and Member of the Executive Committee leading investment analysis and execution of private equity and credit co-investment opportunities. &nbsp;In that role Cristina was responsible for developing the firm’s investment process and managing the investment team. Since joining the firm, Cristina has overseen the execution of over $1 billion in invested capital across more than 80 special purpose funds and entities. Cristina’s background includes over 25 years of institutional experience in asset management and investment banking. &nbsp;
Prior to joining Kawa, Cristina acted as a consultant to clients seeking capital and founded her own advisory firm, CBC Advisory, LLC. Before CBC, Cristina was a Vice President at Citigroup Inc. in Miami, where she was dedicated to direct investments in private equity opportunities, and was involved in the analysis, structuring and execution of such investments. Before Citigroup, Cristina was an Associate at J.P. Morgan Chase &amp; Co. in New York, in the Mergers and Acquisitions group, focusing on the Latin America region. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Cristina was an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions groups of Chase Manhattan Bank and of Banco Société Générale S.A., both in São Paulo, Brazil.
Cristina has a degree in Business Administration with emphasis in finance from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (São Paulo, Brazil), where she graduated with distinction.

Cristina Baldim

Carlos Felipe Lemos has been with Kawa since its inception in September 2007. He currently serves as its Head of Investor Relations.
Prior to joining Kawa, Mr. Lemos worked with European and Latin American investors in the South Florida real estate industry, cultivating expertise in commercial and residential real estate lending. In 2003, Mr. Lemos founded Caravelas Cigar, a premium cigar manufacturer in Brazil, which he sold in 2005. Prior to Caravelas, Mr. Lemos led Latin America and Europe expansion for the Brand Institute and was also responsible for several new product launches in the pharmaceutical and consumer products areas.
Mr. Lemos earned a B.A. in history from Duke University in 2000, focusing on Latin American Economic Development.

Felipe Lemos

Jeremy Traster joined Kawa in September 2014 and is currently General Counsel supporting the Legal &amp; Compliance department. Jeremy is responsible for all legal matters at Kawa Capital.
Prior to joining Kawa Capital, Jeremy practiced law in the corporate department at Cahill Gordon &amp; Reindel LLP in New York and London as well as at Clifford Chance LLP in London, where he focused primarily on leveraged and acquisition finance, including some of the largest LBO financings to date, capital raising in the public and private markets, debt restructurings, and corporate and securities legal matters. Jeremy also spent time in the debt capital markets group at J.P. Morgan in London, where he was the legal representative on high yield, investment grade and other debt capital market transactions.
Jeremy received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude and was a member of its Law Review.

Jeremy Traster

Leadership

Dan Amer joined Kawa in 2011 and serves as a Managing Director on the Investment &amp; Originations team, leading research on tradeable securities for the Kawa Fund across various asset classes. Dan is a CFA charter holder and provides underwriting and execution of private (“Club”) investments throughout the capital structure, including leading the acquisition and financing of several commercial real estate and renewable energy opportunities over the past few years. 
Before Kawa, Dan worked as a Senior Equity Research Associate at Raymond James, covering real estate equities from 2007 to 2011. 
Dan graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007, receiving a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business, with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.

Daniel Amer

Jacques Holzmann joined Kawa in 2013 and serves as a Managing Director on the Investment &amp; Originations team. From March 2015 to February 2017, Jacques worked at Conergy, a former Kawa portfolio company, where he was Corporate Vice-President focused on corporate finance and global projects. 
Before Conergy, Jacques was an Investment Analyst at Kawa, working on the analysis and execution of private investments. Before joining Kawa, Jacques was an analyst at BroadSpan Capital, where he participated in all aspects of mergers &amp; acquisitions and strategic advisory, as well as assisted the execution team on communication with clients and counter-parties throughout the transaction process. Jacques began his career at Horn Eichenwald Investments, an asset management and investment advisory firm in Miami. 
Jacques graduated from Florida International University in 2010. He received a BBA in Finance from the R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business.​

