BCCM ADVISORS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Trader

Ben serves as the trader for BCCM Advisor's Small and SMID Cap Strategies. Ben has been employed at BCCM Advisors since its founding and the firm's predecessor, Blue Clay Capital Management, which was established in 2012. Prior to joining BCCM Advisors, Ben worked in various roles within asset management at Marquette Financial, UBS Wealth Management and Cargill. Ben graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Mathematics at the University of St. Thomas.

Blue Clay Capital Management, LLC was founded in 2012 as a continuation of the fundamentally-focused small and mid-cap strategy the team employed at Whitebox Advisors. Late in 2017, Blue Clay's investment management business was acquired by Air T, Inc., and re-named BCCM Advisors, LLC. Air T, Inc. is a publicly-traded firm on the NASDAQ market led by seasoned investor Nick Swenson, its Chairman and CEO. In 2019, true to our roots of long-term focused investing, we launched the Blue Clay Pan-Africa Fund.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director
• Portfolio Manager

Fred Steiner is responsible for security selection, risk management and portfolio construction for our Pan-Africa strategy. Prior to re-joining BCCM Advisors, Fred earned an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota where he graduated with distinction and was a Curtis L Carlson Scholarship recipient. During the full-time business school program, Fred worked with a multi-family office, Sawmill Management as a Senior Analyst. There he oversaw approximately $1 billion in public securities. Prior to business school, Fred served as an Analyst and Associate at BCCM and worked in various roles at Signature Financial Partners. Fred studied at University of Cape Town in 2008, graduated from Union College in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Minor in History and is a CFA charterholder. Fred is engaged in various charities and previously volunteered for Soccer 4 Hope while living in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010.

Job Titles:

• Chief Investment Officer
• Portfolio Manager

Gary Kohler is responsible for executing the investment strategy for BCCM Advisors' investment portfolios. Gary has more than 30 years of investment experience managing both family office and hedge fund assets. Before founding Blue Clay in 2012, Gary was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Whitebox Advisors and a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Okabena Company. Gary has twice been recognized for outstanding performance winning the HFM Week Absolute Return Small-Cap Equity Fund of the Year in 2007 and being a finalist for the HFM US Equity Hedge Fund Performance Award in 2018. Gary earned an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University and a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Job Titles:

• Director of Risk Management

Manit Rye is responsible for risk management. Manit has more than 30 years' experience in structuring and trading yield enhancement and hedging strategies on equities, interest rates, and currencies. Prior to BCCM, Manit was CIO and founder of Asymmetric Capital Management and Thomas Funds Americas LLC. He was previously Managing Director and board member of Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments Inc., where as Co-CIO he focused on investing $10 billion in hedge funds and managed accounts. Prior to Merrill, Manit held senior roles in emerging market risk management at UBS O'Connor, Goldman Sachs and Citibank. Manit earned a Bachelors of Commerce from Dehli University and holds a Masters in Finance from Claremont Graduate School.

Job Titles:

• Chief Operating Officer

Michael Yee oversees the investment operations of BCCM Advisors and has 20+ years of experience in finance and accounting. Currently, he manages the day-to-day operations of the management company, middle office and back office duties, treasury functions, accounting and financial reporting, vendor relationships, and investor relations. Prior to joining BCCM in 2014, Michael served as Fund Controller of Aerwulf Asset Management and Interlachen Capital Group LP. Before working in the hedge fund industry he worked for Travelers Insurance as a Senior Financial Consultant in the Investment Accounting department. Michael has Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas.

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• President & CEO, AIR T, Inc

Nick Swenson provides governance oversight of the vision, growth and development of our asset management platform. Nick is an awarded, seasoned investor, and is currently the Chairman and CEO of our parent, Air T, Inc. following his successful tenure managing credit and distressed focused funds at Whitebox Advisors and Varde Partners. Nick is a regular contributor to financial press, including Business Week, The New York Times, and Bloomberg. His efforts while at Whitebox Advisors were referenced in Michael Lewis' book "The Big Short" as one of the few managers to correctly navigate the subprime trade market. In 2007, Nick earned award-winning recognition from HFM Week. Nick earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and a B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in History from Middlebury College.

Job Titles:

• Operations Manager at BCCM Advisors Kenya

Victor serves as the Operations Manager at BCCM Advisors Kenya where he provides operational support across the BCCM Advisors family of funds. Prior to joining BCCM in 2022, Victor was Head of Operations at Nabo Capital where he managed the Enablement arm of the Marketable Securities portfolio. Prior to Nabo, Victor gained experience working in various roles in the Operations department at Britam Asset Managers, he also worked in the Finance Department at Coca Cola (Kisii Bottlers Limited) and at the Ministry of Finance (Republic of Kenya). Victor has a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance from Kenyatta University and is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments with a professional certification in Investment Operations.