Karl Schwarzfeld
Chief Operating Officer
As COO, Karl’s responsibilities include oversight of the firm’s accounting, finance, operations, IT and compliance functions. In addition, he advises and supports the CIO and Investor Relations Manager. His aptitude in mining 10 years of AMERRA’s investment data and communicating it in a concise and meaningful way is crucial to developing investment strategies and fundraising materials.
Karl works closely with AMERRA’s investment team, coordinating the team’s efforts and connecting them with AMERRA’s in-house and external resources. Occasionally his unique skill set is employed directly with AMERRA’s portfolio companies. For example, he played a key role in negotiating capital structure reorganization and upgrading senior management in a Peru based palm oil plantation and mill.
Karl’s success can be traced back to intense curiosity, a drive he satisfies through organized, practical and data-driven research combined with hands-on experience. As a result, Karl has expert level analytical skills and deep knowledge of trading, financial markets, capital structure matters, complex legal situations, and the United States bankruptcy code. His experience providing senior distressed debt analysis, assisting in the development of early-stage niche and alternative investment strategies, structuring and operating infrastructure and creating risk management procedures have allowed him to apply this knowledge while building his understanding
Prior to joining AMERRA, Karl served on the board of an early “dot.com” darling as well as a publicly traded chemical company. He also held positions at Resurgence Asset Management and M.D. Sass-Macquarie Financial Strategies. He holds an MBA with a dual specialization in Finance & Accounting and Taxation & Business Law from New York University and a BS in business from Skidmore College. He currently sits on the board of Peruvian Palm Holdings, Ltd. (Peru).