Corporate Vision January 2017

24 CORPORATE VISION / January 2017 , As one of the world’s leading economic consulting firms, Compass Lexecon provides law firms, corporations and government clients with clear analysis of complex issues, drawing on its experience and expertise, which applies to virtually any question of economics, in virtually any context of the law or business. Andria, who has been with the firm for over seven years, outlines her role and how she uses her expertise to support the company in its ongoing success. “I specialize in securities and antitrust litigation as well as regulatory proceedings relating to fixed income securities and interest rate derivatives. Before joining Compass Lexecon, I was a Director of Portfolio Management at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. In my previous position I managed a fixed income portfolio and was also involved in the trading, design, and execution of derivatives and fixed income securities. Exposure to real- world trading provides me with an in-depth understanding of intricacies of financial markets and the challenges traders encounter daily. I find the experience and insights I gained invaluable in developing solutions to the complex issues that our clients face. “Alongside my work at Compass Lexecon I regularly participate in industry wide discussions for example, the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Panel on Managing Liquidity in Fixed Income Portfolios in 2015. I Success in Securities Compass Lexecon is one of the world’s leading economic consulting firms. We invited Vice President Andria van derMerwe to talk to us about the firmand her role in its success. also gave a speech on Market Liquidity and Liquidity Risks at the Swiss Finance Institute Wealth Management Retreat in Europe in 2016 where I shared my deep industry knowledge with practitioners in European markets. I am the holder of three US patents and have published several research papers in internationally renowned journals.” Currently, Compass Lexecon has a professional staff of more than 425 individuals, including 137 highly skilled Ph.D. economists and econometricians and more than 165 other individuals with advanced degrees located in 17 offices. Andria herself holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Andria describes opportunities the firm’s work provides, which serves to attract the very best talent in the market. “Compass Lexecon is often involved in high-profile cases, in which significant importance attaches to the outcomes, including financial damages, criminal penalties, regulatory decisions or corporate business opportunities. These matters often call for cutting-edge economic analysis. The combination of interesting case subject matter and high-level analytics attract the best and brightest. I enjoy collaborating and sharing knowledge with great colleagues.” “Overall, our success on large, complex projects lies in the combination of a diverse set of skills. I do not believe that there is only one way to succeed - my advice would be to find what you are passionate about and then to take advantage of every opportunity that may cross your path. I do believe that having superior analytic and communication skills and enjoying rigorous empirical analysis are important characteristics for success in this industry. My book “Market Liquidity Risk: Implications for Asset Pricing, Risk Management and Financial Regulation” published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015 drew attention to issues of importance for a broader audience and I hope will create opportunities for work, collaborations and investigations that will benefit not only our clients, but other participants in the financial marketplace. I would encourage others to teach and publish as a way to develop their expertise and ideas that may result in more business as well as important insights into financial policy issues.” Fundamentally, rigorous empirical analyses are critical to Compass Lexecon’s success, as Andria is keen to highlight. “In each matter we work on, my colleagues and I at Compass Lexecon seek to develop an in-depth understanding of the issues that our clients face and form our expert opinions anchored in sound economic theory and critically supported by rigorous empirical analysis of these issues. We excel at conveying complex economic concepts and analyses to our clients including regulators, judges and juries.” Moving ahead, Andria foresees many great opportunities for both herself and her firm in the future and is looking forward to taking advantage of these. “Structural change brought about by technological advancement is changing the amount of data and the complexity of techniques available for empirical analysis. At Compass Lexecon, we will continue to take steps necessary to support the challenges brought about by this increased complexity and are excited for these developments. “Overall, I hope to continue to grow Compass Lexecon’s practice in areas of fixed income securities, financial markets and trading. I also hope to use my expertise in market microstructure, market liquidity and fixed income to serve our clients and more generally, to add new thinking to the debate surrounding the impact of new financial market regulations.” 1701CV71 “Overall, our success on large, complex projects lies in the combination of a diverse set of skills.”