Professional
John Repetti, CPA, Senior Advisor
John Repetti joined the Cooper Family Office as a CPA in New York and Florida. John is a founder and board member of Gold Coast Bank and serves, or has served, as an advisor or board member of numerous commercial and not for profit organizations, and he serves as an advisor to several venture capital firms. He was the founder and CEO of MGI Repetti, a regional CPA firm. John is a member of the advisory board for the Alliant Group, the premier specialty tax service provider in the US. He is the former Worldwide Chairman of MGI World, an international network of 280 accounting firms in over 80 countries around the globe. He is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, the Florida Institute of CPAs, and has chaired committees for the profession. Mr. Repetti received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fordham University and is a member of the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame. John is a life-long student of the martial arts, and is a third degree black belt instructor with American Nihon Jiu-Jitsu.
Richard Heller, Attorney
Richard Heller, Esq, joined the Cooper Family Office following a lengthy career as an eminent attorney specializing in securities and investment alternatives. With his extensive background in investment law, he is a well-known speaker at family office events nationally and knows numerous family office principals and executives personally. Prior to taking his role as advisor to the Cooper Family Office, he was a partner in the New York office of Thompson Hine, a prestigious national law firm, for 17 years. During that time he served in the Investment Management and Family Office Services groups. As the head of the private funds and broker-dealer practices, he advised numerous hedge funds, private equity funds, funds of funds, broker-dealers, investment advisers and their sponsors and principals. Additionally, he represented family offices in diverse issues including their structure, management, and regulatory matters.
In private practice, Mr. Heller drafted hedge fund offering materials including exhibits relating to the transaction. He rendered advice on activist solicitations. He defended clients in SEC and FINRA enforcement matters. He also served as counsel of special committees for public companies as well as providing state securities “Blue Sky” advice.
Richard Heller has served on three consecutive terms on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Business Forum on Small Company Capital Formation which published recommendations to the White House. In addition, he served for 10 years as a Director of the Hedge Fund Association. He served as a director for several private companies. For the past 20 years Mr. Heller has been honored to serve as an Officer and Director of the NY Council of the Navy League of the United States.
Recognized as a legal authority in his area, Mr. Heller is frequently called upon to participate in prominent Family Office and Investment Management Conferences and has often been called upon by the media to give quotes, opinions and interviews. The author of numerous papers, including “Emerging Developments in Hedge Fund Law,” Richard Heller received his BA with distinction in American Studies from Rutgers University and his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. He Is a member of the New York Bar and has Court Admissions to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the US Supreme Court.
Christopher Nkosi, Engineer
Christopher Nkosi, a microwave transmission engineer, joined the Cooper Family Office as a projects manager to review the scientific and engineering aspects of potential portfolio companies. Mr. Nkosi’s particular foci within the microwave transmission space are: point to multipoint communications, planning, design, and implementation of microwave links, configuring and troubleshooting microwave links, and 5G microwave solutions. He holds a B.ENG. in electrical and electronics engineering, with a focus in telecommunications, from the University of Eswatini. He was the inaugural Huawei-University of Eswatini ICT Aademy campus ambassador for the year 2021 to 2022. From the ICT Academy Christopher gained certification in 5G: HCIA-5G and storage and HCIA- Storage. In partnership with the University of Eswatini he entered the graduate trainee program in Huawei technologies.
Mr Nkosi’s interests within the ICT space are varied, the most predominant being the infrastructure used to bring out mobile telecommunications. He has trained in in microwave transmission, as well as a professional in the telecommunications space. Christopher sees a continued, new, Industrial Revolution throughout the Middle East and Africa, which will result in significant opportunities for investors and engineers.