About Us
Impacting the ETF industry with products that innovate
In 2014, ETF Managers Group (ETFMG) was founded by Sam Masucci with a vision of developing innovative thematic ETFs that provide investors unique exposure to new markets. Today, the ETFMG fund lineup provides access to a diverse collection of global themes and is comprised of 80% first-to-market products.
In 2014, ETF Managers Group (ETFMG) was founded by Sam Masucci with a vision of developing innovative thematic ETFs that provide investors unique exposure to new markets. Today, the ETFMG fund lineup provides access to a diverse collection of global themes and is comprised of 80% first-to-market products.
The ETFMG Leadership Team
Sam Masucci
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Mr. Masucci has more than 25 years’ experience in investment banking, structured product development, sales and trading. In 2014, he founded ETF Managers Group (ETFMG) to revolutionize the exchange-traded fund marketplace. Sam’s leadership has already led to the successful launch of 18 funds and $7B+ in assets. His unique approach to the ETF go-to-market process and post launch management is setting the bar in this quickly evolving industry. Prior to ETFMG, he has held senior positions at Bear Stearns, UBS, SBC Warburg, and Merrill Lynch and has a proven track record of creating, building and managing businesses for the issuance, sales and trading of ETFs, index products, commodity products, hedge funds, ABS, and OTC structured products in the U.S. and Europe. He has significant experience in asset management product sales to institutional investors including pension funds, consultants, insurance companies and hedge funds as well as to broker dealer networks and RIAs.
- ETFMG’s managed fund, HACK, received industry recognition as the most successful ETF launch for 2015 earning over $1B dollars in its first 6 months.
- Co-founded and led MacroMarkets LLC, an innovative ETF and financial products firm.
- Managed over $1.7B in assets through the first “paired” ETF products.
- Awarded 11 financial product patents.
- Received William F. Sharpe Achievement award for most innovative benchmark index.
- Awarded 2008 Time Magazine best invention for U.S. housing ETF.
Matthew Bromberg
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Matt has expertise in ETFs and mutual funds, as well as separately managed account, robo-advisory and wrap fee programs. In various in-house roles, Matt has been responsible for providing legal counsel relating to registration, day-to-day operation, and regulation of investment advisers and investment companies, as well as for seeking interpretive and “no-action” relief, SEC exemptive orders, and related matters. Matt also provides advice with respect to broker-dealer activities under the Federal securities laws, SRO rules and other relevant laws, including ERISA. In addition, he has served as counsel to a global custodian and provided strategic counsel to executive managers relating to corporate governance, human resources, operational and accounting matters, intellectual property and disputes. In private practice, at various nationally recognized law firms, Matt has represented financial institutions in transactional and regulatory matters with a focus on investment advisers, registered public funds, private investment funds, banks, and broker-dealers.
Frank Vallario
Chief Investment Officer
Frank Vallario is the Chief Investment Officer for ETF Managers Group (ETFMG). He is responsible for the portfolio construction, trading, risk management and portfolio analysis processes associated with ETF strategies. Before his current role at ETFMG, Frank has had a variety of senior roles over his 25-year career in financial services.
Before joining ETF Managers Group, Frank was with OppenheimerFunds where he was Head of Equity Portfolio Management for the Firm’s Smart Beta ETFs (Invesco acquired OppenheimerFunds in May 2019). His role before joining OppenheimerFunds in 2017 was a Senior Portfolio Manager at ColumbiaThreadneedle where he was responsible for the day to day management of the firm’s ETF business, which was acquired from his previous firm, Emerging Global Advisors (EGA). Prior to that, he was relationship manager at MSCI responsible for providing investment solutions to complex problems using MSCI Barra’s fundamental models and portfolio construction tools. Previously, Frank was a partner in a start-up asset management firm where he served as the director of portfolio management. Frank began his career at UBS Global Asset Management where he spent over a decade in various quantitative portfolio management equity roles including equity market neutral, tactical asset allocation, structured active equities, enhanced index, passive management and factor research.
Frank serves on the Investment Committee for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut and is an University Affiliate at the University of Utah – David Eccles School of Business. He received a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and a M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from Rutgers University.
John Flanagan
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Flanagan serves as Chief Financial Officer of ETF Managers Group and each of the exchange traded funds managed by ETFMG. Mr. Flanagan has extensive experience with asset management companies, including thirty years of public accounting experience with Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers where, as a partner, exclusively served investment management industry clients. He has broad industry experience having served as Treasurer of a major mutual fund organization, and has served as Chief Financial Officer of a private equity firm. Mr. Flanagan was Chief Financial Officer of MacroMarkets LLC, an exchange traded fund issuer from January 2007 to December 2010. Since June 2014, Mr. Flanagan has served as an Independent Trustee and Audit Committee Chair of Absolute Shares Trust, an unaffiliated multi-series exchange traded fund. Mr. Flanagan is a Certified Public Accountant.
Nikolas Baret
Head of ETF Operations
Nikolas serves as ETFMG’s Head of ETF Operations where he oversees all aspects of the ETF portfolio administration and operation process. Prior to ETFMG, Nikolas held leadership positions in research and data management.
He received a degree in Economics from Rutgers University.
