Jim is responsible for the oversight, selection and management of all investment-related activity across all strategies and portfolios, as well as the development of all new investment strategies and GenTrust products. Jim’s primary responsibility at GenTrust is to remain practical and analytical across all market conditions while also recognizing and assuaging the fears and anxieties of the firm’s employees and clients.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, he worked at Element Capital (which managed a fund that was ranked 4th on Barron’s Top 100 hedge funds in 2010) as Head of Business Development. Jim was responsible for marketing, investor relations, recruiting, asset class expansion, new business development, and evaluation of private investment opportunities. He also served on the firm’s risk committee and spent extensive time discussing macroeconomic strategy, positioning and portfolio hedging with sovereign wealth funds, pensions, insurance companies, fund of funds and family offices.
Prior to Element, Jim was the Head of USD Fixed Income Options Trading at Barclays Capital where he managed a team of 12 traders across 3 times zones and dozens of products. Prior to Barclays, Jim was Head of USD Fixed Income Options Trading at J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM). At JPM, Jim and his team of 9 traders regularly traded over $10 billion dollars of interest rate swaps, options and fixed income securities on a daily basis with the world’s largest pensions, banks, mortgage companies, corporations, asset managers and hedge funds.
Jim graduated with distinction from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. Jim won the Ronald Meltzer Prize for most outstanding senior essay: Managing the Risks of Plain-Vanilla and Exotic Options. Jim Besaw is a CFA® charterholder.
George Perez, CIMA®
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
George Perez, CIMA®
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
Founded GenTrust in 2011
George is a founder of GenTrust and is responsible for the management of several of GenTrust’s largest client relationships. George’s magnetic personality and intolerance for pretense have endeared him to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families who have entrusted him with their wealth for almost two decades. Given the multi-national needs of many GenTrust clients, he often is called upon to direct clients’ legal and tax advisors in regard to estate planning, charitable giving, wealth transfer and tax planning issues.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, George was a First Vice President in the International Wealth Management Group at Merrill Lynch. Within Merrill, he served as an integral force in expanding the firm’s reach within South Florida as well as internationally. George also spent seven years on the Institutional Fixed Income desk at Merrill Lynch where he developed expertise in cash management strategies and short-term fixed income solutions.
George graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Latin American Studies, and also holds the distinction of being a Certified Investment Management Analyst.
Gui Socarras
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
Gui Socarras
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
Founded GenTrust in 2011
Gui is a founder of GenTrust and manages several of GenTrust’s largest relationships in the Sports and Entertainment Industry, with a unique focus in the Latino Market. Through his deeply personal approach, Gui has spent his entire career developing lifelong relationships with client families, spanning multiple generations while helping them navigate the various capital complexities that they tend to encounter. Gui works closely with all members of the investment team in order to develop and oversee the effective implementation of fully customized financial plans for families. He also leverages the services of the firm’s various independent providers to ensure GenTrust’s clients always receive reliable and exceptional service.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, Gui worked at Merrill Lynch for over a decade under the tutelage of his father Jorge Herrera, a 40+ year financial advisor veteran and one of the pioneers of the international US-based advisory division at Merrill Lynch in Miami. During his tenure at Merrill, Gui’s main focus was to transition the team’s Latin American high net worth families and clients from a traditional transactional-type or commission-based model to a fee-based wealth management approach to ultimately serve in the client’s best interest. Working alongside George Perez, Gui was a driving force in expanding the team’s client market base in South Florida for over a decade.
Gui graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
Eli Cohen
Principal, Head of Alternative Investments
Eli Cohen
Principal, Head of Alternative Investments
Joined GenTrust in 2012
Eli is responsible for the selection, oversight, management and development of alternative investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, opportunistic and other non-traditional strategies.
Prior to joining GenTrust, he worked at Strategic Investment Group, an outsourced investment office for pension funds, foundations, and endowments with over $30 billion in assets under management. At Strategic, Eli was a senior member of the alternatives investment team overseeing investments in hedge funds, private equity and real estate. Eli was responsible for manager identification, due diligence, performance analytics and portfolio construction for a $4 billion dollar portfolio of hedge funds. In addition, he created and managed a portfolio of opportunistic investments that fell outside of established asset classes.
Before joining Strategic Investment Group, Eli worked in Structured Credit at Lehman Brothers where he covered hedge funds and proprietary trading desks.
Eli received a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar, the school’s highest academic distinction. He received an AB from Harvard College, magna cum laude in Economics. He is a member of the DC advisory board for the Posse Foundation and a trustee of the Air Force Aid Society.
Hugh Nickola
Principal, Head of Fixed Income
Hugh Nickola
Principal, Head of Fixed Income
Joined GenTrust in 2011
Hugh is responsible for the oversight and management of all fixed income and cash management investment-related activity across all strategies and portfolios. Hugh’s analytical approach to investing and his lengthy institutional experience, makes him an invaluable resource for individual and families who want fixed income that matches their customized needs.
Prior to joining GenTrust, he worked at J.P. Morgan Chase for 16 years, most recently as Managing Director of Global Rates and Municipal Proprietary Trading. In this role, Hugh led a group of proprietary traders based in New York and London who focused on identifying and exploiting macro trends in currencies and rates globally. He also managed a large portfolio of tax-exempt securities and their associated hedges successfully through the credit crises. Prior to this role, Hugh was the Head of Tax-Exempt Capital Markets and Municipal Proprietary Trading, where he managed the trading activities and risk profile of the municipal derivative and cash trading desks, including municipal cash bonds and a variety of structured products.
