Founder & Portfolio Manager

Mr. Malek founded Conquest and began his role as Portfolio Manager in 1999 after departing UBS as the Global Head of FX Exotic Derivatives, Head of Proprietary Trading in Europe and the Americas. While at UBS, Mr. Malek held a number of senior positions. He was initially hired in 1995 to start and run their global group in exotic derivatives in Foreign exchange. Prior to his tenure at UBS he worked at a hedge fund trading currency options and developing proprietary trading models. Mr. Malek began his career in 1992 at Salomon Brothers in New York as a Financial Analyst in the Financial Strategy Group. Mr. Malek received a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Engineering and Applied Science from the California Institute of Technology (“Caltech”), and received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Reed College. Mr. Malek’s research has been published extensively in academic journals and books including Risk Books and The Journal of Alternative Investments.

Head of Research

Mr. Ruspini joined Conquest in 2003. Prior to joining Conquest, Mr. Ruspini worked as a Quantitative Analyst and Floor Trader on the NYMEX under Mark Fisher, at which time he began developing systematic strategies. From 1999 - 2002, Mr. Ruspini worked at Goldman Sachs where he served as a senior analyst in firm-wide and fixed-income technology for over three years. Mr. Ruspini began his career at an internet startup company. Mr. Ruspini received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Director, Trading

Mr. Gonzalez joined Conquest in 2003. Prior to joining Conquest Mr. Gonzalez was a Senior FX Currency Options trader at Bayerische Hypovereinsbank of NY. From 1988 – 1997 Mr. Gonzalez worked at Banker’s Trust. Over the course of 9 years, Mr. Gonzalez held various trading positions at the firm, finishing his tenure as a Currency Options dealer in the FX Derivatives group. Mr. Gonzalez began his career as an assistant in the Sovereign Bonds Trading Group. Mr. Gonzalez received a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from The City College of NY.

Director of Business Development

Mr. Boardman joined Conquest in 2016. Prior to joining Conquest, Mr. Boardman worked as Director of Business Development – North America for PhaseCapital LP.  Prior to PhaseCapital LP, Mr. Boardman was a Vice President on the Alternative Distribution Team at Stonehaven LLC. Mr. Boardman has also held client service positions at MatlinPatterson Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and Guggenheim Securities LLC. Mr. Boardman began his career in institutional equity trading at WJB Capital Group. Mr. Boardman received a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) with a concentration in Politics from Princeton University. 

Trading Assistant

Mr. Caraballo joined Conquest in 2015. Prior to joining Conquest, he worked at U.S. Bancorp in Operations as a Fund Accountant. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and is licensed as a CPA in New York State. Mr. Caraballo received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Berkeley College. 

Vice President, Research

Mr. Chai joined Conquest in 2007. Prior to joining Conquest, Mr. Chai received a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from Columbia University. Mr. Chai also received a B.S.E in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan.  

Vice President, Research

Mr. Barsbay joined Conquest in 2008. Prior to joining Conquest, Mr. Barsbay was a Quantitative Analyst with Fortigent. Mr. Barsbay received a Master of Science in Mathematics and Statistics from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Additionally, Mr. Barsbay created and runs blockerDNS.   

Chief Financial Officer & Compliance Officer

Mr. Feder joined Conquest in 2004. Prior to joining Conquest, Mr. Feder worked in public accounting for seven years, most recently as an audit manager at Grant Thornton’s Financial Services Industry Group. While at Grant Thornton, Mr. Feder was in charge of auditing various hedge funds, private equity partnerships and broker dealers. He was also an instructor in Grant Thornton’s Continuing Professional Education Center where he gave courses on Audit Planning and on Auditing Broker-Dealers. Mr. Feder has also worked as an accountant at Tudor Investment Corp. Mr. Feder is licensed as a CPA in New York State. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the NYS Society of Certified Public Accountants where he has served on the Stock Brokerage committee. Mr. Feder received a Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, in Accounting from Touro College.

Office Manager, Executive Assistant

Ms. Kim joined Conquest in 2016. Prior to joining Conquest, Ms. Kim worked in accounting at Honda Motors as well as in the fashion industry. Ms. Kim earned a B.F.A. in Fashion Marketing & Management from SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design).  Ms. Kim has a passion for writing and expanding her marketing skills at Conquest.