Michael Gold

Michael has over 25 years of experience as an operations executive and management consultant to large asset management organizations. He has a consistent track record in applying innovative solutions to achieve best practices in operations, risk management, and investment compliance.

Michael is currently the Managing Member of New Heights Solutions, LLC., a management consulting firm in the asset management and asset owner space. From 2016 - 2019, he consulted to the Bureau of Asset Management of the five New York City Retirement Systems with combined assets of approximately $200b in AUM. Over his tenure, Michael successfully delivered a number of transformational initiatives, which include:

• The establishment of an enterprise risk management monitoring program encapsulating investment, strategic, compliance, and operations risks and controls

• The development of a middle office operating model, resulting in the effective remediation of fundamental risks and deficiencies

• The creation of policies and practices for all major operational functions, establishing process ownership, end to end controls, and key metrics based on industry best practices

• The proposed redesign of all periodic portfolio performance reports to the Trustees of the Retirement Systems and general public

• The reengineering and documentation of key internal investment processes, including asset allocation rebalancing, transition management, and cash management, significantly reducing expenses, establishing high standards for performance, and remediating cash drag on the portfolio

• The definition and implementation of key performance metrics for critical counterparties, including the program’s custodian and fund accountant, securities lending agent, and foreign exchange trading agent

In 2015, Michael retired from TIAA-CREF, an industry leader in the defined contribution marketplace, after 22 years of service. He held many senior management positions within asset management TIAA-CREF. As Senior Managing Director and Head of Asset Management Services, he managed all investment middle office operational functions for global equities, fixed income, commercial mortgages, real estate, private equity, and real assets. Concurrently, he led distribution operations for brokerage and mutual funds and directed the design and implementation of the division’s capabilities in CRM, sales reporting, and content delivery for institutional and intermediary distribution channels. During his tenure at TIAA-CREF, he also served as program manager of the corporation’s ten-year strategic planning initiative. Previous leadership assignments included managing the firm’s process excellence program, chairing the company’s Operational Risk Management Committee, and serving as a director on the company’s investment advisors’ boards. He also led many successful investment technology solutions implementation efforts.

Michael is currently serving as a Trustee on the Stamford, CT Firefighters Pension Fund Board, is Board President of the Stamford JCC, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the JCC Association. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he earned a BS and an MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.