Mesirow

Managing Director at Mesirow Investment Banking who led the deal team advising The Skin Center on its sale.

Aaron Heltsley is a Senior Vice President in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where he conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting the group's fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. He has 14 years of experience in financial services and previously served as a Senior Investment Analyst at IRON Financial, leading manager research and serving on the Corporate Retirement Group's Investment Committee. He earned an undergraduate degree from the Ithaca College School of Business and an MBA from DePaul University.

Anand Akula is a Senior Technology Consultant in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions with 17 years of experience building software products for the retirement industry and investment management. Before Mesirow, he worked as a full stack software consultant at BP, developing a proprietary product to manage defined benefit and defined contribution plans. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from Jawaharlal Technological University and a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Christopher Fabian is a Senior Consultant in Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions group, where he conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research for fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. He has eight years of experience in financial services and joined Mesirow in 2024, having previously been a Manager of the Client Reporting Group at Cambridge Associates. He holds a BS in Business Administration (Finance) and a BA in Economics from Christopher Newport University.

David Cohen is a Managing Director and Key Account Manager with Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where he works on strategic initiatives, business development, sales, and marketing. He has over 20 years of experience in financial services, having previously held roles at ADP's Retirement Services department, MetLife, and ING. He holds a Bachelor of Science from The College of New Jersey and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Jason Bianchi is a Senior Vice President in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where he works as a Key Account Manager developing product solutions for recordkeeper and broker dealer relationships and supports large retirement plan clients. He is part of the senior management team working on product development for the HSA segment and represents the firm at the HSA Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Rowan University and an MBA in Finance from Loyola University.

Katie (Chenyu) Yin is an Associate Consultant in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. She has two years of experience in the retirement services industry and previously interned with consulting and e-commerce firms focused on product research, pricing trends, and branding. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Studies with a minor in Data Analysis from Wesleyan University.

Keith Gustafson is a Managing Director of Asset Allocation and Retirement Income within Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where he works on manager selection, portfolio construction methodologies, and custom target risk and target date portfolio solutions. Before joining Mesirow in 2020, he was a Managing Partner at Chicago Equity Partners, serving as CIO of Equities and Head of Quantitative Research, and earlier held roles at Ibbotson Associates and SEI Corp. He holds a Master of Science in Financial Economics from the University of London, an MBA from Loyola University Chicago, and bachelor's degrees in Economics (Wharton) and History from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a CFA charterholder.

Lavanya Batchu is a Managing Director in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting the group's fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. She has 26 years in financial services and, before joining Mesirow in 2009, spent nine years at Morningstar, Inc., most recently as an Investment Analyst researching mutual funds and building fund-level portfolios for managed accounts. She holds a bachelor's degree from Nagarjuna University, a Master of Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Michael Annin is President and a founding member of Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions and sits on Mesirow's Board of Directors, overseeing client development, marketing, research, methodology, and project management. He has 35 years of experience in financial services, with a focus on the defined contribution market, and previously served as a Managing Director at Ibbotson Associates, in addition to roles at IPC Group, Abbott Laboratories, and Bear, Stearns & Company. He holds a BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a CFA charterholder.

Michael Hellen is a Senior Consultant in Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions group, where he conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. He joined Mesirow in 2021 after internships at Options Clearing Corporation and Aepos Group, LLC. He holds a Master of Science in Economics and Policy Analysis from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History of Art and Architecture from DePaul University.

Olivia Liu is an Associate Consultant in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. She joined Mesirow in 2024 after working as a research assistant evaluating economic pre-publication papers and interning at sales and trading and other financial services firms. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistical Science with a minor in Information Science from Cornell University.

Rafique Khan is a Managing Director of Technology in Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions group, where he leads the firm's technology initiatives. He has 26 years of technology experience in financial services, and before joining Mesirow in 2014 he served as IT Project Manager and Lead Architect for BP America's Trust Investments group, building technology platforms for managing defined benefit and defined contribution assets. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and a Master's degree in Computer Science from Western Illinois University.

Scott Blajszczak is a Senior Vice President in Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions group, where he conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. He joined Mesirow in 2019 after working as a Financial Analyst at Kemper Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Finance from Loyola University Chicago and is a CFA charterholder.

Sumit Saha Roy is a Technology Consultant in Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions group, where he develops, maintains, and supports front-end applications and back-end systems. He has over 13 years of experience with Microsoft technologies across banking and finance, automotive, e-commerce, and insurance, and previously worked as a consultant at Tango Card. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the West Bengal University of Technology.

Vincent Vicidomini is a Managing Director in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where he develops relationships with recordkeepers, HSA providers, broker-dealers, advisors, and defined contribution investment-only firms, and advises leadership teams on fiduciary program development and risk mitigation through outsourcing. He has 24 years of experience in the retirement services industry, having previously worked as a Pension Consultant at Retirement Alliance and spent nine years at ING before joining Mesirow in 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida and Series 6, 63, and 65 FINRA licenses.

Wenli Tan is a Managing Director in Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative investment research supporting fiduciary partnership, consulting, and institutional due diligence engagements. She has 22 years of industry experience and joined Mesirow in 2009, having previously worked as a mutual fund analyst at Morningstar and an investment analyst at Ennis Knupp & Associates. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and is a CFA charterholder.