VHS Management Team

Kevin J. Esval
Founder and Executive Managing Director
esval@velocityhealth.com

Kevin J. Esval has served as Executive Managing Director of VelocityHealth Securities since founding the company in 2000. Mr. Esval has significant industry and investment banking experience in most sectors of health care including specialty pharmaceuticals & generics, health care services, health care IT, diagnostics, biotechnology, and other sectors. With his extensive transactional and financing experience serving as a valuable resource, Mr. Esval takes an active role with all clients. Additionally, through his prior operating experience as an executive in growth oriented health care companies and active roles on boards of directors, Mr. Esval has developed a keen understanding of the challenges faced by middle market and growth companies. Mr. Esval has negotiated, structured, and executed various types of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and licensings; corporate and transactional financings, including equity, mezzanine and debt financings.

Previously, Mr. Esval served as a divisional SVP and COO for UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), one of the largest health care services companies in the world with annual revenues exceeding $80 billion. As one of the original startup executives of his division, Mr. Esval was instrumental in taking it from $0 to $400 million as of his departure. His career in health care began with a venture-backed startup Complete Health Services, Inc. This firm was one of Inc. Magazine’s “Fastest Growing Private Companies” in 1994. During this period, Mr. Esval was this company’s top sales executive, and managed the startup of two new divisions.

Additionally, Mr. Esval spent 5 years in sales, financial analysis, and trading roles at several financial derivatives companies, including Chicago based Rosenthal-Collins Group and R. J. O’Brien. During this period, his roles included working on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

Mr. Esval has served on the Board of Directors of multiple health care companies, and currently serves on the Board of Directors on several specialty pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Esval received his BA degree from Furman University while on a football scholarship. Additionally, he studied internationally in Lausanne, Switzerland. Mr. Esval is a dual citizen of the USA and the Republic of Ireland.

Licenses & Professional Designations: NASD Series 24, 7 & 63 Licenses

Karen L. Alvarez
Chief Financial Officer and FINOP

Karen L. Alvarez has serves as the CFO of VelocityHealth Securities, and is founder and CEO of Capital Markets Compliance. Formerly, she worked as a Compliance Examiner in NASD Regulation, Inc.'s (NASDR) Atlanta District office. While with NASDR, she conducted routine examinations of NASD member firms, assisted in bringing new members into the Association and supported cause examiners with on-the-record testimonies of Spanish speaking respondents and customers.

While with NASDR, Ms. Alvarez also assisted the district with its ongoing training of new examiners. She served as a mentor guiding new hires in the routine examination process. Ms. Alvarez's earlier Broker Dealer financial experience enabled her to progress through her employment at NASDR at a fast pace. She arrived at NASDR with an existing understanding of the mechanics of compiling financial statements, calculating the required net capital computation, and the electronic filing requirements of member FOCUS reports.

Ms. Alvarez is a member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals, Inc. and obtained her Bachelors of Science degree in Finance from Florida Atlantic University. In addition, Ms. Alvarez is a Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional through the NASD Institute at Wharton Certificate Program (Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania).

Licenses & Professional Designations: NASD Series 27, 24, 7 & 63 Licenses

Christian Eidnes
Managing Director
eidnes@velocityhealth.com

Mr. Eidnes is a Managing Director for VelocityHealth Securities, and he is focused on the life sciences sectors, including the pharmaceutical sector where he is very experienced with generic and branded products. Mr. Eidnes is also currently the Director of Business Development for Orbus Pharmacuticals, which is a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Toronto, Canada. Mr. Eidnes has significant experience within various sectors in the pharmaceutical industry including the in-licensing and out-licensing of products in Canada, the EU and the USA. He previously worked for international pharmaceutical companies such as Pharmascience Inc., Lab Pharmacological Research Intl., and Alternova A/S.

He earned a BA degree from the Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Mr. Eidnes is a dual citizen of the Canada and Norway.

E. Brent Hill
Corporate Secretary

Mr. Hill is VelocityHealth Securities' Corporate Secretary and is also a partner at Waller Lansden.  He has extensive experience representing healthcare clients in merger and acquisitions.  Since 2004, Mr. Hill has represented a publicly traded behavioral healthcare services provider in the acquisition of more than 20 psychiatric hospitals throughout the country.  He recently assisted a privately owned hospital company in the development and syndication of a $60 million hospital and medical office building campus in Texas.  In addition, his experience includes the private placement of securities involving diagnostic imaging facilities and ambulatory surgery centers.

Mr. Hill also has represented recording companies in mergers and acquisitions, and he recently assisted a publishing company in its sale to a multimedia company.  His experience also includes the representation of start-up companies in capital raising efforts and general corporate matters.

Mr. Hill received his BA degree from Vanderbilt, and he received his JD degree from Emory University.