Founded in 1995, THE LUGANO GROUP INCORPORATED offers securities brokerage, advisory, and investment promotion services.

Our activities in the world’s frontier markets have furnished The Lugano Group's institutional client base with diversified investment opportunities while simultaneously attracting pivotal international capital to these areas.

The Lugano Group’s professionals have varied backgrounds from economics, healthcare, investment banking, multilateral finance, securities brokerage, real estate development, and renewable energy. 

We maintain a presence in New Orleans, home to one of the world's leading ports and a city with ingrained commercial and cultural links to countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America; in New York City, the world's preeminent financial capital; and in Houston, a dominant hub of the energy and technology sectors.

Harold E. Doley, III

Harold E. Doley, III, Principal and Co-founder, has been an aide to former New York Governor George E. Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. During Mayor Bloomberg's transition, Mr. Doley worked with the Economic Development Subcommittee and as his liaison to The United States Conference of Mayors. He previously worked with the family-owned investment banking firm of Doley Securities, Inc. Mr. Doley has worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. and as a Congressional Staffer on Capitol Hill. He also participated with Zambian authorities in the establishment of the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE).

From 2003 until 2005, Mr. Doley served on the Board of Directors at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. The US$130 billion congressionally chartered wholesale bank serves 300 community lenders headquartered in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mr. Doley holds a bachelor's degree from Columbia University (1990) and a master’s in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University (2009). He graduated high school at The American School in Switzerland (1986). He has been a visiting student at Oxford University’s New College (England) and Universidad de Salamanca (Spain). Among his securities licenses, Mr. Doley is a General Securities Principal (Series 24) and Representative (Series 7) as well as being qualified as a Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63).

He has been a member of the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTC) Board of Directors; a commission appointed by the Governor of the State of Louisiana; the international advisory council of a regional bank; as well as the boards of an educational foundation and a PBS affiliate. Mr. Doley has been a featured speaker at professional conferences and universities. He is proficient in both French and Spanish.

Amir Mireskandari

Amir Mireskandari, Principal and Co-founder, previously was an Investment Analyst in the Investment Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington, D.C. In this position, Mr. Mireskandari performed project feasibility studies and investment analysis, and he wrote annual supervision reports based on missions to company sites. Mr. Mireskandari authored monthly reports on the division's portfolio, analyzing trends and studying the bearing of changes in exchange rates, interest rates, social and political factors, country status, and other exogenous factors. He was charged with recommending provision and loan loss reserves percentages and outlining courses of action on arrears. Mr. Mireskandari also was an advisor on privatization to the Ministry of Mines and Heavy Industry of the Kingdom of Morocco to conduct a competitive study of the private sector. He has been a speaker on emerging markets at professional and academic seminars, and he has been quoted in international publications. From 1990 until 1992, he was a Programming Assistant for Data Administration and Records at The World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Mireskandari is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (2009). He holds both a B.B.A. in International Business (1991) and an M.B.A. with a concentration in International Banking (1993) from The George Washington University. Mr.Mireskandari is a graduate of The American School in Switzerland (1987). He is a General Securities Principal (Series 24) and Representative (Series 7) as well as holding a Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63) license. Mr. Mireskandari serves as The Lugano Group's Financial and Operations Principal (Series 28).

Mr. Mireskandari speaks Farsi, French, and Italian.

OUR TEAM

Tara C. Hernandez

Tara Carter Hernandez, Vice President, works with major accounts at The Lugano Group. Mrs. Hernandez is recognized as a real estate expert in adaptive reuse and HOPE VI development projects throughout the U.S. She led the successful $45 million conversion of a turn-of- the-century industrial facility in New Orleans into multi-family residences and retail space.

Mrs. Hernandez was a Program Trust Officer at the Louisiana Department of the Treasury. In this capacity, she managed securities and collateral held in trust or on deposit with the State Treasurer for banks, bond firms, state agencies, academic institutions, individuals, and private companies.

Mrs. Hernandez holds a Master of Science Degree in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1992). She is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in Finance (1987). Mrs. Hernandez is a General Securities Representative (Series 7). She is an international trustee of the Urban Land Institute and has served as its Louisiana chair. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana’s Governor named Mrs. Hernandez to the state’s Recovery Authority Housing Subcommittee. Mrs. Hernandez also is a member of the Advisory Board of the internationally renowned New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation.

Alidad Mireskandari, Ph.D.

Dr. Alidad Mireskandari, Senior Advisor, has been both a Managing Director at BNP Parisbas International and Director of Normura Securities International concentrating in Biotechnology and Healthcare. He has consulted on technology development in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors and did research at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute. Dr. Mireskandari holds a Ph.D. in Genetics (1996) and B.S. in Biology (1989) from The George Washington University. He received an MBA from the University of Michigan (1998). He is a graduate of The American School in Switzerland (1985). Among his securities licenses, Dr. Mireskandari is both a General Securities Principal (Series 24) and Representative (Series 7) as well as a Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63). He speaks Farsi.

Brett S. Sherman

Brett S. Sherman, General Securities Representative (Series 7), holds an MBA from the Fordham University Graduate School of Business (2008) and a B.A. in Sociology & Anthropology (Cum Laude) from Skidmore College (2002). He has studied in Egypt, Morocco, and Spain. Mr. Sherman is conversant in Italian and has a working knowledge of Arabic.