Hugh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.
Suzanne Peck
President
Suzanne Peck
President
Joined GenTrust in 2024
Suzanne is responsible for driving GenTrust's growth initiatives and strategic planning. She also works closely with the firm's advisors, providing leadership and coaching; and strives to ensure the best of GenTrust is delivered to our clients.
Suzanne has spent the past 15 years building and leading investment advisory businesses, driving strategy and revenue growth across high-net-worth, family office and institutional clients. Prior to joining GenTrust, she was most recently the Head of Investments for Private Wealth Management at Neuberger Berman. Previously, Suzanne spent 7 years at BlackRock, where she was Head of the Endowments and Foundations business, which provides investment management services and risk advisory solutions to endowments and foundations, as well as providing outsourced CIO services (OCIO). Before her time at BlackRock, Suzanne worked at Goldman Sachs for 18 years in the Investment Management and Investment Banking Divisions. At Goldman Sachs, she also led a team that built an outsourced CIO offering in the Private Wealth Division.
Suzanne earned a BA in history from Columbia College, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, an MA in economics from New York University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the New-York Historical Society and as Treasurer of UJA-Federation of NY.
Zulay Labra
Chief Operating Officer
Zulay Labra
Chief Operating Officer
Joined GenTrust in 2012
As GenTrust’s COO, Zulay’s responsibilities include managing the firm’s day to day business operations while finding ways to enhance the company's operational efficiencies and improve scalability. Zulay works closely with the firm's executive committee on strategic planning, vision and goals of the firm. Her focus is to ensure we provide best-in-class service and look after the best interests of our most important asset: our clients.
Prior to joining GenTrust, she worked for over 19 years at Merrill Lynch. For the last 6 years, she worked as Administrative Manager in the Coral Gables Global Complex, supervising the branch’s employees and business practices in order to minimize financial and regulatory risk and ensure adherence to the firm’s policies and procedures. She was also responsible for monitoring client accounts to ensure they met client objectives while remaining within stated risk limits. While at Merrill Lynch Bank of America, she served on the Advisory Councils to Management and the Diversity & Inclusion Committees.
Zulay has a Bachelor Degree in Finance and International Business from Florida International University.
Claire Rogan
Chief Financial Officer
Claire Rogan
Chief Financial Officer
Joined GenTrust in 2014
As Chief Financial Officer, Claire’s responsibilities include overseeing the Company’s financial reporting, budgeting, and operational due diligence & structuring of private investments. In addition, she serves as Chief Financial Officer for GenTrust’s affiliate, Catenary Alternatives Asset Management, LLC, working with Catenary’s fund administrator, auditors and other business partners. She is also responsible for overseeing operational due diligence on the underlying funds in which Catenary invests.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Claire was the Controller of Berens Capital Management, LLC, a fund of hedge funds focused on frontier and emerging market managers. As Controller, she was responsible for the accounting, audit, tax work and operational due diligence of the firm’s funds. Claire began her career at Ernst & Young, LLP in the Financial Services Office where her clients included a buyout private equity firm a private equity fund of funds and various hedge funds.
Claire graduated from Fairfield University with a B.S. in accounting and finance. She is a Certified Public Accountant.
Wealth Advisory
George Perez, CIMA®
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
George Perez, CIMA®
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
George is a founder of GenTrust and is responsible for the management of several of GenTrust’s largest client relationships. George’s magnetic personality and intolerance for pretense have endeared him to ultra-high net worth individuals and families who have entrusted him with their wealth for almost two decades. Given the multi-national needs of many GenTrust clients, he often is called upon to direct clients’ legal and tax advisors in regard to estate planning, charitable giving, wealth transfer and tax planning issues.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, George was a First Vice President in the International Wealth Management Group at Merrill Lynch. Within Merrill, he served as an integral force in expanding the firm’s reach within South Florida as well as internationally. George also spent seven years on the Institutional Fixed Income desk at Merrill Lynch where he developed expertise in cash management strategies and short-term fixed income solutions.
George graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Latin American Studies, and also holds the distinction of being a Certified Investment Management Analyst.
Gui Socarras
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
Gui Socarras
Founding Principal, Wealth Management Advisor
Gui is a founder of GenTrust and manages several of GenTrust’s largest relationships in the Sports and Entertainment Industry, with a unique focus in the Latino Market. Through his deeply personal approach, Gui has spent his entire career developing lifelong relationships with client families, spanning multiple generations while helping them navigate the various capital complexities that they tend to encounter. Gui works closely with all members of the investment team in order to develop and oversee the effective implementation of fully customized financial plans for families. He also leverages the services of the firm’s various independent providers to ensure GenTrust’s clients always receive reliable and exceptional service.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, Gui worked at Merrill Lynch for over a decade under the tutelage of his father Jorge Herrera, a 40+ year financial advisor veteran and one of the pioneers of the international US-based advisory division at Merrill Lynch in Miami. During his tenure at Merrill, Gui’s main focus was to transition the team’s Latin American high net worth families and clients from a traditional transactional-type or commission-based model to a fee-based wealth management approach to ultimately serve in the client’s best interest. Working alongside George Perez, Gui was a driving force in expanding the team’s client market base in South Florida for over a decade.
