Christopher L. Hughes​

Christopher  L. Hughes, based in suburban Chicago, is a co-founder of Cypress  Holdings Group. He has over 27 years experience in the investment and  capital markets with a focus on private equity investing including  making direct investments, structuring joint ventures, forming long-term  operating partnerships, and privatizations of public companies.

Chris  was formerly a Managing Director of Deutsche Bank’s Alternative  Investments business (RREEF) and the Chief Executive Officer of RREEF  Global Securities and Structured Investments, based in Chicago and New  York. During his time with RREEF, he held various senior executive  positions and was a voting member of the RREEF Global Executive and  Principal Investment Committees since their inception. Previous  positions included CEO of RREEF Private Equity, Global Head of Capital  Markets and Structured Investments and North American Head of Capital  Markets. He also served as the Chairman of RREEF’S Private Equity and  Structured Debt Investment Committees.

Previous to RREEF, he was a  Senior-Vice President at Transwestern Commercial Services, an Executive  Director with CIBC and a Senior-Vice President with Heller Financial.  He started his career with KPMG where he was a manager in the national  consulting business line. Mr. Hughes is a member of the board of  directors at CloudOne Corporation, a cloud-based, on-demand  infrastructure computing company.

Chris was member of the 2005  Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40. He has been actively involved with  and supported multiple charities including Feed My Starving Children,  GiantSteps and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ("JDRF").  Chris received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from  Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

John  A. Staab, based in suburban Chicago, is a co-founder of Cypress  Holdings Group. John was formerly a Senior Vice President with Morgan  Stanley’s Private Wealth Management division in Chicago, Illinois.   Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, he was a Vice President with both the  Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch and the Citi  Family Office that became Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  

For  13 years, John served as a comprehensive wealth manager and senior  advisor for multiple families located throughout the United States.

Prior  to his investment advisory career, John was an independent floor trader  at the Chicago Board of Trade where he focused on interest rate futures  and options while trading for his own account.

John has over  26 years of combined experience in investment advisory and capital  markets activities. He has substantial experience with asset allocation,  portfolio construction, risk mitigation (from both an overall balance  sheet perspective and an individual concentrated equity position) and  intergenerational values based wealth transition strategies. John has  also assisted clients with the evaluation of numerous private equity and  hedge fund investments as well as evaluating direct investments in  private companies and real estate.

John is actively involved with  multiple charities including the Infant Welfare Society of Clarendon  Hills.  He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the  University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, Illinois.