CM² SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Matthew H. Polak, Managing Partner and Founder

At CM² Limited, Matthew Polak oversees the delivery of unique intelligence and banking services to private equity, hedge fund and industry clients. Prior to co-founding CM², he led intelligence projects for a Washington, DC-based investment bank and successfully completed assignments for acquisitions and divestitures ranging from $50 million to $1.5 billion.

Before joining the private sector, Polak worked in intelligence analysis for the United States Department of Defense through his affiliation with the National Institute for Public Policy. He has also held non-political positions with The American Enterprise Institute and Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA). He has regional expertise on North Korea, Latin America and the Middle East, and has also worked on a variety of projects in the CIS and Europe. Polak is a published author whose articles have appeared in Climate Control Magazine, The Journal of Comparative Strategy, the William R. Nelson Institute for Public and International Affairs, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, and Chosun Ilbo (Korea).

A native Washingtonian, Polak serves on the St. Albans School Alumni Board and is an active member of the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals. He holds a degree in International Affairs from James Madison University and has completed Graduate coursework covering U.S. Intelligence practices at George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs. Mr. Polak enjoys golfing and volunteers with various non-profit groups focused on improving the lives of underprivileged inner-city youths in Washington, DC, often in conjunction with his alma mater, St. Albans School.

John H. Hedden, Managing Partner

John works from a solid foundation of 25 years of business leadership experience with four Fortune 500 organizations. He has driven the development and implementation of successful business strategies, overseen numerous acquisitions and forged critical partnerships. John also developed leading-edge enterprise risk management practices to help companies identify and appropriately mitigate risk. His broad range of industry experience includes oil, natural gas, mining, and chemical experience with Amoco Corporation (now part of BP); plastic, rubber, and colorants with MA Hanna Corporation (now part of PolyOne Corporation); telephony, yellow pages, Internet, and cable TV with Ameritech (now part of AT&T); and financial services with Capital One.

John has led significant efforts to develop successful strategies for numerous businesses with both domestic and international components. His efforts have contributed to organic and acquisition-led growth in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia – with the majority of his international work in Southeast Asia. John has led negotiations on numerous and varied transactions that include the acquisitions of both private and public companies; joint ventures and partnerships all over the world; divestitures of businesses and assets; and significant outsourcing arrangements. John is a leading practitioner of the discipline of enterprise risk management. He has designed and employed processes to identify and mitigate the key risks facing organizations today – compliance risk, operational risk, strategic risk, and the oversight of credit risk practices.

An active community leader, John is very involved in youth soccer as a licensed USSF coach. His fundraising activities include advancement of The National Cathedral School, St. Albans School, and Middlebury College. He serves on the Investment Committee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art and Design. John has a BA in Economics from Middlebury (cum laude) and an MBA from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business.

Brian Kelly, Director of Government Relations

Brian has over 30 years of government affairs consulting experience, along with political-strategic and tactical planning for corporations, trade associations and foreign governments.

Brian’s most recent corporate role was as Senior Director for Comcast Corporation, where he served as one of the lead liaisons for the company between the US Congress, The White House and other Government agencies for 5 years. Previously, he held the position as the Senior Vice President for Global Government Affairs and Communications for the Electronic Industries Alliance, EIA, where he directed the global public policy and communication initiatives for EIA. EIA comprised of more than 2100 member companies whose products range from the smallest electronics components to the most complex system used by defense, space and industry, including the full range of consumer products.

Brian has held senior management positions with the Walt Disney Company and the National Association of Broadcasters. Brian has worked with several governments in Asia on democracy training and serves as an informal advisor to several European and Asian nations on the US political system and US Government Policy.

Brian serves on the Board of Advisors for Stafford Multimedia in Hollywood, CA, the Salvation Army Advisory Board of Alexandria, VA and the Congressional Sportsman Foundation Board in Washington, DC.Brian is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, AL.

 

Ben Roble, Senior Associate

Ben has seven years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining CM2 Limited, he led the strategic and business development efforts of a Washington, DC based investment bank. Under his tenure, the bank completed its largest contract, a $1.2 billion divestiture.

The firm also recorded the highest revenues in its 30-year history. In addition, Ben was also responsible for detailed financial analysis and corporate valuations of companies in the District Cooling, Oil & Gas, Steel Manufacturing, and Healthcare industries.

Before undertaking his position as the head of Strategic Development in Washington, DC, Ben worked in corporatefinance at Citigroup in New York City. He focused on the Media and Communications industry and worked on bridge financing and M&A transaction. His work also played a significant role in restructuring the telecommunications industry after a number of noteworthy bankruptcies and the weakening of the telecommunications equipment sector.

He has extensive experience working in Latin America and Western Europe on cross-border transactions and in international trade finance.

Ben is a native of Colorado. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Outside of his efforts with CM2, Ben enjoys cycling and Muay Thai, as well as golf and skiing. He speaks fluent French and Spanish and is currently studying Italian. Ben is currently a CFA Level 1 Candidate and has raised and invested a private equity fund focused on distressed real estate.

Zach Wilson, Senior Analyst

Zach draws on an entrepreneurial background in information and clean technologies, as well as a balanced analytical approach to problem solving. Zach’s intelligence collection experience extends beyond IT and clean-tech into energy (more broadly), healthcare and industrial markets. In addition to his intelligence experience, Zach’s has successfully managed financial planning, strategic partnership, and operations-oversight initiatives for clients. In these ventures he has honed his broad applied knowledge of business management and strategy. When not engaged in building companies, he has worked in strategy and innovation consulting and on research projects in international affairs, national security, and sustainable development. Zach is an expert in knowledge creation, in advanced research methodologies, and in mapping complex information.

A native Washingtonian, Zach is active in sustainable development, data visualization, spatial analysis, and innovation networks in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and maintains a research affiliation with the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, where he is currently providing editorial support for a book on the economic rise of China and India.