John DeCaro and Chris Cebula of Elementum Advisors will visit campus on Friday

On Friday, December 2, John DeCaro and Chris Cebula (AIM ’09) of Elementum Advisors will visit Dr. Krause’s Fixed Income course and the AIM program. This will be the second year that the pair addresses Krause’s students. They will be discussing catastrophe (CAT) bonds and other structured products.

Elementum Advisors is an independent alternative investment manager specializing in collateralized natural event reinsurance investments (Risk-Linked Investments). The Latin word "Elementum" means element or "first principle" and was chosen to emphasize the firm’s focus on natural catastrophe event exposed investment strategies and dedication to its clients. Elementum and its principals and associates possess a lengthy track record of alpha generation and experience managing portfolios across a range of RLI investment mandates-from liquid catastrophe bond to high-alpha collateralized reinsurance investments.

Chicago-based Elementum was launched in December 2009 by Founding Principals John DeCaro and Tony Rettino, and Principal and COO, Mike France. The two Founding Principals have worked together in the Risk-Linked Investment arena since 1995. Their RLI expertise was developed through senior roles held at Aon Capital Markets from 1997 through 2001 and enhanced by their time spent in various investment management positions beginning in 2002.

Prior to launching Elementum, John DeCaro co-managed the Reinsurance and Risk-Linked Investments team at Stark Investments from September 2005 through November 2009. John has over 15 years investment experience managing a variety of reinsurance and risk-linked investment strategies. John earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in Financial Markets and Trading from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1997. 

Christopher J. Cebula, CAIA joined Elementum as an Analyst in June 2010.  Prior to Elementum  he worked in an Operations/Trading Assistant role at Phalanx Capital Management, an asset management company based in Chicago.  Chris graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University’s Applied Investment Management Program in June 2009.  He is a member of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association and has passed Level III of the CFA examination.