Moelis & Company Appoints Lena Mass-Cresnik as Chief Data Officer in Expansion of Data Analytics Initiative
Moelis & Company (NYSE: MC), a leading global independent investment bank, today announced the appointment of Lena Mass-Cresnik as its Chief Data Officer. In this newly-created role, Dr. Mass-Cresnik will be based in New York and will help lead the Firm’s focus on data analytics and innovation.
Dr. Mass-Cresnik was most recently the Head of Technology Strategy and Technology Research & Development in the Office of the CTO at Charles Schwab. Prior to that, she spent a majority of her post-doctoral career at BlackRock, where she served as the Global Head of Innovation in Technology. While at BlackRock, Dr. Mass-Cresnik established a technology engagement strategy & model and led a new area focused on emergent technologies & innovations, early stage start-up technologies, products and services and evaluated their feasibility and commercial viability across BlackRock globally. She earned her Ph.D. in Innovation & Technology Management from the University of Oxford, where she specialized in complex networks and systems analyses, diffusion of emergent technologies and innovations, strategic innovation, and business process redesign. She also holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. Dr. Mass-Cresnik is currently a member of the World Economic Forum’s Artificial Intelligence & Automation in Financial Services Steering Committee.
“Lena’s unique experience developing platforms for management information and driving business development and efficiency through data analytics and automation provides an exceptional foundation for our growing Data Analytics Initiative,” said Elizabeth Crain, Chief Operating Officer of Moelis & Company. “The growth of big data and the ever-increasing number of information sources and data providers is giving our bankers greater insight into industry trends, company vulnerabilities, and strategic opportunities. The addition of Lena and the development of in-house tools will allow our bankers to accumulate and synthesize data faster and convert it into actionable opportunities for our clients and our firm.”
“Technological disruption – driven by the cost savings, scale, and capabilities resulting from Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Automation – is fundamentally changing every industry, including financial services,” said Ken Moelis, Chairman and CEO of Moelis & Company. “Combining a deep understanding of these technologies with the breadth and depth of our client relationships is yet another way we are enhancing our business and delivering differentiated advice to our clients.”
In addition to the appointment of Dr. Mass-Cresnik, Moelis & Company has grown its focus on data analytics and innovation through academic partnerships at Columbia University and other top-tier institutions. The Firm also continues to utilize leading third party data providers to develop proprietary tools and analysis for corporate development and strategic advisory assignments.
About Moelis & Company
Moelis & Company is a leading global independent investment bank that provides innovative strategic advice and solutions to a diverse client base, including corporations, governments and financial sponsors. The Firm assists its clients in achieving their strategic goals by offering comprehensive integrated financial advisory services across all major industry sectors. Moelis & Company’s experienced professionals advise clients on their most critical decisions, including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and restructurings, capital markets transactions, and other corporate finance matters. The Firm serves its clients from 19 geographic locations in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. For further information, please visit: www.moelis.com or follow us on Twitter @Moelis.