Investment Professionals
Commodities

Gregory Krenzer, CFA

- Portfolio Manager for the VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Deputy Portfolio Manager for the Commodity Index Strategy and Head of Active Trading with extensive experience in commodities, natural resource equities and emerging markets
- Joined VanEck in 1994
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society New York
- BS (Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society), Finance (minor in Economics), Syracuse University

Roland Morris Jr.

- Portfolio Manager for the Commodity Index Strategy and Commodities Strategist for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2012
- Prior experience as a macro/commodities trading specialist; manager of futures clearing and execution services and client relationship management
- BA, Economics, University of Vermont
Digital Assets

Matthew Bartlett

- Head of NFT Community & Web3
- Joined VanEck in 2013
- Prior to current role, served as Head of Internal Sales at VanEck
- Previous roles included Outbound Manager of the Northeast Division at Franklin Templeton
- Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA)
- NFT and Blockchain Expert Certifications from Blockchain Council
- BS, Technology Management, Saint Petersburg College

Patrick Bush

- Senior Digital Assets Analyst
- Joined VanEck in 2022
- Prior to VanEck, Head of Cryptocurrency Trading at Alphabit Trading LLC
- Previous roles included Senior Manager at Pitney Bowes and Senior Fixed Income Trader at DRW Holdings LLC.
- MBA, Duke University
- BA Economics, University of Chicago

Gabor Gurbacs

- Director of Digital Assets Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2014
- Prior to current role, was a member of the VanEck ETFs Product Management Team
- Previous roles included various finance research positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College and Williams College and as CEO for Archeo World Hungary
- BA and BS, Mathematics, German and Sociology, Williams College

Carlos Nogueira

- Portfolio Manager for the VanEck New Finance Income Fund
- Joined VanEck in 2009
- Prior to VanEck, Risk Committee Member and Risk Manager for the Emerging Markets, Foreign Exchange, and Strategic Trading desks at Morgan Stanley
- PhD, Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University
- MS, Computer Science, National Institute of Space Research
- BS, Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Matthew Sigel

- Head of Digital Assets Research
- Joined VanEck in 2021
- Prior to VanEck, Portfolio Strategist and author of the widely-read HELLO INVESTORS investment newsletter at CLSA, where he spent 10 years in various sales & research roles
- Previous roles included analyst and portfolio manager on the AllianceBernstein US & Global Thematic equity funds, where he covered technology and other sectors for then thematic CIO Cathie Wood, now CEO of Ark Investments; journalist at Bloomberg, CNBC and NHK Japan Broadcasting, where he covered finance
- CFA charterholder
- BA, English, Harvard University

Rylan Wood

- Digital Assets Analyst
- Joined VanEck in 2022
- BS Economics, Santa Clara University
Equity

Charles Cameron

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 1995
- Prior to VanEck, Trader at Standard Chartered; specialized in Eurobond and emerging markets fixed income securities
- MBA, Finance, New York University
- BS, Finance, Boston College

Imaru Casanova

- Portfolio Manager for active Gold and Precious Metals Strategy and Senior Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2011
- Prior to VanEck, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst at McNicoll Lewis & Vlak; established the firm's metals and mining research department
- Previously, Equity Research Analyst at Barnard Jacobs Mellet USA and BMO Capital Markets and held positions as Production Technologist, Offshore Wellsite Supervisor and Petroleum Engineer for Shell Exploration and Production
- MS, Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University
- BS (magna cum laude), Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University

Antonio De Pinho

- Senior Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy specializing in energy research
- Joined VanEck in 2019
- Previously, Chief Operating Officer of Energy XXI, Vice President, Exploration and Production U.S. Western & International Divisions at El Paso Corporation and Vice President International Business Development at Devon Energy
- Served in the Portuguese Navy
- Licentiate, Geological Engineering, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

Griffin Driscoll

- Analyst for Equity ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2018
- Prior to joining VanEck, ETF Basket Operations Analyst at JPMorgan
- BS, Finance, Providence College

Ola El-Shawarby, CFA

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Emerging Markets Equity Strategy specializing in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
- Joined VanEck in 2017
- Prior to VanEck, Director and Investment Analyst at Caravel Management LLC
- Previously, Private Equity Summer Fellow at Kaust Investment Management Company
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society Egypt
- MBA, Harvard Business School
- BA, (summa cum laude), Business Administration (concentration in Finance), The American University in Cairo
- BS, Political Science (minor in Economics), Cairo University

