Meet The

Team

Directors & Founding Partners

Michael spent the last 25 years exploring and analyzing global investment opportunities across various asset classes and industries. Through a rigorous process of understanding macroeconomic trends, industry dynamics, company specific fundamentals, and commodity supply/demand balances, Michael constructed and managed portfolios at leading hedge funds and asset management firms.

Prior to Primary Commodity Fund, Michael was Co- Founder & Managing Member of Caip Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and hedge fund which implemented an opportunistic investment approach globally.

As a managing member at Caip Partners, his responsibilities included overall asset allocation assessment, individual company analysis and developing deep relationships with investment companies. Michael constructed extensive due diligence to target investments in Latin America, Asia, Europe, Middle East & Africa, providing unique perspective and insight into global trends.

Before Co-founding Caip Partners, Michael was a Managing Director focused on global technology investments at Maverick Capital, Ltd., a $10 billion Long/Short Equity hedge fund. Prior to Maverick Capital, Ltd., Michael was a senior analyst at Pequot Capital Management, Inc. with a focus on the semiconductor industry.

Immediately prior to starting Primary Commodity Fund, Michael was a senior portfolio manager within Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management division. In this role, Michael directly managed a portfolio of $2 billion of assets across both public and private markets, as well as a host of industries ranging from energy, metals, industrials, and technology.

Michael received his B.A. in Economics from Colgate University.

Stephen is a seasoned senior mining executive and resource financier who founded and financed numerous mining ventures in several continents in diverse commodities including gold, uranium, copper, iron ore and coal.

In late 1982, Stephen joined Barrick Gold Corporation and was one of the key executives during its formative years. Stephen was involved in the Company’s growth from a capital base of $10 million to a market capitalization of over $2 billion when he left in early 1987.

In 2005, Stephen founded UraMin Inc., which acquired and developed uranium assets in Africa. The Company was sold in August 2007 to Areva, the French Government-owned, fully integrated nuclear company for cash consideration of approximately $2.5 billion.

Stephen has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University, a law degree (cum laude) from the University of Western Ontario and has completed the program for Management Development at Harvard University.

Chris has an extensive business background, having held several senior positions at News Corporation and Times Newspaper. Chris joined News Corporation from the board of Marks and Spencer where he had served as Property Director. While at News Corporation and Times Newspaper, Chris served as Chief Executive of European Marketing and Chief Executive Officer for Times of London and the Sunday Times.

Chris is currently Vice Chairman of Bermuda Commercial Bank and Chairman of Beacon Events.

Prior to Beacon Events, Chris was Chief Executive Officer and a shareholder of the Institute for International Research (IIR). Under his leadership, IIR grew into the world’s largest conference and performance improvement company. Chris was instrumental in its sale to Informa in 2004 for USD 1.4 billion.

Independent Directors

Ian is a fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a member of STEP. He is the founder and Executive Director of Via Executive Limited, a specialist management consulting company and the managing director of Regent Mercantile Holdings Limited, a privately owned investment company.

Ian is current Chairman of AIM listed Seed Innovations Limited and is also a non-executive director of Darwin Property and associated companies, which manage funds investing into a range of property assets valued at over £1 billion, Curlew Capital Guernsey Limited which manages funds investing into purpose built student accommodation valued at over £200 million, and Cayman registered NewGen Long/Short Fund which has assets over multiple funds of ~$1B.

Ian is formerly a non-executive director and audit committee chairman of London Listed River & Mercantile UK Micro Cap Ltd (market capitalization £90 million) and Twenty Four Income Fund Limited (market capitalization £760 million). Ian is licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission as a personal fiduciary.

Sam is an experienced marketing and promotional entrepreneur who founded two leading international sales promotion companies. His companies have collectively handled over $5 Billion in promotional payments for Fortune 500 clients in all verticals. He is also a serial professional sports team owner of NBA, WNBA, NWSL and La Liga teams including Real Mallorca, Phoenix Suns, Portland Fire (WNBA) and NWSL’s Portland Thorns.

Sam founded CPG and grew it to $1.4 Billion in sales working for clients like Dell, Disney, Henkel, Costco, Dial, British Telecom and Nestle globally. After selling CPG in 2004, he bought the NBA team “The Phoenix Suns” and became the second largest equity owner and Vice Chairman. In 2008, he joined the NBA Board as an Alternate Governor and 16 years later was elevated to Governor and joined the NBA BOG Executive Committee. Sam, as Phoenix Suns Governor, led the successful sale of the Suns in 2023 for a then record setting $4.1 Billion. Experienced on many corporate Boards, he was named Chairman of Atlanta based Engaged Media and successfully sold the firm to Merck KGA returning investors a multiple of 10x. Sam was recognized by Arizona Governor Jane Hull with the states “Spirit of Success Award” and twice nominated as Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in Arizona.

Sam earned his undergraduate degree from University of Pittsburgh with a double major in 3 years. In 1989, Sam earned his Masters of International Management degree (MIM/MBA) from Thunderbird/AGSIM. Later he was awarded a Doctor of International Law (H.C.) from Thunderbird for his contributions and Board service. Sam is married and splits his time between Arizona and Bermuda. He is philanthropically active and has served as a Trustee of Phoenix Country Day School, Thunderbird, Suns Charities and his Family Office support’s many Arizona and Bermuda based charities.

