Catherine Carter

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), BulwarkBay

Since founding BulwarkBay in 2010, Catherine Carter has led the firm’s strategic growth in global multi-asset allocation, macro strategy, and risk management. Under her leadership, the company has implemented AI-driven analytics, cross-market risk monitoring, and innovative asset allocation frameworks to meet evolving global challenges.

Catherine promotes a dual approach of data-driven insight and behavioral understanding in investment research. Her team has gained industry recognition for resilient performance across market cycles, with a strong focus on tech innovation, ESG, and long-term structural opportunities.

A recognized thought leader in global finance, she has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bloomberg Global Investment Summit, and the IMF Annual Meetings. Her insights have been featured in the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and Fortune, where she joined the "Global Women in Investing" roundtable.

She believes the future of capital markets belongs to investors who combine technological acumen, global perspective, and human insight—and is committed to positioning BulwarkBay at the forefront of that vision.

Andrias Sahmitt

Position: Chief Investment Officer (CIO)

Since 2012, he has served as the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of BulwarkBay. With over 20 years of experience in fund management and equity investing, he is a seasoned financial professional. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Finance and International Economics.

As CIO, he is responsible for formulating and executing the firm’s overall investment strategy, with a focus on equity strategies and macroeconomic research. He has been a key advocate for the integration of artificial intelligence and big data into the research and investment process, leading the development of intelligent stock selection and risk assessment models. These efforts have significantly improved both investment efficiency and portfolio performance, contributing to the continuous growth of the firm’s assets under management and client returns.

He is dedicated to building a global investment framework that is both quantifiable and actionable. He has introduced and implemented core investment systems such as the "Volatility-Optimized Return Model" and the "Cross-Market Thematic Allocation Mechanism," which have given BulwarkBay a distinct advantage in multi-asset allocation.

Alexander Bell

Position: Head of Global Equity Strategy

Alexander is one of the earliest core members of BulwarkBay, specializing in cross-market equity strategy development. He brings 20 years of experience in international equity research and portfolio management, having previously held positions at UBS Investment Bank and Fidelity International.

He holds a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering from the University of Cambridge and is known for identifying value opportunities through macroeconomic cycles. Alexander advocates a fundamentally driven investment approach, combining valuation, earnings momentum, and risk factors. His strategies place particular emphasis on high-quality growth stocks in the European and North American markets.

Leo Vandenberg

Position: Director of European Value Equity

Leo Vandenberg joined BulwarkBay in 2014 and currently serves as Director of European Value Equity, focusing on the design and management of deep value equity strategies across the European market. He holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and previously gained extensive pan-European market experience at Rabobank and Allianz Global Investors.

Leo specializes in identifying high-quality companies that are undervalued by the market, emphasizing a bottom-up research approach and a contrarian investment style. He led the development of the “European Core Value Portfolio,” which has demonstrated strong performance and resilience across multiple market cycles. His methodology integrates fundamental analysis with discounted cash flow models and asset revaluation logic, with a particular focus on corporate governance, capital structure, and dividend policy as long-term valuation drivers.

As a member of the firm’s investment committee and a key contributor to the internal ESG assessment framework, Leo plays an active role in embedding sustainable value principles into investment strategies. He also regularly engages with institutional clients and participates in industry events in London, Zurich, and Munich, promoting the long-term potential of value investing in European capital markets.

Mark Rivera

Position: Director of Asset Allocation

Mark joined BulwarkBay in 2017 and is one of the principal architects of the firm’s macro investment framework. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University. His investment philosophy emphasizes “correlation dynamics” and “cross-cycle positioning,” with a strong focus on using options and ETFs to implement flexible and resilient asset allocation and risk management strategies.Prior to joining BulwarkBay, Mark served in BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Solutions team, where he led several cross-asset investment initiatives and developed customized allocation strategies for global institutional clients.

Isabella Durant

Position: Senior Equity Strategist, Europe

Isabella has 13 years of experience in European equity investing. Prior to joining BulwarkBay, she served as Head of the European Core Equities Team at BNP Paribas Asset Management. She holds a degree from Sciences Po Paris and a Master’s in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford.

Isabella specializes in identifying structural growth opportunities in the European market by combining macro themes with sector momentum. Her focus areas include sustainable consumption, clean energy, and healthcare technology. At BulwarkBay, she contributes to the construction of regional equity models and leads several cross-border investment initiatives.

She advocates a style of “disciplined offense,” balancing factor exposure with volatility control. As a prominent female leader within the firm’s global investment team, Isabella plays a key role in shaping both strategic direction and portfolio resilience.

Ethan McRae

Position: Chief Equity Analyst, North America

Ethan brings over 15 years of experience in U.S. equity research, with a background in J.P. Morgan’s equity division, where he focused on large-cap technology and consumer sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Since joining BulwarkBay in 2019, Ethan has led research coverage across core U.S. equity sectors. Known for his empirically driven approach, he excels at dissecting financial statements and evaluating earnings quality, making him one of the team’s most analytically rigorous research specialists.

Julian Schmidt

Position: Head of European Markets

Born in Munich, Germany, Julian previously served as Head of Research at Deutsche Bank.

He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).Since joining BulwarkBay in 2016, he has led the firm’s strategic expansion into European mid-cap equities, with a strong focus on ESG integration and industry transformation trends. Under his leadership, the team targets structural opportunities across strategic sectors such as renewable energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.