Bram Smith
Interim Executive Director
Bram is the Interim Executive Director of the LSTA. Prior to joining the LSTA in September, he worked for Bear Stearns for five years where, among other duties, he managed the Loan Capital Markets and Sales effort.
In 1996, Bram joined Morgan Stanley where he set up and managed their Global Loan Business. Prior to Morgan Stanley, he worked at Bankers Trust for nearly 18 years. His last responsibilities there were managing loan syndications, sales and trading.
He has served on the LSTA board and as its Treasurer. He formerly was Chairman and President of the United Way in Scarsdale - Edgemont, New York.
Bram received a BS in International Affairs from the US Air Force Academy, an MA in International Affairs from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served in the US Air Force where he flew helicopters for the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service.
Elliot Ganz
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Elliot Ganz joined the LSTA as the Association’s general counsel and executive vice president in May 2005. Mr. Ganz is responsible for managing the Association’s legal and regulatory affairs, as well as its market practice and standardization initiatives. A seasoned practitioner, he plays a key role in the LSTA’s activities as the principal advocate for the commercial loan marketplace.
Mr. Ganz joins the LSTA from CIBC World Markets Corp., where he was vice president and associate general counsel and director of U.S. banking. In that capacity he was responsible for all aspects of the loan product and supervised credit portfolio management, credit capital markets, loan syndications and trading, credit derivatives and asset-backed securities. Before joining CIBC, Mr. Ganz was assistant general counsel at ING Baring Securities, and has also held positions at Citibank, N.A., Chase Manhattan Bank and the law firm of Lord Day & Lord.
He received his B.A. in economics and history from Queens College, City University of New York, and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law where he served as research editor of the Annual Survey of American Law. He was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York in May 1981.
Alicia Sansone
Executive Vice President Communication, Marketing Membership & Education
Alicia Sansone joined the LSTA as Senior Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Education in November 2004. In this capacity Alicia oversees the development of LSTA publications, conferences and the website, and develops and implements strategies to increase the financial market awareness of the loan market and the LSTA – especially among institutional investors, distressed investors, hedge funds and pension funds.
Prior to joining the LSTA, Alicia was with Institutional Investor (II) Magazine. As its Associate Publisher and member of the II Board of Directors, Alicia oversaw sales, marketing, circulation and new business development for this international monthly magazine.
Alicia holds a BA in Communications from New England College.
Bridget Marsh
Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel
Bridget Marsh joined the LSTA as Assistant General Counsel and Senior Vice President in January 2006.
Ms. Marsh has extensive experience in corporate finance, having practiced as a corporate finance associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy LLP, New York, and in the corporate department of Simmons & Simmons, London. She has worked on numerous deals, including domestic and Latin American loans, structured financings, and securitizations.
Ms. Marsh graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and received a law degree with first class honors from Sydney Law School, University of Sydney (where she served on the editorial board of The Sydney Law Review) and a Masters in Political Science from the University of New South Wales. In addition, she served as judicial clerk to a federal judge in Sydney, Australia. She is admitted as an attorney in New York, England, and Australia.
Meredith Coffey
Senior Vice President Research & Communications
Meredith Coffey is Senior Vice President for Research at the Loan Syndications and Trading Association. Ms. Coffey heads up a team of analysts that are responsible for analyzing current and anticipated market developments, helping the LSTA build strategy and improve market efficiency, and providing commentary through weekly newsletters, periodic conferences and webcasts. Ms. Coffey and her team also engage market participants, press and regulators on issues and developments in the global loan market.
By presenting broad and unbiased analysis, the LSTA’s research team is a non-partisan voice representing all loan market participants. Ms. Coffey also is responsible for member relations and development so that the Association continues to build programs and initiatives that are responsive to the needs of the market.
Prior to joining the LSTA, Ms. Coffey was Senior Vice President and Director of Analysis focusing on the loan and adjacent markets for Thomson Reuters LPC. Additionally, Ms. Coffey is a frequent speaker at industry events and has authored chapters in several books about the syndicated loan market. She has a B.A in economics from Swarthmore College and a graduate degree in economics from New York University.
Ellen Hefferan
Director of Operations
Ellen Hefferan is the Director of Operations of the LSTA She is charged with managing key operational strategies and initiatives that will ultimately provide for a more efficient and liquid market. Ms. Hefferan supports the Operations Committee and its working groups to assess current operations and identify opportunities for such improvement and standardization. She is responsible for the implementation of CUSIPs market-wide and chairs the FpML Business Working Group.
Ms. Hefferan previously served as president of ClearPar since the founding of the settlement platform in 2000 until March of 2006. Prior to joining ClearPar, she was Vice President and Senior Counsel at Citigroup where she provided transactional and advisory support to the loan syndications, trading and sales desks and the corporate banking origination units. Prior to her role at Citigroup, Ms. Hefferan gained additional experience negotiating and documenting complex commercial loan transactions for financial institutions as an Associate with Winston and Strawn.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting and Marketing from Fordham University, Ms. Hefferan began her career as a Staff Accountant in the Audit Division of Arthur Anderson & Co. and served as an Adjunct Instructor of Financial and Management Accounting at Fordham University while attaining her Juris Doctorate from Fordham University Law School. She is a member of the New York State Bar and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ted Basta
Vice President Market Data
Ted Basta is Vice President of Market Data for the LSTA, where he is responsible for managing the LSTA/LPC Mark-to-Market Pricing Service and the S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index. Mr. Basta is also project manager of the LSTA’s Operations Committee and heads the Association’s CUSIP effort. In addition, Ted works closely with LSTA member firms in order to promote the loan asset class and increase member benefits through managing the LSTA’s Market Data and Analysis team. The team is responsible for the continued development of the quarterly LSTA Trade Data Study, the creation and distribution of market data/analysis, and the Association’s website content.
Prior to joining the LSTA, Ted was previously with Loan Pricing Corporation (LPC), where he worked for over five years. His most recent position at LPC was Vice President and Director of Global Pricing, where he managed the LSTA/LPC Mark-to-Market Pricing Service. During his tenure at LPC, Ted was instrumental in driving new product development and secondary market content, while playing an influential role in several initiatives that enhanced the liquidity and transparency of the secondary loan market.
Mr. Basta received an M.B.A. from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and a B.A. in Accounting from Long Island University.