Operations / Legal

Lewis B. Schwartz

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Schwartz joined Contrarian in 2015 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Contrarian, Mr. Schwartz served as Chief Financial Officer for Strategic Value Partners, LLC, a distressed and deep-value investment firm with approximately $5 billion in assets under management across hedge fund and private equity vehicles. Mr. Schwartz joined SVP in 2005 and became CFO in 2006. From 2001 to 2005, he was Controller for Resurgence Asset Management, LLC, a firm specializing in distressed investing. From 1998 to 2001, he was a Senior Auditor at American Express Tax and Business Services, where he performed audits and tax compliance for hedge fund and private equity vehicles. Mr. Schwartz received a BBA with a focus in Accounting from Pace University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Jennifer Diagonale

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Ms. Diagonale joined Contrarian in 2015 as Deputy Compliance Officer and became General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer in 2020. Prior to joining Contrarian, Ms. Diagonale served as Executive Director of Compliance at Arden Asset Management, L.L.C., an asset management firm. Prior to Arden, she was a Compliance and Operational Due Diligence Senior Associate at Forester Capital, L.L.C., a fund of hedge funds. Prior to Forester, Ms. Diagonale worked in legal, compliance and investor relations at Strategic Value Partners, L.L.C., a distressed debt hedge fund, and as a corporate mergers and acquisitions associate at Carter Ledyard & Milburn L.L.P. Ms. Diagonale earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her BA in Government from Smith College. She is admitted to practice in New York.

Michael Passantino

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Passantino joined Contrarian in 2015 as a Senior Fund Controller and became Chief Financial Officer in 2023. Prior to joining Contrarian, Mr. Passantino served as a Fund Controller for Marathon Asset Management, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Mr. Passantino joined Marathon Asset Management’s accounting team in 2007 focusing on private equity funds, financial reporting, and regulatory reporting. From 2002 to 2007, he worked as a Manager at Ernst & Young in the assurance practice performing audits on various private equity funds and real estate related clients. From 2000- 2002, he was an auditor for Buchbinder Tunick & Company, a medium sized CPA firm, performing audits on clients in various industries. Mr. Passantino received a BS in Accounting from the State University of New York at Buffalo with concentrations in Finance and Audit. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Alec Kyprianou

Head of Risk Management and Operations

Mr. Kyprianou joined Contrarian in 2018 and is the Head of Risk Management and Operations. Prior to joining Contrarian, Mr. Kyprianou was an Associate at Bridgewater Associates, a global macro investment firm. From 2013 to 2016, he was a founding member and Director of Operations at Maritime Finance Company, a specialty finance company capitalized by KKR and other institutional investors. From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Kyprianou was a Risk Analyst at Helios Advisors, an alternative investment management firm focused on investing in basic industries. Mr. Kyprianou began his career at Société Générale, where he focused on automating tasks for the bank’s sales & trading desks. Mr. Kyprianou received a BS in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Strategic Management from Babson College in 2009. He is a Certified FRM.