Jacques Holzmann

Emile Ernandez re-joined Kawa in February 2024 and serves as Managing Director, Head of Structured Credit on the Investment &amp; Originations team. Emile’s background includes over 18 years of securitized products banking, structuring, and trading experience. Emile recently spent six months at Guggenheim Securities as a Managing Director, focused on Esoteric ABS. Prior to that, Emile was at Kawa from 2018 - 2023, working as Managing Director in the Investment &amp; Originations department.
Before 2018, Emile was a Director in the Securitized Products Group within the Investment Banking division at Barclays in New York, where he spent seven years focusing on originating and structuring Esoteric structured finance transactions, including securitizations, warehouse facilities, and illiquid trading opportunities. Before Barclays, Emile spent six years at Deutsche Bank in New York as a Vice President in the Credit Solutions Group, focusing on structured lending in emerging markets and ABS transactions across the student loan and residential mortgage sectors. Emile is fluent in French and proficient in Spanish. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics, with honors, from the University of Chicago.

Emile Ernandez

Harlan Lam joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently a Senior Director supporting the Investment &amp; Originations team.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked at Safra National Bank of New York, where he managed the bank’s investment portfolio, as well as facilitated the execution of client flows. Harlan has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a CFA charter holder.

Harlan Lam

Michael Aronovitz joined Kawa in 2019 and is currently a Director supporting the Investment &amp; Originations department. He is responsible for the firm’s liquid hedge funds trading, hedging and cash management.
Prior to Kawa Capital, Michael worked as the COO of a global macro investment firm, Banyan Equity Management. Michael has over twenty years of experience as a trader and portfolio manager focusing on FX, equity, commodity, fixed income, and option markets.
Michael graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2002.

Michael Aronovitz

Jose Kliksberg joined Kawa in 2023 and is currently a Director in the Investment &amp; Originations department. He is responsible for research and ideas origination on tradeable credit securities for the Kawa Fund. Jose has 18 years of experience covering credit and emerging markets. Prior to joining Kawa, he worked at Moneda Asset Management in distressed and high-yield investments. He also worked at Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Markets desk for five years as the leading credit analyst and at Black River Asset Management. 
Jose has a degree in Finance from the University of Maryland and an MBA from MIT Sloan.

Jose Kliksberg

Jeremy Lash joined Kawa in 2015 and serves as a Director on the Real Estate Investments Team. He is responsible for originating, structuring, and closing commercial real estate transactions as well as managing a servicing program for the same. 
Jeremy has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Jeremy Lash

Michael Baratta joined Kawa in 2021 and serves as a Director in the Investment &amp; Originations team.&nbsp; He is responsible for managing investments within Kawa's CRE Lending strategy while assisting with origination and capital markets efforts. 
Before joining Kawa, he worked as an Investment Associate in Originations at H.I.G. Capital’s direct lending affiliate, WhiteHorse Capital. Prior to working for H.I.G./WhiteHorse, Michael worked as an Investment Banking Analyst sitting on the Leveraged Capital Markets desk at R.B.C. Capital Markets. 
Michael has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida International University.

Michael Baratta

Jonathan Wolgin joined Kawa in July 2019 and serves as a Director on the Investment &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for underwriting and structuring asset-backed loans and credit facilities, as well as ABS and CTL trades. 
Before joining Kawa, Jonathan worked at Starwood Property Trust from 2013 to 2019. There, he focused on asset-managing properties acquired out of REO in special situations. Jon completed the CMBS rotational analyst program at Starwood. 
He has a B.A. degree in Philosophy from the University of Michigan.​

Jonathan Wolgin

Tim Sullivan joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently a Senior Associate on the Investment &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for deal sourcing, underwriting and execution.
Prior to joining Kawa, he spent four and half years as an analyst, then associate, in Blackstone's real estate debt strategies group.
Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Scranton.