Gui graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
Alexander Ruiz
Head of Client Reporting, Wealth Management Advisor
Alexander Ruiz
Head of Client Reporting, Wealth Management Advisor
Alexander “Alex” Ruiz is a Wealth Management Advisor responsible for working with and overseeing several of GenTrust’s key clients. He is also GenTrust’s Head of Client Reporting, combining the firm’s proprietary technology with best of class reporting software. Alex and his team embody GenTrust’s belief that a report only succeeds when it fits the needs of its audience. In this capacity Alex collaborates daily with clients and other members of the Advisory, Investment, and Operations teams while leveraging cutting-edge capabilities of the firm’s external technology providers in order to keep GenTrust’s clients fully updated on portfolio compositions, strategies, cash flows and performance.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Alex worked at Merrill Lynch for over 6 years where he began his career in the financial services industry as a Client Service Associate within the Private Wealth Management division. In that role he provided the full range of operational support to clients and his wealth management team alike with a strong focus on specialized liability management. He also worked as an Investment Advisor focusing on investment due diligence and manager selection, portfolio construction, security-based lending, and financial planning.
Alex graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Finance and Marketing.
Eduardo Borberg-Mendoza
Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor
Eduardo Borberg-Mendoza
Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor
Eduardo J. Borberg Mendoza is Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor at GenTrust. Eduardo advises a set of global ultra-high-net worth families focused on sustaining and growing transgenerational wealth. He brings personal experience and unique knowledge to these families as they face a complex set of challenges in managing a network of trustees, legal advisors, and asset managers across geographies, custodians, and generations.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Eduardo worked at Financorp Group for 8 years, a single-family office and broker dealer. Within Financorp, he served as Director & Chief Compliance Officer and launched an equities and derivatives private fund.
Before Financorp, Eduardo started his career at Nestlé France in the Finance and Marketing department for Nestlé Beverages where he held several roles in project management for the Brands Nescafe, Nesquik and Nestea. He worked in Paris, France, between 2008 and 2012.
He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Eduardo graduated from Babson College at Wellesley, Massachusetts, in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics and Entrepreneurship. He also holds a Master of Business and Administration from NYU Stern, New York with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate.
Elena Hernández
Principal, GenTrust Puerto Rico
Elena Hernández
Principal, GenTrust Puerto Rico
Elena brings over 14 years of experience in the financial industry serving financial institutions and high net worth families on global investments and risk management. Serving as both a wealth management advisor and a member of GenTrust’s investment team, she works with her clients in seeking to maximize their objectives while identifying and managing the risks to develop and execute an effective and efficient financial plan. Elena’s holistic approach to creating and preserving wealth includes leveraging the firm’s independent or client’s network of accountants, lawyers and advisors to ensure all aspects of their financial lives align with their goals.
Elena is also a Principal of GenTrust PR, leading GenTrust’s efforts to expand the firm’s client service capabilities in Puerto Rico. Prior to joining GenTrust, Elena worked for over a decade at Goldman Sachs in various capacities. She began her career in the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities division in institutional sales, working both in New York and London. She covered a selection of the world's largest mutual funds, banks, corporations, insurance companies, sovereigns and supra-nationals for a broad range of fixed income products, working closely with her clients to achieve tailored investment solutions. Most recently Elena worked in Goldman’s Private Wealth Management division to manage the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities solutions team which provides investment and risk management strategies to ultra-high net worth individuals and multi-billion family offices worldwide.
Elena graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor in Business Administration, majoring in Finance from the University of Puerto Rico. She is a Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Program class of 2000 Alumni. She is a board member of ConPRmetidos, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which focuses on creating a stable, productive and self-sufficient Puerto Rico. She also serves as a board member at the MackIntoshAcademy Boulder campus, whose mission is to nurture the keen minds and compassionate hearts of the gifted child so that they contribute and leave a mark on the community and the world.
James A. Colavita, CFP®, CRPC®
Wealth Management Advisor
James A. Colavita, CFP®, CRPC®
Wealth Management Advisor
Jim works as an advisor to high net worth families and individuals, with a focus on wealth management and financial planning. Jim works to earn the lifelong trust of his clients, strongly believing that financial success is as much a function of avoiding obvious mistakes as it is about making specialized investments. He specializes in creating wealth management strategies aimed at helping clients achieve their long term financial goals and objectives. His focus is a planning based approach incorporating cash flow, retirement and estate planning concepts into a customized framework to best achieve client goals.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Jim was a First Vice President of Investments at Merrill Lynch, where he spent over ten years advising clients in the creation, implementation and ongoing management of their financial planning goals and investment objectives. Jim also spent five years on the Institutional Fixed Income desk at Merrill Lynch, working with corporate clients of the firm executing on their fixed income investment positioning.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Binghamton University and an MBA from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner, CFP® and the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, CRPC® designations.
Jason Stelmaszyk
Senior Client Advisor
Jason Stelmaszyk
Senior Client Advisor
Jason Stelmaszyk is a Senior Client Advisor at GenTrust who takes a client-centric approach to his relationships with a diverse base of founders, entrepreneurs, and financial principals representing a new generation of wealth in New York City.
Prior to joining GenTrust Jason was an Executive Director at JPMorgan in the Private Bank. He spent over 10 years working with clients constructing portfolios and implementing trading strategies for sophisticated individual and institutional investors.
His role entailed not only sourcing but managing assets with strategic insight. His ability to create innovative investment ideas and his understanding of market dynamics have been instrumental to his success. Jason resides in Midtown Manhattan and enjoys running and cycling in Central Park.