Joseph Foster

- Gold Strategist for the active Gold and Precious Metals Strategy and the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Oversees the Gold Investment Team including asset allocation, company research and security selection
- Joined VanEck in 1996
- Prior to VanEck, 14 years of dedicated experience in geology and mining; including serving as a Senior Geologist and Mine Exploration Geologist at Pinson Mining Company and Exploration Geologist at Lacana Gold Inc. (Reno, Nevada)
- MBA, University of Nevada-Reno
- MS, Geology, Mackey School of Mines
- BS (magna cum laude), Geology, Tennessee Technological University

Patricia Gonzalez

- Senior Analyst for the active Emerging Markets Equity Strategy specializing in Latin America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
- Joined VanEck in 2014
- Prior to VanEck, Financial Analyst at Newgate Capital Management
- MBA, Loyola University
- BA, Economics, Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (Venezuela)

Adam Graf, CFA

- Senior Analyst for the active Gold and Precious Metals Strategy and active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2022
- Prior to VanEck, held various sell-side and buy-side equity and commodity analyst positions with a specialty in mining and metals
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society New York
- BS, Geology, University of Michigan; MS, Ore Deposit Geology, and MBA, Finance, University of Arizona

Ammar James

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Agri-Food technology Strategy
- Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy specializing in agribusiness, timber and paper and packaging research
- Joined VanEck in 2019
- Prior to VanEck, Associate Investment Director at Cambridge Associates
- BS, Mathematics, SUNY Stony Brook

James Kim

- Head of ETF Capital Markets
- Joined VanEck in 2017
- Prior to VanEck, ETF Capital Markets at iShares/BlackRock, advising clients on accessing capital markets, ETF suitability and best execution
- BS, Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley

Gregory Krenzer, CFA

- Portfolio Manager for the VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Deputy Portfolio Manager for the Commodity Index Strategy and Head of Active Trading with extensive experience in commodities, natural resource equities and emerging markets
- Joined VanEck in 1994
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society New York
- BS (Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society), Finance (minor in Economics), Syracuse University

Ralph Lasta

- Analyst for Equity ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2019
- Prior to VanEck, Intermediate Representative, Exchange Traded Funds at BNY Mellon.
- BS, Accounting, Hunter College

Peter Liao, CFA

- Portfolio Manager and Head of Equity ETFs
- Oversees the Equity ETF Investment Management Team including development and management of index replication and optimization strategies
- Joined VanEck in 2005
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society New York
- BA, Mathematics and Economics, New York University

Chris Mailloux, CFA

- Trader for active equity strategies
- Joined VanEck in 2007
- Prior to his current role, held a portfolio administration position at VanEck
- CFA charterholder; member of the CFA Society New York
- BS, Finance, Lehigh University

Charl Malan

- Senior Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy specializing in base and industrial metals research
- Joined VanEck in 2003
- Prior to VanEck, Equity Research Sales Analyst specializing in South African mining, natural resources and financial research at JPMorgan Chase
- Previously, Equity Research Analyst and Junior Portfolio Manager at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank, Asset Management (South Africa)
- MBA, University of Stellenbosch (South Africa)
- Honours in Business Administration, University of Stellenbosch (South Africa)
- BA, Arts, University of Pretoria (South Africa)

Roland Morris Jr.

- Portfolio Manager for the Commodity Index Strategy and Commodities Strategist for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2012
- Prior experience as a macro/commodities trading specialist; manager of futures clearing and execution services and client relationship management
- BA, Economics, University of Vermont

Adam Phillips

- Chief Operating Officer of VanEck ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2006; Executive Management Team member since 2012
- Prior to VanEck, founder and managing member of LB Trading, LLC, a proprietary ETF trading firm on the American Stock Exchange
- Previously, Junior General Partner and Management Committee member of Orbit II Partners, L.P., a proprietary trading firm specializing in equity options, index options and ETF market making
- Member of American Stock Exchange, 1996-2006; Amex Floor Official, 2001-2003
- BA, Economics and American Civilization, Lafayette College

