BondLink makes key hires to strengthen the future of investor transparency for Municipal Governments

By Edlyn Cardoza

BondLink, the cloud-based investor relations and debt management platform for the municipal bond market, recently announced it has added four new members to its team to further expand its investor transparency initiatives.

“Our growing team of public finance experts are uniquely qualified to help municipal issuers become more transparent and find new ways to stand out in today’s competitive market,” said Colin MacNaught, CEO and co-founder of BondLink. “I’m thrilled to have Ted Damutz, Robert Smith, Emina Masic, and Alex Palazzolo on the BondLink team. They bring an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience and already are providing new perspectives on how we can leverage our capabilities to better serve our clients.”

BondLink made key investments in its industry-leading team by hiring:

Ted Damutz as regional director of Issuer Solutions. Damutz previously spent three years as the treasury manager for the City of Raleigh. Prior to that, he served as a team leader and senior credit officer at Moody’s for over 20 years. Additionally, Ted is a member of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts Board of Governors, a position he has held for 10 years throughout his career.

Robert Smith as regional director of Issuer Solutions. Smith has over 40 years of municipal experience, previously spending seven years as a senior vice president of relationship management at Moody’s. Earlier, he served as an executive vice president at HRF Associates and a managing director at ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation.

Emina Masic as regional director. Before joining BondLink, Masic worked as a public finance investment banker at Truist Securities, Huntington, and Siebert Williams Shank. She started her career as a graduate intern for the City of Philadelphia Treasurer’s office.

Alex Palazzolo as regional director of issuer solutions, largely serving Texas-based entities. Palazzolo previously served as a vice president at Stifel Financial Corp., in public finance roles at Wells Fargo Securities and Moody’s, and as a managing director at Stonebriar Commercial Finance.

“I’m looking forward to partnering with municipal issuers around the country to help them more effectively communicate their public finance initiatives, manage their debt profiles and highlight their strengths,” said Ted Damutz. “I know, from first hand experience, how many municipalities have been under-staffed the past few years and how urgently enhanced transparency is needed for the buy-side. I’m excited to be part of BondLink and help issuers stand out in the muni-bond market by promoting their strengths beyond SEC-required disclosures.”

“It’s been amazing to see how well BondLink collaborates with different members of the financing team,” said Emina Masic. “I’ve already witnessed how much issuers and their advisors can benefit from the robust data and efficiencies our platform provides. So, I’m particularly excited to continue demonstrating that.”