Presenters & Speakers Bio's
ALEX VERBA
Mr. Verba is a seasoned finance and investment professional with significant
experience in areas of real estate investing, private equity, fixed income investing,
and turnaround consulting.
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Mr. Verba began his career at TIAA-CREF, one of the
largest pension plan management and insurance companies with $1 trillion under
management, where he oversaw a $100 million portfolio of high yield bonds and
later $600 million of mortgage-backed securities. While at CIT and Stairway
Capital, Mr. Verba held several senior positions investing in leveraged loans,
distressed credits, and distressed private equity across a number of industries and
sectors. In addition to his investing expertise, Mr. Verba has worked on numerous
engagements as a turnaround consultant at Zolfo Cooper, now part of Alix
Parners.
At his current role, Mr. Verba has structured and continues to manage EB-5
transactions for projects valued in excess of $900 million. During the underwriting
and structuring process, Mr. Verba’s main objective is to fulfill key immigration
related requirements while minimizing risk of loss on principal for the investors.
Mr. Verba graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University. He holds an
M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School and a Masters in International Studies
from the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania.
ELINA GESELEV
Elina has built her career as a Licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant since
2008. She has prior work experience with various federal government
departments, including Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), Environment
Canada, Transport Canada and Pacific Council.
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Her area of expertise includes
Canadian visitor visas, study and work permits, Express Entry as well as Business
Immigration to Canada. Currently, Elina is leading a successful practice providing
immigration advice and services to individuals and companies in Canada and
overseas. She is also a faculty member of Ashton College in Vancouver where she
is teaching courses for the Immigration Consultant Diploma program.
EMİN TAYLAN
After graduating from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of Economics / Finance in 1978, Mr. Taylan began his career in the Ministry of Finance, General Directorate of Exports.
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After a tenure as a research assistant at the Department of Finance of Çukurova University, he took foreign language courses at Michigan State University in the USA. Upon his return to Turkey, he succeeded in the hiring exam by the Ministry of Treasury, Tax Inspectors Board, and worked first as a Deputy Tax Inspector and then as a Tax Inspector at the Ministry of Finance in the period 1981-1987. During his tenure at the Ministry of Finance, in 1985, he was invited to participate in a 4-months seminar on Japanese Tax System, and represented Turkey at the event. Having resigned from the Ministry by the end of 1987, Emin Taylan joined STFA, one of the leading contracting groups of Turkey, and served as the Vice President, General Director, Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Member of the Board of Directors at the energy and telecommunications firm of the group. After he left the group, Mr. Taylan started to work as a Sworn-in Certified Public Accountant. Between 2001 and 2009, he worked as a partner at Grant Thornton’s Ankara office. Thereafter, he moved to Istanbul where he continued his work. Having assumed the position of Vice President for Tax and Accounting Services since 2015, Emin Taylan was named as the Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Turkey, as of July 2018. Mr. Taylan’s career also included service at the Board of Auditors of the Central Bank of Turkey between 2000 and 2002, not to mention addresses at various panels and seminars all through these years. He is also the acclaimed author of various pieces in economics journals and newspapers.
ISMINI ZOIROU
Ismini Zoirou works at Enterprise Greece, the official agency of the Greek State under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the last 11 years and currently is holding an Investment Facilitation Officer position.
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She is specialized in the Greek Golden Visa program, providing information on all applicable immigration laws in Greece and helping potential investors of the Golden Visa program understanding the procedures that is requested.
JON GREEN
Jon has over ten years of experience working with private clients, law firms, family
offices and financial service providers interested in residency and citizenship
programmes for their clients.
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He has an intimate knowledge of residency and
citizenship acquisition processes, real estate procurement and investment and
developer relations.
Before joining Latitude, Jon was a Partner of Henley & Partners Canada, focusing
on Business Development and Sales Management for the North American market.
Prior to that, he worked in sales and marketing for high-end real estate projects
and has a wide range of experience promoting ski, gold and sand destinations. He
has been involved with projects throughout the world, including Canada, the US,
the Caribbean, South East Asia and Europe.
JORDI VILANOVA
Jordi Vilanova , MBA from ESADE (Barcelona) which included semesters attended at Stern School New
York University and HEC Paris. He also completed the Executive Program EPBA at the Columbia Graduate
Business School in New York 1992.
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He was a member of AIESEC (Association Internationale des etudiants en sciences economiques et
commerciales). He started his professional career in the IT sector at IBM in New York (1983). At the end
of the 80’s till mid 90’s, he led the Computer products division of NEC for Spain and Portugal. Later on
he became General Manager at ADLI, a Hewlett Packard Distributor.