Shawn Reynolds

- Portfolio Manager for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy
- Oversees the Natural Resources Equity Investment Team including asset allocation, company research and security selection
- Joined VanEck in 2005
- Prior to VanEck, energy analyst at Petrie Parkman & Co. covering U.S. oil and gas exploration and production companies
- Previously, Analyst at Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers (Australia) and Credit Suisse First Boston (London); covered North American, European and global energy companies; Exploration Geologist at Tenneco Oil Company
- Served as board member of several private Latin American oil and gas exploration and production companies
- MBA (Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society), Finance, Columbia Business School
- MA (Phi Kappa Phi), Petroleum Geology, University of Texas, Austin
- BS, Engineering, Cornell University

Yi Rong

- Senior Analyst for the VanEck Emerging Markets Equity Strategies with a specialized focus on Chinese equity markets
- Joined VanEck in 2021
- Prior to VanEck, Analyst at Allard Partners, Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, Turiya Capital, Fidelity International, Bain Capital
- BA, Economics & Environmental Science and MA, International Relations from The University of Chicago

David Semple

- Portfolio Manager for the active Emerging Markets Equity Strategy
- Oversees the Emerging Markets Equity team including company research, stock selection and portfolio construction
- Joined VanEck in 1998
- Prior to VanEck, served on the team sub-advising the VanEck Emerging Markets Strategy at Peregrine Asset Management (Hong Kong)
- Previously, held regional strategy and sales positions at Peregrine Brokerage (Hong Kong)
- Formerly a portfolio manager specializing in Asian equity markets at Murray Johnstone (Glasgow)
- Member of the Association of Investment Management and Research (AIMR); member of the CFA Institute
- Bachelor of Law with Honors, University of Edinburgh

Alan Shih

- Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy specializing in energy research
- Joined VanEck in 2013
- Prior to VanEck, experience as a venture financial analyst working with startups in the mobile, tech and entertainment research at Pulse Advisory
- Previously, Equity Trader at Opus Trading Fund; FX Dealer at FXCM and Fixed Income Broker at Hennion & Walsh
- MBA, Finance and Accounting, Fordham University
- BA, Statistics, Rutgers University

Angus Shillington

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Emerging Markets Equity Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2009
- Prior to VanEck, headed International Equity at ABN AMRO
- Previously, several senior roles in research, sales, trading and portfolio management with a focus on the Asian and European markets at BNP Paribas (NY/LA), UBS Securities (Hong Kong) and Hill Samuel/BLW (Edinburgh)

Veronica Zhang

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Environmental Sustainability Strategy
- Analyst for the active Natural Resources Equity Strategy specializing in industrials and alternative energy research
- Joined VanEck in 2013
- Prior to VanEck, worked in equity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, covering industrials
- BA, Economics and Statistics, Columbia University
Fixed Income

David Austerweil

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for the active Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2012
- Prior to VanEck, Vice President at ING Financial Services on the Emerging Markets Credit Trading & Structuring desk
- Previously, member of the portfolio management team at The Rohatyn Group and Director in the Quantitative Financial Research group at Fitch Ratings
- MS, Financial Engineering, Columbia University
- BA, Computer Science, Columbia University

Daniel Cho

- Associate Portfolio Manager for Fixed Income ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2013
- Prior to his current role, held a portfolio administration position for the firm’s alternative investment funds
- MS, Finance, University of Rochester
- BS, Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University

James Colby III

- Portfolio Manager for non-taxable Fixed Income ETFs and Senior Municipal Strategist
- Joined VanEck in 2007
- Prior to joining VanEck, held several senior municipal fixed income positions at Lord Abbett, John Hancock Funds, Old Harbor Capital and Evergreen Asset Management
- Member of National Municipal Buyers Conference (Chairman, 1996), Municipal Forum of New York, Boston Fixed Income Management Society and The Economics Club of New York
- MBA, Finance, Hofstra University
- BA, Economics and International Relations, Brown University

Eric Fine

- Portfolio Manager for the active Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy
- Oversees the Emerging Markets Fixed Income Team including asset allocation, fixed income research and security selection
- Joined VanEck in 2009
- Prior to VanEck, held senior leadership positions at Morgan Stanley including founding and managing Morgan Stanley's Emerging Markets Proprietary Trading group
- Advised numerous governments on economic policies and debt profiles; rescheduled sovereign debts in Turkey and the Dominican Republic
- MPA, International Trade/Finance, Harvard University
- BA, Public Policy, Duke University

