Meet Our Team

Laks Ganapathi

  • Laks Ganapathi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unicus Research – an independent investment research platform that combines fundamental analysis with hard-to-find information from atypical sources. Since the inception of Unicus Research, Laks has joined forces with global video content firm like OpenExchange to cater to investors and asset managers worldwide. Laks's vision is to redefine how asset managers and investors consume research. Laks’s work on ESG is featured in the London Stock Exchange Issuer Services.

    Unicus Research, is sector agnostic. However, the team specializes in Environmental and Social Governance (E.S.G), clean energy, technology, geopolitics, and the EV sector. The team comprises industry-leading experts in corporate financial fraud, forensic intelligence, investment intelligence, cybersecurity, Electric vehicles, sustainability, Blockchain, clean energy, biotechnology, and cannabis/CBD.

    Laks has more than a decade of experience in accounting and finance. Before founding Unicus Research, Laks was a dedicated short investment analyst at a boutique investment research firm led by a Wall Street veteran. Laks earned a Master's in Business Administration (M.B.A), graduating magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut. In addition, she earned two Bachelor's degrees focusing on commerce and accounting from domestic and international universities.

Founder & CEO

L. Burke Files

Head Of The Forensic Analysts & Advisor To The CEO

  • A consummate problem solver and risk mitigator. With nearly four decades of experience in everything from due diligence to venture capital to growing and selling businesses as well as consulting, Burke empowers businesses to make better, well-informed decisions. Good decision-making mitigates risk, improves profitability, and increases chances for success. Beyond Burke’s extensive knowledge set, he can draw upon a unique global network of experts and resources.

    Burke has worked with many Fortune 100 financial institutions helping them deal with matters of compliance, anti-money laundering, due diligence, anti-fraud procedures, and remediation. Burke was chosen for these assignments as a financial investigator as he has seen and intimately knows how fraudsters operate. Burke’s approach is not from a textbook but from what he has experienced as a professional unwinding fraud. I have also worked with many companies in distress, for one reason or another, and Burke has been able in most cases to aid the company over its roadblocks – but not always.

    Burke’s skillsets revolve around finding value and solutions, both domestic and internationally, where many others have not dared to look. While Burke may not always know what a good idea is – he has a very keen awareness of bad ideas and what does not work.

    Burke has helped solve complex issues in the highlands of Haiti, for luxury goods makers in Switzerland, manufacturers in the Middle East, and start-up companies in Africa. Clients have included a few famous people, hedge funds, private and public companies, and a few governments. Burke noted that he has always been part of a team of sharp people that bring solutions to fruition.

    “I am infinitely patient with sincere people working hard and trying to do their best, even more so under difficult circumstances. At best, I am intemperate with, fibs, half-truths, and sloths.”

Rob MacArthur

Senior Short-only Analyst

  • MacArthur started his career in 1994 working at a boutique institutional brokerage firm. There he developed a wide variety of short selling strategies for the hedge fund community. In 2005, he started Alternative Research Services, Inc, a consulting firm catering to a handful of multi-billion dollar funds seeking short exposure. In 2014, MacArthur wrote a book entitled, "Online Education Fraud: The Diary of a Short Seller" to recount the bankruptcy of a fraudulent industry. In 2018, MacArthur closed his consulting firm to focus on the CBD/Cannabis sector. In March of 2020, he opened what was expected to be one of several CBD stores. Partially due to Covid, the store struggled for 3 years and was finally closed in 2023. Given his experience, Unicus is privileged to engage MacArthur to generate short ideas for its hedge fund clientele seeking deep-dive short sale research.

Julian Morris

  • Julian Morris is an economist with over 25 years of experience researching and writing on issues at the intersection of finance, technology, law, and policy. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Reason Foundation, a Senior Scholar at the International Center for Law and Economics, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

    Julian is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and editor of several books. A former member of the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review and founding editor of the Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development, he is currently a member of the editorial board of the journal Energy and Environment. He also sits on several non-profit boards and advisory boards and is involved with several startups related to his research.

    Julian was previously Vice President of Research at Reason Foundation, Executive Director of International Policy Network, a Visiting Professor at the University of Buckingham, and director of the environment and technology programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

    Julian graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in economics and subsequently obtained Master’s degrees from University College London and Cambridge University, and a law degree from the University of Westminster.