Javier Sanchez
Wealth Management Advisor
Javier Sanchez
Wealth Management Advisor
Javier “Javi” Sanchez works as an advisor to high-net-worth individuals and families, helping them preserve and build their wealth. Javi strives to provide his clients with an encompassing approach to income, estate, financial and investment planning, delivering optimal solutions that fit each client’s overall financial picture.
As a trusted fiduciary, Javi works with a team of experts to architect and implement highly customized solutions for successful athletes and entrepreneurs so they can focus on what is most important to them. Javi’s consultative approach blends together wealth planning strategies and GenTrust’s sophisticated investment management to deliver solutions compatible with his client’s goals.
Javi began working in the financial services industry as a Wealth Advisor at LourdMurray in New Orleans. Prior to LourdMurray, he spent seven years in collegiate athletics at Louisiana State University, including being on the coaching staff of the 2009 national champion LSU baseball team. An accomplished player in his own right, Javi was the captain of the 2004 University of Notre Dame baseball team before playing professionally in the Minnesota Twins organization.
A Christopher Columbus High School Hall of Fame inductee, Javi holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from University of Notre Dame.
Jean Carlos Reynoso
Wealth Management Advisor
Jean Carlos Reynoso
Wealth Management Advisor
Jean Carlos “JC” works as an advisor to high net worth families and individuals, with a focus on wealth management. Mr. Reynoso is responsible for the development and management of the Caribbean and Latin markets at GenTrust. JC has embraced the reality that to best serve those families he must always have a foot firmly planted in both worlds at the same time. He splits his time between the Caribbean and the US, serving as a liaison between his clients and their business managers, attorneys and accountants.
JC works closely with our investment and advisory team in providing wealth management, budgeting, and financial planning services across our athlete and entertainment division. His clients span multiple generations and multiple geographies, allowing JC the opportunity to chart a long term strategy that incorporates not only wealth management but also tax planning, inheritance and even family succession planning.
JC graduated from Barry University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management and Business Administration.
Mark Neely
Director of Alternative Investments, Wealth Advisor
Mark Neely
Director of Alternative Investments, Wealth Advisor
Mark is a member of the GenTrust investment team and is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and selection of alternative investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, opportunistic and non-traditional strategies. Mark is also part of our Client Advisory team, with a focus on ultra-high-net-worth clients and families.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Mark spent 12 years as a Partner and Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, for EJF Capital LLC, an alternative asset manager in Arlington, Virginia. At EJF, Mark was responsible for a wide array of cross asset class investments, specializing on the management of EJF’s high yield and event driven fixed income investments. Mark managed investments and teams across multiple funds and strategies, including EJF’s Tactical Opportunities Strategy, which focused on equities, corporates, structured products, options, and esoteric. Mark was also a founding member of the EJF Real Estate Investment Committee where he assisted in raising and deploying equity in commercial real estate development projects. Prior to EJF he worked at Fannie Mae as a mortgage-backed securities trader and financial analyst where his role included trading mortgage-backed securities and pricing complex legacy portfolios.
Mark holds a B.S. in Economics and an MBA from the Smith School of Business at The University of Maryland.
Matthew Kishlansky
Principal, Senior Wealth Advisor
Matthew Kishlansky
Principal, Senior Wealth Advisor
Matt “Kish” Kishlansky is a Senior Wealth Advisor who focuses his practice on families, individuals and non-profits. As one of the Principals of GenTrust, he is also responsible for the development and management of institutional business relationships at GenTrust, spanning family offices, Institutions, Consultants and other Independent Investment Advisory firms. Kish's focus on asset allocation has him constantly revisiting and refining clients' risk tolerance and investment horizon to ensure that they match their portfolio holdings. The common thread of his career has been to embrace complexity while simultaneously attempting to simplify concepts and decisions for clients and investors.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Kish was the founder and managing partner of Old Master Capital, LLC, a managed account for Millennium Partners in NYC. Prior to founding Old Master Capital, LLC, he was a portfolio manager at Pentagon Capital Management, Plc in London. At Pentagon, he originated, structured and managed alternative strategies including the Pentagon Hercules Fund, a portfolio of over $700 million worth of alternative investments and the Pentagon Bernini Fund, an illiquid finance fund focused on absolute returns.
Kish graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, with an AB in History of Art and Architecture
Mimi Duff
Head of NY Office, Senior Client Advisor
Mimi Duff
Head of NY Office, Senior Client Advisor
Mimi Duff is the Head of the New York Office and a Senior Client Advisor at GenTrust. Mimi’sresponsibilities include developing and serving institutions, high net worth individuals and family relationships. Prior to joining GenTrust, Mimi amassed more than 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry, specializing in U.S. Fixed Income portfolio management, trading, research, and strategy. She began her career at Goldman Sachs in 1993 and spent 11 years in the New York and London offices in the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities divisions. She focused on the USD rates businesses and ran several trading and syndicate desks in New York and London, following some foundational years in Research, Global Bond Indexing and Asset Allocation.
In 2004, Mimi was hired by Barclays Capital to run their Interest Rate Swaps Trading desk, where she significantly expanded their franchise footprint through expertise, execution, and trade idea generation. In 2010, Duff joined Tudor Investment Corporation as the U.S. fixed income portfolio manager and strategist within the Flow of Funds Research and Trading Group. The group covered all major macro asset classes including global fixed income, equities, FX and commodities. Since leaving Tudor, Mimi has worked as a consultant, most recently as a Fixed Income Product manager for Kensho Technologies, an artificial intelligence and machine learning company. Mimi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University. Mimi is also a frequent contributor to CNBC and Bloomberg news, and lives in Greenwich, CT with her husband and four daughters.
