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With over 20 years of experience in business operations and development, service delivery and consulting, my expertise spans through PMO, account management, change management and IT strategy. I have been leading diverse teams across regions to enhance service delivery, drive innovation and optimize governance and business processes.
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Anna Grebenchtchikova, CQF, MBA (Cambridge)
Anna is a finance professional whose career cuts an unusually wide path — from rates trading on a sell-side desk at Goldman Sachs and Société Générale to pension governance, management consulting at McKinsey, a CFO role at a climate-tech start-up, and now hedge fund consulting in special situations and distressed debt. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Artificial Intelligence at Stanford.
Her quantitative foundations run deep: a BSc in Mathematics from Utrecht (GPA 3.9), a Cambridge MBA (GMAT 760, 99th percentile), and a CQF with a machine learning specialisation — her thesis built a deep learning trading strategy on the FTSE 100 that produced a Sharpe ratio of 4.9. She programmes in Python, Keras, TensorFlow, and SQL, and brings that technical fluency to bear on investment and strategy problems.
At McKinsey, Anna managed cross-functional engagements ranging from finance to transportation, and spent a signficant amount of time in MGI - McKinsey's internal think tank. Before that, she spent three years at Société Générale structuring LDI, rates, and ESG solutions for Dutch pension funds and asset managers — work she had grounded even earlier as a trustee and Investment Committee member of a €2.4Bn Dutch pension fund.
Anna has also written the pension manifesto that became the legislative basis for the new Dutch pension system, advised senior parliamentarians as a SPAD, and broadcast on financial markets to an audience of 350,000 on BNR Nieuwsradio. She has published over 20 articles in outlets including the Financial Times.
She is well placed to mentor on: breaking into investment banking, structuring and rates products, the buy-side and pension fund landscape, management consulting (particularly McKinsey), non-linear career trajectories, quantitative finance and ML in investing, and navigating finance as a multilingual international professional.
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- Can help with building a sharper, more credible story for recruiting, technical prep, behavioral interviews, etc
- Recent corporate experience includes direct exposure to senior leadership, board-level discussions, acquisitions, and commercial strategy.
- Strategy & M&A professional with experience in investment banking, private equity and corporate leadership roles.
- Worked on cross-border M&A, valuation, market expansion, and post-merger integration across France, Italy, UK, Brazil, and Poland.
- Former M&A banker (both boutique and French BB) and corporate development leadership position of a greatly successful consolidation platform under LBO.
- Good fit for candidates targeting Investment Banking, M&A, Corporate Development, or Strategy roles in Europe.
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PROFESSIONAL BIO
Michele Spinelli is the Founder and Managing Partner of Simeia SAGL, a boutique strategic advisory firm based in Lugano, Switzerland, specializing in go-to-market strategy, commercial transformation, and business development for technology and life sciences companies.
With over 20 years of executive leadership across Europe, Michele has a track record of scaling companies, building high-performance commercial teams, and delivering sustainable revenue growth in highly competitive markets.
EXECUTIVE TRACK RECORD
As Chief Operating Officer at Florence Consulting Group, Michele built the entire sales function from zero: defined territories, recruited and developed a team of 6, and instituted a rigorous RevOps engine. The result was +25% year-over-year revenue growth for three consecutive years, a 30% reduction in sales cycle time, and a 20% improvement in lead-to-client conversion.
Earlier, as Senior Channel Manager at Extreme Networks, he orchestrated global strategic alliances with tier-1 system integrators — including IBM, Accenture, EY, Deloitte, and Atos — delivering +18% YoY growth for three consecutive years and generating 70% of revenue from a rationalised top-quartile partner base.
Prior senior roles include Sr Business Manager at Capgemini Engineering (ex-Altran), managing a €5.3M P&L and 36 indirect reports across life sciences projects, and IP & Quality Regulatory Manager at THD S.p.A., where he led M&A due diligence, managed global quality systems, and owned a €1.8M IP portfolio.
ACADEMIC & TECHNICAL FOUNDATION
Michele holds a PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering (Biomechanics) from the University of Florence — an analytical foundation that informs his approach to strategy, decision-making, and structured problem-solving. He is the author of 23 peer-reviewed scientific publications and held senior research roles at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli and Pompeu Fabra University.