Tim Sullivan

Nick Martucci joined Kawa in May 2021 and serves as a Senior Investment Associate covering structured credit on the Investment &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for underwriting private structured credit opportunities and assisting in investment decisions for the firm's various asset-backed books. 
Before joining Kawa, Nick spent three years at Houlihan Lokey in New York as an Analyst in its Structured Finance coverage group. 
Nick graduated from Fordham University with honors, earning a bachelor's degree in Finance and a minor in Economics.​

Nicholas Martucci

Pooria Dariush joined Kawa in 2022 and serves as a Senior Associate on the Investment &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for investment originations, underwriting, and execution across Kawa's real estate strategies. 
Before joining Kawa, he worked as Director of Asset Management at Secured Debt Investments, a private investment firm in Miami. He was responsible for leading the due diligence, underwriting, and execution for various commercial real estate-backed investments, focusing on the acquisition and workout of non-performing loans and distressed assets. 
Pooria graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

Pooria Dariush

Jack Gaugin-Rosenthal joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently an Associate Trader supporting the Investment &amp; Originations Department. He is responsible for conducting trade analysis, sourcing investment ideas, and ensuring effective trade execution.
He has a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Washington and Lee University.

Jack Gaugin-Rosenthal

Tina Cheesman joined Kawa in 2023 as an Investment Associate covering structured credit. She is responsible for underwriting private structured credit opportunities and assisting in investment decisions for the firm's various asset-backed books. Before joining Kawa, Tina spent almost a year at Atalaya in New York on its Financial Assets team, a year and a half at Man Group in New York in their Global Private Markets division, and two years at Morgan Stanley in New York in their structured products capital markets group. 
Tina graduated from Georgetown University, earning a BSFS in Science, Technology, and International Affairs, with a minor in Spanish.

Christina Cheesman

Avgustina Nikolova joined Kawa in 2021 and serves as an Associate on the Investment &amp; Originations team. She is responsible for supporting the diligence, execution, and servicing of deals primarily within the commercial real estate lending space. 
Before joining Kawa, she worked at a Miami-based Venture Capital firm. 
Avgustina has a bachelor’s degree in Business, with a concentration in Finance, from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.​

Avgustina Nikolova

Zachary Goldberg joined Kawa in 2021 after interning at the firm for two summers and is currently an analyst supporting the Investment &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for executing trades and analyzing new investments and credit opportunities.
Zac graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics.

Zachary Goldberg

Juan B. Marini joined Kawa in 2024 and serves as an Analyst on the Investments &amp; Originations team. He is responsible for screening and analyzing new investments and credit opportunities. 
Prior to joining Kawa, Juan worked at HSBC as an Investment Banking analyst in the Leveraged &amp; Acquisitions Finance team based in New York. 
Juan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with double majors in Computer Information Systems and Data Analytics from Florida International University.

Juan Marini

Investment

Luciano Lautenberg joined Kawa Capital in May 2011 and is currently a Managing Director in the Investor Relations department. Luciano’s background includes 14 years of experience in strategic marketing and business consulting across Latin America.
Prior to Kawa Capital, he worked for 5 years at Microsoft Corporation, 2 years of which he spent in Brazil managing the local channel's marketing strategy and 3 years in South Florida leading Microsoft Business Solutions marketing efforts for the Latin America region. Before that, Luciano worked for various business consultant companies such as IBM, Accenture, and Andersen Consulting, working across various industries. His areas of focus included change management, process design and solution system implementation.
Luciano graduated in Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV - São Paulo, Brazil) and has an M.B.A. with a focus in Marketing from Instituto Brasileiro de Mercadologia (IBMEC – São Paulo, Brazil). He has also taken several executive education programs such as International Marketing at The University of Texas at Austin and Excellence in Marketing at Kellogg School of Management.

Luciano Lautenberg

Carly Williams joined Kawa Capital in 2016 and is currently a Managing Director in the Investor Relations department. She focuses on Institutional Investors in US, Canada, and Europe. In addition to her role, Carly is actively involved in The National YoungArts Foundation as well as 100 Women in Finance (100WF) in Miami, both non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining Kawa, she worked at Pine River Capital Management in New York from 2012-2016 as Vice President in Marketing and Investor Relations, and Goldman Sachs in New York from 2007-2012 as Associate in Strategic Portfolio Solutions Group within Mortgages and Structured Products Trading.
Carly has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a major in Engineering Science and minors in Financial Economics and Management of Technology from Vanderbilt University, Magna Cum Laude 2007.

