Shea will be joining the four-person executive management team that runs the firm.

In addition to his significant client responsibilities on the consulting side of the business, Shea will play two key roles as part of executive management: he will help HedgeOp prepare its hedge fund clients for registration and upcoming regulation, as well as drive HedgeOp's expansion into the registered investment advisory marketplace through the use of the firm's ComplianceTrak Adviser.

"Patrick Shea has been a key player in building HedgeOp's message to both hedge funds and RIAs - that technology and automation can help investment managers meet their compliance responsibilities cost effectively, as well as demonstrate their operational accountability to investors," says Bill Mulligan, HedgeOp's chief executive. "Mr. Shea's distinguished career in asset management makes him an excellent choice for this leadership role."

Shea, who will continue to be based in Boston, will target his efforts at promoting HedgeOp's ComplianceTrak suite of patented workflow tools.

"ComplianceTrak is a key piece of technology that will help hedge funds stay ahead of the curve as they prepare for registration that will be necessary under the recently announced Obama plan," says Shea. 'This area of the firm's business is heating up very quickly with hedge fund firms trying to get ahead of the curve. "For RIAs, ComplianceTrak Adviser offers streamlined, automated compliance so managers can spend more time on investing and client service, and less time on compliance administration."

Prior to joining HedgeOp in August 2003, Shea served as assistant counsel for Baring Asset Management, where he was responsible for general compliance oversight and legal support in the areas of product development, marketing and distribution. Prior to this, he worked for Scudder Investments with responsibility for various compliance functions within its retirement plan and trust departments.