At the end of the 90’s, based in Barcelona, he joined as a Managing Partner, GRANVILLE-BAIRD CAPITAL
PARTNERS, a UK Based Investment bank to co-manage the private equity investments in Spain and also
to participate in the technology based investments in the UK and Germany. He then joined GRUPO
FINANCIERO RIVA Y GARCIA as a head of International Mergers & Acquisitions, specialized in Public
Companies. In 2008 he moved to Canada as Vice President of MERCAN CAPITAL, based in Montreal.
He is currently the President of the Mercan Group of Companies in Portugal , based in Porto
He was Chairman of the Board of YPO Canada Gold 2017-2019
JOSE QUESADA
Mr. Quesada has over 20 years of experience in finance and real estate, having executed and managed nearly $2.0 billion in real estate transactions across all asset classes including Mixed-Use, For-Sale Residential, Multifamily, Retail, Office, and Hospitality.
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As Director of Investments and Development, his responsibilities include the oversight of acquisition, development, financing, and asset management for all of Alterra Worldwide’s investment activities.
Recently, Mr. Quesada was Principal at Fides Capital Management where he established a real estate investment fund focused on making direct investments in distressed real estate and senior loan portfolios, providing high yielding senior loans to quality sponsors for real estate acquisitions, re-financing, and re-capitalizations.
Prior to Fides Capital Management, Mr. Quesada was Vice President at Canyon Partners where he was responsible for sourcing and managing new equity and debt investment opportunities. He also oversaw existing investments in the west coast and Florida urban markets for the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund.
Prior to joining the Canyon Partners, Mr. Quesada was in the investments division at CIM Group. While at CIM Group, Mr. Quesada executed development and third-party equity and debt joint venture investments for the CIM Urban Fund and acquisitions for the CIM Urban REIT across all real estate asset classes throughout the USA. Additionally, he managed third-party sponsors and internal project managers to ensure that best practices were employed and each investment progressed in accordance with its business plan.
Prior to CIM Group, Mr. Quesada was in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs and Co. While at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Quesada analyzed the strategic rationale for potential acquisition opportunities in the biotech and telecom industries and developed financial models to value acquisition targets.
Mr. Quesada began his career in the Finance Division at The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Quesada is a graduate of The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania (BS in Economics) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA).
KRISTEL MEOS
Kristel Meos is a Partner at Zenith Family Office responsible for wealth
management. ZFO is a multi-family office based in Estonia and with international
client base and focus on wealth management, real estate investments, corporate
finance and strategic advisory for corporates.
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Besides being a service provider,
ZFO invests also on its own. Kristel has extensive background in private banking
and financial sector being the founder and manager of private banking
at Swedbank Estonia. She is active member of society - Chairman of Board of
Estonian Aviation Museum and Member of Board of Estonian Family Business
Association.
LASZLO KISS
Laszlo Kiss is the founder, owner and Managing Director of Discus Holdings Ltd and has over 27 years of experience in international immigration, business and tax structuring.
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Discus Holdings was appointed by the Hungarian Parliament as one of the seven official agents for the Hungarian Residency Bond Program, by the Maltese government to act as government concessionaire for the Malta Residence and Visa Program and through its subsidiary the government of Montenegro has chosen it as one of the three official agents to handle application in its citizenship program.
MEHMET FATİH KARA
Mehmet Fatih Kara is a dynamic and innovative senior executive and Board
advisor with vast experience in established and emerging global markets.
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Able to
develop and sustain influential top-level client, governmental and corporate
relationships, he offers an energetic and progressive 20+ year career
distinguished by new business development and commercial success within the
competitive fields of real estate development and investment, construction,
energy, manufacturing and IT. Decorated with dual citizenship both from the US
and Turkey, he is fluent in the English and Turkish languages.
His most notable positions include:
Member of the Executive Board of Advisors, SAUDI Real Estate Development
Fund, Riyadh, 2019-Prersent
Member of the Board of Advisors, Alterra Worldwidterre, Dallas, Texas, 2017-
Present
Member of the Board of Advisors, HPP Architects, Dusseldorf, Germany, 2017-
Present
Chief Executive Officer, MFK Associates, 2014–Present
Chief Executive Officer & Board Member, Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment
Development Co., 2008–2014
Sen. Vice President & Board Member, Housing Development Administration of
the Turkish Prime Minister, 2005–2008
Founder & Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Digital Audio Wave,
2002–2005
Mehmet is undertaking an MBA in Coaching, Mentoring and Leadership at York
St John University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
from Istanbul Technical University and a
MEHMET YILDIRIMLI
Mehmet Yildirimli is the Head of Swiss Business Hub Turkey (S-GE Antenna) at the
Swiss Consulate in Istanbul/Turkey. He is connecting players (SMEs, people,
startups...) between Switzerland and Turkey.