Carly Williams

Fernando Braghin joined Kawa in May 2017 and is currently a Managing Director on the Investor Relations team. His main responsibility at Kawa Capital is to underwrite and execute the private (“Club”) investments.
Prior to Kawa Capital, Fernando was a partner and the Chief Compliance Officer at Horn Eichenwald Investments Corp, where he provided portfolio management and consolidation services for high-net-worth families. He was also a director of operations for Bridgeloan Investors Inc, focusing on financing and construction of single-family homes, and a partner and board member on the credit committee of Bridgeinvest, LLC – a real estate lender focusing on short-term financing secured by commercial real estate.
Fernando graduated with a dual degree in Electrical and Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Fernando Braghin

Stephanie Holzmann joined Kawa in 2020 and is currently Marketing Director supporting the Investor Relations department. She is responsible for overseeing the management of the Kawa brand and producing investor communication materials.
Prior to joining the Kawa team, Stephanie consulted for Kawa, leading the digital marketing and rebranding efforts. Prior to that, Stephanie worked at HBO Latin America as a Digital Content Manager overseeing digital marketing for products and content planning. &nbsp;Prior to HBO Latin America, Stephanie spent several years working in marketing roles within the luxury industry for brands such as Harry Winston and Cartier.
Stephanie received her bachelor's degree in International Business from Florida International University and holds a masters degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern University.

Stephanie Holzmann

Tyler Claus joined Kawa in 2016 and is currently a Director in the Investor Relations department. He is responsible for fundraising and relationship management for institutional allocators in North America and Europe.
Prior to joining Kawa, Tyler worked as a summer analyst at WE Family Offices and Landmark Companies.
He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Miami and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.

Tyler Claus

Magda Alvarez joined Kawa in 2019 and is currently a Senior Associate supporting the Investor Relations department. She is responsible for capital fundraising in Latin America. In addition to her role as a Senior Associate, she is involved in the 100 Women of Finance chapter in Miami.
Prior to joining Kawa, she worked at Goldman Sachs for five years in Private Wealth Management. She joined us from NYC after working in a Business Development role at a TechStars startup company founded in NYC.
Magda has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

Magda Alvarez

Raquel Shoshani joined Kawa in March 2021 and is currently a Senior Associate supporting the Investor Relations department.
Prior to joining Kawa, Raquel worked at JP Morgan Private Bank where she covered Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama markets. While at JP Morgan she supported the growth of a $5B book of business in Latin America, working directly with clients and family offices.
Raquel received her bachelor's degree in Art History and minor in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Raquel Shoshani

Gabriella Mendez joined Kawa in 2022 and serves as a Middle Office Manager supporting the Investor Relations team. She is responsible for managing the operational aspects of Kawa’s client-facing activities.
Prior to joining Kawa’s Investor Relations Team, Gabriella worked for Kawa as a Legal Assistant in the Legal &amp; Compliance department. Before joining Kawa, she worked at Holland &amp; Knight, LLP as a clerk supporting the Commercial Real Estate team in Orlando, Florida.
Gabriella has a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida.

Gabriella Mendez

Natasha Hibner joined Kawa in 2024 and is currently an Analyst supporting the Investor Relations Department. Before joining Kawa’s Investor Relations Team, Natasha worked for Kawa as an intern supporting the Marketing Director. Prior to joining Kawa, she interned at Swiss Bank in asset management and at Baker McKenzie in the wealth management department. 
Natasha has a bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Technology &amp; Design from Babson College.​

Natasha Hibner

Investor Relations

Lando Kravetz joined Kawa in 2013 to work on special projects and is currently its Chief Technology Officer. He is responsible for Kawa’s Digital Strategy.
Prior to Kawa Capital, Lando worked as a consultant for Oracle and Ernst &amp; Young and managed technology operations for Citibank.
Lando earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science in Brazil and later a M.Sc. in Finance in NY from Baruch College.

