Daniel A. Leyden, MD and CFO, Highland Financial Holdings
Q. Which projects are you working on?
A. HFH is in the process of launching a short credit strategy and our second CDO. We are also undergoing extensive systems and infrastructure enhancements to improve our existing risk controls, data dissemination and reporting capabilities.
Q. What will be the biggest trend of 2007?
A. There is an ever-increasing amount of information needed for hedge funds to manage profitable portfolios. The sheer volume of information available can make efficient dissemination a challenge. Establishing the infrastructure to process data better, faster and more completely than the competition will be what separates the successful funds from the unsuccessful.
Q. Will you hire new IT recruits this year? What skills are you looking for?
A. We added two individuals to our IT staff in 2006 and are expanding the team in 2007 to include one or two consultants with data warehousing experience and .Net, SQL and C++ backgrounds.
Q. What was the last gadget you bought?
A. I bought snowmobiles for the family to enjoy during our trips to Vermont. Had I known the average temperature this winter would be 60 degrees, I might have selected a different gadget for family fun.