First Two Annual National Investor Awards Go to BGSU Finance Alumni

Another BGSU finance alumnus has won a prestigious national award that honors the most outstanding and innovative Corporate Plan Sponsors in North America. Neil Roache ‘96, Vice President, Investment Strategy and Private Markets for Exelon Corp. in Chicago, was the winner of the 2^nd Annual Investor Intelligence Award for Alpha Generation. The first year’s winner of this award was BGSU alumnus Leo Svoboda ’08, senior portfolio manager, UPS Group Trust.

Roache was among six finalists for this prestigious award which is based on nominations from nearly 800 asset allocators. “With a lot of help from faculty at BGSU I discovered my passion for finance over 20 years ago so it's a great honor to be recognized by my peers in the industry for something that I love to do.  I'm also very grateful to be working with such a great team at Exelon, our culture and leadership is beyond compare and an essential reason for our success.”

He adds, “I would challenge all BGSU alumni to find a way to give back to the university.  It has continued to be a great resource and community that has supported my career over the years.”

Dr. Dan Klein, associate professor of finance, was a former professor of Roache’s and remembers him as one of his best students.  “I am very excited that Neil earned this award.  He has been at the forefront in the investment industry using innovative methods to generate return while controlling risk.  His work ethic is second to none.  Absolutely, he was one of my best students over my 26 years at BGSU.  He has continued to be involved in our finance program, and is a member of our Finance Advisory Committee.  He has made himself available to speak with some of our students in regards to their career options.  I can’t say enough good things about Neil as a professional and as a person.”

The 1996 BGSU graduate joined the Exelon Investment Office in 2010 as Director of Public Markets and Investment Strategy.  The Exelon Investment Office oversees approximately $35B in Pension, VEBA, Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts, and Employee Savings Plan assets.  Neil and his team are responsible for private equity and real estate investments as well as investment strategy across the different trusts.

Previously Roache was the Director of Public Markets at a Fortune 100 company where he led the construction and funding of a direct hedge fund manager allocation and the development of the public markets team.  He also spent five years at a family office overseeing several investments in emerging markets.