Rhonda McDeigan-Eldridge, CPA, CA
In 2015, Rhonda - a veteran alternative investment authority, became keenly interested in Blockchain. Driven by her fascination, she joined a RegTech Blockchain firm and began sharing with many not-yet-convinced and puzzled finance professionals, investment banks, and asset managers how Blockchain would transform the alternative investment industry. Throughout her career, Rhonda has been a pioneer and thought leader in the alternative investment (hedge funds) industry building a trusted global network. She is a former Regional and Country Managing Director of Fortis/ABN Amro Prime Fund Solutions (Americas) spearheading strategic acquisitions and expansion. She has also served as the Regional Head of Business Development, Fund Services (Americas) at UBS Global Asset Management, previously working as CFO of a family office, an auditor, and a banker. Now, as a blockchain knowledge source and catalyst, Rhonda is leading the charge to decentralize digital knowledge in The Bahamas and throughout the world. In this vein, she is an active member-administrator of various decentralized communities and has hosted and collaborated on 70+ events worldwide. In 2016 she founded Harness All Possibilities (HAP), a US non-profit enterprise currently being incorporated in The Bahamas. HAP promotes digital access and inclusion so no one is left behind during the fast-paced digital transformation age. HAP events promote the power and potential of Blockchain technology and 21st Century Human Skills. Since 2017, through HAP, Rhonda has hosted a series of Blockchain and Crypto events and seminars in The Bahamas. She is the Founder and Curator of Bahamas Blockchain Business School (BBBS), a concentrated four-week business school centered on 21st-century digital and financial literacy, particularly for persons in marginalized communities. Through BBBS, Rhonda and her team facilitate disruptive thinking cohorts on blockchain essentials and developer certifications, predictive data analytics, PythonTogether!, space economy, machine learning for trading, and mining, encouraging a lifelong learner mindset. BBBS, the first event of its kind in The Bahamas, has attracted a range of global digital enthusiasts, from budding entrepreneurs and youth educators to government regulators and Blockchain Developers. Rhonda is committed to sharing her knowledge and network to empower others. She is a managing member of Haddison Advisory Partners, offering corporate governance, advisory, hedge fund, and private equity consulting services and research on the digital assets landscape. She also sits on the Global Board of Help for Children (Hedge Funds Care), is a 2019 DevCon Scholar (Ethereum Foundation), and is an engaged member of a Digital Assets Working Group (spearheaded by AIMA). She was a founding member of L'Alliance Francaise des Bahamas, a charter member of Rotary Sunrise, and the first female and nine-year member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) The Bahamas. Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from Queen's University, Canada, and a chartered accountancy designation. She resides in Connecticut with her husband, two daughters, and family canines, Calvin and Hobbes. She loves reading, learning, outdoor camping, and cross-fit and meditation routines.
