Guest Speakers:

Josh Blanchfield is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of Avos Capital Management, a privately held investment firm focused on strategic asset allocation and generating alpha in commodity markets.

Josh brings over 14 years of experience working alongside some of the world's largest institutional investors. Prior to founding Avos, he spent 11 years at Bridgewater Associates in senior roles spanning research, trading, and client advisory -- including co-managing the trading desk during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and leading asset allocation research for central banks and sovereign wealth funds. He also spearheaded Bridgewater's onshore China expansion, living in Beijing and Shanghai for three years to establish the firm's presence and develop China-specific investment strategies.

Josh holds a degree in Physics from Harvard University.

Ryan Petzold, CFA, FRM, Director, is a member of BlackRock Manager Research (BMR) and BlackRock’s Hedge Fund Solutions (HFS) business. Mr. Petzold is the Strategy Lead for the Quantitative Strategies team with the Investment Due Diligence pillar, which applies fundamental, qualitative analysis to source, evaluate, and monitor investment managers. He is also a Portfolio Manager for HFS. BMR and HFS are part of BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions group, which draws upon the breadth of BlackRock’s capabilities to deliver active asset allocation strategies and whole portfolio solutions. Mr. Petzold joined BlackRock in 2015.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Petzold was Strategy Lead for the Global Macro team with the Quantitative Due Diligence pillar. Prior to that, Mr. Petzold was a member of Risk Management for BlackRock Alternative Advisors (BAA, now HFS), where he was responsible for measuring, understanding, and managing risk across BAA portfolios.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Petzold was a member of the Account Services, Client Reporting and Research team at Parametric Portfolio Associates. Mr. Petzold earned a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Washington, an M.S. in Finance from Seattle University.