Management Team
On April 12, 2019, ASA shareholders voted to approve an investment advisory agreement between the Company and Merk Investments LLC. We invite you to meet the Officers of ASA:
Peter Maletis
President of ASA; Vice President - Gold & Precious Metals Research at Merk Investments
Peter Maletis serves as President of ASA. He is also Vice President - Gold & Precious Metals Research at Merk Investments. Peter gained experience as Research Analyst at Franklin Templeton Investments from 2010 until early 2019. Prior to that, he worked at Marathon Resource Investments; the Cypress Funds; Banc of America Securities LLC.
Peter holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, as well as a B.A. in Economics from Connecticut College.
Axel Merk
Chief Operating Officer of ASA; President and Chief Investment Officer of Merk Investments
Axel Merk is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Merk Investments, manager of the Merk Funds.
He holds a B.A. in Economics (magna cum laude) and a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Brown University.
Karen Shaw
Principal Financial Officer
Naturally relationship focused and solutions oriented, Ms. Shaw's comprehensive fund accounting and administration experience lends to thoughtful and responsive client interactions. Ms. Shaw developed her expertise over twenty-five years working with Forum Financial Group, Citi and Atlantic. She obtained her B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Maine; is a member of the ICI Accounting/Treasurers committee; in addition to serving as Principal Financial Officer (Sarbanes-Oxley certifying officer) of the Company, she serves as fund Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer for Forum Funds, Forum Funds II, U.S. Global Investors Funds and Tributary Funds.
Jack Huntington
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. Huntington has over 20 years of 1940 Act mutual fund/ETF legal and compliance experience. Prior to joining Foreside in 2015, an independent company that provides outsourced fund officer and related services, Jack was a Senior Vice President at Citi for seven years, most recently serving as the Head of Citi’s Regulatory Administration Department. Mr. Huntington’s previous experience also includes roles as Senior Counsel at MetLife, where he served for four years as Assistant Secretary to two investment advisers and two investment companies containing over 80 portfolios, and Associate in the Financial Services and Investment Management Group at Dechert LLP. Mr. Huntington holds a BA from the University of Connecticut and a JD from Drake University Law School.
Zachary Tackett
Corporate Secretary
Mr. Tackett serves as Senior Counsel for Apex Fund Services (Portland, ME) and is responsible for providing regulatory and administrative services related to establishing and maintaining registered investment companies, coordinating and reviewing federal securities law filings, handling fund governance issues, and analyzing legal issues concerning the operations of investment companies. Mr. Tackett holds a B.A. in Political Science and History (summa cum laude) from the University of Maine and J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Maine School of Law.
Certain Tax Information: ASA is a “passive foreign investment company” for United States federal income tax purposes. As a result, United States shareholders holding shares in taxable accounts are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of their investment in the Company’s common shares.