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Previously Mehmet spent several
years in the private sector (packaging/coatings/consulting) and 3 years at swissnex
China, Switzerland's outpost for science, technology and innovation in China with
offices and representatives in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. With MBA from
SDA Bocconi Milan and EM Lyon as well as a Master in Art & Design from the Art
Academy in Basel, Mehmet developed a big interest for economics, innovation,
science and art&design. He createas ideas into projects and is an expert at
matching people/entities. Mehmet is a quick thinking and energetic person who is
well connected in the business, art/design, academia and
governmental/diplomatic environment (Switzerland-China; Switzerland-Turkey).
Mehmet has two nationalities Swiss & Turkish and communicates in 7 languages
MIKE SARIMSAKCI
With an extensive experience in leading and directing major domestic and international infrastructure as well as real estate development projects, Mike Sarimsakci is responsible for financial and real estate development activities for
Alterra International, LLC located in Dallas and Istanbul.
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Over the past 20 years, Mr. Sarimsakci has worked on real estate projects worldwide with a strong track record of completing infrastructure and real estate development projects on time and on budget. Currently, as the Founder & President of Alterra International, LLC Mr. Sarimsakci is responsible for development and construction of projects that offers superior returns to investors. His formula is simple "$ 1
million to $ 5 million in 5 years. He has been able to deliver on this premise.
His latest project is a 65,000 square meters of mixed use development which consists of 238 residences, 274 key Marriott dual branded hotel and retail space in the heart of downtown Dallas slated to open in April 2016. Another recently completed project, Alto 211 is an 18 story office tower, known as the “Tech Mecca” of Downtown Dallas is set in the vibrant city center district and brings urban lifestyle and modern business culture to the entrepreneurial community. Alto 211 is the headquarters to such renowned tech companies such as Tech Wildcatters, Health Wildcatters, Traxo, Velocis, Launch DFW and Fort Work coworking space.
Throughout his career, Mr. Sarimsakci has been actively involved in development projects on an international level. Most recently, Mr. Sarimsakci was the guest of the Panamanian government to explore public private joint venture development opportunities in Panama. He advised to President of Niger to increase FDI into real estate projects in the region.
Before joining Alterra International, LLC, Mr. Sarimsakci was the Managing Director of Polidev International, LLC. With Polidev, Mr Sarimsakci was responsible for real estate development projects in the Americas.
Prior to his re-development activities in the Americas, Mr. Sarimsakci was with AECOM as Vice President in Saudi Arabia and later became a Board Member with Ibra Holding in Azarbaijan. With Ibra Holding, Mr. Sarimsakci has established corporate policies and procedures while successfully managing 1.5 billion dollar Baku Yoo Real Estate Mixed use development in addition to managing 100 hectars of industrial development project in Romania.
Mr. Sarimsakci started his career with Bechtel in San Francisco where he was a Construction Manager and a Civil Engineer for two massive park projects in Dubai and Euro Disney. During his time with Bechtel, he was in charge of design and site development of projects and was awarded for his outstanding performance.
Followed by Bechtel, Mr. Sarimsakci became the CEO of BSG Development in San Francisco where he was responsible for all profit and loss as well as all business operations. During his time with BSG, Mr. Sarimsakci managed industrial and commercial development and worked on construction and redevelopment projects where he was recognized with prestigious awards by the City of San Jose, City of Santa Rosa, City of San Luis Obispo and City of Monterey for innovative design and development of various projects.
Mr. Sarimsakci also served as a Senior Consultant at Ben C. Gerwick in San Francisco. His responsibilities included management of IHNC storm protection project in New Orleans with a capital of 1.2 billion dollars, the largest project United States Army Corps of Engineers has ever undertaken. He also successfully participated in tender design effort for Panama Canal bid with a capital cost of 5 billion dollars.
Mr. Sarimsakci holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University and a Certificate of Pre-Law from UCLA. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management.
Mr. Sarimsakci competed his executive degree for Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate (AMDP) at Harward University in 2017 and he is a Harward Real Estate Alumni board member.
!"# $%"&'(%)*& completed his +,+*-.&/+ 0+1"++ 23" 40/%5*+0 !%5%1+'+5. 6+/+738'+5. 9"31"%' &5 :+%7 ;(.%.+ <4!69= %. >%"/%"0 ?5&/+"(&.@ &5 ABCD and he is a Harvard Real Estate Alumni board member.
NICOLAI HINRICHSEN
Nicolai Hinrichsen is Miller Mayer’s Managing Partner for Asia.
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Mr. Hinrichsen has over a decade of experience in EB-5 immigration. He
represents regional centers and developers in structuring EB-5 compliant projects
either through initial regional center designation applications or by partnering
with existing regional centers. He also represents individual investors obtaining
permanent resident status through either regional center or direct EB-5
investments.
