Biography
Blake Hiltabrand, Global Head of UBS O’Connor
Blake Hiltabrand is the CEO and Head of Event-Driven Strategies at UBS O’Connor, based in Chicago. Prior to joining UBS O’Connor in 2007, he was an Assistant Portfolio Manager at Deep haven Capital and Amaranth Advisors LLP. Blake was also previously an Associate and Senior Analyst at Goldman Sachs in their equity division primarily focusing on event driven research. Blake holds a BA in Economics from Wake Forest University and is a CFA Charter holder.
Joe Newell, Head of Merger Arbitrage
Joe Newell is a Managing Director and Head of Merger Arbitrage at UBS O’Connor, based in Chicago. He also is a member of the Capital Allocation Committee for the UBS O’Connor Global Multi-Strategy Alpha Fund. Previously, Joe was a trader on the US risk arbitrage desk at UBS Investment Bank. Joe’s trading career began on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Joe holds a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Chris Brezski, Portfolio Manager, Opportunistic
Chris Brezski is a Portfolio Manager on the Global Event-Driven team at UBS O’Connor, based in Boston. Prior to joining UBS O’Connor in 2018, Chris built an alternatives business at T. Rowe Price in their Asset Allocation division. Prior to T. Rowe, he managed both the Equities Special Situations desk and a proprietary trading business at Barclays Capital. Previously, he was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Tenor Capital Management and a distressed analyst at Lehman Brothers. Chris began his career as a consultant to derivatives dealers at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chris holds an Accounting Degree from Lehigh University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is a CFA Charter holder.
Gurpreet Ottal, Portfolio Manager, Merger Arbitrage
Gurpreet Ottal is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Global Event-Driven team at UBS O’Connor, based in London. Prior to joining UBS O’Connor in 2015, he was a Portfolio Manager at TT International, in London, managing a Global Event-Driven strategy within the firm’s hedge fund business. Prior to TT International, Gurpreet worked at CR Intrinsic (a unit of SAC Capital), in London, focusing on European and US event-driven situations. Gurpreet began his career at Lehman Brothers, in London, within the firm’s Global Trading Strategies group, an internal hedge fund focused on event-driven situations across equity and debt. Gurpreet holds an M.A. in Economics from Cambridge University.