Washington – September 18, 2026 -- The Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA) has named 21 leaders as recipients of its 2026 IPA Awards, recognizing executives from firms including Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Blackstone for their contributions to the alternative investments sector.
IPA honors 21 executives across five award categories at Atlanta conference
The awards were presented during IPAVision in Atlanta before more than 550 professionals representing asset management, wealth management and the broader alternatives ecosystem. Honorees were selected across five categories: Outstanding Service, Policy Leadership, Rising Voice, Emerging Champion and Lifetime Achievement.
Outstanding Service Award recognizes seven senior executives from major asset managers
Recipients include Bill Duffy of Fidelity Investments, Kimberly Flynn of XA Investments, Martin Griffin of SS&C, Bora Lim of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Matthew Malone of Opto Investments, Emily Reagan of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Paul Weisenfeld of CIM Group.
Policy Leadership Award goes to five figures shaping alternatives regulation
John Cronin of LPL Financial, John Mahon of Cleary Gottlieb, Peter Matejcak of Baker McKenzie, Nick Rosenthal of Griffin Capital, and Benjamin Wells of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett were recognized for advancing IPA's regulatory advocacy work at the federal and state levels.
Rising Voice and Emerging Champion awards spotlight newer industry contributors
Five Rising Voice honorees include Jason Cross of Redbrick LMD, Sydney Friedman of Blackstone, Paula Noble of CNL, Nick Tiemeyer of Nuveen, and Natalya Zernitskaya of Cetera Financial Group. Three Emerging Champion recipients were named: Peter Aliprantis of EQT Partners, Danielle Hickey of Macquarie Asset Management, and Bill Stout of Vanguard.
Thomas Selman receives Lifetime Achievement Award for two-decade FINRA career
Thomas Selman, President and CEO of SCOPUS Financial Group, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Selman previously served as Executive Vice President for Regulatory Policy and Legal Compliance Officer at FINRA, where he led regulatory functions including Advertising Regulation, Corporate Financing, and the Office of Financial Innovation over more than 20 years.
IPA President and CEO Anya Coverman said the honorees have advanced policy priorities and shared expertise that strengthens the association and the broader alternative investments marketplace.