Alexander “Al” Christy, Jr. is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of EquitiesFirst.  

Since establishing the firm in 2002, Al leads global strategies and oversees operational activities within EquitiesFirst and its business units across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.  

Drawing on over 20 years of industry experience, Al has emerged as a successful pioneer in progressive financing solutions, growing EquitiesFirst into a leading innovator in the private credit space. He specializes in long-term strategic planning, emerging market expansion, innovative cash-flow management as well as global resource development and allocation. 

Prior to EquitiesFirst, Al held senior roles in Diversified Financial Group and Fidelity Investments, driving business in commercial and residential mortgage and loan origination. 

Al is based at the global headquarters in Indianapolis, United States and frequently travels to EquitiesFirst offices across Europe and Asia-Pacific. 

Jeff Smith is the Senior Managing Director at EquitiesFirst.  

Driving the development of origination at EquitiesFirst as well as its business units across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, Jeff is primarily responsible for the firm’s global client acquisition and marketing functions. He also oversees all underwriting activities within the organization. 

Jeff brings over 30 years of extensive institutional experience and knowledge to EquitiesFirst, particularly in the areas of innovative financing, professional accounting and derivatives management. 

Prior to joining EquitiesFirst, Jeff held key executive roles at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Prudential and Salomon Brothers. He has also served as a Certified Public Accountant at Deloitte. Jeff holds an MBA in finance and a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  

Jeff is based at the global headquarters in Indianapolis, United States.   

Julie LaPoint is the Director of Global Operations at EquitiesFirst. 

Julie leads the procedural execution of all EquitiesFirst transactions, overseeing legal, compliance and funding mechanisms. In addition to managing accounting and human resources functions at EquitiesFirst and its business units across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, Julie also serves as Chief Compliance Officer for the firm. 

With nearly 30 years of experience in executive business management, Julie brings an established expertise in strategic corporate operations, regulatory compliance and global resource management. 

Prior to joining EquitiesFirst, Julie served in various senior management roles in the accounting, construction, and service industries. 

Julie is based at the global headquarters in Indianapolis, United States.   

Simon Moore is the Chief Risk Officer at EquitiesFirst.  

Simon oversees the firm’s risk management functions, including the administration of EquitiesFirst’s global strategic risk management plan across business units in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.  

Simon brings over 20 years of global derivatives and structuring experience, spanning risk assessment and management, quantitative analysis, strategic planning, and operational optimization.  

Prior to his role at EquitiesFirst, Simon was the founder and director of Moore Quantitative Solutions. He also previously led the teams at Commerzbank and ING Barings. Simon holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computing from the University of Bath in Somerset, United Kingdom. 

James Mungovan is the Chief Executive Officer, Europe at EquitiesFirst. 

James oversees origination strategies and operational functions for all EquitiesFirst business units across Europe, Africa and Canada. He also serves as Chief of Staff for the firm’s London office.  

With over 15 years in corporate finance, James brings a well-established expertise in serving diverse clients, including corporates, institutional advisors, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and family offices. 

Prior to joining EquitiesFirst, James was a solicitor at Baker McKenzie London, where he specialised in cross-border M&A and capital market transactions, and Memery Crystal LLP, advising public companies and market institutions. James completed the Legal Practice Course at University of West England in Bristol and holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from Manchester University. 

James is based at the Europe headquarters in London, United Kingdom.  

Mitchell Hopwood is the Chief Executive Officer, Australia at EquitiesFirst.

Mitchell drives origination strategies, oversees operations for business units based in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, Australia and provides governance as the Responsible Manager for the Australian Financial Services Licence.

He brings over 30 years of professional experience in banking and financial services, with extensive knowledge and expertise in finance, family office advisory services and wealth management.

Prior to joining EquitiesFirst, Mitchell held management positions at Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds an MBA in strategic management from University of New South Wales and a Bachelor’s degree in economics, accounting and financial management from Macquarie University.

Mitchell is based at the Australia headquarters in Sydney.

Gordon Crosbie-Walsh is the Chief Executive Officer, Asia at EquitiesFirst.  

Gordon oversees all EquitiesFirst operations throughout the Asian region, focusing on business development across the firm’s five offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Beijing and Shanghai.

With over three decades of financial services experience, Gordon’s expertise spans chartered accounting, equity research, equity sales as well as investment banking and capital markets analysis. 

Prior to joining EquitiesFirst, Gordon was part of the leadership team at several investment banking businesses, including CM Financial and Jefferies Asia, as well as the successful equity capital markets (ECM)/syndicate team at JP Morgan. Previously, he was also Managing Director and Head of Equities and Equity Sales in Hong Kong and China for Deutsche Bank and Salomon Smith Barney. Gordon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Monash University (Chisholm) in Melbourne, Australia. 

Gordon is based at the Asia headquarters in Hong Kong, China. 

Andrew Stevens is the Principal Representative, MENA at EquitiesFirst^*.

Andrew is primarily responsible for managing marketing functions across the Middle East and North Africa.

With over a decade of experience in international financial services, Andrew specializes in business development and complex financing solutions aligned to equity-based portfolios.

Prior to EquitiesFirst, Andrew held key management roles in the financial industry, where he provided consultation to wealth management professionals, high-net-worth individuals and brokerage firms on alternative financing solutions.

Andrew is based in the Dubai office in the United Arab Emirates.

^*EquitiesFirst is the trade name of Equities First Holdings Hong Kong Ltd (DIFC Representative Office) on Gate Precinct Building 4, 6th Floor, Office 7, Dubai International Financial Centre. EquitiesFirst is regulated by the DFSA as a Representative Office.