About Us
Having earned decades of trust from sophisticated investors across 90 countries, VON GREYERZ’ multi-lingual team of financial professionals has set the global standard in becoming the world’s leading precious metal advisory service.
Our values and guiding philosophy are premised upon a shared passion for helping others prepare for rapidly changing financial conditions. We are neither modest nor timid in our singular conviction that precious metals represent a critical, as well as timeless, aspect of sophisticated wealth preservation, past, present and future.
The Beginning: Risk-Management Origins
By the end of the 90s, Egon von Greyerz, who had always held an intuitive respect for managing risk in his personal as well as professional settings, determined that global risk was growing increasingly apparent as debt and derivative levels rapidly rose.
He recognized physical gold as a timely, as well as timeless, protection-asset against accelerating risks in the financial system. He thus founded VON GREYERZ (originally operating as Matterhorn Asset Management) in the late 90s as a private investment company for precious metal ownership outside of a highly-fractured global banking system. He chose the highest quality refinery and vaulting partners for acquiring and storing the same.
From Personal Conviction to Global Enterprise
VON GREYERZ was initially set up for Egon’s own family funds and those of a few key investors and business partners.
In early 2002, Egon made major investments for his group of investors into physical gold when the price was $300 per ounce.
Due to growing demand from other investors around the world, VON GREYERZ became a Swiss regulated company in 2005. Since then, VON GREYERZ has grown from a private solution for personal wealth preservation into a global enterprise for clients from over 90 countries.
The Values: Shared Convictions, Guiding Principles
Although proud of our individual credentials and collective market experience, the VON GREYERZ team shares a deep conviction of prioritising wealth preservation through precious metals.
In addition, our partners share the guiding principles of modesty, straight-talk, high-conviction and a genuine interest in both protecting and honouring the trust granted to us by our clients.
ALIGNED VALUES & INTERESTS
Wealth preservation is not only about currencies and metals, but family values/ideals, goals and the protection of wealth that has been carefully earned and nurtured for years, and often, generations.
Our objective has never been to dazzle, scare or impress, but to candidly share what we have learned and deduced after decades of combined experience in the global markets.
Thus, we treat each investor with the same degree of honesty, clarity and transparent counsel we would expect for ourselves and our own families.
Providing a needed service in times of increased uncertainty
- Client assets held at VON GREYERZ represent the culmination and protection of years of wealth creation; we do not ignore the immense trust our clients have placed in selecting VON GREYERZ to guide them in acquiring, protecting and securing that wealth.
- We earn such trust with decades of transparency, confirming not only our conviction in precious metals as a timeless asset class in everything we advise, author and transact, but our equal conviction that our clients deserve our total attention to the unique service we provide.
- Our concerns as to past, current and future conditions within the global economy stem from years of careful yet blunt analysis of objective market risk.
- Such risk is far too often ignored or downplayed by conventional wealth advisory services and sell-side optimism.
- We are participants, not just advisors, in the service and counsel we offer. VON GREYERZ was founded to protect the family wealth of its founder and business partners. Our interests, as well as assets, are thus entirely aligned with those of the clients we serve.
The Team: Exceptional Credentials, Unique Backgrounds, Singular Vision
Each member of the VON GREYERZ team approaches the ownership of precious metals within the greater, holistic context of risk management principles, critical to all manner of investing.
Although versed in risk assets and traditional portfolio construction, our singular focus is precious metal ownership as a critical component of risk management and hence wealth preservation.
Meet our key executives and advisors below. We are here to answer any questions and concerns.
Egon von Greyerz
Founder and Chairman
BORN WITH DUAL SWISS/SWEDISH CITIZENSHIP, EGON’S EDUCATION WAS MAINLY IN SWEDEN.
Egon began his professional life in Geneva as a banker and thereafter spent 17 years as the Finance Director and Executive Vice-Chairman of Dixons Group Plc. During that time, Dixons expanded from a small photographic retailer to a FTSE 100 company and the largest consumer electronics retailer in the UK.
EVOLUTION TO PRECIOUS METALS
During the 1990s, Egon became actively involved with financial investment activities including mergers and acquisitions and asset allocation consultancy for private family funds. This led to the creation of VON GREYERZ as an asset management company based on wealth preservation principles.
EGON’S LEGACY AND ACTIVITY
VON GREYERZ is now the world’s leading company for direct investor ownership of physical gold and silver outside the banking system. Our vaults include the biggest and safest gold vault in the world, located in the Swiss Alps. Clients include High Net Worth Individuals, Family Offices, Pension Funds, Investment Funds and Trusts in over 90 countries.
Egon makes regular media appearances and speaks at investment conferences around the world. He also publishes articles on precious metals, the world economy and wealth preservation.
Matthew Piepenburg
Partner
MATT BEGAN HIS FINANCE CAREER AS A TRANSACTIONAL ATTORNEY BEFORE LAUNCHING HIS FIRST HEDGE FUND DURING THE NASDAQ BUBBLE OF 1999-2001.
Thereafter, he began investing his own and other HNW family funds into alternative investment vehicles while operating as a General Counsel, CIO and later Managing Director of a single and, later, multi-family office. Matthew worked closely as well with Morgan Stanley’s hedge fund platform in building a multi-strat/multi-manager fund to better manage risk in a market backdrop of extreme central bank intervention/support. The conviction that precious metals provides the most reliable and longer-term protection against potential systemic risk led Matt to join VON GREYERZ.
