Michael Pochna
Advisor
DEXTER CAPITAL LIMITED
Michael Pochna has had a long and distinguished career in venture capital, finance, and asset management.
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Michael Pochna has had a long and distinguished career in venture capital, finance, and asset management. Mr. Pochna attended Le Rosey and Deerfield Academy, and since graduating from Harvard in 1960, he has founded many diverse enterprises and served on numerous boards both as an advisor and as an active part of management. During this time, Mr. Pochna was a partner at Lansdowne Limited in Paris, Asian Oceanic Group in Hong Kong, and Dexter Capital in New York.
In 1970, Mr. Pochna founded Societe Viticole Europeenne (“SVE”) in Bordeaux, to acquire vineyards in France, Italy, and Spain. At the time it was sold to management in 1985, was one of the largest owners of fine wine properties in Europe including Castelgiocondo, a Brunello di Montalcino, Chateau Mauvesin, a Medoc, and Chateau Mauras, a Sauternes.
Between 1975 and 1980, Mr. Pochna and Sheikh Salem Binladen founded Binladen Telecommunications (“BTC”). As the representatives of Bell Canada International (“BCI”) and Nortel, BTC won for BCI the contract to manage Sauditel for a period of 10 years. Mr. Pochna’s activities were described in “The Binladens” by Steve Coll.
In 1985, Mr. Pochna and a group of investors took control of Diversified Industries, a NYSE listed manufacturer. Mr. Pochna served on the Board and as President of Diversified Industries International. Diversified was restructured and taken private by the group resulting in the creation of United Recycling Industries, which was sold in 2007 to the Sims Group.
In the property field, Mr. Pochna formed and managed several real estate partnerships in Tudor City, New York from 1990 to 2000.
Throughout his career, Mr. Pochna has developed projects in the area of culture, arts and entertainment. In 1980 he became President of MSquare International and developed several properties in New York including the Orpheum Theater and the Minetta Lane Theater. He has produced various films including ‘Key Exchange’ for Fox and ‘Le Complot’ for Columbia. Mr. Pochna is also active in classical music and has produced many concerts and events as well as recordings for the Naxos label, one of which was nominated for a Grammy. Mr. Pochna is a member of the Recording Academy.
For the past ten years Mr. Pochna has concentrated on asset management and financial services through Dexter Capital Limited of which he is Managing Director. Dexter Capital has past and ongoing advisory relationships with Guggenheim Partners, The Carlyle Group, Partners Group, The Argent Group, Omega Advisors, BSI/Ifabanque, AES Corporation and others. Mr. Pochna is also a Senior Advisor to Vantage Intelligence UK Limited LLC.
Mr. Pochna resides at the Mas de l’Etang in Saint Saturnin-les-Apt, France 84490.
Al Gordon
Advisor
NATIONAL STRATEGIES
Al Gordon serves as Chief Executive Officer of NSI. More
Al Gordon serves as Chief Executive Officer of NSI. Since he founded the firm in 1996, Al has helped companies successfully navigate the complexities of procurement, legislative and regulatory issues in the state and local government market. Under his leadership, NSI has helped generate over $32 billion in new revenue, as well as executed dozens of successful legislative and regulatory programs, for its clients.
Key to NSI’s success is Al’s strategic approach to the government market. Al has a proven ability to transform clients’ businesses based on an approach rooted in NSI’s extensive network of subject matter experts and consultants across the country who serve as strategic partners and understand the dynamic state and local geopolitical landscape. This concept to better navigate a fragmented marketplace began with his career as a senior aide to former NY Governor Mario Cuomo. For more than ten years in that capacity, Al oversaw such areas as legislative and intergovernmental relations, which included serving as liaison to local governments.
Al’s extensive experience in NY State government and politics also included serving as the Chairman of the NY State Democratic Committee and running several statewide political campaigns. Al received his BA degree in Political Science and History from Clark University and a JD from Fordham School of Law.