Chief Economist And Researcher

David D Tawil

Cryptocurrency Lead & Corporate Bankruptcy Consultant

  • David D. Tawil is Co-founder of Maglan Capital and serves as President. Maglan Capital is an event-driven, corporate turnaround-focused fund with a concentration on small-cap, activist positions. The fund has been operating for over 8 years, and the principals have intense experience in bankruptcy, turnaround, and restructuring. David is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, the New York Times, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, financial distress, bankruptcy, and corporate reorganization.

    Before founding Maglan Capital in 2011, David was an investment banker with Credit Suisse. He served as Director of Leveraged Finance and co-managed the fixed-income alternative asset trading business, focusing on sourcing and trading illiquid high-yield and distressed debt.

    Before joining Credit Suisse, David was an attorney with Davis Polk & Wardwell, specializing in workouts and bankruptcies. He began his legal career as an associate at Skadden, Arps.

    David earned a BS degree in Business Management, graduating magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University, and he earned a JD degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Dr. Nathan T Johnson

  • Dr. Nathan T Johnson is a hybrid of microbiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatic training across the USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from Worcester Polytechnical Institute (WPI) from Worcester, MA, an MS in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor’s in biology and a minor in chemistry from Evangel University in Springfield, MO. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Johnson has been involved in a wide range of research endeavors that span oncology, immunology, stem cell biology, animal model development, and published peer-reviewed scientific papers.

    Dr. Johnson currently works as an Investigator at H3 Biomedicine, a pre-clinical Pharmaceutical Company focused on oncology drug development. Previously, he has been part of the Laboratory of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, Breast Tumor Immunology Lab at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Takeda, Chestnut Labs, Mouse, and Rat Resource Centers in Columbia, MO, and Children’s Mercy Hospital. 

Biomedical Lead

Jules Trocchi

  • Jules Trocchi has managed a wide range of consulting, research, and investment projects in the global technology industry, specializing in high-growth sectors such as cyber-security, biometrics, big data, the internet of things, smart cities, fintech, artificial intelligence, and video analytics.

    His clients have ranged from government departments, technology corporations, and security groups through to IT companies, investment banks, and telecoms providers, all with widely differing objectives and requirements.

    He is the CEO of Security Direction International, a specialist consultancy focusing on the hot sectors and latest technologies in the security industry. He is also Board Advisor to the Swiss banking group Pictet Asset Management, which operates a consistently successful global investment fund focused on security with over $7bn currently under management. His previous corporate experience includes senior executive positions in management consulting and the telecommunications industry.

    Jules is a regular speaker at international conferences, and the author of white papers and research articles on information technology, security systems, and consumer electronics. He is a member of the Schumacher Institute, focusing on promoting responsible and sustainable initiatives in the investment and technology sectors.

    He has a First-Class Honors degree in Economics and speaks several languages in addition to English.

Cybersecurity

Pandora Mather-Lees

  • Pandora has carved a niche in the world of art – an asset class in itself. Unicus Research prides itself in offering actionable, timely insights and research to our growing list of clients across the globe. The Art Market has grown exponentially over the last decade, attracting wealth managers; interest because their clients either have or will acquire fine art assets that have been appreciated. Working with Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBO) means understanding their art collection as part of their overall wealth. This is not straightforward given that art is a passion purchase or that the collection may have been acquired or inherited by means other than their collecting strategies.

    Ms. Pandora has an esteemed clientele. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She holds a first-class degree in the History of Art from Manchester University and a Masters of Studies (MSt) in Ancient History from Keble College, Oxford. She is a member of the Association of Art Historians and a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars based in London, England.

    As an Art Historian, Director of Pandora Art Services, Pandora's career spans 25 years at the Board level in the cultural sector focusing on business strategy, marketing and education. As Managing Director of Bridgeman Images, Bridgeman Education, and as VP of Global Sales at Artnet.com, Pandora worked extensively with museums, galleries, and auction houses globally, bringing the world’s great art collections to the commercial market and schools, colleges, and universities. In addition, Pandora has worked in art logistics both with Hedley’s Group and Momart.com.

    Pandora is a founder member of the Art Due Diligence Group, which safely guides purchasers of high- value artworks through pre-sale and post-sale due diligence. We are thrilled to have her as a part of our team.

Art Expert

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