Matthias Knab

Managing Director & Managing Editor

Opalesque is led by Matthias Knab, an internationally recognized expert on hedge funds and alternatives. Mr. Knab has frequently served as chairman of hedge fund conferences New York, Greenwich, Miami, London, Monaco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Stockholm and Dubai. In addition, he has spoken at or moderated panels at hedge fund events or Roundtables in Chicago, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Denver, Toronto, Geneva, Zurich, Frankfurt, Cannes, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Cape Town, Madrid, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Auckland, Abu Dhabi and Bombay, and lectured at numerous universities on the subjects of hedge funds and the state of the global alternative asset management industry.

He studied computer science and psychology in Freiburg i.Br. (Germany), graduated in economy in Munich and subsequently passed exams as a FSA (Financial Services Authority, UK) Securities Representative, FSA Futures and Options Representative and XETRA trader (Frankfurt).

Since 1989 he has been working as a consultant for major German institutions, most notably Allianz and Vereinte Versicherungen. 1998 he created and served as CEO Boersenakademie AG - the first German institution directed at offering educational services on investing themes. Matthias Knab also served as Managing Director at TradeStream Global AG, a technology firm developing trading solutions for institutions and hedge funds.

In 2000 Matthias Knab started to publish a pioneering newsletter "Industry Report" which was focusing on the ascent of Electronic Trading within the online brokerage industry. It was at that time when he started to establish his first links into the hedge fund industry and became aware about the need of a daily, independent and encompassing news service on this thriving sector.

Mr. Knab speaks English, German, Spanish, French, some Italian and is currently learning Mandarin (Chinese).

Benedicte Gravrand

Editor Opalesque New Managers
Senior News Editor, Opalesque Europe

Benedicte Gravrand writes exclusive stories, special reports, co-edits Opalesque's daily hedge fund publication, the Alternative Market Briefing (AMB), and moderates some of Opalesque's Roundtables. She is also the editor of Opalesque's NewManager, a monthly newsletter.

She is perfectly bilingual (French/English) and has lived in Paris, Geneva and London. She obtained a BA (Honours) in Philosophy from the University of London, worked in the publishing sector and the hedge fund industry before joining Opalesque in 2007.

Bailey McCann

Editor Opalesque Private Equity Strategies
News Editor, Opalesque New York

Bailey McCann is based in New York and has over six years of experience in media and journalism. In previous roles she worked as an editor and contributing writer on topics including finance, politics, defense, and women's issues. She also has experience providing media intelligence for financial services and the public sector. She is the Editor of Opalesque Private Equity Strategies and a member of the editorial team that produces the daily Alternative Market Briefing.

Laxman Pai

News Editor, Opalesque Asia

Laxman Pai is part of Opalesque's Asia team. He has over ten years of professional experience in financial and international journalism and the media industry. Laxman Pai was Executive Editor for India Wealth News and India Investment News and also contributed to global industry publications like Investment & Pensions Asia, The Wealth Net, Financier Worldwide magazine, Global Investing, Asia Risk, International Pension News, Global Pensions etc. Prior to that he was a business journalist-contributor to VNU Business Publications (UK), Global Wireless (RCR group, USA), Internet News (USA) and Electronics News (RBI-US).

His academic credentials include a Bachelor in Science in Physics, Master of Arts in English Literature, Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and an Honorary Doctorate in Journalism from the Cosmopolitan University, Missouri, USA.

Nisha Bansal

Project Manager

Nisha Bansal, MBA, is a Project Manager at Opalesque focusing on research and data analytics.

Nisha is based in Opalesque's Asian office in Bangalore, India. She has completed her MBA from International School of Business and Media, Bangalore. She has worked with Rotaract club as a treasurer and was awarded as the best treasurer in Maharashtra, India in 2005-06.

James Gibbs

Support Team Member

James doing his Bachelors in Arts joined Opalesque on April 7th 2010. James was working as Customer Support Executive for telecom, Banking and Media with more than 3 years of experience. He has also received Client appreciation certificate from British Telecom.