Mr. Hinrichsen was recently named one of the top-25 EB-5 attorneys by EB-5
Investor Magazine. He regularly speaks at EB-5 events throughout Asia. Prior to
joining Miller Mayer, Mr. Hinrichsen practiced corporate and securities law in San
Francisco and Paris, France.
Mr. Hinrichsen is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association,
and the New York and California state bar.
He received his JD from Boston University Law School and his B.A. from the
University of California at Berkeley.
OSVALDO "OZZIE" TORRES
Osvaldo F. Torres, Esq. is a 1987 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law
School. Mr. Torres is nationally recognized as a prominent corporate and
securities attorney in the EB-5 industry.
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For the entirety of his professional career
Mr. Torres has focused on assisting clients negotiate and effect complex corporate
transactions, including securities offerings (both public and private), mergers and
acquisitions and other sophisticated deals.
For the past nine years, Mr. Torres has been immersed in EB-5 work, where his
rich experience in complex legal matters has allowed him to successfully represent
regional centers and projects with their corporate structuring and securities
offerings matters. Mr. Torres has worked on numerous EB-5 offerings, including
those involving hotel development, multi-family residential construction, senior
independent living complexes, healthcare and medical device companies,
restaurants and franchises.
Mr. Torres frequently speaks at EB-5 conferences on securities issues and other
aspects of the EB-5 practice and is a member of the EB-5 SEC Roundtable. He also
serves on IIUSA’s President’s Advisory Council and its Public Policy and Editorial
Committees, is rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and ranked a Top 15
EB-5 Securities Attorney by EB-5 Investors Magazine. In addition, Torres Law has
been selected as a Medallion Partner by NES Financial.
Mr. Torres’ prior experience includes working at several large, nationally-
recognized law firms (including Greenberg Traurig in Miami and Schulte Roth &
Zabel in New York City) and as in-house General Counsel to then publicly-traded
Telemundo Group, Inc. and the privately held venture HBO Latin America Group.
RYAN DARMANIN
Ryan has helped well over 500 high net worth individuals, mostly seeking
alternative residence and citizenship in Malta over the past four years.
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Before joining Latitude, in his senior management role at Henley & Partners - and
later as a member of the board of directors for Henley Estates in Malta - Ryan was
an integral part of the team that successfully handled the Malta Individual
Investor Program (MIIP). He went on to manage the real estate arm of the
business, overseeing a growing team in Malta that assisted clients with the
acquisition of real estate, property management, and other ancillary services, all
important components in residence and citizenship planning.
Before assisting clients in the world of investment migration, Ryan spent seven
years at HSBC, focusing on customer experience excellence and employee
engagement. Prior to that, he worked in the hospitality industry for various
international hotel chains.
Ryan is an alumnus of the university of Wales, Cardiff, and a member of the
Institute of Financial Services Practitioners. He sees learning as a way of life, is a
great believer in the universal laws, and is devoted to personal development.
TOLGA HABALI
Mr. Tolga Habali, has over 10 years active professional experience in the
Residency & Citizenship by Investment industry and international real estate
investments.
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He has successfully helped over 100’s of investor clients from China,
Russia, USA, Europe, India, Middle East and Turkey to acquire residency or
citizenship in various countries; primarily but not limited to Malta, Caribbean
(Antigua & Barbude, St Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia), USA, United
Kingdom, Canada, Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Turkey as well as Slovenia and
Estonia.
Mr. Habali is an active member of Investment Migration Council (IMC). He has
hold Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) designation between
2009 and 2019.
He is a graduate of University of British Columbia Canadian (UBC) Immigration Law
Certificate Program (2009) as well as UBC Intercultural Studies Award of
Achievement.
He holds an International MBA degree from University of Hertfordshire, UK and
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Middle East
Technical University, Turkey. Before joining the Residency & Citizenship by
Investment industry, Mr. Habali has had a vast experience in corporate,
investment and retail bankings in Garanti BBVA, HSBC Turkey and HSBC Canada.
TUNAY YILMAZLAR
Tunay Yılmazlar is founding partner of Yilmazlar Law Firm. He specializes in real estate law.
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Tunay Yılmazlar, who has graduated from Kadikoy Anatolian High School at 2005 and
afterwards has graduated from Koc University Law School at 2009, speaks fluent English. He
is admitted to Istanbul Bar at 2010.
Starting from the year of 2009, Tunay Yılmazlar has been working at the most reputable
international law firms in Turkey, where on the other hand he has worked at Elitok & Hartnett
Law Firm at Washington, DC during a particular time period at his career.
He has extensive experience at real estate law, corporate law and litigation and dispute
resolution. He has been advising real estate projects with vast value from their development
to completion at each step.
Additionally, he assists foreign real person clients at their property investments in Turkey and
in their subsequent residence and Turkish citizenship acquisitions in connection with their
property ownership.