Please allow us to introduce our Members of the Month - Andrea and Carey of Academy for Institutional Investors, LLC.

‍Tell us about your company and what you do.

‍‍Academy for Institutional Investors, LLC (AII) is a boutique, woman-owned, non-commercial educational investment conference provider offering intimate roundtable discussions (The Academy’s Allocator Investment Huddles) and mid-sized member forums (Fall & Spring Forums) for senior investment decision-makers from leading endowments, foundations, pension funds, healthcare, insurance, single family offices (SFOs), multi-family offices (MFOs), OCIOs, consultants, asset management firms and other financial institutions. The Investment Institute (TII) was originally founded in 2008 specifically to educate institutional investors and managers in North Carolina as well as the surrounding southeastern states. In 2016, TII expanded to include allocators and managers from around the country, while still maintaining a strong emphasis on the southeast where our roots were formed. In March of 2021, Andrea Szigethy, Founder, CEO & President decided to re-brand TII to a new name Academy for Institutional Investors (AII). The Academy features some of the most well-known experts, leading asset owners, as well as policy makers, economists, research strategists, leadership authorities, money managers and some of the most prominent institutional investors from around the country bringing them together for face-to-face conversations and debates in unique venues in the Southeast. The programs cover complex issues surrounding the financial industry and the speaker faculty analyzes risk while revealing many opportunities in the current market environment. A hallmark of the Academy is that the number of allocators who attend will always surpass the number of managers at each program. Exchanging information and “trading notes” with one another at our allocator breakfast discussions, truly sets the Academy apart from other conference organizations. AII typically limits our attendance at our Fall & Spring Member Forums, to less than 200 participants to enable members to meet everyone while sharing their intellectual knowledge over the course of a day and a half.

‍How did you get started in your industry?

‍Andrea has been working as an educator in the financial sector bringing investment professionals together for 23 years!  Prior to entering the investment world, Andrea produced pharmaceutical conferences for 4 years where she first realized her love for running events, connecting senior executives with one another, building networks, and researching hot industry topics to develop high-quality content for her audiences. Andrea has decades of experience helping her clients to strengthen bonds with one another in a relaxed, friendly, non-sales-type of atmosphere, fostering an environment to learn and connect in a way that promotes lifelong relationships, trust and friendship among one another.  High-caliber investment education, sophisticated investor attendees and in-depth fun networking are the key components of The Academy’s mission. At the end of every event, you will leave with a head full of new ideas and a handful of new friends that will feel like your extended family year after year.  Academy for Institutional Investors offers new members into our circle of family friends at each event while striving to keep the community to a small niche group of sophisticated investors with a limited number of managers and service providers.

‍Where do you see your business in 5 years?

‍We currently hold two larger scale meetings per year (May and October) and two to three smaller investment allocator huddles (35 people) at different hotels in the Southeast.  Our hope is that the pandemic stays under control and we are able to maintain this level of business that we are currently doing.  If we expand at all it may be hiring one or two more people and adding one or two more events if that.

‍Other than work, what are you passionate about?

‍Other than work Andrea is passionate about music, singing, seeing concerts and broadway shows, playing golf with her husband, spending time at the beach and the mountains with her family and friends and helping others as much as possible. Carey loves being with her family, traveling to new places, good food & wine, and working with Andrea!

‍Why did you choose Towerview Office Suites Page Creek and how has working here helped your business?

‍We love our choice to come to Towerview Office Suites, the location is perfect for us.  We have become much more focused since getting out of our houses and we have this new location in Preston to thank for that.  IT allows us to be super close to home but have a professional environment.  The laid back environment is great, it’s simply perfect for a small firm like ours to be productive.

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