Dealmakers Roundtable
Presented By: UBS
Beginning with the end in mind with the authors of “Exit Right”
UBS Global Wealth Management discusses the valuable personal lessons learned over several successful exits with the two, local Chicago authors of the book “Exit Right: How to sell your startup, maximize your return & build your legacy.” Joining UBS’s South Central Market Executive, Ryan McLaughlin Wood, are the head of UBS’s Business Owners Client Segment, James Jack, and the authors, Mark Achler, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management adjunct professor and co-founder of MATH Venture Partners, a technology venture capital fund, and Mert Iseri, the founder of SwipeSense, a healthtech company acquired by SC Johnson in March 2020. The book, which was #1 in Small Business on Amazon upon its release in February, is sponsored by UBS.
Moderator:
Market Executive
UBS
Ryan serves as the Market Executive for UBS in the South Central market, responsible for leading the UBS businesses in Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. In this role, she works closely with Financial Advisors and Support Staff to deliver wealth management solutions to clients as well as build UBS's brand in the local marketplaces. Prior to leading the South Central Market, Ryan led the UBS office in Greenville, SC and held a variety of roles for UBS in the greater New York City area. She joined UBS in 2009 as part of their Graduate Talent Program and currently serves on the firm's Leadership Advisory Council.
Panelists:
Managing Director
MATH Venture Partners
An early employee of Apple and Head of Innovation at Redbox, Mark Achler has been creating and investing in tech startups since 1986. Today, he is a founding partner of MATH Venture Partners, a technology venture capital fund, and an adjunct professor at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.
Entrepreneur-in-residence
MATH Venture Partners
Mert Hilmi Iseri is an author and entrepreneur from Istanbul, Turkey. He co-founded SwipeSense in 2011, a healthcare technology platform to eliminate medical errors in the US hospitals. In his decade as CEO, SwipeSense raised $24M, implemented its solution in over 100 hospitals and health systems, and was ultimately acquired by SC Johnson.
Prior to fighting infections in hospitals, he started Design for America, a national network of student-led design studios. After winning the National Design award from the Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Museum, DFA became part of the IBM Watson Foundation. He deeply cares about education, and has been serving as the Vice Chair to the Board at the Academy for Global Citizenship, a charter school in Chicago’s south side.
Managing Director, Head of the Business Owners and Multigenerational Wealth Client Segments
UBS
James is the Head of both the Business Owners and Multigenerational Wealth Client Segments within the Strategic Client Segments team.
James took on the Business Owners Client Segment upon its creation in 2018 to build an organization that supports business owners and the Financial Advisors that advise them. He has worked with clients on pre-business sale exit planning, such as succession planning, M&A transaction planning, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), and the emotional and self-identity ramifications of exiting a business. During the COVID-19 pandemic, James and his team supported business owners in navigating pandemic programs like the Paycheck Protection Program. In 2023, James’s remit expanded to include the Multigenerational Wealth Client Segment, which includes UBS’s support of wealth transfer and transition strategies between generations and the Rising Gen. James and his team work to bring the best of UBS’s resources to these important client segments.
James has been with UBS since 2006, previously working in the WMA Banking Group to build banking, cash and lending solutions that meet the needs of High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth individuals and the Financial Advisors that support them. James has driven and executed strategies to expand securities-based lending, develop a proprietary credit card tailored to UBS's unique client base and helped to manage UBS’s deposit program, including pricing, sales, and product development programs.
James holds a BS in Finance and Economics from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Outside of UBS, James is a member of the board of directors and co-treasurer for the Bronx Academy of Letters Foundation, supporting a public middle and high school in the poorest congressional district in the US, and enjoys experiencing travel and cultures different from his own. He also holds FINRA Series 7 license and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation.