Alta Group

Based in New York, Leo Biagini designs portfolio strategies and defines investment implementation vehicles for international clients. He has more than 19 years of experience in the financial industry, most recently at Credit Suisse where he spent four years as a Relationship Manager, Managing Director, providing investment advice and portfolio implementation strategies to UHNW clients in Latin America, with a particular focus in the Mexican market. Previously, Leo worked at JPMorgan Private Bank, as an investment specialist covering the UHNW segment in Mexico, and prior to that at Citigroup in a similar role. Originally from Argentina, Leo started his career at The Exxel Group, a Private Equity in Argentina. He holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and a Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Leo makes his home in Greenwich, Connecticut with his wife Cecilia, and their three children.

Based in New York City, Juan Etinger is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and a designated Institutional Consulting Director for Graystone, the firm’s Institutional arm. Juan focuses on designing and managing single and multi-asset portfolios for endowments, foundations and family offices.

Before joining Morgan Stanley, Juan lead the Outsourced CIO and Endowments & Foundations Group businesses for JPMorgan globally, with 350 client relationships and $35bn in AUM in US, Europe and Latin America. Previously, Mr. Etinger was Senior Portfolio Manager managing JPMorgan's $12 billion suite of global multi- asset investment solutions called Global Access Portfolios.

Mr. Etinger served as member of the investment team for the JPMorgan Access UCITS Funds, a multi-asset family of open-ended, offshore mutual funds tailored for international clients.

Mr. Etinger holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (Booth), where he graduated with honors with a concentration in Quantitative Finance and Entrepreneurship. He also holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires. He lives in Rye, New York with his wife and three children.

Based in Houston, Victor Palafox advises an exclusive clientele of prominent Mexican families in the management of their assets. Victor brings over 20 years of wealth management and fixed income trading experience to the service of his clients. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Victor served as a Private Banker and Managing Director at Credit Suisse. Previously he worked on a similar position in JPMorgan Private Bank, heading the Houston office for more than 8 years and, prior to that, he worked at Banamex on the proprietary emerging markets fixed income desk. Victor is a graduate of the School of Business & Economics of the Universidad Anáhuac (Norte) of the State of Mexico.

Victor resides in Houston, Texas with his wife, April, and their six children.

Rodrigo Morales is an investment professional at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. Rodrigo covers the UHNW segment in Mexico and is responsible for providing investment advice and managing clients’ portfolios. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Rodrigo accumulated more than 10 years of experience managing client portfolios at Credit Suisse and JP Morgan’s Private Bank. Rodrigo holds an Executive MBA from Columbia University’s Business School in New York and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with honors from the ITESM (Tec de Monterrey). He also holds the CERTIFIED PORTFOLIO MANAGER™ designation from the Academy of Certified Portfolio Managers and the Morgan Stanley Family Wealth Director designation.

Based in Miami, Ariel Bengio is Financial Advisor providing portfolio management services to UHNW families, corporations, and endowments & foundations. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Ariel was at J.P. Morgan Investment Management where he supported external asset managers in their fund selection and portfolio construction processes. Prior to that, Ariel was a Global Investments Analyst at J.P. Morgan Private Bank covering HNW clients in Argentina and Chile, and prior to that he spent his summers at Eton Park Capital as a Financial Analyst. Ariel holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and International Relations from Boston University.

Ariel is originally from Madrid, Spain, and lives in Miami with his wife. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and tennis. He is also a a trustee at Congregation Shearith Israel of NY and the Co-Founder, Treasurer of their Young Professional Group.

Daniela is a skilled Wealth Management Associate at Morgan Stanley, having joined the team in 2017. She is known for her exceptional organizational skills and her ability to build strong relationships with clients. Her mission is to provide clients with confidence by working alongside the Financial Advisors to help make sure their needs and expectations are met, each and every day. Her wealth of experience and commitment to providing exceptional service makes her an invaluable member of the Morgan Stanley team.