Neela Gollapudi, PhD
Head of Research, Senior Client Advisor
Neela Gollapudi, PhD
Head of Research, Senior Client Advisor
As Head of Research, Neela is responsible for managing the overall research efforts at GenTrust, including macroeconomic, investment and portfolio research. Neela heads GenTrust’s permanent expedition force tasked with excavating academic and quantitative research that forms the bedrock of modern portfolio management. He is also responsible for trading and portfolio management as well as developing new investment strategies.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Neela worked for over 15 years at Citigroup, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs combined. At Citigroup, he built and led the Interest Rate Derivatives strategy effort, focusing primarily on idea generation and hedging strategies for asset managers, bank portfolios, central banks, mortgage investors, insurance companies and hedge funds. While at Citigroup he was placed in the top 5 among Institutional Investors research rankings.
Prior to joining Citigroup, Neela traded interest rate products in both market-making and proprietary capacities, and held several interest rate strategy roles at Barclays Capital, where he also had the opportunity to work alongside our CIO, Jim Besaw. He started his career at Goldman Sachs in the electronic market making group.
Neela received a PhD in Finance from SUNY Buffalo, a graduate degree in business from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and an undergraduate degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
David Muñoz
Senior Relationship Manager
David Muñoz
Senior Relationship Manager
David works closely with the Miami-based advisors, providing best in class service to clients with a focus in the Sports and Entertainment division. David handles all aspects of the lifestyle management services available to our clients through GenTrust and its affiliate, GT Lifestyle Services. He focuses on coordinating and assisting with the essential demands of high net worth individuals and families. As a result, he works alongside the client’s network of service partners and serves as a liaison between the clients and their attorneys, brokers, realtors, and insurance agents in order to meet their diverse needs.
Prior to joining GenTrust, David worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank in Miami, where he was responsible on all issues pertaining to client satisfaction and customer service. He assisted clients with business and personal financial management service needs. He is dedicated to continuously delivering unparalleled service and attention to GenTrust’s clients. He is fluent in Spanish and graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance.
Investment Team
Jim Besaw, CFA®
Founding Principal, Chief Investment Officer
Jim Besaw, CFA®
Founding Principal, Chief Investment Officer
Jim is responsible for the oversight, selection and management of all investment-related activity across all strategies and portfolios, as well as the development of all new investment strategies and GenTrust products. Jim’s primary responsibility at GenTrust is to remain practical and analytical across all market conditions while also recognizing and assuaging the fears and anxieties of the firm’s employees and clients.
Prior to co-founding GenTrust, he worked at Element Capital (which managed a fund that was ranked 4th on Barron’s Top 100 hedge funds in 2010) as Head of Business Development. Jim was responsible for marketing, investor relations, recruiting, asset class expansion, new business development, and evaluation of private investment opportunities. He also served on the firm’s risk committee and spent extensive time discussing macroeconomic strategy, positioning and portfolio hedging with sovereign wealth funds, pensions, insurance companies, fund of funds and family offices.
Prior to Element, Jim was the Head of USD Fixed Income Options Trading at Barclays Capital where he managed a team of 12 traders across 3 times zones and dozens of products. Prior to Barclays, Jim was Head of USD Fixed Income Options Trading at J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM). At JPM, Jim and his team of 9 traders regularly traded over $10 billion dollars of interest rate swaps, options and fixed income securities on a daily basis with the world’s largest pensions, banks, mortgage companies, corporations, asset managers and hedge funds.
Jim graduated with distinction from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. Jim won the Ronald Meltzer Prize for most outstanding senior essay: Managing the Risks of Plain-Vanilla and Exotic Options. Jim Besaw is a CFA® charterholder.
Eli Cohen
Principal, Head of Alternative Investments
Eli Cohen
Principal, Head of Alternative Investments
Eli is responsible for the selection, oversight, management and development of alternative investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, opportunistic and other non-traditional strategies.
Prior to joining GenTrust, he worked at Strategic Investment Group, an outsourced investment office for pension funds, foundations, and endowments with over $30 billion in assets under management. At Strategic, Eli was a senior member of the alternatives investment team overseeing investments in hedge funds, private equity and real estate. Eli was responsible for manager identification, due diligence, performance analytics and portfolio construction for a $4 billion dollar portfolio of hedge funds. In addition, he created and managed a portfolio of opportunistic investments that fell outside of established asset classes.
Before joining Strategic Investment Group, Eli worked in Structured Credit at Lehman Brothers where he covered hedge funds and proprietary trading desks.
Eli received a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar, the school’s highest academic distinction. He received an AB from Harvard College, magna cum laude in Economics. He is a member of the DC advisory board for the Posse Foundation and a trustee of the Air Force Aid Society.
Hugh Nickola
Principal, Head of Fixed Income
Hugh Nickola
Principal, Head of Fixed Income
Hugh is responsible for the oversight and management of all fixed income and cash management investment-related activity across all strategies and portfolios. Hugh’s analytical approach to investing and his lengthy institutional experience, makes him an invaluable resource for individual and families who want fixed income that matches their customized needs.