MENTORSHIP FOCUS AREAS
- Management consulting recruiting and career strategy
- Case preparation and executive communication
- Go-to-market strategy and commercial leadership
- Life sciences, tech, and strategic advisory sectors
- Boutique advisory vs. tier-1 firm career paths
- International careers — Swiss and European markets
- Entrepreneurship, founding, and the operator mindset
Languages: Italian (native) · English (fluent)
Based in: Lugano, Switzerland · Available for remote mentorship globally
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PLEASE NOTE MY CURRENT FIRM IS JORDYLAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LCC AND NOT THE JORDAN COMPANY. JORDYLAN IS NOT IN YOUR DATA BASE. IN ORDER FINALIZE AND SAVE MY APPLICATION, I NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE FIELD, HENCE THE USE OF THE JORDAN COMPANY.
•Accomplished professional with 25 years of experience in alternative investments and investment banking at prominent hedge funds, private equity firms, and global financial institutions such as Canyon Partners, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, Citicorp, and Drexel Burnham Lambert.
•12 years of experience managing personal assets through a portfolio of liquid investments at our family office, Jordylan Capital Management.
•Proven investor in multi-strategy credit, value public and private equity, and hybrid capital solutions.
•Extensive experience originating, underwriting, structuring, closing, managing, and exiting investments.
•Experienced banker in corporate lending, capital markets, leveraged finance, M&A, and restructurings.
•Significant team leadership, board and advisory board membership, and capital formation and fundraising experience.
•Former professional baseball player in the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals organizations.
•Graduate of the University of Southern California (1984, B.S., Business Administration, cum laude) and the Harvard Business School (1989, M.B.A., second year honors).
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Mergers & acquisitions and strategic finance executive with 12+ years of experience across investment banking, consulting, and principal investing. Deep expertise in evaluating and executing control and minority investments across private equity, real estate, and venture capital. Proven track record of sourcing opportunities, leading due diligence, structuring deals, and partnering with founders and management teams to drive operational improvements, synergies, and long-term value creation. Trusted advisor to senior leadership and family principals on capital allocation and strategic decision-making.
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Seasoned strategy, product, and innovation leader with experience at the intersection of strategy, innovation and digital technologies.
Starting as a core technologist, I made a transition into strategy and innovation consulting roles with organisations such as IBM, EY and Accenture. I bring a track record of leading engagements to define, build and scale digital-first business models leveraging marketing, fintech, data and AI solutions.
I successfully led strategic programs and product innovations for Fortune 500 organisations and market-leading brands across Retail, Consumer Goods, eCommerce, Telecom, Automotive and Hospitality sectors.
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HR Mentor/Change Management/ Training & Development/ Communication
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20+ years’ experience in Financial Crime across Tier-1 banks and FinTechs, specialising in AML, KYC, sanctions, and regulatory remediation
Acted MLRO with direct responsibility for regulatory engagement, reporting, and governance oversight
Led large-scale AML/KYC remediation programmes for global financial institutions and high-growth FinTechs
Secured a UK crypto asset licence, demonstrating end-to-end regulatory approval and digital asset compliance expertise
Extensive experience across traditional banking products and digital asset / crypto frameworks in multiple jurisdictions
Proven track record translating regulatory requirements into operational, scalable compliance frameworks
Mentor focused on practical application, regulatory confidence, and developing future compliance leaders
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t find an answer? Please send an email to [email protected]
The WSO mentor service runs at a very slight profit (~5-10% net margin) in order to help motivate amazing professionals to provide great (free) advice in the forums (many mentors have green "mentor" buttons next to their usernames) which strengthens the entire WSO community. Luckily, there is a surprising number of elite professionals within the WSO community that love giving back to motivated candidates. We also recently automated the mentor matching with an algo that helps reduce the manual work needed on the backend should a requested mentor not be available. Prices range from as low as $57 up to $997 depending on the package you purchase and the mentor you select. Given the success of our service and the number of repeat clients we have, we know that we can afford to run on thin profit margins and serve thousands of applicants. We also know that many of you will follow the advice of our mentors and invest in additional courses and/or services from WSO.
After checking out, your request will immediately be sent to the mentor you selected. You will be expected to fill our some basic information (location, industry preference, etc) along with upload a Word version of your resume in order to help the mentor decide if they feel like they are a great match. As soon as they accept (usually within ~9-12 hours), an email will be sent making an introduction. Your mentor will introduce him/herself and then proceed to review your current resume and/or offer times when you can connect for a mentor session. Over the following days, you will schedule a time that is mutually convenient for you initial phone call to go over what you need help with (mock interview, career consultation and/or both). If you would like to continue with this mentor, you can schedule more hours anywhere from 1 hour to 3+ hours with him/her over the following weeks & months.
