SENIOR TEAM
Professionals with 100+ years of combined experience
Cumulative career experience advising $100+ billion in investment portfolios and transactions for institutional clients
Veterans of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse & Nomura
Razi Amin
Partner
25+ years of experience in New York, London, Hong Kong & Washington DC
JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, BoA Merrill Lynch & Mizuho Alternative Investments
Harvard Business School (MBA), Bowdoin College (BA)
Razi has 35+ years of leadership and senior experience in debt capital markets, structured finance, ESG-compliant impact investments, and financial capacity building for women-owned businesses and micro-entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector under USAID projects. He has been responsible for mobilizing $35+ billion of funding from the U.S., European, and Asian capital markets and development finance institutions (DFIs) through high grade, high yield, asset-backed and structured bonds, loans, and credit derivatives. Most recently, Razi served as a senior advisor to the chief investment officer of IFC, a member of The World Bank Group, focusing on sourcing, structuring and investing in special purpose financing vehicles to support debt resolution and MSME lending by financial institutions in the Middle East & North Africa region. Previously, Razi served as chief investment officer at Mizuho Alternative Investments LLC, a New York-based investment advisor.
Tom Ware
Senior Advisor
35+ years of experience in New York, Washington DC, southern California, and the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.
PayNet (Equifax), CNH Capital, American Express Equipment Finance, National Cooperative Bank.
Harvard Business School (MBA), Dartmouth College (BA)
Tom has 35+ years of leadership experience, most recently as SVP Analytics & Product Development for PayNet (which was acquired by Equifax in 2019). He led the development of the PayNet MasterScore, a small business credit score model widely used by the U.S. commercial finance industry. Tom has extensive experience in credit risk management and lending, having served as Chief Credit Officer for American Express Equipment Finance and General Manager of CNH Capital’s Diversified Financial Services Division. Tom is a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, a member of its Executive Committee, and Chairman of its Research Committee. He is also a long-time member of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association’s Credit & Collections Committee, and in 2021 received the Association’s Distinguished Service Award, for his contributions to the Association and to the industry.
Alan Yamashita
Chairman
30+ years of experience in New York, Tokyo & Hong Kong
Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Search Investment Group & Mizuho Alternative Investments
Princeton University (MPA), Yale University (BA)
Alan is a 16-year veteran of Goldman Sachs, where he led various fixed income, currencies & commodities (FICC), and asset management businesses. Alan then joined Merrill Lynch to lead its Asian debt capital markets in Asia. Alan was then recruited as chief executive officer and chief investment officer by Search Investment Group in Hong Kong to manage a multi-billion-dollar alternative investment portfolio for a large family office. Alan built an absolute return driven investment practice that consistently delivered strong results through market cycles: top quartile to top 1% with no down years. Most recently, Alan served as executive advisor to the CEO of Mizuho Alternative Investments LLC, a New York-based investment advisor.
Raj Vikash (RV) Verma
Vice Chairman
40+ years of experience in the financial sector in India, including former Chairman & MD of National Housing Bank, consultant to the World Bank Group, Chairman of AU Small Finance Bank, and director on the boards of several companies, including Mortgage Guarantee Corporation, SBI Pension Funds Ltd, and Encore ARC.
Delhi School of Economics (MSE), University of Delhi (MBA)
Raj has 40+ years of leadership experience in the Indian and international financial sector, including banks, non-bank finance companies (NBFCs), housing finance companies (HFCs), microfinance institutions (MFIs), a mortgage guarantee institution, and several regulatory bodies - RBI, NHB, PFRDA, and IBBI. Raj’s leadership roles included responsibilities for P&L, balance sheet, investments, capital markets, risk management, ratings, and asset/liability management. As CEO of National Housing Bank of India, which he served for 4+ years, Raj oversaw the developments in the mortgage industry besides NHB’s own balance sheet and P&L, and other important Initiatives such as securitization and bond issuance program, including mortgage-backed securities. In addition, Raj facilitated collaboration among various stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, and banking and mortgage institutions, and played a key role in promoting collaboration with international institutions - USAID, the World Bank, IFC, ADB, KfW, DFID, CIDA, JICA, etc. in the housing sector and capital markets.
