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Valley 200 – 2024: Beth Seidenberg

Founder, Westlake Village BioPartners

As a co-founding managing director of Westlake Village BioPartners, Seidenberg works to make the firm one of the top biotech investors in the country and establish Los Angeles as a major biotech hub. Since 2018, Westlake Village BioPartners has raised more than $820 million, investing in and incubating 20 life sciences companies. Seidenberg made her foray into the biotech venture capital world as a general partner at Menlo Park venture giant Kleiner Perkins in 2005, a role she continues to hold. She’s also held leadership roles at Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck & Co.

Valley 200 – 2024: Danone Simpson

Founder, Chief Executive, Montage Insurance Solutions

Simpson founded Montage Insurance Solutions in 2006 and continues to serve as its chief executive. The agency focuses on employee benefits and property and casualty programs for the commercial and nonprofit sectors. She also started the sister company Simpolicy in 2012, which handles small business, event and travel insurance and Medicare. Simpson has served on the Professionals in Human Resources Association District Board (Woodland Hills) since 2009 and is the current chair of the chapter. She has also been a member of the Valley Village Foundation board for many years.

Valley 200 – 2024: Sim Tang-Paradis

Senior Vice President, Group Branch Manager, Westlake Village & Oxnard, City National Bank

As senior vice president and group branch manager of City National Bank’s Westlake Village and Oxnard banking offices, Tang-Paradis oversees the delivery of the bank’s financial products and services. Prior to joining City National, she was a vice president and SBA business development officer for California Oaks State Bank in Thousand Oaks. Tang-Paradis is active on several boards, including the Economic Development Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on fostering business growth in Ventura County, the Health Care Foundation for Ventura County and SoCal Corporate Growth Partners.

Valley 200 – 2024: David Spector

Chair, Chief Executive, PennyMac Financial Services Inc.

Spector is the chair and chief executive of Pennymac, which was founded in 2008 and consists of PennyMac Financial Services, a mortgage lender and servicer, and PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust, a residential mortgage real estate investment trust. Spector has been a member of both boards since their formation and was appointed chief executive for both companies in 2017. Before joining Pennymac he was the co-head of global residential mortgages at Morgan Stanley. He also served as senior managing director of secondary marketing at Countrywide Financial Corp. from 1990 to 2006.

Valley 200 – 2024: Raul Vargas

President, Chief Executive, Farmers Group Inc.

Vargas was appointed chief executive of Farmers Group Inc. in January 2023. He has more than two decades of international leadership experience. Prior to his current role, he most recently served as president of distribution, life and financial services at Farmers Group, overseeing sales and distribution, in addition to Farmers New World Life and Farmers Financial Solutions. From 2014 to 2022, he was chief executive of Zurich Santander Insurance America. Prior to that, Vargas was the head of distribution and proposition management of Zurich Santander in Madrid, Spain.

Valley 200 – 2024: Wayne Ward

Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, California Bank & Trust

Ward is the senior vice president and regional manager of the Greater Southern California West Los Angeles Region of California Bank & Trust where he’s charged with leading 14 business banking offices in the L.A. area. He first joined CBT in October 2007 as a business center manager. A year later he was promoted to regional manager. He was part of the team that organized California Bank & Trust’s DEI Group, African Americans in Banking and served as its vice chair for the first three years.  He is on the board of advisors of the Woodbury University School of Business.

Valley 200 – 2024: Lee Kanon Alpert

Founding Member, Alpert Dispute Resolution & Consulting

Alpert was a founding member of Alpert Barr & Grant, now Grant/Shenon. He is also the founding member of Alpert Dispute Resolution and Consulting, where he still serves as a mediator, arbitrator, consultant and lobbyist. He is a trustee at Woodbury University and is on the board of the Edge Foundation, which provides coaching for young people with special needs and in underserved communities. He is a past president of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, past president of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Alpert received the Fernando Award, among other honors.

Valley 200 – 2024: Scott Alderton

Founding Member, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles

Alderton is a founding partner of Sherman Oaks-based Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, a law firm that has been around since 2002. He is also a member of its executive committee and the co-chair of the company’s Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice Group. Alderton advises clients across a number of industries, including software, technology, digital media, interactive entertainment and video games, cybersecurity and life sciences. He is often referred to as one of the top startup lawyers in Southern California, with more than 30 years of experience working with technology and emerging growth companies. He has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer and a U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyer.

Valley 200 – 2024: Raymond Boucher

Founder, Senior Partner, Boucher LLP

Boucher is the founder and senior partner at his namesake firm, which is based in Woodland Hills. He specializes in consumer litigation, class actions, product liability, toxic tort litigation, employment discrimination and bad faith matters. In his more than 30-year career, Boucher has tried more than 50 cases and secured more than $3 billion for clients. One of his biggest cases was the $600 million sexual abuse settlement with the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Boucher has lectured at many law schools, including Pepperdine University, where he earned his law degree. Before founding Boucher, he had roles at firms then known as Kiesel, Boucher & Larson LLP and Nordstrom, Steele, Nicolette & Jefferson.

Valley 200 – 2024: Sue Bendavid

Chair, Employment Practice Group, Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro Marshall and Harlan

Working exclusively with employers at her Encino-based firm, Bendavid handles employment litigation, counseling and transactions, representing employers in matters such as claims prevention, training and class action lawsuits. Bendavid also assists employers with hiring and firing; wage and hour issues; leaves of absence; wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims; preparation of employee handbooks, policies, employment agreements; and performance management. She is a member of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, where she served multiple terms as president, trustee, officer and chair of various committees. She is chair of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association’s labor and employment committee.