Lando Kravetz

Xi Liu joined Kawa in January 2018 as Assistant Controller and Fund Accounting Supervisor. She currently serves as Kawa’s Managing Director of Operations.
Prior to joining Kawa Capital, Xi held an assistant controller position in a multifamily real estate investment firm where she spent five years focusing on financial management of the organization, including cash management, financial reporting, cost benefit analysis, forecasting needs, and related training. Xi has a strong accounting background with keen qualitative and quantitative ability.
An alumnus of The University of Miami, Xi holds a master’s degree in Accounting.

Xi Liu

Gustavo Avellar joined Kawa Capital in October 2018 as a Financial Planning Manager (FP&amp;A Manager) on the Operations team, and currently serves as Managing Director of Finance. Gustavo’s background includes 15 years of experience in restructurings and turnarounds in Brazil.
Prior joining Kawa Capital, Gustavo was the CEO of a Brazilian retailer where he led a successful operational and financial restructuring during a severe economic crisis in Brazil from 2015 to 2017. Prior to that, he had experiences as CFO of companies in industrial and educational sectors. Gustavo also spent 7 years of his career at Alvarez and Marsal, a restructuring advisory firm where he worked in several assignments including debtor and creditor advisory.
Gustavo graduated in Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV - São Paulo, Brazil).

Gustavo Avellar

Leticia Heleodoro joined Kawa in June 2019 and serves as Managing Director of Human Resources. She is responsible for managing the strategy and processes related to building and retaining Kawa’s team of professionals. 
Before joining Kawa, she worked at BTG Pactual, helping build the HR function from the ground up and later heading the HR function for the United States, Mexico, and England. Over the course of her career, she has led HR teams through processes of international mergers and acquisitions, supported business expansions as well as retractions, and helped reshape and optimize organizational structures. 
Leticia holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from FAC (Minas Gerais – Brazil) and an M.S. in Human Resources Management and Development from New York University.​

Leticia Heleodoro

Ted Brooks joined Kawa in June 2019, and is the Firm’s Tax Director and Global Tax Counsel. He is responsible for the Firm’s tax function including U.S. federal, state and local and international tax planning, compliance, and audit. In addition to his role as Kawa’s Tax Director, Ted is a member of the Board of Directors of Icing Smiles, a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. &nbsp;Ted is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court. He is a member of the D.C. Bar Tax Section, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the ABA Tax Section.
Prior to joining Kawa, Ted’s career has included in-house tax leadership roles at Marriott International, CountourGlobal and Ahold USA, and private practice as the Managing Shareholder of BrooksLaw PC and at Sutherland Asbill &amp; Brennan LLP (now Eversheds Sutherland) in Washington, D.C. &nbsp;
Ted has a BBA in International Finance from the University of Miami (FL), a Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School and a Master of Law (LLM) in Tax from the University of Florida College of Law. &nbsp;Ted is a frequent speaker on U.S., International and Cross-Border Taxation.

Ted Brooks

Nelson Torres joined Kawa in November 2019 as Director of IT and Chief Information Security Officer. He is responsible for Kawa’s information security program and network operations team.
Nelson has worked as an information security specialist in the financial and hospitality industries and most recently served as Director of Information Technology for a recognized leader in affordable multi-family developments.
Nelson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Security and has been granted the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified Data Privacy Security Engineer (CDPSE) certifications by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

Nelson Torres

Felipe Gutnik joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently Finance Director supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department. He is responsible for Managerial reporting, Loan Servicing, and process automation.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked at Restaurant International Brands and BTG Pactual for the last 15 years.
Felipe has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of PUC-Rio. He has also received a PMI certificate.

Felipe Gutnik

Katherine Handley joined the Kawa Capital Operations &amp; Finance team in September 2010 and is currently the Operations Director. She is responsible for overseeing the team that handles the liquid funds of Kawa, which make up over half of the firm’s AUM.
Prior to joining Kawa, Katherine worked in the tourism field, where she developed her operational and organization skills. &nbsp;
Katherine received her B.A. from McGill University where she majored in Cultural Studies. Since joining Kawa, she has received certification in the Series 3, Series, 65, and is working towards completing CAIA certification.