Joseph Pulicano
Managing Director
30+ years of experience in USA, UK, and mainland Europe
Accenture, Grant Thornton LLP, Key Equipment Finance, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, CGI
Henley Business School (MBA), ESC Amiens (MBA), Lycée Fustel, Strasbourg (BAC C)
Joseph has an accomplished 30+ year career spanning across the USA, UK, and mainland Europe. His expertise lies in Equipment Finance and Service Transformation, Digital and Operating Model transformation, and Growth Strategies. Prior to joining ASPEN Capital, Joseph held significant leadership roles at globally renowned businesses including Accenture, Grant Thornton, Key Equipment Finance, and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, where he led strategy and performance improvement initiatives. He significantly transformed business performance, resulting in substantial gains in market share and improved revenue growth. At Key Equipment Finance and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, Joseph managed some of the largest technology financing businesses in North America and Europe, respectively. His extensive knowledge in Corporate Strategy, P&L management, digital transformation, and market expertise in financial services, supply chain, and technology sectors make him a key addition to the ASPEN Capital team.
Mark Adams
Advisor to the Board
30+ years of experience in London, Hong Kong, Singapore & Sydney
Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Nomura & Magma Capital
University of Aberdeen (MA)
Mark is a seasoned corporate financier with 20 years+ of senior level experience working for leading investment banks in a career that took him to London, Hong Kong and Singapore. While in banking, Mark was principally involved in assisting corporate clients around the world to optimise capital structures through advising, structuring and executing debt and equity-linked capital raisings in a wide range of formats and markets. Since leaving banking, Mark co-founded and is a managing principal of Magma Capital, which is now one of Australia's leading independent corporate debt advisory firms. Since its inception, Magma Capital has been engaged by over 100 corporates raising in excess of $20bn of debt through syndicated and bilateral loans, bonds, private placements, securitisations and supply chain financings.
Robert Goodman
General Counsel
20+ years’ experience in New York
Sharma & DeYoung, Goodman Law
Columbia University School of Law (JD), Tufts University (BA)
Robert has served as external general legal counsel to Aspen Capital Solutions LLC since the inception of the company. He is also currently Special Counsel to the New York City based international boutique law firm, Sharma & DeYoung LLP.
At Sharma & DeYoung, he co-chairs the firm's Technology & Emerging Companies Practice Group. He also heads that firm's Complex Immigration & Consular Practice Section and is a member of S&D's Commercial Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group. He has 20+ years of corporate law and commercial litigation and arbitration experience. Robert graduated from Tufts University, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.
Anura Wickremasinghe
Senior Advisor, South Asia
35+ years of experience in debt and equity capital markets, corporate & investment banking (CIB), private equity, finance and leasing in Sri Lanka
Jardine Fleming & JPMorgan
MBA Information Systems (Seattle), BA Computer Science (Kansas)
Anura has 35+ years of leadership and senior experience in multi-disciplinary fields, including debt and equity capital markets, corporate & investment banking (CIB), private equity, stockbroking, equity research, software design & development, and IT consulting in Sri Lanka. Anura’s leadership and senior management positions include CEO, executive director, and country representative for Jardine Fleming and JPMorgan in Sri Lanka. With Jardine Fleming, Anura was part of the debut international equity placement for the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and with JPMorgan, the debut international debt capital markets transaction for the GOSL.
Mostofa Saif Reza
Country Manager, Bangladesh Digital Services
8+ years of experience in growth hacking, business development, partnership management,
and operations
LocoNav Inc., JOYY Inc., Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), The Tech Lab
Brac University (BSc Computer Science & Engineering)
Sabeth Siddique
Senior Advisor
30+ years of experience in USA, and internationally
Federal Reserve Board, Butterfield Bank, M&T Bank, Deloitte, Citigroup, Peregrine Capital
Carnegie Mellon University (MBA), Rutgers University (BS)
With over three decades of experience in risk management, regulatory oversight, and banking, Sabeth Siddique offers a unique blend of expertise to ASPEN Capital. His most notable roles include serving as the Assistant Director of Banking Supervision and Regulation at the Federal Reserve Board, where he supervised credit risk examiners across the US banking system and led critical interagency policies, and as the Chief Risk Officer at Butterfield Bank and Deputy Chief Risk Officer at M&T Bank, managing significant assets and driving risk frameworks. At Deloitte Touche, Sabeth grew a global risk management practice from $500K to $40 million within two years. Prior to the Fed, his investment banking career spanned Citigroup in New York and Peregrine Capital in Hong Kong. His multifaceted experience enhances ASPEN Capital's capabilities in managing risk, regulatory issues, and strategic investments.
