Operations / Legal

Michael Ring

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Ring joined Contrarian in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ring has over twenty years of experience in the financial services industry, holding positions in accounting, compliance, and operations. Prior to joining Contrarian, from 2018 to 2023, Mr. Ring served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Seaport Global Asset Management, LLC, the asset management division of Seaport Global Holdings, LLC, a privately held capital markets firm specializing in global credit sales, trading and research, and investment banking. Prior to joining Seaport, from 2013 to 2018, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Alta Fundamental Advisers, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser focused on global opportunistic and special situations investments. Prior to that, Mr. Ring was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Eastwind Global Partners, an investment adviser, and from 2004 to 2012, he was a Controller, Operations Manager and Chief Compliance Officer at Restoration Capital Management LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser focused on distressed opportunistic credit and special situations investments. Prior to Restoration Capital Management, Mr. Ring worked for State Street Bank and Sumitomo Trust and Banking in their securities lending departments, and at Scudder Kemper Investments as a fund accountant. Mr. Ring received an MS in Accounting from St. John’s University and a BS in Finance from University of Massachusetts.

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.