Dr. Galina Blest-Sokolovskaia, PhD - President, Founder
Dr. Blest-Sokolovskaia has many years of experience in investment and commercial banking, strategy, marketing, project management and economics. She held many positions as senior management of one of the first and biggest commercial banks in Russia, MosbusinessBank (now Bank of Moscow), VAB and TransCapital Bank - from being the senior analyst and Department Director to the Vice President. During her time, she was able to use her expertise to lead the development and expansion of branch networks to the regions, increasing their penetration into new markets and increased the client base several fold.
Dr. Blest-Sokolovskaia was in charge of the implementation of an EBRD and World Bank funded micro credit program for small and medium businesses. She also led the implementation of investment programs for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in their program to develop residential loans/mortgages in Russia.
Dr. Galina Blest-Sokolovskaia was one of the authors of the legislation on long-term mortgage lending in Russia and was a member of a mortgage lending working group in the Russian State Duma Committee. For several years she was a member of MBNA of America.
She has great experience in working with large Russian Federal, State, and private companies in various sectors (manufacturing, industrial, construction, et al). Examples include commercialization and strategic usage of Russian satellites in the national economy (NPO "Energy",http://www.energia.ru); creation of the first share capital structure in Russia (joint stock company Trading House "Saratov").
Dr. Blest-Sokolovskaia received her PhD in Economics and has over 100 published works. She was born in Moscow, Russian Federation and now lives with her family in the United States.
Alina Plaia - CEO, Co-Founder
Ms. Plaia brought to Wide Bridge, Inc. ® over 15 years of experience in investment banking, finance and accounting. Prior to joining the company in 2009, Ms. Plaia honed her expertise on Wall Street as a Director of Emerging Markets Research Sales in the Investment Banking division of UniCredit (formerly Aton) Securities in New York City. During her tenure within European Equity Sales team, she liaised with major U.S. asset managers assisting them with research ideas and advice on navigating through capital markets in Central & Eastern Europe and Russia/CIS. During her career at UniCredit/Aton, Alina helped raise over $1Bn in capital (public placements, IPOs, private placements and PIPEs) for corporate clients across all market caps. Being one of the pioneers at Aton Securities, Inc., Ms. Plaia and her team built a multi-million dollar business that helped bring recognition from numerous U.S. investment funds to the Aton brand and its research products. Ms. Plaia started her career at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she specialized on tax consultation for financial services companies. Following her time at Delloitte & Touche, Ms. Plaia worked at Societe Generale in regulatory reporting and Asset and Liability Management division.
Ms. Plaia received a Graduate Degree in Finance from Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University. She holds a CPA license, and FINRA Series 7,63, and 79. She is a member of a Rose Society and New York Advisory Board of Best Buddies, A. Kennedy Shriver-founded charity creating opportunities and friendships for people with IDDs (www.bestbuddies.org).
Michael Jordan - Managing Director
Mr. Jordan has over 25 years in the securities and investment banking industry with a focus on the Eastern European. Mr. Jordan previously held positions as a top manager at major financial institutions such as Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Cargill and UniCredit/Aton Securities. Mr. Jordan was directly involved in the structuring and successful placement of many equity and debt capital markets transactions, as well as playing an integral role in several M&A transactions. His professional talent as strategy developer, idea generator, and negotiator contribute to many initiatives within Wide Bridge, Inc.®
Oleg Yastrebov, JD – Partner, Director of Representative office in Moscow, Russia : Industrial, Cosumer & Agricultural Sectors
Dr. Yastrebov is a serial successful entrepreneur with substantial experience in managing large-scale nationwide business projects and developing ideas from a concept to a large enterprise, specifically in the industrial, consumer staples, and agriculture sectors. He is currently a CEO of Ural, one of the leading vertically integrated food producers in Russia (poultry farms, meat packing/production, bakeries, distribution channels). Dr. Yastrebov is also a Managing Director of Kronos Capital (agriculture asset management), which was purchased by Russian Land in 2008. He is also founder of Kaluga Group, a key land bank boasting more than 36,000 hectors of land and a Managing Director of Natural Farming, one of the largest agri land holding that includes a fleet of agriculture machinery and equipment in the Ural region.
Dr. Yastrebov is a graduate of Suvorov's Cadet Academy and Faculty of International Affairs at the top Moscow University, where he is currently teaching. He is a holder of two PhD degrees.
