about us
Who We Are
Nir Kossovsky
Chief Executive & Director — Dr. Kossovsky has spent the past 30 years creating, managing, monetizing and mitigating risks associated with intangible assets. He currently also serves as the Executive Secretary of the Intangible Asset Finance Society.
Most recently he was CEO of Technology Option Capital, LLC, a provider of financial and risk reduction strategies to discover, realize and protect intangible asset value. Previously, he was founder and CEO of the reconstituted Johnson & Higgins (not affiliated with Marsh & McLennan), a provider of finance and investment advisory, risk management and insurance and consulting services. He was founder and CEO of Patent & License Exchange, Inc. (sold to Access Integrated Technologies NASDAQ: AIXD), an international intellectual property financial systems firm that helped transform intellectual property rights into financial instruments. Among many distinctions, the company developed IP equity derivatives and the company's international expansion was memorialized in a Harvard Business School case study.
Earlier, Dr. Kossovsky was a tenured faculty member at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Kossovsky earned an MBA from the University of Southern California, and an MD from the University of Chicago, a BA in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a graduate of the Navy War College.
Robert Liscouski
Senior Vice President, Advisory and Forecasting and Chief Operating Officer — Mr. Liscouski has over 30 years experience in risk management and security issues. Most recently, he served as Principal for 3DRS, a security-centric private equity firm focusing on risk management technologies and solutions.
Prior to this, Mr. Liscouski was appointed as the first Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, when the Department of Homeland Security was founded in 2003 and served in that position under Secretary Tom Ridge until 2005. As Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, Mr. Liscouski led the development and implementation of the nation’s efforts to protect its critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. He led the development of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, the nation's risk management framework to protect its national infrastructure. Under Mr. Liscouski’s leadership, the Department created the National Cyber Security Division and the US CERT, the US government’s effort to identify and counter cyber security threats. Mr. Liscouski led the Department's efforts to create legislation (CFATS) to protect the US Chemical Sector and was the executive manager of the National Communications Systems (NCS).
He is formerly the President and CEO, and is a current board member, of Content Analyst Company, LLC, a developer of text analytics software. Previously, he was Director of Information Assurances at the Coca-Cola Company and Vice President of the Law Enforcement Division of Orion Scientific Systems, a developer of advanced analytic software tools. Earlier in his career, he served as a Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent with the US Department of State and a Homicide and Undercover Investigator for the Bergen County, NJ Prosecutors Office.
Mr. Liscouski also is currently serving as a member of the Intelligence Science Board, an advisory board on Science and Technology reporting to the Director of National Intelligence and is a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as Washington DC-based think tank.
Mr. Liscouski earned an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a BS in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Peter Gerken
Senior Vice President, Risk Transfer Agency & Insurance — During the course of his career Mr. Gerken has spent 30 years on both the company (AIG and W.R. Berkley) as well as the broking side of commercial insurance. Beginning his career as a Client Executive at Johnson & Higgins (now owned by Marsh) he left after 12 years to co-found a start up insurance venture, Oilmen’s Insurance. As Senior Vice President and Director, he co-managed U.S operations, reporting to the CEO. Mr. Gerken has strong experience with captive and specialty insurance companies.
While a Marketing Director at Monitor Liability Managers, he also began to specialize in intellectual property (IP). Mr. Gerken joined Marsh in 1999 to focus on IP, heading the Intellectual Property Practice. He advised clients as well as Marsh colleagues about intellectual property issues, risk, monetization and other opportunities. At the same time he interacted with the worldwide IP insurance marketplace, designing and implementing risk transfer solutions for clients. Within the insurance industry Mr. Gerken is recognized as an expert in intellectual property and intangible assets.
Subsequent to Marsh, Mr. Gerken did deal sourcing, business development and marketing for Altitude Capital Partners, an investment firm specializing in the acquisition and monetization of intellectual property.
In addition, he has consulted with various other companies specializing in different aspects of intellectual property risk mitigation and transfer, and the design of intangible asset solutions.
Mr. Gerken holds an MBA in Management from Bernard Baruch College, the CPCU insurance designation, and is a member of the Licensing Executives Society.
Robert Rittereiser
Chairman of the Board — Mr. Rittereiser is a managing Director of 3DRS Advisors, Inc., a management consulting firm, and CEO of Zhi Verden, a global supply chain information and trading system firm. Previously, Mr. Rittereiser was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Merrill Lynch & Co., President and CEO of EF Hutton & Co., President and CEO of Nationar A Banking Services Company, and most recently Chairman and CEO of Gruntal Financial, LLC. In addition to other corporate directorships, Mr. Rittereiser has served as an Industry Director for the Depository Trust Co., The National Securities Clearing Corp., and the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, and as a Trustee of the DBL Liquidating Trust.
William McGinty
Director — Mr. McGinty is a Senior Managing Director of the NASDAQ Insurance Agency. The Agency is an insurance intermediary advising current and future NASDAQ companies concerning specialty insurance coverage including Directors & Officers liability, Errors & Omission Insurance, EPLI, M&A, and Patent Insurance, as well as other property and casualty insurance products. Mr. McGinty, a founding member of the agency, is responsible for M&A activities and strategic planning. Previously, he served as a founding partner and President & COO of American Wholesale (currently operating as AMWINS), a national property & casualty and Employee Benefits Insurance firm. Bill also served in various senior management positions for the Sedgwick Group, including New York Regional COO and Director of US Office Operations.
Alfred Fasola
Director — Mr. Fasola is the Chairman of Boardroom Specialists, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in advisory services and risk management for public companies where he has had a twenty-year history in restructuring and turnarounds. Clients included Xybernaut Corporation, RCN Corporation, Jumbo Sports, Herman Sporting Goods, Gateway Foodmarkets, Circle Express, Pilot Freight Carriers, and Purolator Corporation. In these engagements, he has held CEO, Chairman and/or Director positions and has been a member of various board committees including Audit and Compensation. Mr. Fasola is also currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson and Higgins Private Equity Solutions which offers innovative health care finance and risk management solutions to clients in the private equity community. Early in his career, he was a Cabinet member in the administration of Governor Thomas H. Kean, New Jersey, and he served as Special Deputy to the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of New Jersey.