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Sarona
Investing in Profit, Impact, Stability | Sarona Asset Management
Investing in Profit, Impact, Stability | Sarona Asset Management

Management Team

J. Alex Hartzler

J. Alex Hartzler, Chairman, Alex Hartzler was Executive Vice President and a partner of Webclients.net from 2000 until the company's sale to ValueClick, Inc. in June 2005. Alex previously served as corporate attorney with Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C. He is a graduate of Penn State University (BA, Econ), The George Washington University Law School (JD), and was a Fulbright Scholar in Cologne Germany. Alex is currently the managing partner of WCI Partners, LP, a real estate development company which he founded in 2005, along with his former partners at Webclients.net and also advises several companies in the internet marketing sector. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Ten Thousand Villages, an international handicraft distributor and retailer, and Director of the Board of MEDA. He has been active in the impact investment arena for many years with Sarona and is a founding investor in several Sarona and MicroVest funds.

Gerhard Pries, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer

Gerhard Pries, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Gerhard Pries is Founder and Managing Partner of Sarona Asset Management Inc. and the Sarona funds; Founding Director and Vice-Chairman of MicroVest General Partner Holdings, and Investment Committee member and chairman of several MicroVest funds. He previously served as CFO of MEDA, Founding Chairman of MicroCap Capital Management and Latin America Challenge Investment Fund, Founding Director of International Association of Micro Finance Investors, and as Director of numerous companies in the financial services and agribusiness industries. He cut his teeth equally at PricewaterhouseCoopers and at the feet of Mother Teresa. Gerhard is fluent in German and English with working skills in Spanish. » gpries@saronafund.com

Serge LeVert-Chiasson, Senior Partner and Chief Operating Officer

Serge LeVert-Chiasson, Senior Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Serge has over ten years of experience in the field of international finance in private equity investing, private banking, international commercial lending, international accounts receivable insurance and international investment management. Serge also holds a Masters in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics, is a CFA charterholder and has completed an International MBA at York University's Schulich School of Business. He was the founding chair of Agro Capital Management in Ukraine and is the ex-officio treasurer on the board of the Working Skills Centre. Serge is fluent in French and English with advanced skills in Spanish. » slevertchiasson@saronafund.com

Vivina Berla, Senior Partner and European Managing Director

Vivina Berla, Senior Partner and European Managing Director – After a first career spent in industry, Vivina worked for 17 years in the commercial investment world. During her ten years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers she was responsible for a variety of investors and products across Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Pacific Region. After leaving her position as Managing Director, Alternative Investments in 2004, Vivina joined Gartmore Investment Management. She spent 7 years in the world of Private Equity Funds of Funds. Since July 2009 she has lived and worked in Amsterdam. Vivina graduated from the London School of Economics and obtained an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in the US. She has been a mentor for the "Business Start-Up" programme for the Prince's Trust in the UK. She is a member of Council of the London School of Economics and sits on the Investment Committee. Vivina is fluent in Italian, Spanish, French and English, and can survive in Dutch having lived and worked across Europe, the Americas, and Africa. » vberla@saronafund.com

Tracy Hilpert, Controller

Tracy Hilpert, Controller, Tracy Hilpert is responsible for the accounting and financial management of Sarona Asset Management. Tracy is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Brock University. Prior to joining Sarona, Tracy worked in public accounting for 15 years providing accounting, taxation and valuation advice to small and medium sized enterprises. » thilpert@saronafund.com

Eric Mooney, Investment Analyst

Eric Mooney, Investment Analyst, Eric Mooney is an Investment Analyst with Sarona Asset Management. He is responsible for the pipeline management process and assists the investment team with initial due diligence. Prior to joining Sarona, he spent 4 years working for Canada's largest independent fund company in a sales role. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in finance from the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology and is a CFA charterholder. » emooney@saronafund.com