Typically the match happens within 12hrs. If your preferred mentor has not responded within 9 hours or they indicate they can't take you on as a mentor, we will notify other top mentors that have the most in common with the mentor you selected (based on our matching algo). These backup mentors will indicate to you if they are available and you have the choice to move forward with one of them, get a refund or wait longer for your preferred mentor. If for whatever reason we cannot match you in time and/or there are no mentors that are available that you'd like to work with, we will refund your purchase in full, no questions asked.
We have an incredible team of 1,000+ dedicated mentors across top firms all around the world. Our #1 goal is to make sure you are placed in the hands of the most competent and detail-oriented professional in your specific target industry. This coupled with our strict process ensures a smooth and thorough experience. Why do we use actual professionals? The answer is simple: they are the ones ACTUALLY SCREENING APPLICATIONS for their own firms! They know what it takes to make it out of the trash pile and into the interview pile. On top of this, since we have been doing mentor sessions for over a decade across THOUSANDS of clients, we are able to immediately identify a top mentor and feed them more clients to ensure happy customers like you (due to our strict screening process). Our team includes investment bankers at all the top bulge brackets and elite boutique banks as well as private equity, hedge fund and VC professionals at the most prestigious funds. We also have reviewers at the top management consulting firms in the world, elite prop trading firms, top corporate finance roles as well as other related finance careers.
Usually these are all self-limiting beliefs, but if you're unsure if we are a good match for you, please send us a quick email to [email protected] and we can send over some bios if we think there might be a potential good match for you.
Too Young / Too Inexperienced: We do NOT recommend our mentor service until you at least have at least some relevant WORK experience that we can leverage. For the young clients out there, this means an internship, ideally in your target or related industry. If you are still in high school, it is unlikely that you have this experience. The earliest we'd recommend doing a mentor session is early freshman or early sophomore year as you prepare for summer internship recruiting. If you have no relevant experience then it probably doesn't make sense to sign up for the service. Our mentors are amazing, but they aren't magicians. If you tell us you really want to be in Investment Banking or Private Equity (for example) and everything in your background points to law or medicine, it's going to be an uphill battle. On the other hand, if you have unrelated experience but you have started the transition process by taking relevant classes and joining relevant clubs and associations, we'd love to work with you. You may not be the most competitive candidate, but we will highlight the most relevant education and functions at your current job that would translate well across industries.
Too Old / Too Experienced: We DO recommend our mentor service for more experienced professionals that are looking to make a transition or have an interview coming up. We have several very senior mentors that can answer the tough questions and make sure you are up to date on the latest trends in your target industry. However, before you move forward, we encourage you to give yourself an honest assessment. If you are looking to make the transition and have not made any steps outside of considering this mentor program, you probably aren't ready. If you've taken steps (education, new degrees, courses, etc) and feel like you're ready, we're on board and eager to help!
Yes, but if you have a negative attitude you are unlikely to have success. If you think a mentor session is an automatic referral, please don't bother to hire us.
Yes, our mentors often do refer our clients for open positions at their firms (over 20%), however, this should not be asked of our mentors to avoid a conflict of interest and it should not be expected as part of the service. It is up to you to impress the mentor if this is your goal, however, we believe you can gain much more out of the experience by being honest about your weaknesses and concerns with the mentor so there can be an open dialogue on how to improve your chances.
The only discounts are for larger packages and more hours purchased at once. This is an incredibly labor intensive 1-on-1 service using finance professionals that typically make well over $200/hr and are doing this primarily to give back.
This is a personal question and the answer is naturally subjective. If you are serious about landing a job in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, trading, asset management, management consulting or any other competitive industry, it's more than likely that the answer to that question is a resounding "YES".
Career services advisers at your school are not screening applications for interviews...neither are your classmates. If you do happen to have a friend in the industry, are they going to take the hours necessary to give you a realistic mock interview? Odds are that their time is limited outside the office and if they do give you some guidance, it won't be as thorough as our expert mentors. If you look at the competitive nature of recruiting nowadays, why would leave your application up to chance when many of these jobs pay well over $100,000?
Join the 1,000+ candidates just like you who have already used the WSO Mentor Service
If you’re reading this, you’re here for a reason: because you want to be one of the very few who gets an an elite job and because you need help doing it. The choice really is yours. And your opportunity really is limited.
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