Month: March 2019

Recap: KTG Seminar: “Blockchain Is Not What You Think It Is” with Cesare Fracassi

Blockchain—what exactly is it and what should we expect from it? Cesare Fracassi, associate professor of finance and director of the Blockchain Initiative at Texas McCombs, discusses this emerging technology, including what is real and what is not. Whether you are a skeptic or an enthusiast of blockchain technology, this forum will challenge your views. Watch the webinar here. 

Cesare joined the Finance Faculty at the McCombs School of Business in 2009. His primary research interest is in the area of corporate finance. His research includes work on corporate governance, executive compensation, credit rating agencies, small business financing, and the effects of social networks and cultural preferences on financial policies. His articles have been published in the top Finance journals, such as the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. He teaches corporate finance and valuations in the MBA program. Cesare holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and an MBA and PhD in Finance from UCLA Anderson. He was a visiting professor at the Wharton School in 2012/2013. Before his PhD, he worked as strategic management consultant at Booz Allen and Roland Berger in Italy, and as summer intern at the United Nations in New York.

Recap: Career Webinar with Henry Yoshida, CEO of Rocket Dollar

Times are changing, and so is retirement. Rocket Dollar is keeping up with those changes. Henry Yoshida, UT alumnus and CEO of Rocket Dollar, discusses how he founded the company and his vision to free the investment limitations people face as while working toward retirement. With new alternate platforms to invest in, you can take control of your retirement savings. Watch Mr. Yoshida’s Career Webinar here.

Prior to Rocket Dollar, Yoshida was the co-founder of Honest Dollar, a robo-advisor retirement platform that was acquired by Goldman Sachs, as well as a founder of MY Group LLC, a $2.5-billion assets under management investment firm. He is a NextGen Venture and Central Texas Angel Network Partner, as well as a Techstars and Capital Factory mentor. In addition, Yoshida is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a former Merrill Lynch Vice President. He was a two time finalist for PLANSPONSOR’s Retirement Plan Advisor of the Year and a 401(k) Leadership finalist for the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries. Yoshida graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and holds an MBA from both the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University and Queen’s University in Canada. He resides in Austin with his wife and two daughters.

Class Note: Tam Le, BBA ’11

BBA ’11 alum, Tam Le, will be a featured speaker later this month at TEDxĐaKao: Quintessential Creations.

Tam Le is the founder and Head Chef of Saigonita, a closed-door restaurant serving Vietnamese-Mexican dishes and Head Chef of Đialect, a soon-to-be-open restaurant in Saigon serving modern Vietnamese cuisine. Read more here.

Class Note: Tyler Bambrick, MBA ’18, and Nick Hermandorfer, MBA ’16

Two McCombs alumni have turned their dreams into a reality. Tyler Bambrick (left) and Nick Hermandorfer (right) have officially opened Home Run Dugout, an entertainment system that allows people to take real-life swings at baseballs, in a setting similar to Top Golf. Read more here.

Class Note: Stephanie Plaines, MBA ’92

Stephanie Plaines, previous Starbucks’ U.S retail CFO, has been appointed as global CFO for JLL. Ms. Plaines will also join the company’s executive board. Read more here. 

Class Note: Antonio Garza, BBA ’80

Amb. Antonio Garza (BBA ’80, OYTEX ’89, Distinguished Alumnus ’07, and past President of the Texas Exes) was recently selected for inclusion in the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) 2019 Directorship 100 and named “Best of the Boardroom” by Hispanic Executive Magazine.

Garza serves as Counsel in the Mexico City office of White and Case LLP, and is a director and advisor to both publicly and privately held companies.

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