Katherine Handley

Adam joined Kawa in July 2019 and serves as Senior Tax Manager. 
Before joining Kawa, Adam worked for four years in a strategic and compliance tax position in the Real Estate Investment Trust industry at Two Harbors Investment Corp. Most recently, he worked at RSM US LLP, assisting clients with tax compliance on Corporate and Partnership entities.​

Adam Katz

Oscar Garcia joined Kawa in August 2021, and is currently the Senior Operations Analyst supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department. He is responsible for trade capture, account reconciliation, and working to automate and improve operational processes.
Prior to joining Kawa, he spent 8 years working at Morgan Stanley in its operations department; first, covering their fixed income institutional securities business in Latin America, and, more recently, supporting their derivative rates trading desk.
He completed a bachelor’s in Economics with honors at Oberlin College, and later earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Oscar Garcia

Darrel Masih joined Kawa in 2020 and is currently a Senior Accountant supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department. He is responsible for the fund accounting and trade operations for Kawa’s liquid fund portfolios.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked as Fund Accountant at SQM Frontier Management LP in Arlington, VA where he was responsible for overseeing the back-office operations of the firm. Darrel has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Toronto.

Darrel Masih

Jue Wang joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently Senior Accountant supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department.
Prior to joining Kawa, she worked as a Senior Accountant at a CPA firm, where she emphasized financial accounting practice with clients in multiple industries.
Jue holds a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Finance from Washburn University.

Jue Wang

Jose Requena joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently a Senior Tax Accountant supporting the Tax Department. He is responsible for preparing tax calculations, filings, payments, and strategies.
Before joining Kawa, he worked as Senior International Tax Analyst at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a Miami-based, publicly traded, multinational corporation. Prior to that, he worked in Latin America on a wide array of macroeconomic policy issues.
Jose holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in economics from the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in taxation from Harvard Law School.

Jose Requena

Hugh Shearer joined Kawa in May 2018 and is currently an Accountant supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department.
Prior to Kawa Capital, Hugh worked as a property accountant for both single and multifamily real estate investment firms, managing the daily accounting functions of multiple portfolios of properties and entities.
Hugh graduated Cum Laude from Barry University in May 2014, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Major in Accounting.

Hugh Shearer

Jimmy Mitchell joined Kawa in 2024 as a Sr. Analyst supporting the Finance department. He is responsible for managerial reporting and loan servicing. Before joining Kawa, he worked as a Business Analyst and Management Consultant at Witt O'Brien's. 
Jimmy earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Miami, graduating with honors (Magna Cum Laude).

James Mitchell

Christopher Barr joined Kawa in November 2021 and is currently an Operations Analyst supporting the Operations &amp; Finance department. He is responsible for reconciling bank accounts, booking trades, and updating internal systems.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked as a Billing Analyst for G4S, specializing in AR and reconciling accounts. Before that he spent a year living in Thailand and working as a Business Analyst for a commercial airline where he began to focus in Finance.
He graduated from the University of Miami as a student athlete on the baseball team.
&nbsp;

Christopher Barr

Mauricio Alvarado joined Kawa in 2023 and is currently an Operations Junior Analyst supporting the Operations &amp; Finance departments. He is responsible for bank account reconciliation, maintenance of internal systems, and booking trades. Prior to joining Kawa, he worked at BNP Paribas as a Finance Analyst intern within their Business Strategy and Collections Planning team. 
Mauricio has a bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology from Fordham University.

Mauricio Alvarado

Alberto Palacio joined Kawa Capital in 2017, and is the Information Systems Administrator for the Information Systems department.
Prior to joining Kawa Capital, Alberto served as the System Administrator at Adler Group, Inc. for 8 years. At Adler Group, he worked closely with The Director of IT to maintain, upgrade, and evolve the in-house technology as the business needs changed throughout the years.