Andrew Marrus
Managing Director, Climate Risk
25+ years of experience in New York
HSBC Bank USA and Republic National Bank
Columbia University (MS in Sustainability Management and MBA)
Hamilton College (BA)
Andrew has 25+ years of leadership experience in risk management for the U.S. subsidiary of HSBC, a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB), where he was a senior vice president and head of commercial and markets stress testing. Andrew led teams responsible for the estimation of credit and market losses under the CCAR and DFAST internal and supervisory scenarios in corporate and commercial banking as well as in markets and commercial real estate. The risk framework, including models, governance, and documentation were all designed to be compliant with the Fed and OCC in the U.S. as well as the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the Bank of England. Andrew was responsible for the calculation of credit loss reserves and led the transition for HSBC Bank USA from the allowance for loan and lease loss (ALLL) to current expected credit losses (CECL) and IFRS9, including reporting losses under both methodologies during CCAR. He also oversaw the real estate appraisal unit and the teams conducting collateral exams and environmental reviews.
Anis A. Khan
Vice Chairman
40 years with ANZ Grindlays Bank (ANZGB), Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), IDLC Finance Limited (IDLC) and Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTB).
University of Dhaka (LLB), Bangladesh Institute of Management (PGDPM), Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BCS), Certificate Courses on Strategic Management, Governance & Leadership at UC Berkeley, INSEAD Fontainebleau, LSE London and the University of Cambridge.
Fellow of The Institute of Bankers, Bangladesh. Record of expanding and diversifying institutions including IDLC and MTB. Served SCB as Country Integration Manager for the merger of ANZ GB with SCB. Served as Chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB), Primary Dealers Bangladesh Limited (PDBL), Bangladesh Lease & Finance Companies Association (BLFCA) and Senior Vice President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Dhaka. Serves on the boards of Trust Bank Limited, ACI Limited, Summit Power Limited, Summit Alliance Port Limited and Central Counterparty Bangladesh Limited. Advisor to the Board of TRMBL, the Bangladesh subsidiary of Tysers of London.
Jeremy Davis
Senior Advisor, South and Southeast Asia
25+ years of experience in international development; project management; environmental and social safeguards and sustainability; and rural entrepreneurship. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tetra Tech, ACDI/VOCA & International Development Enterprises (iDE)
Rice University (BS Environmental Engineering), New England College (MS Management and Sustainability)
Jeremy is a seasoned project manager, international development professional, sustainability expert – and most recently – a budding investor and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience, working in both the non-profit and private sectors. He has a combined 15+ years of experience in Latin America, Asia and Africa serving in senior management positions for complex development projects in a range of focus areas including agriculture; food and nutrition security; water and sanitation; clean energy, market system development; and environmental sustainability. He recently concluded a 5-year assignment as director of programs for iDE Bangladesh, providing oversight and strategic guidance to the organization’s portfolio of agriculture, WASH, and Women’s Economic Empowerment projects. In 2020, Jeremy launched an entrepreneurial venture in Bangladesh that develops and invests in innovative business models for financing and delivering integrated agricultural services to smallholder farmers.
Based in Bangladesh, Mostofa is a seasoned growth hacking, business development and project management professional with over 8 years of experience in fleetTech, IT, government tech, and EdTech. Most recently, Mostofa assisted a Sequoia Capital backed fleetTech start-up, LocoNav, to achieve operational goals within the Bangladesh market. In a previous role, he helped a NASDAQ listed IT company, JOYY Inc. to setup operations in both Bangladesh & Nepal to achieve market leading position with artificial intelligence powered video-based products and services. Previously, Mostofa managed a government project under Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), which provides IT solutions
in education, e-commerce, health, and internet access for 0.25 million people. Mostofa has also served The Tech Lab, one of the top 100 startups in Asia by E27, 2016, as a COO to achieve strategic, growth hacking and partnership goals.