Derek is a portfolio management executive with 20+ years of experience growing large-scale client portfolios, directing financial management endeavors, and building quantitative models to support investment decisions. He leverages his experience administering assets (fixed income, cash, and alternative) and capturing new business development opportunities to maximize ROI and revenue growth. With a natural talent for identifying and mitigating risks, determining competitive market trends, executing financial market strategies, and leading continuous improvement initiatives, Derek fulfills business and customer needs.
As a growth-focused professional, he is instrumental in developing and implementing cost-effective plans and instituting best practices to deliver best-in-class products and services while maintaining the highest standards of customer satisfaction. Derek is known for cultivating positive and long-term relationships with clients, senior management, and stakeholders to strengthen internal collaboration and ensure prompt resolution of complex issues.
Since 2014, Derek has served as Managing Director at Milestone Research and Development LLC, steering financial, investment, and real estate projects and implementing risk mitigation strategies to accomplish organizational goals.
From 2013 to 2014, while Director of Financial Research at Ambassador Capital Management, Derek eliminated market, sector, credit, and interest rate risks by conducting quantitative risk analysis on the firm’s investment portfolios. He communicated with clients regarding treasury, pension, public funds, and foundations to assist management of institutional client investment portfolios in sustaining compliance with core, intermediate, and short-term policies. Prior, he served 12 years as Investment Portfolio Manager, where he led efforts to enhance first-quartile product performance and measure top-tier risk metrics in contradiction of peer groups on several product styles. During his tenure, he developed a customized account compliance system and utilized effective quantitative approaches to champion business growth.
Derek’s entrepreneurial spirit and in-depth understanding of investment and portfolio management, combined with his leadership and decision-making abilities, allow him to gain buy-ins through a focus on economic and financial benefits with streamlined productivity and costs for each initiative.
He is affiliated with multiple financial and non-profit organizations, including Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, National Association of REALTORS®, North Oakland County Board of Realtors, Michigan Real Estate Investment Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. – Iota Rho Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.- Zeta Gamma Chapter, and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Organization.
Derek holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University – Broad College of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from The University of Central Missouri. He also completed a Summer Venture in Management Program from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.
