Joanne Pigassou

TIAA-CREF Investment Management LLC (TCIM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TIAA-CREF Asset Management LLC, ultimately owned by TIAA Board of Governors. TCIM provides investment management and certain administrative services necessary for the operation of the College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF), a diversified open-end registered investment management company that consists of eight accounts, that issues individual, group and tax-deferred variable annuity contracts.

Founded in 2006, Carlyle Blue Wave Partners, a subsidiary of Carlyle Group LLC is a hedge fund manager located in New York City. They manage five funds: Carlyle Multi-Strategy Partners LP, Carlyle Multi Strategy Master Fund Ltd., the Carlyle-Blue Wave Partners Capital and the Carlyle-Blue Wave Partners Management LP.

Fred Alger Management LLC (FAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1964, the firm is wholly-owned by Alger Group Holdings LLC, which is wholly-owned by Alger Associates, Inc. FAM provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to institutional investors through separate accounts, US and foreign registered and privately offered funds, as well as through third-party sponsored funds and bank sponsored collective investment trusts; and to retail investors through wrap programs and US and foreign registered funds.

A subsidiary of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., Lehman Brothers, Inc. is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. They provide global equity and fixed research. The equity research department covers more than 100 sectors. They use a fundamental, quantitative, strategic and tactical research approach. In addition to these Lehman has also developed special products, such as 10 uncommon values and 10 uncommon eurovalues.

Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1996 and they are a subsidiary of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE: HLI). Houlihan Lokey Capital provides an array of trading and execution services for their clients. They also have the ability to serve as underwriter or bookrunner with respect to traditional debt and equity offerings, including leveraged loans and public offerings of debt, equity-linked, and equity securities.

BlackRock Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BlackRock Advisors manages assets for US-registered investment companies and 529 Plans.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.