Richard A. Conn, Jr.

Managing Director

Richard A. Conn, Jr. is Managing Director of Conn International Group LLC, a Moscow/NY-based financial and legal advisory firm. Prior to founding CIG in 2003, Mr. Conn practiced international corporate law for nearly twenty years as an equity partner with the international law firm Latham & Watkins. He founded the firm's Moscow office in 1992 and managed it for four years prior to returning to U.S.

A longstanding member of the Board of Directors of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, Mr. Conn regularly consults with the World Bank, Members of Congress, and the Administration regarding Russian economic issues. He Co-Chaired the U.S.-Russia Business Council and American Chamber of Commerce (Moscow) joint initiative to facilitate Russian accession to WTO. He now serves as Managing Partner of Innovate Partners (http://www.innovatepartners.com) an emerging company private equity fund and as Strategic Advisor to DLA Piper US LLP, a 3,500 lawyer international law firm with 67 offices worldwide. An avid chess player, Mr. Conn recently ran for the Deputy Presidency of the World Chess Federation on an international ticket headed by the Twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov with the support of the Thirteenth World Champion Garry Kasparov.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Fordham University Law School, Mr. Conn clerked for the Honorable Gordon Thompson, Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, authored Collier Labor Law and the Bankruptcy Code and is fluent in Russian and Spanish.

Significant past activities include:

• Served as M&A advisor to prominent Russian company in closing two deals each valued in excess of US 1.5 billion.
• Served as IPO advisor to major Russian company.
• Sourced financing for Russian real estate development.
• Led UAE based LNG project
• Led acquisition of minority interest in Russian truck manufacturer by the US merchant banking firm.
• Advised leading British oil and gas company regarding emerging market government relations.
• Advised largest residential real estate development in Moscow on business restructuring.
• Raised capital for largest portfolio investors in Russia.
• Advised high net worth individuals regarding international strategy, alliances and finance.
• Advised in establishing the leading US hotel chain in Moscow.

Robert G. Allison

Senior Advisor

Mr. Allison is the founder and CEO of Innovate Partners Inc., a private investment company focused on development stage companies. Through Innovate, Mr. Allison currently serves as a CEO of Ultimate Ears, CEO of Ocean Minded and Chairman of Innovate Technologies. Mr. Allison also has served as a General Partner for the Edgewater Funds where he managed the technology investment sector and was the founder and CEO of Interworks Computer Products and Chairman of Jabra Corporation. Prior to Innovate, Mr. Allison was COO of Aurora Electronics, Vice President of Arrow Electronics and founder and CEO of Insight Electronics.

Julianna A. Peresvetova

Senior Consultant

Julianna Peresvetova provides transactional support from the inception of a transaction through exit initiatives.

Ms. Peresvetova has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Franklin Pierce College (1994), MA degree in International Relations/International Law of Trade and Investment from the The American University (1998), and a post-MA degree from The Johns Hopkins in Information Systems/Information Technology (2002). She is fluent in English and Russian.