Prior to joining GenTrust, he worked at J.P. Morgan Chase for 16 years, most recently as Managing Director of Global Rates and Municipal Proprietary Trading. In this role, Hugh led a group of proprietary traders based in New York and London who focused on identifying and exploiting macro trends in currencies and rates globally. He also managed a large portfolio of tax-exempt securities and their associated hedges successfully through the credit crises. Prior to this role, Hugh was the Head of Tax-Exempt Capital Markets and Municipal Proprietary Trading, where he managed the trading activities and risk profile of the municipal derivative and cash trading desks, including municipal cash bonds and a variety of structured products.
Hugh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.
Neela Gollapudi, PhD
Head of Research, Senior Client Advisor
Neela Gollapudi, PhD
Head of Research, Senior Client Advisor
As Head of Research, Neela is responsible for managing the overall research efforts at GenTrust, including macroeconomic, investment and portfolio research. Neela heads GenTrust’s permanent expedition force tasked with excavating academic and quantitative research that forms the bedrock of modern portfolio management. He is also responsible for trading and portfolio management as well as developing new investment strategies.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Neela worked for over 15 years at Citigroup, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs combined. At Citigroup, he built and led the Interest Rate Derivatives strategy effort, focusing primarily on idea generation and hedging strategies for asset managers, bank portfolios, central banks, mortgage investors, insurance companies and hedge funds. While at Citigroup he was placed in the top 5 among Institutional Investors research rankings.
Prior to joining Citigroup, Neela traded interest rate products in both market-making and proprietary capacities, and held several interest rate strategy roles at Barclays Capital, where he also had the opportunity to work alongside our CIO, Jim Besaw. He started his career at Goldman Sachs in the electronic market making group.
Neela received a PhD in Finance from SUNY Buffalo, a graduate degree in business from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and an undergraduate degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Olivier Sarfati
Head of Equities, Senior Client Advisor
Olivier Sarfati
Head of Equities, Senior Client Advisor
As Head of Equities, Olivier is responsible for leading GenTrust’s overall equity positioning as well as selectively developing niche trading strategies for clients. We believe that Olivier’s frank embrace of cutting edge instruments allows GenTrust’s clients to incorporate them into their portfolios before they are en vogue.
Prior to joining GenTrust, he was a Managing Director at Citigroup where he ran the Trading Strategy team, overseeing macro, derivatives and quant efforts for Institutional Clients. From 2009 to 2011, managed proprietary positions and advised Citi’s trading head on overall book positioning. Most recently, he worked for Citi’s Private Bank where he provided personal investment advice to Hedge Fund and Private Equity professionals as well as Family Offices. Prior to his time at Citigroup, he ran Barclays’ credit options and exotics trading desk and traded their capital structure proprietary book.
Olivier holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science from ENSIMAG in France and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has presented on many occasions at industry conferences including those sponsored by the CBOE, Risk, and TD Ameritrade. In addition, he has published articles on topics such as back-testing and risk management.
Nathan Kotler
Head of Trading
Nathan Kotler
Head of Trading
As the Head of Trading Nathan is responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s multi asset trading operations. Nathan works closely with the CIO and asset class heads to implement bespoke investment management solutions for our clients across all major asset classes, including exchange traded products, fixed income, futures, and derivatives. Additionally, Nathan leads the design of our proprietary trading and risk management systems and works closely with our CTO and technology team to implement new trading technologies.
Before joining GenTrust, Nathan was a global fixed income trader at Bridgewater Associates where he traded government debt and inflation indexed products in roughly a dozen different markets around the world.
Nathan holds a BS in mathematics from Northeastern University.
Mark Neely
Director of Alternative Investments, Wealth Advisor
Mark Neely
Director of Alternative Investments, Wealth Advisor
Mark is a member of the GenTrust investment team and is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and selection of alternative investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, opportunistic and non-traditional strategies. Mark is also part of our Client Advisory team, with a focus on ultra-high-net-worth clients and families.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Mark spent 12 years as a Partner and Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, for EJF Capital LLC, an alternative asset manager in Arlington, Virginia. At EJF, Mark was responsible for a wide array of cross asset class investments, specializing on the management of EJF’s high yield and event driven fixed income investments. Mark managed investments and teams across multiple funds and strategies, including EJF’s Tactical Opportunities Strategy, which focused on equities, corporates, structured products, options, and esoteric. Mark was also a founding member of the EJF Real Estate Investment Committee where he assisted in raising and deploying equity in commercial real estate development projects. Prior to EJF he worked at Fannie Mae as a mortgage-backed securities trader and financial analyst where his role included trading mortgage-backed securities and pricing complex legacy portfolios.
Mark holds a B.S. in Economics and an MBA from the Smith School of Business at The University of Maryland.
Erin Herman-Kerwin
Trading Associate
Erin Herman-Kerwin
Trading Associate
As a member of our trading team, Erin is responsible for executing and allocating portfolio trades through various exchange traded products covering a range of asset classes including fixed income, equities, and commodities. She also assists in the implementation of additional strategies and products including systematic trading strategies and hedging strategies. She covers middle and back-office functions including processing allocations and monitoring settlements at our custodians.
She works closely with our technology team to design and develop technology solutions for the trading team, by contributing and collaborating on the development, testing, and enhancement of proprietary trading software, tools, and systems.
Before joining GenTrust Erin was involved in mathematics research. She researched Schur Function identities and the Yang-Baxter Equation in the UMN REU program in summer 2020. Erin continued researching this topic for her honors thesis and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in mathematics.
