Pioneer Forum
 

Kathryn Zhao

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​Global Head of Electronic Trading, Cantor Fitzgerald.

​Formerly the Global Head of Algorithmic Quantitative Research at J.P. Morgan, Kathryn is a recognized leader bridging quantitative research, electronic trading, and AI innovation.

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Kathryn Zhao She has successfully rolled out the algorithmic trading suite (the Precision Algo Platform) cross asset classes, including equity, foreign exchange and fixed income. Now it is expanding into cryptocurrencies.

 

Kathryn joined Cantor Fitzgerald from JPMorgan where she was the Global Head of Algorithmic Quantitative Research. She started at JPMorgan as the Head of Linear Quantitative Research in Asia where she spent about five years before relocating to New York to take on the role as Global Head of Algorithmic Quantitative Research. She was leading quantitative research efforts for Electronic Trading, Delta-One, ETF Market Making, Automated Market Making, Cash, Central Risk Book, as well as Block Trading.

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Prior to JPMorgan, Kathryn worked at Deutsche Bank, based in Hong Kong, where she started as a portfolio trader before she took over the Electronic Trading team for APAC. Her portfolio trading experience, deep knowledge in Asian markets microstructure as well as her strong quantitative backgroundbuilds a unique and strong foundation for her electronic trading career.

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Erika Karp

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President, Green Alpha Investments

 

Erika has spent 30yrs on Wall Street managing Investment Research at UBS, founding Cornerstone Capital (a leading Impact Investment Advisor), and advising organizations including the WEF, the Clinton Global initiative, the UN Global Compact, and the Aspen Institute. She is also a founding Board Member of the SASB, and her work has been featured in media including Bloomberg, the New York Times, and the Financial Times.

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Raghav 'Maddy' Madhavan

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​Founder & CTO of Blujin (Stealth)

Founder & Managing Director of AltoMeta Consulting Former Managing Director & Chief Data Scientist at UBS and JPMorgan Chase, 16 years at Morgan Stanley

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Raghav 'Maddy' Madhavan is an entrepreneur in AI and is a founder of two startups, and runs an AI / analytics consulting firm. Over a career span of 25 years, he has been Managing Director and Chief Data Scientist at UBS, JPMorgan Chase and led technology teams at Morgan Stanley. He holds 3 software patents in Financial Systems, including those for auction systems for financial transactions. He has a PhD in Information Technology from NYU.

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Tao Cheng, Ph.D.

 

Managing Director at Golden Seeds Tao is an experienced senior leader with 20 years in the financial services sector, specializing in data, analytics, ML, and AI. She currently serves as a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, an investment firm that invest in early-stage women-led companies.

 

Tao brings AI-driven innovation to the investment process, applying technology to enhance due diligence, streamline workflows, and support data-informed decision-making. Previously, Tao was Head of Advanced Analytics and AI at Ally Financial where she led enterprise AI transformation, managing a diverse team spanning AI engineering, modeling, governance and program execution. Before that, she served as Chief Data Science Officer at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and guided the organization’s evolution into an AI-driven bank for startup clients. Prior to that, Tao spent 16 years at BlackRock, where she served as Managing Director and Global Head of Data Insights & Analytics at Aladdin Wealth. Tao holds a PhD in Estimation and Control from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Xiaochen Zhang

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Xiaochen Zhang is the Executive Director & Chief AI Officer of AI 2030, where he drives initiatives to harness AI’s transformative power for the benefit of humanity while mitigating its potential risks. As CEO of FinTech4Good, he leads a global network that collaborates with startups, corporates, and investors to create, scale, and invest in sustainable and inclusive ventures. As the former Global Head of Innovation & Go-To-Market at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Xiaochen led teams in pioneering Cloud Computing, AI, and Web3 innovations for public sector financial institutions.

 

His leadership resulted in the successful implementation of cutting-edge solutions that advanced financial inclusion, digital transformation, and sustainability. Over the past 20 years, Xiaochen has excelled as a technology leader, go-to-market strategist, and impact investor.

 

He has successfully launched new offerings, entered global markets, and built impactful collaborations with leading organizations like the United Nations, World Bank Group and other impact organizations. His work has empowered public and private sectors to build data-driven, technology-enabled, and human-centered economies that are just, inclusive, and sustainable for the future.

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Dr. Sining Chen 

​Moderator

 

Dr. Sining Chen has a PhD in Statistics from Duke University and has diverse experience in academia (assistant professor and associate professor at Johns Hopkins and Rutgers) and industry (Bell Labs, FinTech startup, and Warner Music Group).

 

She has led hundreds of Columbia Capstone projects with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and research labs. In her current role as the Associate Director of Industry Relations for the Statistics Department at Columbia University, she will contribute to the departmental success through establishing new initiatives for students and alumni, and building strategic relationships with industry.​