Christopher Baffa

I am seeking to leverage my experience in the financial markets and media industry to continue a career at an investment management firm performing research, knowledge management, strategy and business development. After serving four years in the US Navy, I found a job in the mail room at 13D Research, Inc. and rapidly worked my way up to senior sales person learning about the markets by servicing investment leaders such as Bob Doll, Jeff Vinik, and Mario Gabelli. My introduction to the financial markets via the sell side was grand, but I became intrigued with the buy side and sought to switch to a more analytical role. Subsequently, I was introduced to VSS through an internship program at Pace University, as I finished my bachelor’s degree. I then filled the role as assistant director of research, managing and advising an eight person team. I also produced some of the editorial content for the VSS Communications Industry Forecast, a 500+ page annual report. This is when I learned about the research and information needs of a private equity shop as well as a sell-side investment banking operation.Later, I was promoted to work on M&A deals both at VSS and for a short time with Jed Laird at his investment bank boutique, Laird Squared LLC. Learning about deals first hand was invaluable to me, but I figured out that my expertise and interests actually resided more with the strategy, information, and the research side of the process instead of the offering memorandum writing and financial modeling deal side.In 2003, I resumed my research career at VSS helping the firm continue to transition itself away from investment banking over to solely investment management. This entailed streamlining, outsourcing to India, and training a new large team of private equity associates. New media firms like Linkedin help facilitate a new level of communication, allowing us to more efficiently explore opportunities with each other....for this I am thankful.Specialties: M&A, business information and b2b media, marketing services, macroeconomics and market stategy, natural sales abilitiy, management.