Colin Daniel
Trading Analyst
Colin Daniel
Trading Analyst
As a member of the trading team, Colin is responsible for assisting in trade execution across all major asset classes. Colin is also involved with the implementation of various investment team trading strategies. Colin works with members of the technology team to maintain, develop and optimize solutions for the trading team. These projects range from aiding trade execution and risk management to creating new systematic trading technologies.
Before joining GenTrust, Colin earned a MS in Applied Data Science and a BS in Business Administration, both from Carnegie Mellon University.
Business Operations
Jennifer Tamayo
Chief Compliance Officer
Jennifer Tamayo
Chief Compliance Officer
As GenTrust's Chief Compliance Officer, Jen is responsible for overseeing the firm's adherence to all compliance and regulatory obligations. She works closely with the firm’s legal, compliance and business partners with the goal that our firm delivers excellent service to clients while meeting all industry standards and regulations. Jen also oversees relationships with external partners, vendors and assists with the coordination of contracting and licensing for advisors and third parties.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Jen worked as a Banker Associate and Relationship Officer at Citigroup for over 5 years where she was responsible for prospecting and maintaining relationships of UHNW clients and families in the Mexican market segment.
Prior to her role at Citi, she was a Client Relationship Manager (CRM) at the Merrill Lynch Coral Gables Complex in Miami where she was responsible for the supervision of all the branch’s Client Associates, Support Staff, and Operations. During her tenure as a CRM, she achieved top honors for reaching the firm’s client satisfaction goals and for two consecutive years led client satisfaction initiative and business management goals for the branch.
Alexander Ruiz
Head of Client Reporting, Wealth Management Advisor
Alexander Ruiz
Head of Client Reporting, Wealth Management Advisor
Alexander “Alex” Ruiz is a Wealth Management Advisor responsible for working with and overseeing several of GenTrust’s key clients. He is also GenTrust’s Head of Client Reporting, combining the firm’s proprietary technology with best of class reporting software. Alex and his team embody GenTrust’s belief that a report only succeeds when it fits the needs of its audience. In this capacity Alex collaborates daily with clients and other members of the Advisory, Investment, and Operations teams while leveraging cutting-edge capabilities of the firm’s external technology providers in order to keep GenTrust’s clients fully updated on portfolio compositions, strategies, cash flows and performance.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Alex worked at Merrill Lynch for over 6 years where he began his career in the financial services industry as a Client Service Associate within the Private Wealth Management division. In that role he provided the full range of operational support to clients and his wealth management team alike with a strong focus on specialized liability management. He also worked as an Investment Advisor focusing on investment due diligence and manager selection, portfolio construction, security-based lending, and financial planning.
Alex graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Finance and Marketing.
Krysta Dos Santos, CFP®
Head of Financial Planning
Krysta Dos Santos, CFP®
Head of Financial Planning
As GenTrust’s Head of Financial Planning, Krysta works to understand each client’s unique financial situation and then designs a customized plan to ensure those targets are achieved. She has a holistic approach that takes into consideration a variety of wealth management topics such as estate planning, tax strategies, philanthropic giving, risk mitigation, cash flow management, education funding, and family legacy planning.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Krysta was a Relationship Executive at Vanguard, where she spent ten years supporting clients with $25 million in investable assets. During this time, she worked with hundreds of wealthy families and developed a deep understanding of the unique needs of ultra-high net worth investors.
Krysta graduated from Fairfield University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She obtained a Master in Business Administration from Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business. She also holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.
Ulises Robles, CFA®
Head of Finance
Ulises Robles, CFA®
Head of Finance
As Head of Finance, Uli oversees the financial management and reporting processes at Gentrust, which include the preparation of financial statements, budgeting and forecasting, revenue reporting, treasury and invoice management, reconciliation tasks, and ad hoc financial modeling and analyses that support the CFO and Principals in key strategic business decisions. He is also responsible for the coordination of the external audit.
Prior to GenTrust, Uli served as the Associate Director of Corporate Finance at Nuveen Green Capital, a commercial real estate lender in the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) industry, where he was responsible for financial modeling for quarterly loan valuations, fund series cash flows, loan pricing and acquisition strategy, and budgeting and cash forecasts. Before Nuveen, Uli began his career at UBS Wealth Management where he completed the Graduate Talent Rotational Program and then spent three years as a Tailored Lending Underwriter where he worked with financial advisors and their ultra-high net worth clients to structure credit lines backed by illiquid or more esoteric collateral (e.g. Restricted Stock, Private / Pre-IPO Stock, Hedge Fund and Private Equity LP Interests, etc.).
Uli graduated from the Professional Program in Accounting (PPA) at Texas A&M University receiving a B.B.A. in Accounting and M.S. in Finance. Uli Robles is a CFA® charterholder.
Amanda Garcia
Client Service Manager
Amanda Garcia
Client Service Manager
As a Client Service Manager, Amanda oversees and implements processes and procedures related to our Client Service Team. She works closely with our COO and CCO in identifying gaps in our firm’s processes, including but not limited to time spent on resolving issues and identifying trends and opportunities for training and improving our client service offering. As part of the management team, Amanda handles escalations from clients and advisors, with the goal to deliver best in class service at GenTrust.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Amanda worked as a Client Service Associate for a team of Financial Advisors at Morgan Stanley responding to daily operational requests, maintaining client accounts, and preparing portfolio reports for advisor/client meetings. Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Minor in Marketing from the University of Miami.