Natalia Gurushina

- Chief Economist for the active Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2013
- Prior to VanEck, worked at Roubini Global Economics in emerging markets currency/fixed income and G10 currency strategies
- Previously, Analyst at Pantera Capital Management and as EMEA Economist at Deutsche Bank and Russia/CIS Economist at Bankers Trust
- PhD, Economic History, University of Oxford
- BA, Economics, Moscow State University

Jared Model

- Senior Trader, Portfolio Analyst for Fixed Income ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2017
- Previously, Trader at Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC and monitored markets and executed equity and fixed income trades and Fixed Income Operations at Gleacher & Company Securities, Inc.
- MBA, Finance, Montclair State University
- BS, concentration in Accounting and Finance, minor in Computer Science, University of Vermont

Fran Rodilosso

- Head of Fixed Income ETF Portfolio Management
- Responsible for portfolio strategies as well as credit and market analysis; specializes in international bond markets
- Joined VanEck in 2012
- Prior to VanEck, Managing Director of Global Emerging Markets with The Seaport Group; launched the firm’s emerging markets fixed income sales and trading business
- Previously, held portfolio management positions at Greylock Capital and Soundbrook Capital; focused on corporate high-yield and distressed bonds with an emphasis on emerging markets
- CFA charterholder; member of CFA Society New York
- MBA (with distinction), Finance, University of Pennsylvania
- AB, History, Princeton University

Robert Schmieder

- Senior Corporate Analyst for the active Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2015
- Prior to VanEck, Executive Director/Head of Latin America Credit Research at BBVA Securities
- Previously, Managing Director/Head of Latin America Corporate Credit Research at HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
- MBA, International Finance, New York University
- MA, Spanish Literature, New York University
- BA, Spanish Language and Literature, New York University

Stephanie Wang

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for non-taxable Fixed Income ETFs
- Oversees quantitative analysis and optimization processes for the fixed income ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2016
- Prior to her current positions, served as quantitative analyst
- CFA charter holder; member of CFA Society New York
- MS, Financial Engineering, Baruch College; BBA, Finance, Baruch College

Tamara Lowin

- Senior credit analyst for non-taxable Fixed Income ETFs
- Joined VanEck in 2021
- Prior to joining VanEck, held several senior municipal analyst positions including director of research at Belle Haven Investments, senior municipal analyst at Brown Brothers, and municipal bond analyst at UBS
- Member of National Federation of Municipal Analysts and the Municipal Analysts Group of New York
- MBA, Finance and Public Policy, The Wharton School of Business; BA, Communications, University of Pennsylvania
Quantitative Investment Solutions

Barak Laks

- Quantitative Analyst for VanEck active and passive investment strategies
- Joined VanEck in 2017
- Prior to joining VanEck, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Marketing Officer with several hedge funds
- MS, Mathematics, New York University
- MS, Financial Mathematics, New York University
- BA, Mathematics and Economics, Yale University

John Lau

- Deputy Portfolio Manager for Inflation Allocation Strategy, Municipal Allocation Strategy, Dynamic High Income Strategy, Commodity Strategy, and Thematic Disruption Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2007
- Prior to his current role, served as Settlements Supervisor and Administrator at VanEck
- BS, Business Administration (concentration in Financial Analysis), State University of New York at Buffalo

Joseph Schafer

- Quantitative Analyst for VanEck active and passive investment strategies
- Joined VanEck in 2011
- Prior to his current position, served as quantitative analyst and project manager at VanEck
- MA, Statistics, Columbia University
- MBA, Loyola University
- BBA, Finance, Loyola University

David Schassler

- Head of the Quantitative Investment Solutions (QIS) Team
- Portfolio Manager for Inflation Allocation Strategy, Municipal Allocation Strategy, Dynamic High Income Strategy, Commodity Strategy, and Thematic Disruption Strategy
- Joined VanEck in 2012
- Prior to VanEck, Director and Portfolio Manager within the UBS Portfolio Strategy Group
- MBA, Finance, New York University
- BS, Business Economics, State University of New York College at Cortland