Market Segment Experts
Michael Pachter
Video Game Tech Expert
Michael Pachter is a 17-year industry veteran covering the entertainment software, entertainment retail, social internet, e-commerce and movies/entertainment sectors. Prior to his current role as Managing Director of Equity Research at Wedbush Securities, Pachter spent 15+ years in various financial and management positions. Pachter has been recognized as StarMine’s ‘Top Earnings Estimator’ and WSJ’s ‘Best on the Street’ year after year and is often cited by global media publications evaluating tech companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Roku, Nintendo, etc.
For more information on GAMR, visit www.etfmg.com/GAMR.
Michael Pachter Research | Follow Michael Pachter on Twitter
Dan Ives
Cloud Technology Expert
Dan Ives is a Managing Director and Equity Analyst covering the Technology sector at Wedbush Securities. He is a world renowned software and technology analyst with 20+ years experience educating on cloud computing, cyber security, big data and the mobile landscape.
Dan is a highly sought after tech expert and regularly makes television appearances on networks such as CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC, CNN, and Fox, to provide commentary related to his technology experience, and is often cited by publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, and New York Times.
His vision behind the IVES ETF stems from an investor demand for direct global exposure to the “cloud enabler” companies he has been covering for decades. For more information on IVES, visit www.etfmg.com/IVES.
Dan Ives Research | Follow Dan Ives on Twitter
John Kartsonas
Shipping Industry Expert
From 2011 to 2017, John was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Carlyle Commodity Management, a commodity-focused investment firm based in New York and part of the Carlyle Group. He was responsible for the firm’s shipping and freight investments. During his tenure, he managed one of the largest freight futures funds globally. Prior to this role, John was a Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager of Sea Advisors Fund, an investment fund focused on shipping. From 2004 to 2009, John was the leading Transportation Analyst at Citi Investment Research covering the broader transportation space including shipping. Prior to that, John was an Equity Analyst focusing on shipping and energy for Standard & Poor’s Investment Research. John sits on the Board of Seanergy Maritime, a publicly traded dry bulk shipping company. John received his MBA from the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester.
Ted Pollak
Video Game Tech Expert
Ted Pollak is the Founder and President of EE Fund Management LLC. The Company was formed in 2004 to act as a general investment manager (a California Registered Investment Advisor) and also to manage The Electronic Entertainment Fund LP (a Delaware sector focused investment partnership). Mr. Pollak also created EEndex (the world’s first video game industry equity index) and the EE Fund Video Game Tech Index (an ETF optimized video game industry equity index). Additionally, Pollak is a Senior Gaming Industry Analyst for Jon Peddie Research, a Tiburon California based market research and consulting firm and is an Entertainment Technology Expert for the Gerson Lehrman Group Council, an independent primary research firm serving business and investment leaders in North America, Asia and Europe.
Pollak has been in the financial products and services industry for 21 years, and has worked in operational and financial management, equity trading, relationship management, marketing, and investment system operations at various firms including Wells Capital Management, SDR Capital Management, Osborne Partners, and Robert W. Baird. Mr. Pollak also has experience from Hambrecht & Quist and other investment industry companies.
Mr. Pollak holds a degree in history and business from CSUC and an Eastern Michigan University overseas program spanning 15 countries. He holds the NASD Series 65 License, and has passed the NASD Series 7, NASD Series 63, and CFA Level I exams.
Jason Wilson
Cannabis Research and Banking Expert
With over 20 years of experience in the asset management, finance and structured product space, Jason has a track record of bringing hard-to-access asset classes to market.
Jason has held leadership and senior positions at several leading financial institutions. Most recently, Jason was Senior Vice President at INFOR Financial Inc. INFOR is a leading boutique investment bank based in Toronto, Canada that has worked in connection with a number of companies in the legal cannabis industry, including acting as advisor to Canopy Growth Corporation in connection with entering into its strategic relationship with Constellation Brands.
Jason has also worked at the investment banking divisions of Société Générale, France’s third largest bank, and at CIBC, one of the five largest banks in Canada. While at Société Générale and CIBC, Jason provided asset managers and financial institutions with various capital raising, financing and risk mitigation solutions and strategies.
Jason has an LLB from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to completing his university studies, Jason was a member of the Canadian Forces and is a recipient of the Gulf of Kuwait Medal, awarded for his engagement in direct combat during the Gulf War in 1991.
Bryce Doty
Bond Market Expert
Bryce Doty is a Senior Vice President with Sit Fixed Income and Senior Portfolio Manager of the taxable bond portfolios for the firm’s custom separately-managed accounts, private investment funds, and mutual funds. Bryce oversees the firm’s team of taxable bond managers, analysts, and traders.
Prior to joining Sit Investment Associates in 1995, Bryce gained extensive experience during his seven years with Minnesota Mutual in management consulting, serving as the due diligence officer for broker/dealer operations and as head of the public bond trading desk. His responsibilities also included analyzing and monitoring all total return corporate credits.
Bryce earned his M.B.A. degree, with a concentration in finance, from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in 1992. He earned a B.A. degree in business management, with minors in physics and psychology, from Hamline University in 1988. Bryce is a CFA charter holder.
Bryce currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Our Service Partners
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Contact usWe are always looking for new talent to join the team.
If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are interested in learning more about the exciting career opportunities at ETFMG, we want to hear from you!
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We are always looking for qualified experts to support our products. If you are qualified and interested in becoming an ETFMG® Market Segment Expert, let’s chat!
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