Alberto Palacio

Zhenyu Li joined Kawa in May 2022 and serves as a Controller on the Operations &amp; Finance team. He is responsible for the accounting and operation for funds and firm finances. 
Before joining Kawa, he worked at Deloitte &amp; Touché as Audit Manager. 
Zhenyu Li has a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from Washburn University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.​

Zhenyu (Lee) Li

Katiussi (Kati) Soares joined Kawa in 2015 and is currently an Executive Assistant supporting the Human Resources &amp; Corporate Services department. She is responsible for providing administrative assistance to Kawa and its Executive Team. &nbsp;Prior to joining Kawa, Kati worked as an Executive Assistant in the corporate office of an upscale restaurant chain.

Katiussi Soares

Alessandra Nielson Stanzione joined Kawa in 2021 and is currently an Executive Assistant supporting the Human Resources &amp; Corporate Services department. She is responsible for providing administrative support to Kawa and its executive team.
Prior to joining Kawa, she worked at Rick Case Volkswagen as a Product Specialist.
Alessandra has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University Anhembi-Morumbi in Brazil.

Alessandra Stanzione

Lais Girardi joined Kawa in 2022 and is currently an executive assistant supporting the Corporate Service department. She is responsible for providing administrative assistance to Kawa and its executive team.
Prior to joining Kawa, she worked at Broward College as an ESL teacher and Restaurant Services, Inc as a project manager and inventory manager contractor.
Lais has a Bachelor’s in Linguistics from the State University of Campinas in Brazil, a Bachelor’s in Supply Chain Management, and an Associate degree in Business Administration from Broward College in the USA. She graduated Suma Cum Laude with both of her business degrees. She has also been honored with the Most Outstanding Student Business Administration Award from Broward College, and she speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and some French.

Lais Girardi

Infrastructure

Peter Cunha joined Kawa in 2018 and is currently Deputy General Counsel supporting the Legal department. &nbsp;
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked as an associate at a global law firm and for the United States Soccer Federation.
Peter has a bachelor’s degree from Moravian University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law.

Peter Cunha

Franco Piccinini joined Kawa in April 2022, and currently serves as Associate General Counsel supporting the Legal &amp; Compliance Department. He is responsible for assisting the Investment Team in all aspects of Kawa’s commercial real estate transactions, including performing due diligence and drafting legal documentation for acquisitions, preferred equity investments, mortgage and mezzanine financing, construction and bridge lending, ground leases and other types of commercial real estate transactions. Together with his colleagues in the Legal &amp; Compliance Department, he serves an integral role in fund formation at Kawa, and also regularly performs general legal matters for the firm.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked as a commercial real estate attorney at Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price &amp; Axelrod LLP.
Franco has a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Business Law from the University of Miami and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law, magna cum laude. He is a member of the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.

Franco Piccinini

Edward Goldfarb joined Kawa in 2020 and is currently a Senior Compliance Officer supporting the Legal and Compliance department.
Prior to joining Kawa, he worked at a boutique regulatory compliance consultancy in Dallas, Texas.
Edward holds a Juris Doctor and has a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern &amp; South Asian Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Edward Goldfarb

Nataly Torosian joined Kawa in 2024 and serves as a Senior Compliance Officer on the Legal and Compliance team. Before joining Kawa, she was a part of the Legal &amp; Compliance teams at CIFC Asset Management, KKR, and UBS. 
Nataly has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York Law School. She is a member of the New York State and District of Columbia Bar.

Nataly Torosian

Tatjana Martin joined Kawa Capital in March 2017 and is currently a Senior Legal Assistant supporting the Legal &amp; Compliance department.
Prior to joining Kawa Capital, Tatjana worked at DietMart Corporation, where she conducted product research and development. Prior to joining DietMart, Tatjana worked at M7 Corporation, where she supervised the customer service department. Additional prior experience includes serving as the Assistant to the Vice President at NPP Eliks America, Inc. and translation services in Estonia.
Tatjana received her certificate in Paralegal Studies from the University of Miami and AML Compliance Managers Certificate from Online Training Technologies. Tatjana also attended EMKTS in Tallinn, Estonia, where her area of concertation was in education, humanities, social sciences, and foreign languages.