On April 16, 2012, the Regulatory Compliance Association held its Regulation and Risk Thought Leadership Symposium (RCA Symposium) in New York City at the Pierre Hotel.  The RCA Symposium brought together leading practitioners and regulators in a series of panel discussions, each of which offered unique insight on various topics of relevance for hedge fund managers.  This is the first article in a two-part series summarizing the highlights from the RCA Symposium.  This first article discusses the sessions that covered: fund governance issues; interpreting, preparing for and completing Form PF; and enterprise risk management for hedge fund managers.  The second article will discuss sessions that covered: the new paradigm of regulatory enforcement and white-collar prosecution; chief compliance officer and general counsel liability; and re-evaluation of the operating model for third party relationships.