Subject Matter Experts

Noel Navarro is a finance executive specialized in providing advisory services to private equity (PE) and strategic/corporate buyers throughout the entire investment cycle, i.e., transactions, transitions, and transformation of business. His expertise includes financial due-diligence, financial reporting, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), enterprise risk assessment, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), and technical accounting. Under his leadership, he has managed deals ranging in size from $10 million to $6.6 billion, advising and assisting companies that are in the start-up and growth phase of their life cycle. On occasions, he also assumes the role of an interim CFO and/or advisor to investors, founders, CEO's, CFO's, Chief Accounting Officers, and the Board. He provides solutions to complex issues related to financial due-diligence, merger integration, IPO readiness, carve-outs, SOX compliance, adoption/compliance to FASB accounting standards, SEC reporting, controls optimization, financial modeling and valuation, and business planning. Noel started his career over 20 years ago at PwC in their M&A advisory practice. He also worked for several other global accounting firms in their advisory practice and in industry, assisting two companies with their IPO and subsequent SEC compliance requirements. He holds a BA in Business Economics with Accounting emphasis from University of California at Santa Barbara and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. He also has a certificate in Valuation and Financial Modeling. 

Stefan Ranzlov is a finance professional with extensive experience in quantitative analysis, risk management, risk modeling, capital adequacy, model development and research, equity portfolio management, portfolio optimization, equity trading, and compliance. He has worked in several financial institutions, e.g., Bank of the West, Analytic Investors, Toyota Financial Services (TFS), and City National Bank (CNB), holding positions as Director of Equities Research, Portfolio Manager, Fund Manager, Financial Risk Management Consultant, Capital Risk Manager, and Financial Product/Instruments Analytics Consultant. He is an expert in risk modeling and analysis, SAS data analysis and modeling, stock selection model development, quantitative equity selection, portfolio optimization, mutual fund management, compliance. He holds an MSc in Engineering Physics from Lund University in Sweden and an MBA in Finance from University of Southern California. He holds CFA designation and FRM certifications.  

Steven Duran is a construction management professional with over 25 years of industry experience. He brings extensive project management experience and technical expertise overseeing various construction project types from development through delivery ensuring project safety, quality delivery, and contract compliance. As project manager, Steve has worked as a client advocate and consultant representing stakeholder interests throughout the bidding, procurement and construction management process. He performs project evaluations/inspections, compliance and performance audits to ensure projects are within client’s specifications and meets compliance requirements. Steve works collaboratively with stakeholders, consultants, vendors and subcontractors to ensure quality and timely completion within budget and contract specifications. As a licensed general and electrical contractor, Steve has worked on a variety of specialized projects throughout the Los Angeles area. Steve graduated from UCLA with a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering.   

Eleni Cambourelis-Benedikt has over 15 years of experience in management consulting, project management, real estate investment banking and as a division director with P&L responsibility for a major media/real estate company. Eleni has worked at Fortune 500 companies including Disney, Deloitte Consulting and Chemical Bank in New York, Paris and Johannesburg. Eleni's background includes project management assignments in an array of industries including financial services, airlines, automotive, plastics and health care. Assignments for large corporate clients included strategic repositioning, restructuring, shared services, and business process reengineering. Consulting assignments for smaller clients included a European media market overview and financial management for a cancer vaccine start-up at Institute Pasteur. Eleni holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business. She held volunteer positions as Treasurer and Board Member for several non-profit entities in France, the UK and Los Angeles and currently serves as an alternate board member. 

Blossom Sumulong-Fox is an accomplished technologist with experience in technical program management, solution architecture, consulting, and programming. She has a proven track record of managing successful teams and delivering innovative products and services. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Blossom held positions at Oracle Corporation, Adobe Systems, and Accenture. She also worked at successful startup companies including Kiva Software (acquired by Netscape Communications which, in turn, was acquired by America Online), Escalate Retail (acquired by RedPrarie Corporation), and Cogency Software (acquired by Backstop Solutions). Blossom holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Boston College, and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Brown University. She is a passionate advocate for women in computer science.