Henry Brandts-Giesen is a partner at global law firm, Dentons, where he specializes in the organization and regulation of private wealth.  His expertise includes family office design and governance, business succession planning, trust law and fiduciary services, estate planning, residency by investment, foreign direct investment, cross-border wealth structuring, strategic philanthropy, captive insurance, and global tax planning and compliance.  As a strategic advisor practising globally, he serves a diverse clientele including family offices, investors, trust companies, entrepreneurs, private fund managers, philanthropists, and professional athletes.

A seasoned executive with over 35 years of experience spanning the US Intelligence Community, US Military, and private sector, specializing in managing global programs, multimillion-dollar budgets, and emerging defense technologies. As a senior executive at the CIA, managed oper- ations focused on Iran, Counterterrorism, and the Middle East, serving throughout the Middle East and South Asia. Extensive expertise in US security policy, international negotiations, and crisis management has been a cornerstone of success. Demonstrated a strong track record in driving organizational transformation and delivering mission-critical outcomes, both within government and private sector. While at Apple, developed an industry-recognized Insider Threat Program/Corporate Espionage program to protect sensitive intellectual property from competitors and state actors.  Currently serving as Chief Operations Officer, Advanced Archer Technologies, an international drone consulting company.

Matthew is a corporate attorney with deep experience advising clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, with a focus on the insurance and indemnification aspects of private equity and strategic transactions. His practice bridges corporate law and sophisticated risk allocation strategies, including the use of transactional risk insurance products, such as representation and warranty (R&W), tax, and contingent liability insurance. He also counsels clients on director and officer D&O liability, cyber insurance, and emerging insurance solutions tailored to dynamic transactional environments. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Matthew served as a senior executive with a managing general underwriter, where he led the underwriting and placement of transactional risk solutions. He has held leadership roles at prominent insurers, managing R&W underwriting teams and spearheading the development of innovative products, such as intellectual property risks. Drawing on years of experience working with law firms, financial sponsors, and strategic investors, Matthew brings a unique ability to design bespoke risk solutions that align with the commercial objectives of complex transactions. Matthew began his career in public service, holding national security and intelligence roles with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, with assignments both domestically and abroad. He is active with several humanitarian and nonprofit initiatives and serves on the advisory board of Presage Global, an intelligence-driven risk and business advisory firm. He is also a member of Business Executives for National Security.

Richard Frankel has been a lawyer for 26 years and specializes in internal investigations, monitorships and complex litigation and crisis management consulting. He served for five years as a prosecutor in Suffolk County New York and for over 20 years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. Mr. Frankel served with the Director of National Intelligence and as the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark Office during his distinguished career. He has appeared as an expert commentator on ABC News, World News Tonight and many other media outlets. Mr. Frankel was educated at Ithaca College, Quinnipiac University, and Harvard University.

Zach Lowry brings extensive Washington D.C. experience and deep connections to Presage Global, having served in senior national security policy and political advisory roles. Zach currently serves as an advisor to CNQ Group, a Global Business Advisory firm led by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Deputy Secretary of State Brian Bulatao, specializing in political risk analysis, regulatory affairs, and strategic business advisory for high-profile clients and multinational corporations, with particular focus on energy, critical minerals, defense technology, and artificial intelligence issues. ​ Zach previously served as an advisor to Champion American Values PAC (CAVPAC), an organization led by Secretary Pompeo dedicated to helping Republican veterans and national security leaders retake Congress in 2022 and re-electing President Trump and Congressional candidates in the 2024 election cycle.  ​ Prior to his private sector roles, Zach served as Military Legislative Assistant to Senator Roger Marshall, where his portfolio covered defense and foreign affairs policy, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and legislative initiatives covering Europe, the Middle East, China and the COVID-origins investigation, and stakeholder management for Kansas defense installations. ​ Zach’s career began as an aide to Senator Marshall during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he advanced through multiple positions managing national security, foreign affairs, and constitutional policy portfolios, and worked extensively on the Senator’s political campaigns.  ​ Zach holds a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, along with certificates from the U.S. Army War College and Johns Hopkins University SAIS. He graduated from Kansas State University.

