by the Center for Leadership Ethics
When
2022 Topic: The Ethical Dimensions of Digital Assets
The Executive Ethics Symposium will explore the exciting, evolving, and emerging ethical dimensions of cryptocurrency. An engaging panel of experts will explain the origins of cryptocurrency, evaluate opportunities, and examine ethical risks.
The Symposium invites top business professionals to discuss the ethical implications of various trending business topics. Previous symposiums have covered material such as artificial intelligence, the B Corp movement, and mortgage issues.
This event is in-person and invite only. If you are interested in watching via livestream (open to the public), please click here to RSVP.
Panelists:
David Byrd
Partner and Blockchain Strategy Leader for Assurance in the Americas, Ernst & Young
Scott Walker
Chief Compliance Officer, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Edward Han
Managing Director and Head of Crypto and Digital Asset Investment Banking, Bank of America
Bio:
David Byrd is a partner in the Financial Services Office Audit practice in San Francisco, where he has served asset management clients such as hedge funds, private equity and venture capital firms. Over the last seven years, David has developed an expertise in audit and compliance procedures as they relate to funds, exchanges, custodians, miners/validators and other ecosystem participants in the Digital Asset industry.
David leads the Digital Asset Research Center, a team within EY dedicated to supporting Assurance, Tax, and Consulting engagements. As resources with specialized knowledge, this team leverages a technical understanding of fungible and nonfungible tokens, as well as the underlying distributed ledger technologies to service the blockchain and Digital Asset ecosystem.
David works with clients holding and transacting in Digital Assets to carry out financial statement audits, internal audits, audit readiness, AUPs, transactions, SOC reporting, forensic and related services.
David regularly works with regulators in jurisdictions across the globe and key industry groups to share knowledge and develop best practices concerning accounting treatment, auditing strategies, and valuation of Digital Assets.
David researches issues and changes impacting digital asset protocols and their potential effects to clients' businesses and works with relevant EY teams to understand potential regulatory impacts.
Before working in industry, he received his PhD from the University of California, Davis in Philosophy with a focus in Cognitive Science, teaching courses such as Minds, Brains, and Computers. David also taught for Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco, where he received his Bachelors in Accounting.
David is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of California.
Bio:
Scott Walker is the Chief Compliance Officer at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Prior to that role Scott was the Senior Special Examiner and Counsel for Blockchain Technology at the SEC. Scott served in the Division of Examinations, where he was the co-chair of the Digital Assets specialized working group and was the Division's Delegate to the SEC's FinHub. Scott's role was broad and cross-functional. In addition to serving as a subject matter expert for policy making, he was responsible for the Division's surveillance of crypto markets and for spearheading the Division's engagements of entities offering digital asset services. Previously at the SEC Scott served as Special Counsel in the Division of Corporation Finance, and as Attorney-Adviser in the Investment Adviser & Investment Company Program.
Prior to his work as a regulator, Scott held several roles pertaining to private fund regulatory matters and hedge fund strategy. Among those he served as Vice President & Counsel at BlackRock with a focus on derivatives, prime brokerage, and securities finance transactions. Scott received his J.D. from The Ohio State University, his B.S. in Finance from Butler University, and is a member of the California Bar.
Bio:
Ed Han is a managing director and Head of Crypto and Digital Asset Investment Banking at Bank of America where he joined in 2013. Ed specializes in strategic advisory for crypto related businesses, to include mergers and acquisitions, as well as capital raising activity. In addition, Ed is responsible for co-leading efforts regarding policy development and governance for crypto related activities for global corporate investment banking at Bank of America. Prior to his current role, Ed led coverage of alternative asset management and specialty finance with a focus on private credit.
Prior to joining Bank of America, Ed was in the Financial Institutions Group at Deutsche Bank Securities focused on specialty finance where he joined in 2008. Ed is a former United States Marine Infantry Officer, where he earned the rank of Captain and served with combat distinguishment in the Global War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Ed received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. in Quantitative Economics from the United States Naval Academy. Ed is a class of 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a co-founder of Veterans in Digital Assets (VIDA) and sits on the leadership committee of the Bob Woodruff Foundation.