Direct Access Partners | Professional Experience

Capital Alternatives GroupProfessional Experience

George Lucaci
Senior Managing Director, Direct Access Partners, LLC

Mr. Lucaci is responsible for heading up Direct Access Partners’ Capital Alternatives Group. For close to a decade, Mr. Lucaci has worked in consultation with hedge fund managers to refine strategies and focus their brand to meet the needs of today’s institutional investors. Both institutional investors and hedge fund managers alike benefit from his twenty-five years of experience profitably marketing new businesses and products on Wall Street in FX, Fixed Income and Derivative asset classes.

Prior to building the Capital Alternatives Group (formerly Channel Capital Group, LLC), Mr. Lucaci ran and developed Chemical Bank’s first FX Corporate Desk and headed up a proprietary FX Futures Arbitrage Trading Desk at Citibank. Later, at Citibank he was part of the Mortgage Securitization Group that issued Citicorp’s first CMO. Mr. Lucaci was the National Product and Sales Manager at Merrill Lynch’s Mortgage Backed Securities Group and ran U.S. Fixed Income Sales for Nomura Securities. Mr. Lucaci also managed risk at a large FX and Fixed Income Arbitrage hedge fund. As a partner in a private equity company he issued a $300mm high yield deal as well as a $300mm CBO and raised private equity for a storage company that was acquired by a public company.

Eric S. Blessing
Managing Director, Direct Access Partners, LLC

As Managing Director of the Capital Alternatives Group, Mr. Blessing is a senior salesman with a focus on Europe and the Middle East. Prior to joining the team in 2003 (formerly Channel Capital Group, LLC), Mr. Blessing spent over four years as a product specialist with First Union Capital Markets, marketing equity derivative strategies to ultra high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and corporations. Earlier he was at The Chase Manhattan Bank, NA, where he co-founded the Special Investments area of the Private Banking Group which provided hedge fund investments and derivative strategies to ultra high net worth individuals and family offices. Mr. Blessing joined Citibank, NA in 1987 as a relationship manager in the Corporate Banking Group and later in the World Corporate Group financing multinational corporations. He was also an investor with Citicorp Venture Capital, investing in corporate startups and providing expansion capital to early and middle stage growth companies.

Thomas B. Boyle
Director, Direct Access Partners, LLC

As Managing Director Mr. Boyle is senior salesman with a focus on Midwest and Northeastern United States. Mr. Boyle joined the Capital Alternatives Group (formerly Channel Capital Group, LLC) in 2009. He brings with him the experiences gained from a distinguished career that has spanned three decades in a variety of capital raising roles including Cliff Capital LLC, Reliant Star Capital LLC (with a focus on the health care sector), Rotable Asset Management LLC (focused on the commercial airline industry) and Medivector Inc, where he was responsible for managing treasury operations in addition to capital raising and developing strategic partnerships. Previous to these roles Mr. Boyle was the Managing Director, Global Aviation and Aerospace, for Citicorp Securities where he was responsible for advising major US aviation clients on capital markets strategy, capital structure, and treasury management. Mr. Boyle began his career at Chemical Bank in the Corporate Finance department.

Andrew Saunders, CAIA
Vice President, Direct Access Partners, LLC

Andrew Saunders is the head of Capital Introduction at Direct Access Partners. Prior to Direct Access Partners, Mr. Saunders held a similar role at EFX Prime Services, the prime brokerage business of First New York Securities. Before EFX Prime Services, Mr. Saunders was a managing director at Hedge Connection. His leadership responsibilities included business development, client relations, investor liaison, media relations and strategic partnerships.

Mr. Saunders began his career on Wall Street was with Taylor Rafferty, a boutique cross-border investor relations firm. During his 7-year tenure, he assisted senior management implement all aspects of their investor relations programs including: corporate strategy development, IPO/Secondary road shows, media relations, and led 12 ADR listings & IPOs on the NYSE and NASDAQ.

Mr. Saunders holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation (CAIA) and is an officer of the CAIA NY Chapter. Prior to entering the financial services industry, Mr. Saunders spent four years in Malaysia and Indonesia as a teacher and entrepreneur.

Edward C. Kuhnel, CAIA
Vice President, Direct Access Partners, LLC

As Vice President, Mr. Kuhnel is responsible for fund analysis, due diligence, investor coordination and marketing consultation for the Capital Alternatives Group’s hedge fund clients. He has worked directly with hedge funds in a capital raising capacity since 2004. Prior to joining the Capital Alternatives Group (formerly Channel Capital Group, LLC) he worked in the Corporate Division of Withers LLP, London and with the Intergovernmental Affairs office of the Small Business Administration in Washington D.C. Mr. Kuhnel holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation (CAIA), and is a member of the CAIA NY Chapter.