AFS Summer Program #2: IPO Trends in 2024

The Asian Financial Society is fortunate to host a panel discussion on IPO Trends in 2024 at 6:00pm EDT on Monday, July 29th, 2024.

AFS Summer Program #2 Session

Topic: IPO Trends in 2024

Date: July 29th, 2024

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Address: BDO office, 200 Park Ave, 38th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Format: Panel Discussion

Moderator: Joanne Chiu, Kreit & Chiu CPA LLP

Joanne C. Chiu is the Partner in charge of PKC LLP’s Asia Practice. Working from the firm’s New York City office, she provides a broad range of tax planning and consulting services for both public and private companies, and high net worth individuals. She has served many Fortune 500 companies. As the leader of PKC LLP’s Asia Practice, Joanne works primarily with international clients to understand their accounting and business needs, liaising to match client requirements with her broad range of resources and expertise. She has extensive experience leading Asian companies at all growth stages through IPOs and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). She also provides critical networking services, linking clients to other professional service providers, such as bankers, lawyers, insurance brokers, and real estate professionals.

Joanne has over twenty years of experience in public accounting. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of the Asia Practice at a National Firm. Prior to that, she served as a Director and Founding Member of the China Desk at a large national firm. She specializes in EB5, e-commerce, estate & trusts, high-net-worth individuals, import & export, coordination of public offerings, and mergers & acquisitions. The clients she serves operate in the family office, private equity, VC, not-for-profit, life science, cannabis, professional services, entertainment, technology, manufacturing, and real estate. Joanne is a frequent presenter of IPO & cross border related topics. Joanne also serves on the board of Asian Financial Society.

B.S. in Accounting from New York University. She is fluent in English and Mandarin Certified Public Accountant, New York AICPA (Active Member)

Guest Speakers:

Lawrence Metelitsa, Partner, Lucosky Brookman LLP

Lawrence is a Corporate and Securities Partner at Lucosky Brookman LLP. He combines pragmatic problem solving and dedication to deliver strategic advice and counsel to issuers and underwriters in connection with global offerings of securities and mergers and acquisitions.

A persuasive and successful securities attorney, Lawrence is a recognized “deal” attorney in the small and mid-cap market segment. Lawrence believes that practicing in this space is a full contact sport with unique challenges that requires creativity, innovation and a willingness to navigate complex issues in order to produce extraordinary results.

Clients in this space often require more attention especially when participating in their first deal in the public arena. Lawrence prides himself on his responsiveness and believes that sometimes the best ability is availability. Unafraid to get involved in his clients business, Lawrence regularly uses his extensive rolodex to make strategic introductions for his clients when appropriate.

Mr. Metelitsa is also an active participant in various charitable organizations. He is a member of the New York Board of Young Leaders for the Save a Child’s Heart Foundation, an international humanitarian project that performs life-saving cardiac surgery for children from developing countries. In addition, Mr. Metelitsa is also a director of the Lucosky Brookman Charitable Foundation with the primary goal of using the power of philanthropy to impact the lives of those less fortunate with a particular focus on children’s charities.

Prior to joining Lucosky Brookman, Mr. Metelitsa was an associate at a New York-based securities law firm after having clerked for more than two years while attending law school.

Mr. Metelitsa is a graduate of New York Law School where he earned the 2007 and 2008 Grand Street Boys Association Scholarship for academic excellence. Mr. Metelitsa graduated from Binghamton University, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Law. While attending college, he interned at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

Joshua Mann, Chief Strategy Officer, Joseph Gunner & Co

Mr. Mann currently sits as the Chief Strategy Officer of Joseph Gunnar, Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC, a full-service boutique investment banking, securities and wealth management firm with main offices in New York. Prior to starting at Joseph Gunnar Mr. Mann was at Luminous Capital Inc, a private equity and advisory firm he co-founded in 2019 and served as its Managing Partner. Mr. Mann was also a Managing Director of ARC Group. Prior to Luminous and ARC, Mr. Mann was a General Partner at Wildhorse Capital Partners, which he co-founded and served as General Partner. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mann was Vice President of Business Development and Capital Markets at Blackbird Energy until its sale in 2017. Mr. Mann began his career at Stifel Financial Corp. in its natural resource coverage group.

Sam Van, Managing Partner,SRO Partners

Sam Van recently held the position as Head of Advisory Services and Senior Vice President for Freedom U.S. Markets, a division of Freedom Holding Corp [Nasdaq: FRHC]. Over the past two decades, Sam has successfully listed more than seventy companies on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq. These companies have a combined market value of $7 billion and operate across various regions, such as Asia, Europe, and the United States.

He currently holds positions as an independent director of several well-known public companies listed on US exchanges and leading private enterprises in Asia. He also serves as a Senior Board Advisor at RKtech, a prominent international software company.

Prior to this, Sam led the corporate advisory practice at Deltec Bank & Trust. In this role, he oversaw listing activities on both U.S. and international exchanges from 2018 to 2023.

Sam helped the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) by liquidating an asset that was considered a national security risk. He did this as co-chair and trustee member of a $400 million investment transaction. From 2012 to 2017, he had various roles at FINRA, including Trading and Financial Compliance Examinations, Financial Risk Oversight & Operational Regulation, and Sales Practice. Sam's experience includes eleven years as the Director of New Business Development for the NYSE before joining FINRA. His main responsibility was to facilitate the initial public offerings of Asian companies listed on the NYSE.

Sam serves as the honorary chairman of the board of directors for VietChallenge. Providing guidance and support to founders and entrepreneurs running enterprises in Vietnam. In addition, he offered guidance to Asian companies on the U.S. capital market during his eight-year tenure on the board of the Asian Financial Society. Sam holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from St. John's University and an MBA from Cornell University.

Matthew Abenante, IRC, Founder & President, Strategic Investor Relations LLC

Matthew Abenante is an accomplished Investor Relations Charter holder (IRC) with over sixteen years of professional experience in investor relations, corporate communications, and strategic consulting. Renowned for his agility, innovative approach, and meticulous attention to detail, Matthew specializes in elevating strategic visibility and fostering growth for a diverse range of companies, from nascent startups to growth-centric and undervalued enterprises.

As the President and Founder of Strategic Investor Relations, an investor relations agency, Matthew has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit by crafting bespoke investor relations and corporate communications programs for startups and small-cap public companies. He excels in developing investor relations programs, orchestrating investor conferences, and tracking clients' market performance and competitor developments.

Matthew holds an M.S. Degree in Investor Relations from Fordham University, graduating with honors, and a B.B.A. Degree in Finance & Investments from CUNY Baruch College. An active member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), Matthew was appointed Co-Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee for the Virtual Chapter and was named one of NIRI’s ’40 Under 40’ in 2019. His dedication to professional growth and continuous learning is evident through his ongoing participation in educational workshops, professional societies, and his commitment to staying abreast of industry best practices.

Event Venue

BDO, 200 Park Avenue, New York, United States