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Marni Pankin
CPA, Partner, Alternative Investment Group, Marcum LLP
Professional Background
Marni Pankin is a seasoned professional in the finance and investment management industry, currently serving as a Partner in Marcum's National Alternative Investment Industry group. With over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, Ms. Pankin has honed her expertise in advising clients on the formation and operation of investment funds. Her role is essential in helping clients navigate the complexities of the alternative investment landscape, ensuring they receive the highest quality of service and strategic insight.
At Marcum, Ms. Pankin plays a pivotal role in the Group's administration and policy setting, guiding the direction of the firm’s alternative investment services and enhancing the operational efficiency of her team. Her responsibilities also encompass providing technical support to the financial statement audit engagement team, ensuring that all audit practices comply with the necessary regulatory frameworks and industry standards.
Beyond her administrative duties, Marni has taken on the crucial task of spearheading the Firm’s Alternative Investment Group training program. This initiative is a testament to her commitment to professional development and knowledge-sharing within the industry. By developing robust training curricula and delivering hedge fund training to smaller accounting firms, she empowers emerging professionals with the skills they need to excel in this competitive field.
Marni is not only a leader within her firm but also a prominent figure in the broader investment management community. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences, sharing her insights and experiences with other finance and accounting professionals. Her contributions to the industry are further exemplified through her role as the editor-in-chief of the Firm’s alternatives-focused newsletter, the Private Investment Forum, where she curates and disseminates valuable information pertinent to stakeholders in the investment space.
Education and Achievements
Marni Pankin's academic background is characterized by excellence; she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany. This prestigious distinction reflects her dedication and commitment to her studies, laying a strong foundation for her successful career in accounting and finance.
Throughout her career, Ms. Pankin has held key positions at several high-profile organizations. She began her journey in the audit department of a renowned "Big 4" accounting firm, where she gained invaluable experience and built a solid understanding of audit processes and client management. After her initial experience in auditing, she served as the Controller for Soros Fund Management, one of the most respected and successful hedge funds in the world. Her role as Controller demanded high-level strategic thinking and operational oversight, contributing to her development as a financial leader.
Additionally, Marni held the position of Vice President at Arnhold and S Bleichroeder, a firm known for its commitment to asset management excellence. She also worked as a Supervisor at Coopers and Lybrand LLP, where she continued to refine her expertise in financial procedures and client engagement. These diverse experiences have equipped her with a comprehensive skill set, making her an invaluable asset to any organization she joins.
Achievements
Marni Pankin has made significant contributions to the field of accounting and investment management throughout her extensive career. Her leadership and mentorship roles within Marcum's National Alternative Investment Industry group have been instrumental in shaping the firm's alternative investment strategies and enhancing client relationships.
Her ability to communicate complex financial concepts effectively has garnered her a reputation as an engaging speaker at industry conferences. By sharing her knowledge with peers, Marni helps to elevate the overall standard of practice in the alternative investments sector. In addition, her editorial work with the Private Investment Forum newsletter allows her to impact the dissemination of crucial information that aids professionals in navigating market changes and investment strategies.
Marni remains actively involved with her alma mater, demonstrating her commitment to the next generation of accounting professionals. By participating in on-campus recruiting initiatives, she fosters connections between the industry and students, ensuring that emerging talent is aware of the opportunities that lay ahead in the financial sector.
In conclusion, Marni Pankin stands out as a thought leader and expert in the alternative investment industry, with a wealth of experience spanning over two decades. Her commitment to excellence, both as a professional and as a mentor, has significantly impacted the firms she has worked for and the professionals she has trained. Her focus on continuous learning and industry engagement positions her as a key figure in shaping the future of accounting and investment management.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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