Alison Marckstadt has nearly 20 years of experience serving in a number of roles within the Private Equity and Wealth Management industries, as well as Single Family Offices, supporting successful entrepreneurs and investors alike. In 2020, Alison, along with a partner, co-founded Succession Advisors, an online platform providing education and resources around all areas of wealth outside of investments. Prior to, she was the Vice President and Client Relations expert at Caprock, a multi-family office, focused on developing and advising clients on customized wealth strategies. Previously, Alison supported Tom Barrack the Founder and Chairman of Colony Capital, where she provided day-to-day oversight and management of the various aspects of his public and private businesses, in addition to being an Executive within his Single-Family Office.   Currently, in addition to Succession Advisors, Alison consults for a number of Family Offices providing advisory services and expertise in various areas serving the unique needs and goals of the individuals and families, with a focus on overseeing and coordinating all aspects of the family office's operations, including risk and crisis management, strategic planning, project management, policy development, governance, and operations optimization.  Alison graduated from Vassar College in 2005 with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Chemistry.  She obtained her Series 65 designation in 2019 and is a certified Real Colors Facilitator (2022).

Mike is a transformational leader, tested executive and business advisor to boards, C-suite leadership teams, innovators and investors. As Chief Executive Officer of Baretz+Brunelle, Mike leads B+B’s focus on helping the world’s preeminent businesses in the new legal economy achieve growth. As former CEO of Dentons US and partner for over 20 years, Mike brings to B+B’s award-winning work a record of business results emblematic of his unique ability to assist organizations meet large challenges — and understand large business opportunities — driven by changes in law, finance, and technology. His leadership empowered Dentons to transform from a mid-market, Midwestern firm into a global, multi-billion-dollar enterprise, where he has influenced a generation of leaders and served on the Global Management Committee and Global Board. This includes over 50 mergers and combinations during his executive leadership in the US and globally, alongside dozens of growth initiatives, large group acquisitions, new market and office openings, multi-office practice vertical acquisitions, and a creative ancillary transaction fueled by private equity investment.   In addition to guiding all aspects of legal services delivery, financing and operations, Mike’s work over a decade of executive leadership included recruiting an outstanding team of partners through the addition of a 100+ storied Wall Street group; acting as integration partner uniting nearly 50 offices across four continents in a first-mover transatlantic combination; closing as managing partner a bi-coastal merger across multiple overlapping geographies; and executing five US transactions in 18 months to integrate operations and talent across 44 offices to launch a novel national law firm strategy. With Mike’s leadership, Dentons achieved the strongest financial and operational performance in the organization’s history, throughout volatile years of the pandemic, and constructed the core integration and infrastructure that continues to drive progress.  Throughout his career, Mike built multiple award-winning practice, sector, and special situations teams focused on innovation, data analytics, and emerging technologies to inform decisions and adapt to evolving legal industry market trends. Having hired and directed C-suite leadership teams, he knows what is necessary to scale and finance growth within complex professional services partnerships. This includes addressing opportunities and challenges relating to C-suite demands, workforce shifts, digital transformation, legal technology, artificial intelligence, risk management and security, and private equity in the legal industry asset class. Personally engaged in structuring and negotiating transactions exceeding $100 billion and having been deeply involved in crisis management and response, Mike has experienced the realities confronting leaders, innovators and investors navigating major events, executing complex transactions, or pivoting to seize market opportunities. A US government economist early in his career, Mike taught economics at Harvard University, receiving the Allyn Young Teaching Prize and Derek Bok Center of Distinction in Teaching. He is a Meyler Campbell (London) Mastered executive business coach, a trustee and former executive committee member of the Federal City Council, and a board director of Children’s Law Center, a national-model non-profit reaching 5,000 children and families every year. Mike holds an AB, summa cum laude, in economics and public policy from Duke University and a JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Steve Prostano is the Partner-in-Charge of the Center for Private Business Owners which delivers comprehensive solutions for private business owners to help them achieve their business and personal financial goals. ​ In a career spanning over three decades, Steve Prostano has distinguished himself as an innovator and thought leader in the wealth management, multi-family office and global financial services industries. He has designed and built leading global and national multi-family offices, asset management firms and has advised industry leaders and ultra-high-net-worth families and family offices throughout his career. ​ Prior to joining the Firm, Steve was the Head of Family Wealth Advisors, a division of Bank of the West Wealth Management, an affiliate of BNP Paribas, where he built the first global, multi-family office in the U.S. Additionally, he served on the Bank of the West’s Senior Management Committee. Steve is also the founder of The UHNW Institute, a nonprofit, independent “Think Tank” and publisher of exceptional thought leadership content for UHNW families, family offices, their advisors and the financial services industry. ​ Steve previously served as CEO of Silver Bridge, President of Atlantic Trust and a Global Partner of Amvescap, President of Chase Global Asset Management and Executive Vice President of the Private Clients Group of FleetBoston Financial. He also held senior positions with Mellon Bank and KPMG, where he began his career. Steve is the recipient of several distinguished industry awards, including Family Wealth Report’s Leading Individual in the MFO Industry and Private Asset Magazine’s Outstanding Contributor to the Wealth Management Industry.

