Featured speakers

Todd Sohn is an ETF and Technical Strategist for Strategas Research Partners. He leads Strategas’ ETF research, examining industry trends and how investor flows fit with, or against, the consensus. His research acts as a complement to the firm’s Asset Management offering. Todd is also a member of the firm’s Institutional Investor ranked Technical Research team, providing weekly sector research as well as actively working with Strategas’ clients on tailored analysis for securities around the world. Todd has been featured on various financial press outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, and the Wall Street Journal. Prior to joining Strategas, he worked in various roles at JPMorgan. Todd has earned the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation and is a graduate of Syracuse University along with an MBA from Fordham University. He resides in New York City and is proud to have completed four marathons.

As Chief Experience Officer at IAA, Jamie leads the firm’s advisor experience strategy to create a seamless, proactive, and high-quality experience across every stage of the advisor journey. With over 23 years in the financial services industry, Jamie brings deep expertise and a proven track record of enhancing operational efficiency and client- focused solutions. Before joining IAA, he held key positions with GuideStone Financial Resources, TIAA, and The Vanguard Group. He holds Series 6, 63, SIE, and Life & Health Insurance licenses and earned his BASc in Business Administration and Management from Belmont Abbey College.

Legendary podcaster and reporter Kara Swisher has been reporting on the tech industry since the early 90’s for outlets like The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She was once called “Silicon Valley’s most feared but revered journalist” by New York magazine, where she is now an editor-at-large. She is the host of On with Kara Swisher and a co-host of the Pivot podcast. She also hosted HBO’s award-winning Succession podcast and is a regular contributor to CNN. Swisher has even appeared on HBO’s Silicon Valley and The Simpsons, as herself. Additionally, she recently authored the New York Times bestselling tech industry expose “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.”

Sandra Testani is Head of ETF Product and Strategy for American Century Investments. She is based in the New York City office. In her role, Sandra drives strategic product initiatives to launch new products and oversees the existing offerings. She works closely with chief investment officers, portfolio managers and analysts to understand each strategy's investment process and is responsible for developing messaging, competitive positioning and sales force education. In addition, she conducts in-depth market, asset class and category research studies that support her coverage areas. Prior to joining American Century Investments in 2015, she spent 15 years as a vice president at AllianceBernstein, focusing on product management and development for the firm's alternatives platform across its private client, institutional and retail distribution channels. She was a member of the Alternative Investment Management Committee, which oversaw the firm’s multimanager hedge fund offerings. She had previously held roles focused on asset allocation recommendations and research within its private client group. She has worked in the investment industry since 2000. Sandra holds a bachelor's degree in international relations with a concentration in business and economics from Boston University. She is a CFA and CAIA® charterholder.

Jan is the CEO of VanEck Funds, a global investment manager founded in 1955. VanEck has become one of the world’s largest ETFs sponsors, offering over 180 ETFs and ETNs globally across international equities, global resources, and international and domestic fixed income. The firm has operations in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and manages over $132 billion. The firm was an early advocate of gold investing (1968), commodities, emerging markets, and digital assets. Jan joined the firm in 1991 and became CEO in 2010. In 2006, he founded the firm’s ETFs business. He holds a J.D. from Stanford University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College with a major in economics. Mr. van Eck is on the advisory board of USC’s Marshall Business School, the board of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and the Williams College board. He has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg Television and has been producing VanEck’s quarterly investment outlook. He was a 2013 Finalist for Institutional Investor's Fund Leader of the Year and was the recipient of ETF.com’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. His Twitter handle is @janvaneck3, and he is on LinkedIn. He enjoys teaching business history to summer interns and is a New York Islanders hockey fan.

Giovanni Vicioso serves as CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of the company’s cryptocurrency product strategies, including its innovative suite of tradeable benchmark derivatives such as Bitcoin and Ether futures and options, as well as Micro Bitcoin and Ether futures and options, in addition to its wide range of cryptocurrency reference rates and real-time pricing indices. Vicioso first joined CME Group in 2012 as Senior Director of Equity Products, in which he also began his involvement in CME Group's Cryptocurrency business. Prior to CME Group, he served as Vice President for RBC Capital Markets' Equity Derivatives Group on their OTC Equity Derivatives desk. Prior to RBC, he worked at Deutsche Bank in the Global Equity Derivatives Division. Vicioso is based in New York and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Danika Waddell is the president and founder of Xena Financial Planning and a dynamic speaker on financial life planning. A Certified Financial Planner and Registered Life Planner, she integrates coaching and life planning with traditional financial planning to help individuals align their financial decisions with their values and well-being. Danika also challenges traditional financial planning models, guiding advisors to embrace a more holistic, life-centered approach to client relationships. Recognized as one of Investopedia’s Top 100 Advisors in 2022 and 2023, she is committed to redefining financial planning as a profession rooted in meaning, purpose, and human flourishing.

Tim Wickstrom is the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Reckoner Capital Management. With a deep background in credit trading and active portfolio management, Tim previously served as a Managing Director at Panagram Structured Asset Management. During his tenure, he led the firm’s trading activity and served as co-portfolio manager for its flagship CLO ETFs. Tim’s experience also includes senior roles at Eldridge and Security Benefit Life Insurance Company. He brings a specialized perspective on market liquidity and the evolving landscape of exchange-traded debt products. Tim earned his A.B. in Economics from Bowdoin College.

With more than 25 years of professional investment experience, Jim has experience as an advisor, in building and overseeing multiple advisory platforms, and in managing two mutual funds. Jim has built fundamental, risk-based, and quantitative investment strategies using mutual funds, ETFs, and equities as well as those focused on alternatives or technical analysis. He has built models emphasizing active management, passive management, a blended Core-Satellite approach, and single or multi-factor approaches. More recently, Jim helped oversee the portfolio management, analysis, and due diligence for $4 billion of managed assets at Allworth Financial. Jim holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and the Chartered Market Technician designation. He also is a full member of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association®. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management from Brigham Young University –Hawaii with Mandarin as the foreign language. Prior to college, Jim served a two-year mission for his church in the Philippines. He speaks fluent Tagalog.

Tushar Yadava, Director, is a Senior Strategist on the Model Portfolio Solutions team within BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions group, leading the Market Architecture and Market Strategy functions. In this role, Tushar supports BlackRock’s suite of Target Allocation and Target Income models and mutual funds to both retail and institutional clients. The Target Allocation model families have been awarded 4 gold medals by Morningstar, their top medal designation 1. Tushar’s service with the firm dates back to 2006, including his years with Barclays Global Investors. Prior to his current role, he was an investment strategist in the iShares U.S Investment Strategy team. Tushar earned a BS with Honours in Economics and Management in 2003, and a MA with Merit in European Business in 2004, both from the Royal Holloway at the University of London. Tushar’s interests include the evolving ETF industry and its connection with model portfolios, and the impacts of geopolitics in financial markets, especially in Europe. In his spare time Tushar enjoys being outdoors with his children and travel with friends and family. Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions (MASS) meets client demand for active asset allocation strategies and whole portfolio solutions through funds, model portfolios, and more. MASS draws on the toolkit of BlackRock's index, factor, and alpha-seeking capabilities to deliver cutting-edge insights and investment outcomes.

Natalie is Producer for CNBC's 'ETF Edge' and 'Fast Money'