James Kattan
Managing Director
James Kattan is a Managing Director based in Waystone’s Cayman Islands office. James provides independent director services to a diverse portfolio of hedge, private equity, private credit and real estate funds, leveraging deep expertise in governance, risk management, and compliance. As head of Waystone’s Cayman Islands business operations, James guides the firm’s fund governance, corporate, and compliance services teams, driving strategic initiatives and operational quality.
Prior to joining Waystone in 2015, James served as a Director with HLSS, a Nasdaq-listed specialty finance corporation that invested in mortgage servicing assets, whole loans, and other residential mortgage-related assets. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Manager in the alternative investments practice of KPMG.
James is a Registered Director with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, a member of the Cayman Islands Directors Association, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. James holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK.
Skills and experience
- Fund domiciles: Cayman Islands, BVI, Delaware.
- Hedge fund strategies: equity long/short, merger arbitrage, global macro, multi-strategy, fixed income, managed futures, volatility, digital assets, stressed/distressed, fund of funds.
- Closed-ended/illiquid strategies: private equity, venture capital, private credit/direct lending, real estate.
- Structured finance: aviation financing, mortgage financing.
- Entity types: funds (limited companies, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, segregated portfolio companies), general partners, special purpose vehicles, management companies.
- Independent director services
- Governance committee services
- Advisory board services
- Independent fund representative services
- Conflict committee services
- Review agent services
- Representing funds of funds and conduit funds sponsored by one of the world’s largest private wealth managers.
- Representing one of the world’s largest core real estate funds, with over $30 billion of assets under management.
- Representing fixed income hedge funds managed by one of Canada’s pre-eminent wealth management firms.
- Representing quantitative equity market neutral hedge funds managed by a cutting-edge US investment advisor that uses machine learning aided by online data science tournaments.
- Representing systematic global macro hedge funds managed by an emerging UK investment manager.
- Representing multi-strategy and fixed income hedge funds managed by one of Hong Kong’s largest investment advisors.
- Representing long-only, high-conviction equity funds managed by one of China’s top performing emerging managers.
- Representing private credit funds managed by a direct lender focused on the US lower-middle market.
- Representing a specialist private equity platform focusing on real assets managed by an innovative UK investment advisor.
- Representing tech-focused venture capital funds managed by a fast-growing UK investment advisor.
- Serving as independent conflict representative for event driven hedge funds managed by a multibillion-dollar US advisor.
- Director, HLSS, Cayman Islands, 2014-2015
- Senior Manager, KPMG, Cayman Islands, 2008-2014
- Registered Director with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA)
- Member of the Cayman Islands Directors Association (CIDA)
- Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
- Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA)
- Chartered Accountant (FCA), ICAEW
- Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (MEng Hons), University of Nottingham, UK