Alexander Yastrebov, PhD – Managing Director: Financial, Real Estate and Infrastructure Sectors
Dr. A. Yastrebov has more than 20 years of experience implementing major development projects in Russia and abroad, primarily in the construction and development sectors. Dr. Yastrebov has constructed numerous well-known commercial real estate properties in Moscow and its suburbs. He is also a co-owner of development projects throughout Russia: a hotel chain in Volga Region Shalyapin, a resort in Kislovodsk (Northern Caucasus), facilities for the Ministry of Education of Russia, and several residential real estate locations in Moscow (Arbat and Ostojenka Streets). Dr. Yastrebov is a majority shareholder and a senior executive for several construction companies: Unikom, Kapital Nedvizhimost, and Abert that own and manage land banks and a portfolio of residential and commercial properties. Dr. Yastrebov is a founder and a co-owner of one of the first international trading firms in Russia, The Irish House. He is also an ownder of one of the leading small commercial banks Deal Bank.
John J. Maroney, Principal Advisor for Biotech, Pharmaceuticals, & Healthcare Sectors - President & Founder of Landmark Financial Corporation-
Mr. Moroney has over 25 years of experience in both, the funding and operational management, of life science companies beginning with the formation and funding of research limited partnerships for the generic drug industry in 1979. In 1983, Mr. Moroney founded Landmark, a company that provides corporate finance advisory services to emerging life science companies, in particular, the nascent generic drug industry. Among its early clients were Sidmak Laboratories, Inc. and Copley Pharmaceuticals (now both NSDQ:TEVA). Mr. Moroney was also an investor, served as a director and managed Copley's private placement of equity and the subsequent sale of that interest to TA Associates. Between 1985 and 1991 Landmark operated under an exclusive arrangement with Ladenburg, Thalmann & Co., one of the oldest investment banks in New York, whereby Landmark functioned as Ladenburg's principal Life Sciences Group, with Mr. Moroney serving as Managing Director. During this period Landmark served as investment banker for many noted life science companies in a variety of key deals. He developed a unique service niche specializing in assisting foreign clients to become established in the United States and developing various strategies for US market penetration. Landmark implemented a very successful strategy of cross border merger and acquisitions and cross border licensing and joint ventures for its clients. Landmark's accomplishments during this period include F. Faulding & Co., Ltd.'s (Australia's largest pharmaceutical company) acquisition of Solvay's Purepac division, Elan Corporation, plc., (NYSE:ELN) strategic initial investment/joint venture with Dura pharmaceuticals (Elan subsequently acquired Dura) and the initial public offerings of Par Pharmaceutical Companies (NYSE:PRX), Physician Computer Network, Inc. (now WebMD, NSDQ:HLTH) and Hi-Tech Pharmacals Co., Inc. (NSDQ:HITK). In addition, Landmark was retained to restructure Carrington Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX:CARN) and Harvard Apparatus, Inc. (now Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (NSDQ: HBIO). In 1991,Mr Moroney became a co-founder and Chairman of Flemington Pharmaceutical Corporation (now NovaDel Pharmaceuticals (AMEX:NVD), a development-stage drug delivery company, where he served for 10 years in various capacities, including CEO and President. He presided over the Company's initial public offering and follow-on financings. Mr. Moroney divested his holdings in NovaDel in 2003 with the completion of a financing with Paramount Capital. Currently, Mr. Moroney is a Director of DermWorx, Inc., a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to dermatology. Mr. Moroney also serves as Chairman of the Board of Bedminster Financial Group, Ltd. (Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB), a financial services company founded in 1995.
Prior to founding Landmark, Mr. Moroney spent 10 years in commercial banking with Citibank, United Jersey Bank, and Midlantic Bank (now PNC). Mr. Moroney holds a B.S. and M.B.A. from Fordham University.
Martin L. Okner, Principal Advisor - Brand & Marketing Strategy, President & CEO of S.H. Martin & Co
Mr. Okner has more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, strategic planning, customer marketing, and demand planning. He successfully executed product launches and restages in a variety of categories and has led global portfolio optimization across a variety of brands/categories. Mr. Okner's team at Cadbury won 2005 Supplier of the Year from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He is quoted in numerous publications, namely Chain Drug Review, and the Mergers and Acquisitions Journal.
Mr. Okner holds an MBA from Fordham University Graduate School of Business in Corporate Finance, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science (Minor, Business Administration) from Seton Hall University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He is a member of the NY Chapter of the ACG, an adjunctive professor of Marketing at Parsons, The New School for Design, serves on the Steering committee of the American Museum of Natural History Junior Council, and actively supports the Children's Tumor Foundation.
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