Laura Salvatori, General Counsel, Anson Funds
Laura Salvatori is General Counsel at Anson Funds, a hedge fund with offices in Toronto and Dallas. Anson has been ranked by BarclaryHedge as Number Four in Top 10 Global long/short hedge funds for three-year compound growth in 2022 and a top equity hedge fund in the Americas in 2021 by Hedgeweek. Laura oversees all legal and litigation aspects relating to the Anson family of hedge funds (multi-strategy, multi-asset class onshore and offshore funds), as well as the investment process, deal participation, fund formation and structuring for investment vehicles, GP/LP matters and governance.
Laura is a key advisor to the investment manager of the Anson Funds and their executives and performs ongoing regulatory analysis, involving the communication of updates with respect to legal and compliance matters impacting Anson’s several registrant categories relating to regulators in three countries (investment adviser, exempt market dealer, investment fund manager and exempt market dealer) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ontario Securities Commission and Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Laura also drafts, reviews and negotiates legal documents relating to debt, equity, private placements, secondary and public investments, consultants, brokers, counterparties, general corporate matters and regulator correspondence.
Prior to joining Anson in early 2019, Laura held the role of General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Human Resources of Match Marketing, a leading North American, private-equity owned agency. Prior to Match, Laura was VP, Assistant General Counsel at Goldman Sachs in New York City, where she advised on corporate governance matters and prior to that, was on the Investment Banking Legal team. Before joining Goldman, Laura was an attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s New York City office in their capital markets group, where she advised issuers, investment bank clients and private equity sponsors on complex transactional matters, including investment grade, high yield and cross-border debt and equity offerings for both publicly listed and private issuers, Regulation 144A and Regulation S exempted offerings, tender offers and consent solicitations. She also articled in Ontario at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto.
Laura holds a JD from Osgoode and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Schulich School of Business and is admitted to practice in both New York State and the province of Ontario. Laura was appointed as a member of the NYC Bar's Securities Regulation Committee in 2022 and has been a member of the Women General Counsel of Canada since 2021.She also serves as a board member of the Villa Charities Foundation and the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association.
What is your proudest achievement?
Surviving the first 3 months of motherhood!
What is the most influential piece of advice (professional or personal) you have received?
A good lawyer understands that there may be a distinction between good business advice and good legal advice. A great lawyer knows how to reconcile both.
Where do you see the legal profession in 10+ years?
Highly influenced and transformed by AI (but not dominated by it).
What is/are your favorite extracurricular activity/activities?
Travelling around the world to watch Formula 1 Grand Prixs races, and doing the New York Times Crossword.
What is one thing people should know about you but don't?
New York City was my first love.
Name your hometown/where you were born/where you grew up and where you live now.
Toronto, Ontario, but spent several years working and living in NYC (I'm a New Yorker at heart).
If you were not a legal professional, what other line of work would you pursue?
Most likely a Food Critic.
Published July 26, 2023.
