Leadership Summit on
The Business of Design

Conan Hines is a senior legal technologist for Clifford Chance in New York. He divides his time between advising lawyers and clients on how to leverage emerging technology, and developing new solutions for the practice of law. Conan's passion is in justice tech and supports several pro bono initiatives within the Firm. He also sits on the board of directors for ICAAD (International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination). In his free time, Conan struggles to maintain his vegetable garden and raise three diva chickens.

Daniel J. Houston is chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Principal Financial Group®. He is responsible for overall management of the company.

Houston joined the company in 1984 as a group representative in the Dallas group and pension office. He held several positions before assuming his current title in 2015.

Houston is a member of several boards, including American Council of Insurers (ACLI), Iowa State University College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), Greater Des Moines Partnership, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

Houston received his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 1984.

Bob Hughes has more than 25 years in economic and financial markets research. He was formerly the head of Global Equity Strategy for Brown Brothers Harriman, where he developed equity investment strategy combining top-down macro analysis with bottom-up fundamentals. Prior to BBH, Bob was a senior equity strategist for State Street Global Markets, senior economic strategist with Prudential Equity Group, and senior economist and financial markets analyst for Citicorp Investment Services. Bob has a MA in Economics from Fordham University and a BS in Business from Lehigh University.

As General Counsel of WATG, Julie Martin is at the forefront of managing legal affairs, ensuring business resilience, and mitigating risks. As a trusted member of the Executive Committee, Julie helps strategically shape WATG's path as a leading hospitality design firm. Her role encompasses professional liability, risk management, governance, M&A, intellectual property, litigation, and employment matters. Julie excels in navigating complex problems while demonstrating a profound dedication to safeguarding the firm's interests and fostering its growth, all driven by a deep commitment to the greater good.

Gregory Michaud is Head of Real Estate Finance at Voya Investment Management, overseeing the commercial real estate group's sourcing, underwriting, and management. Over the last seven years, the platform transformed from a proprietary program to a third-party management one. In addition to managing Voya general account commercial mortgages, the team manages twenty-one separate managed accounts and an open-ended debt fund. Investors include a broad group of insurance companies, banks, and public pension funds. Additionally, he serves on the executive leadership team for proprietary assets, the U.S. Credit Committee, and chairs the CMBS Steering Committee. Before joining Voya as a real estate analyst, Greg was a real estate appraiser focused on commercial properties and eminent domain cases in the southeastern U.S. Greg is an active member of several distinguished real estate industry groups, including the Urban Land Institute (Urban Development Mixed Use Blue Flight), Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (Chairman Emeritus), Mortgage Bankers Association (member of Commercial Real Estate Board of Governors and MBA Board of Directors) and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers. Greg earned an Executive MBA from the University of Georgia, an MBA in Finance from Kennesaw State University, a Graduate Certificate in Ancient and Classical Studies from APUS, and a B.S. in Real Estate from Florida State University.

Brian Olasov has more than three decades of strategic business and capital market experience and also an extensive background in real estate capital markets, troubled mortgage loans and banking challeng- es. Brian is sought after for national and international speaking engage- ments on a regular basis to present on the state of residential and com- mercial mortgage markets, MBS litigation, structured finance products, appraisal and valuation issues and banking and lending regulations. From 2008 to 2010, Brian served as an adjunct professor at Emory Law School, and he has guest-lectured at the graduate real estate programs of Georgia State University, Emory, Columbia University, Georgetown University and Wharton. Brian is currently an adjunct professor of Real Estate Finance at NYU Schack Institute.