Leadership

Mr. van Eck joined the Firm in 1991 and was added to the Executive Management Team in 1998.  In 2010, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Van Eck Associates Corporation. Additionally, he is the President and CEO of Van Eck Securities Corporation. Mr. van Eck is a Trustee and the President and Chief Executive Officer of VanEck ETF Trust, VanEck Funds and VanEck VIP Trust.

Mr. van Eck has spearheaded the launch of multiple innovative mutual funds, ETFs, and institutional vehicles spanning asset classes and strategies. Mr. van Eck founded the Firm’s ETF business in 2006.   Through a series of business acquisitions, partnerships, and global product development over the last decade, the ETF business is one of the largest globally with offerings domiciled in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.  

Mr. van Eck holds a JD from Stanford University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College with a major in Economics. Mr. van Eck is a member of the USC Marshall School of Business Board of Councilors and the Board of Trustees of Williams College. He is a former member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. He routinely appears in the media, including CNBC and Bloomberg Television. Mr. van Eck was a 2013 Finalist for Institutional Investor's Fund Leader of the Year and was the recipient of ETF.com’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. The firm was named 2020 ETF Provider of the Year by Fund Intelligence. 

Mr. Crimmins joined VanEck in 2009 as Vice President of Portfolio Administration. He is primarily responsible for overseeing portfolio accounting and administration. He also serves as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to the VanEck Funds, VanEck VIP Trust and VanEck ETF Trust. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Crimmins was the Chief Financial, Operating and Compliance Officer for Kern Capital Management LLC from 1997 to 2009 and the Vice President and Director of Mutual Fund Administration for Evergreen Investment Services from 1987 to 1997. Previously, Mr. Crimmins acted as Vice President and Controller for Pilgrim Group for three years and was in public accounting for six years. Mr. Crimmins is a Certified Public Accountant and received a BS in Accounting from St. John’s University.

Mr. Draytsel joined VanEck in November 2021. He serves as Chief Information Security Officer, bringing with him nearly 20 years of professional experience in practicing Cybersecurity disciplines in the FinTech industry. Mr. Draytsel’s responsibilities include administering and advancing the firm-wide Information Security program that consists of such core elements as Cybersecurity Governance, Security Operations, Technology Risk Management, Protection of Digital Assets, InfoSec Training and Awareness, and others.

Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Draytsel served in several senior and executive Information Security roles at major banks and hedge funds, including Lehman Brothers, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, and Elliott Investment Management. Mr. Draytsel holds a BS in Economics from Ukrainian State Technical University, an MS in Information Systems from Pace University, and various prestigious professional certificates, including CCISO, CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CCSK, and others. A lifelong learner, Mr. Draytsel continues pursuing his academic interests at Carnegie Mellon University and Harvard University.

Mr. Gozzillo joined VanEck in 2018. He serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Van Eck Associates Corporation, Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation, Van Eck Securities Corporation, VanEck ETF Trust, VanEck Funds and VanEck VIP Trust. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Gozzillo served as Chief Compliance Officer for City National Bank’s investment advisor, City National Rochdale, LLC as well as City National Rochdale Funds from 2012 until 2018. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Gozzillo was employed with TIAA-CREF, serving as the Director and Compliance Officer for the mutual funds and Chief Compliance Officer of the Life Insurance Company Separate Accounts. Prior to 2008, he was the Chief Compliance Officer at Managers Investment Group LLC and held managerial positions at AMT Capital Services, Delaware Investments and The Vanguard Group. Mr. Gozzillo holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Mr. Krenzer joined VanEck in 1994 and was named the Firm’s Head of Investment Risk in 2024. He is responsible for monitoring risks affecting portfolio management, trading, and portfolio performance by independently performing daily portfolio reviews and providing relevant committees with ongoing reporting. In this capacity, he serves as co-chair of the Risk Committee and the Active Investment Committee. In 2022, Greg was named Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Active business where he helps to oversee daily operations. He previously served as Head of Active Trading and also acted in a portfolio management role for numerous strategies including the VanEck CM Commodity Index Strategy and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat Fund. Mr. Krenzer has over 25 years of experience investing in commodities, natural resource equities and global fixed income. Mr. Krenzer is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society New York. He earned a BS in Finance with a minor in Economics (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Syracuse University.

Mr. Phillips joined VanEck in 2006. In 2012, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Firm’s ETF business. Mr. Phillips is responsible for corporate development and strategy, daily operations and relationships with key business contacts, including stock exchanges, regulators and industry groups. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Phillips was founder and managing member of LB Trading, LLC, a proprietary ETF trading firm on the American Stock Exchange. He also served as 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. Mr. Phillips was member of the American Stock Exchange from 1996 through 2006, and was an American Stock Exchange Floor Official from 2001 to 2003. From 2020 to 2022, he served as Chairperson of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) ETF Committee.  Mr. Phillips earned a BA in Economics and a BA in American Civilization from Lafayette College.

Mr. Potocki joined VanEck in 2012 and oversees financial adviser and institutional sales across all product lines. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Potocki served as Director, National Sales Manager and Head of National Accounts at Russell ETFs. He also served on Russell's ETFs Operating Committee and Distribution Leadership Team. His previous experience includes roles as Managing Director and Partner at J. & W. Seligman where he served as National Sales Manager, Head of National Accounts, Member of Board of Directors of the Global Horizon and Spectrum Funds, and Head of Marketing. Mr. Potocki was responsible for the expansion of the Seligman brand overseas and opened offices in London, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong. Mr. Potocki holds a BA from Duke University.

Mr. Rappaport joined VanEck in 2012. He serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Van Eck Associates Corporation and its subsidiaries after previously serving as the Controller. Mr. Rappaport also serves as Van Eck Securities Corporation’s Financial and Operations Principal. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Rappaport was a manager at KPMG LLP. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Mr. Rappaport holds a FINRA Series 27 license and received a BS in Accounting from University of Maryland, College Park.

Ms. Rapple joined VanEck in 2015. She serves as Global Head of Human Resources for Van Eck Associates Corporation and is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources, including recruitment, employee relations, training, benefits and payroll. Prior to joining VanEck, Ms. Rapple was Assistant Vice President and Senior HR Generalist at Jennison from 2012 to 2015 and held various HR-related roles at Legg Mason from 2007 to 2012. Ms. Rapple earned a BS in Business Economics from the State University of New York at Cortland.

Mr. Simon joined VanEck in 2006. He serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for Van Eck Associates Corporation, Van Eck Securities Corporation and Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation. Prior to joining VanEck, he worked as corporate associate at Sidley Austin LLP, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. Mr. Simon is a member of the New York State Bar. He holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and earned a BS from Cornell University.

Mr. Wang joined VanEck in 2019 and serves as Chief Technology Officer. He is responsible for operational leadership and strategic guidance in the design and development of applications focusing on investment management, portfolio trading, operations, sales, and marketing.

Mr. Wang has a deep and varied background in technology, capital markets and the investment management business. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Wang served as Head of IT at Antecapio Investment Partners LP. Prior to that, he served as Senior IT Manager at Kiski Group and Head of IT at TPG Axon Capital. Previous experience includes Director of Equity Capital Markets at Ipreo Holdings LLC and several positions at Bank of America Securities, Bloomberg LP, and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Wang received an MBA in Finance from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He received an MS in Computer Science from Yale University and a BS in Computer Science from Temple University.