Executive Management Team

Dr. Peter Cotton is the Chief Technology Officer for Global Strategic Minerals Corporation. He is a quantitative finance practitioner, entrepreneur, active open-source contributor and the author of Microprediction: Building an Open AI Network, a forward-looking book that anticipates the rise of decentralized artificial intelligence and prediction markets.

His theoretical work in finance includes the mathematical unification of hierarchical and optimization-based approaches to portfolio construction – bridging two traditionally separate branches of portfolio theory. On the practical side, he has led data science teams at buy-side firms managing over $10 billion in AUM (on two separate occasions) and held senior roles at major sell-side institutions. Peter pioneered the application of control theory to over-the-counter trading while at JPMorgan and earlier led CDO pricing efforts at Morgan Stanley.

Peter is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded several companies, including Benchmark Solutions, whose technology was integrated into Bloomberg. A dedicated open-source developer, he has created widely-used Python packages for time-series analysis, optimization, and portfolio construction, collectively amassing over one million downloads.

Peter holds a doctorate in mathematics from Stanford University.

Charles is an investor relations and sales executive with a strong track record in high-level client management, investor engagement, and business development within the international events and mining sectors. He has worked in London, Melbourne and New York. As a Business Development Manager & Investor Relations Executive at Beacon Events, he has negotiated and closed high-value sponsorship deals across North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia, managing relationships with a diverse portfolio of international companies. He has played a key role in organizing and executing large-scale global events, attended by over 100,000 representatives from more than 50 countries.

Charles specializes in handling investor relations for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and government officials, ensuring bespoke needs and expectations are met while providing strategic exposure opportunities. With experience in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, he is highly skilled in relationship management, strategic sales, and cross-border deal-making.

Shari brings more than three decades of experience in global operations, risk management, and financial oversight across complex institutions and regulated environments.

Shari began her career in global banking and investment firms, holding senior leadership roles at Citigroup Private Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Bankers Trust. Throughout her tenure, she led global operations teams, strengthened control frameworks, and built robust reporting infrastructures supporting multiple asset classes and international markets. Her work focused on operational integrity, transparency, and scalable processes designed to support disciplined trading environments.

Shari later served as Chief Operating Officer at Stonehouse Services Group, where she oversaw multi-entity operations, finance, and compliance, implementing internal control structures and analytics to enhance business transparency.

Most recently, Shari served as a Group Director and Chief Operating Officer at Morgan Stanley and as Executive Director of a New Jersey–based nonprofit care management organization, where she led strategic planning, financial oversight, and cross-functional teams in a highly regulated environment.

Shari holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Lehigh University, a Series 3 designation through the National Futures Association, and maintains FINRA Series 7 and 66 license designations as well as an active NJ Health, Accident and Life Insurance Producer License.

Michael is a highly accomplished finance professional, specifically focused on asset management and alternative investments. Michael holds a CPA license in both New York and Bermuda, and a Series 3 designation through the National Futures Association.

Most recently, Michael worked for Pillar Capital Management Limited as a VP, Financial Controller overseeing all areas related to Finance and Operations. Michael was specifically in charge of investor reporting and due diligence, financial reporting, monthly valuations, policy creation and implementation, regulatory compliance, and system integrations.

Prior to that, Michael held multiple roles in audit, fund administration, and investment management. Michael’s career has been focused on third-party capital funds, directly working for two previous hedge funds with ~$5B and ~$3B AUM, respectively.

Michael received his Masters in Accounting from UConn and his Bachelor’s in Accounting with a Minor in Legal Studies from Bryant University.

Advisory Board

Don has over 30 years of experience as an industrial minerals exploration and economic geologist.

He has held product research and business development roles with Fiberglas Canada Inc. and Domtar Construction Materials, and has consulted for more than 30 years on industrial minerals markets and economics.

Don’s experience spans most industrial minerals and several specialty metals, including antimony, lithium, tantalum, niobium, gallium, germanium, and rare earth elements. His work has included valuation reports, feasibility studies, and market assessments.

Don is the President of Hains Engineering Company Limited, a registered Professional Geoscientist in Ontario, and a Professional Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).

Don is the author of the Best Practice Guidelines for Reporting of Lithium Brine Resources and Reserves and a co-author of the Best Practice Guidelines for Reporting on Industrial Minerals Resources and Reserves, which support NI 43- 101–compliant reporting.

Don holds a BA (Honours) from Queen’s University and an MBA from Dalhousie University.

Preston has extensive experience in investment management and investment products.

Preston is a Senior Adviser to Arch Capital Group, having previously served as its Chief Investment Officer and President of its investment management subsidiary. Prior to joining Arch in 2005, Preston held senior investment roles at two other Bermuda-based reinsurance companies.

In addition to his roles at Arch and SHL, he is an adviser to a Hong Kong–based private equity firm and a Mumbai-based equity manager.

Preston graduated from the University of Oxford.

Alex completed a thirty-year career in commodity trading and sales, the last fifteen at Goldman Sachs where he was a Partner and ran the commodity sales and origination business for EMEA and Asia.

Alex started his career on the floor of the LME in London and went on to trade metals in London and New York before running institutional and corporate sales businesses for Deutsche Bank, Barclays, UBS and Credit Suisse.

During his time at Goldman Sachs, Alex built out corporate, structured and investor businesses across ferrous and industrial metals, uranium, bulks, energy, power, gas, carbon and battery products, spanning physical and financial products.

Key Service Providers

Apex Group
Fund Administration
Deloitte
Auditors
Gnosis
CISO & IT
Goldman Sachs
Prime Broker