Daniela completed her Bachelor's Degree in Actuarial Mathematics at ITAM in Mexico City. She began her career as a Strategic Planning Analyst at Banamex in Mexico City before moving on to become a Mutual Fund Rating Specialist at Standard & Poor's Mutual Fund Department, where she worked in both the Mexico City and New York City offices. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, she served as an Assistant Manager at J.Jill, an omni-channel retailer.

Currently residing in Houston, Texas, Daniela has a wide-ranging background that includes living in Mexico City and New York City. Daniela enjoys running, paddling, travelling and spending time with her three sons.

Jean Blanco joined Morgan Stanley in 2011 as a Registered Client Service Associate. He is currently a Portfolio Associate at the New York Alta Group, a leading Private Wealth Management team in Morgan Stanley.

Jean has 18 years of experience in the wealth management industry of which the last 12 years have been with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Before MS, he worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. (2005-2007) as an Account opening specialist for Ultra High Net Worth clients for LATAM, Europe, EMEA. He continued his career at JP Morgan (2008 – 2011) in the private banking as a Senior Client Service Associate, managing Ultra High Net-Worth private banking’s clients’ accounts transactions encompassing loans request and documentation, wire transfers, payments, overdrafts, bill payments, check orders, credit/debit card requests, and opening / closing investment accounts.

Over the span of his career, he has worked closely with some of the most sophisticated clients in Latin America, covering ultra-high net worth individuals, family offices, funds, and corporations, utilizing the full capabilities of the firm to help enhance the client experience through an elevated dedication. Jean has become a seasoned professional in client service, administration, operations, while being a key resource to the team and the group’s clients.

He obtained an A.S. Business Administration at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He holds the Series 7 and 66 registrations. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Jean is a native from Caracas-Venezuela and has lived in NY for the last 24 years. He has a partner (10 years), Joseph Tyree, and they have two rescued dogs (Oliva and Jetty). He likes to cook (big foodie), reading, indie films, theater, and travelling.

Erika Midence joined Morgan Stanley in March 2011 as a Client Service Associate, following her work as a mortgage specialist. With over two decades of experience in the finance and banking industry, Erika's experience and commitment to customer service make her an invaluable asset to the team. She takes great pride in building strong relationships with both new and existing clients who have unique needs and complex circumstances. Her keen attention to detail and thorough understanding of client objectives enable the team to provide exceptional wealth management services.

Erika is a registered associate and holds professional licenses including Series 3, 7, 63, and 66, as well as Life, Health, and Long-Term Care licenses in the state of NY.

Originally from Yuscarán, Honduras, a town renowned for its stunning mountains, Erika has been living in New York for over two decades and considers it her hometown. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, travelling, and spending quality time with her loved ones.

Benito Woodward is an Institutional Consulting Associate at Morgan Stanley where he works with Endowments, Foundations and Family Offices from Latin America and the US.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Benito worked at J.P. Morgan in New York within the Institutional Portfolio Solutions team where he assisted in the management of $35bn in AUM for Endowments and Foundations in the US, Europe and Latin America.

Previously, Benito worked at J.P. Morgan in Chile as Cross Asset Sales where he covered corporations, pension funds, insurance companies and banks from Chile and Peru with their investments and hedging needs throughout FX, credit, rates and equity derivatives. Within the trading desk he led the flow of credit and rates products.

Benito holds a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from University Adolfo Ibanez where he graduated with honors. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Civil Engineering from the same university.

Jacques Kaswan is an Investment Associate with the Alta Group who prepares performance, risk analysis and generates ideas for core clients monthly. In addition, he generates prospecting modules to illustrate Morgan Stanley’s capabilities and assists in creating and tracking the team’s model portfolios.

Jacques joined Morgan Stanley upon graduation from Yeshiva University with a Bachelor of Science, Finance and Accounting in 2019. He still gives back by guiding undergraduate students in the recruiting process.

Jacques got married to his wife, Daniela, in June of 2022 and they live in NYC. In his free times he enjoys traveling, going to the gym, and trying new restaurants. He originally grew up in Miami, Florida.