Alexandrea King
Marketing and Client Relations Associate
Alexandrea King
Marketing and Client Relations Associate
As a Client Relations Associate, Alexandrea (“Alex”) works closely with the Miami-based advisory team, assisting with day-to-day client needs as a part of our concierge services. Serving as a liaison between the Company and its vendors, Alex aids the Senior Relationship Manager in providing specialized services to our high-net-worth clients. In her role, Alex focuses on creating budget and expense reports as well as working closely with a client’s network of service partners.
Alex also has a prominent role within the company's marketing team, with a focus on research, content creation, and the firm’s overall marketing strategy.
Alex has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Minor in Spanish and Intercultural Studies from Florida International University. She retained her degree in just three years while also being a collegiate athlete in the NCAA Division I organization.
Carlos Gonzalez
Senior Associate
Carlos Gonzalez
Senior Associate
Carlos works closely with the advisory team and is responsible for assisting in all aspects of our day-to-day operations and client servicing. In his role, Carlos is focused on processing daily disbursement requests, account maintenance, service requests, and special projects, as needed. Carlos is known for his outstanding customer service skills and his ability to build lasting relationships with clients. He is committed to delivering the highest level of service and is always looking for ways to go above and beyond to exceed client expectations.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Carlos was an Economics student at the University of Colorado – Boulder. With 4 years of experience in the financial services industry, he served a tenure at a Miami-based Registered Investment Advisor as a part of their Services and Operations Team.
Outside of work, Carlos is an avid Soccer player, enjoys practicing many sports, and traveling.
Gustavo Polidor
Relationship Manager Associate
Gustavo Polidor
Relationship Manager Associate
Gustavo "Gus" Polidor works closely with our Senior Relationship Manager and advisors in providing Concierge and Lifestyle services to clients of the firm. He also assists with the preparation of our athlete clients' budget and expense reporting. Gus works closely with our firm's third party vendors and business partners to ensure we exceed and maintain client satisfaction on services offered.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Gus was a business department intern at Entercom Communications in Boston. He graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science from Lesley University, majoring in Business Administration and a minor in Sports Management. He also holds an MBA in Global Finance from St. Thomas University.
Janette Rodriguez
Senior Associate
Janette Rodriguez
Senior Associate
As a Senior Associate at GenTrust, Janette provides support to our advisory and wealth management teams for all aspects of our client relationships, which include but is not limited to account opening and onboarding, processing of client disbursement requests, and resolving client inquiries. Janette takes pride in developing relationships with clients to create an exceptional client experience.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Janette worked in a software development company as an Office Manager for five years. She led all aspects of office services, including the oversight of business operations and ensuring procedures were adhered to. She was responsible for hiring and creating a team to perform all recordkeeping and operational functions as well as supervising the team. In addition, she was accountable for maintaining company credentials up to date for auditing purposes.
Previous to working in the software development industry Janette worked as a Client Service Associate for Merrill Lynch for 6 years. At Merrill Lynch she assisted a team of Financial Advisors that serviced international and domestic clients with their day to day operational needs including: client transfers, online access, account opening and maintenance. An integral part of the role was providing superior customer service for which the office won awards for the 6 consecutive years at the firm.
Kaishini Ragumar
SalesForce Lead & IT Coordinator
Kaishini Ragumar
SalesForce Lead & IT Coordinator
As the Salesforce Lead and IT Coordinator, Kaishini is responsible for the administration and development of any technical designs and projects that GenTrust may need on their Salesforce platform. She works closely with the Chief Technology Officer in responding to and resolving any internal IT issues.
Prior to GenTrust, Kaishini worked for Infosys as a Salesforce developer, completing projects with clients. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology and Informatics.
Vipul Harihar
Lead Software Engineer
Vipul Harihar
Lead Software Engineer
As the Lead Software Engineer at GenTrust, Vipul's skills ensure high-quality software developments, ad-hoc enhancements, and efficient project management with high stake project deliveries. Vipul is a skilled software developer and data scientist with experience in a range of technologies and frameworks. He specializes in web application development, machine learning modeling, cloud computing, data management and analytics.
Prior to joining GenTrust, Vipul worked as an Application Developer at IBM Technologies while completing his Master of Science in Data Science from Columbia University. During his undergraduate studies at DIT, Vipul was the Gold Medal recipient in Computer Science & Engineering with specialization in Big data analytics.
Yira Estevez
Senior Associate
Yira Estevez
Senior Associate
Yira works closely with our advisory and wealth management teams providing support and ensuring all aspects of client servicing is met with the highest level of quality and professionalism. In her role, she is responsible for client onboarding, client disbursement requests and assisting with client inquiries. Yira takes pride in her work and strives to build excellent relationships with clients, team members and business partners.
Prior to joining GenTrust Yira worked at Merrill Lynch for 21 years in various roles. Most recently she was a Wealth Management Banker supporting the international advisors in delivering credit and banking solutions to ultra-high net worth clients. In her role, Yira would participate in client meeting to discuss liquidity and cash management as well as overall asset allocation strategies. Yira was known for strong team and relationship building. During her tenure at Merrill, Yira was elected Regional-Practice Management Advisory Council, Associate Satisfaction Champion and Guest Speaker on Best Practices Forum.
Our in-house investment management team leverages 150+ years of the firm’s combined institutional investment experience to thoughtfully navigate complex market environments.