Highly regarded by peers and patients alike, Dr. Christopher Sidford is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with more than twenty years of experience at leading academic and clinical institutions. Before founding Black Bag, Dr. Sidford served as an attending physician at the worldrenowned Lahey Clinic. He began his career at Boston City Hospital, where he trained in one of the country’s most demanding emergency medicine residency programs, often referred to as the hospital’s “knife and gun club,” caring for critically ill and injured patients under intense conditions. A commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Sidford later joined the faculty of the Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program in San Diego before deploying overseas. His work took him to some of the most challenging environments in the world, including the Mojave Desert and the Arctic Circle. While operating in the Arctic Circle during multinational military exercises, he was tasked with overseeing the medical preparedness and emergency response for senior NATO leadership, including heads of state and high-ranking officials, ensuring continuity of care in remote, austere, and highrisk settings. He subsequently helped establish a nuclear-, chemical-, and biological-hardened hospital on the island of Sicily, further deepening his experience in complex medical planning, contingency response, and international coordination. Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Sidford joined the faculty at Brown University, where he taught emergency medicine and served as an attending physician at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. These roles allowed him to combine frontline clinical care with teaching, systems thinking, and leadership development. This breadth of experience, spanning urban trauma centers, academic medicine, military operations, and remote international settings, ultimately led Dr. Sidford to found Black Bag, bringing physician-directed medical guidance, preparedness, and response to families, executives, and organizations operating globally.

With over 21 years of law enforcement experience, Greg Thayer has built a career centered around high-stakes operations, elite training, and global security consulting. From serving as a SWAT sniper and an underwater search and recovery diver to managing training academies for both local and federal law enforcement agencies, Greg’s expertise has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of law enforcement professionals. Throughout his career, Greg has developed training curricula for local, state, and federal agencies, training tens of thousands of recruits and seasoned veterans in advanced tactical operations, crisis response, and investigative techniques. His ability to design and implement high-impact training programs has earned him recognition as a leading instructor in law enforcement and security operations. After retiring from law enforcement, Greg co-founded a highly successful security consulting firm specializing in executive protection, event security management, due diligence investigations, and civilian training. His work has ranged from protecting high-profile individuals and overseeing security for both small private gatherings and large-scale public venues to conducting global security assessments and investigations.  He is also passionate about providing civilians with the knowledge and skills to stay safe in an unpredictable world. With a tactical mindset, global experience, and a passion for training, Greg continues to lead, protect, and educate, empowering others with the expertise needed to navigate today’s complex security landscape.

Toby Zeegen is a professional with over 25 years of expertise in IT operations and cybersecurity, currently working as a managing consultant at Zerico Ltd in London. This firm specializes in safeguarding the digital assets of affluent individuals and their families. Zeegen's wealth of experience includes a notable tenure as the Former Head of Cybersecurity for the British Royal Household, where he played a crucial role in securing the operations and information of high-profile figures and royal family members for more than 20 years.