The author of the Amazon No#1 Release, Rigged to Fail, as well as co-author of Gold Matters with Egon von Greyerz, Matthew is fluent in French, German and English; he is a graduate of Brown (BA), Harvard (MA) and the University of Michigan (JD). His widely respected reports, interviews and conference appearances on macro conditions, the changing behaviour of risk assets and the role of precious metals complement the long-standing insights of his colleague, Egon von Greyerz.
Nicolas Rodel, CFA
Partner
IN ADDITION TO FINANCE & CONTROL, NICOLAS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE AND I.T.
Nicolas previously worked in different senior roles in Finance & Control at Nestlé and holds a master’s degree in Banking and Finance (MBF) and a double bachelor’s degree from the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland. Nicolas is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
Johny Beck
Partner
JOHNY STARTED HIS FINANCE CAREER IN THE TRADING DEPARTMENT AT BARCLAYS CAPITAL IN LONDON.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in trading/markets and brokerage. During his time in London, Johny served as a senior broker at ICAP Plc, the world’s leading inter-dealer broker. Johny has been an advisor to VON GREYERZ since its foundation in 1999 and joined as a Partner in 2012. His main role at VON GREYERZ is covering the sales, marketing and trading side of the business.
Jonny Haycock
Partner
Jonny Haycock, a former professional tennis player, qualified as a Barrister at Middle Temple in London before embarking on a long and successful 27 year career in the City. He joined Salomon Brothers in 1997 before moving into the European Equity division of Morgan Stanley in 2001 to sell equities to the London Institutional and Hedge Fund client base. Jonny was made Managing Director in 2007 and in later years sat on their prestigious European Equity Underwriting Committee. When he resigned after almost 23 years to join VON GREYERZ in early 2024, Jonny was one of Morgan Stanley’s longest serving MDs in London.
Jan Baltensweiler
Client Director
Based out of Zurich and Singapore, Jan previously worked at Credit Suisse Asset Management as a Senior Portfolio Manager for Emerging Markets with a premium mandate of advising global, High-Net-Worth clients.
Jan is primarily responsible for managing and advising VON GREYERZ’ German-speaking market, while tailoring customized solutions for VON GREYERZ’ Swiss and Singapore vaults.
Christian Brunner
Vice-Chairman
CHRISTIAN BRUNNER IS THE FOUNDER OF BRUNNER & PARTNERS, A ZURICH-BASED LAW FIRM SPECIALISING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES, COMMERCIAL & CORPORATE LAW AND PRIVATE-CLIENT RELATED MATTERS.
Grant Williams
Advisor
GRANT HAS SPENT 30 YEARS IN FINANCE, HOLDING SENIOR POSITIONS WITH MANY LEADING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
He is the co-founder of RealVision TV, an online, on-demand financial channel showcasing the brightest minds in finance. He also publishes “Things That Make You Go Hmmm”, an extremely popular and widely-read publication.
Grant is very much in demand as a speaker at financial investment conferences around the world. He has a wonderful and natural ability to mix finance, history and humor into greatly appreciated presentations. Grant’s views about the world economy, risk and the role of gold are very much aligned with the VON GREYERZ philosophy.
Ronnie Stoeferle
Advisor
RONNIE IS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF INCREMENTUM AG IN LIECHTENSTEIN. HE STUDIED BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE IN THE USA AND AUSTRIA.
Upon graduation, he joined Erste Group, where in 2007 he published his first In Gold We Trust report. Over the years, this report has become the industry’s benchmark publication on gold, currencies, and inflation.
Since 2013, Ronnie has held the position as reader at Scholarium in Vienna. In 2014, he co-authored the international bestseller “Austrian School for Investors,” and in 2019 “Die Nullzinsfalle” (The Zero Interest Rate Trap). He is an advisor for Tudor Gold Corp, a significant explorer in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle and a member of the advisory board of Affinity Metals.
Ronnie is married and the proud father of three daughters. He spends his spare time with his family, watching and playing football, running, and at classical concerts.
Max Cotting
Advisor
MAX IS THE FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF AQUILA & CO. LTD. IN ZURICH.
Max is a Swiss Certified Banking Specialist and serves as a Chairman on the Board of Directors for Aquila. With over 90 partner companies, Aquila is the largest platform for independent asset managers in Switzerland.
Founded in 2000, Aquila has carried the status of a securities dealer since 2005 and has held a banking license since 2012–the first Swiss bank established exclusively for independent asset managers, family offices and their clients.
Edward Mass
Consultant
EDWARD IS A DUTCH NATIVE AND HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN FINANCIAL MARKETS SINCE 1975, BEGINNING AT AMRO BANK. IN 1978, ED JOINED HUNTER DOUGLAS NV (LUXAFLEX) AS ASSISTANT TREASURER.
Ed began working with Egon in 1982 at Dixons Group PLC in London as Group Treasurer in 1982. Ed retired in 2019 as a Partner of VON GREYERZ and is now a Consultant of the business.
Swiss Association of Wealth Managers
VON GREYERZ AG is a member of the Swiss Association of Wealth Managers (SAM). We are regulated and audited in accordance with the relevant legal and regulatory framework in Switzerland. AOOS, an officially recognised self-regulatory organisation pursuant to the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act, is monitoring compliance with the applicable requirements and standards.