Leadership

Kelly Brewster is the Chief Marketing Officer of NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, he was Head of Client Strategies for Flourish, a financial technology platform for financial advisors and their clients. Prior to that, Kelly spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs as a quantitative developer and in the firm’s Private Wealth Management group. Kelly earned a BS in Information Management and Technology from Syracuse University.

Joshua Burandt is the Head of Strategic Partnerships at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Joshua was a Private Equity Investment Professional at Adams Street Partners, a $40+ billion AUM global investment firm. Joshua received his BA in Economics at the University of Chicago.

Greg Cipolaro is Global Head of Research at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Greg was CEO and co-founder of Digital Asset Research. Previously, Greg held investment management roles at Balyasny Asset Management, Robeco Investment Management, and Starboard Value. Greg received his MBA and BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Nate Conrad is the Head of Investor Solutions at NYDIG.  He also serves as a member of the Management Committee of NYDIG’s parent company, Stone Ridge, which he joined in 2016.  Prior to joining Stone Ridge, he worked at Goldman Sachs in electronic trading.  Nate holds a BSE in Computer Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering school.

Matt Cushman is Head of Electronic Trading. Prior to joining NYDIG, Matt was CEO of Etale, a digital asset trading technology firm acquired by NYDIG in 2020. Previously he was a Senior Managing Director at Citadel Securities and Managing Director at Knight Capital Group. Matt has a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, and holds a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Reuben Grinberg is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG in 2018, Reuben was an associate in the Financial Institutions Group at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP where he headed the creation of its digital asset and blockchain law practice. In 2011, Reuben wrote the first law review article on Bitcoin. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a technology associate at Bridgewater Associates. Reuben holds a JD from Yale Law School, a MSc in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin, and a BS from Yale University.

Robert Gutmann is co-founder and CEO of NYDIG. He is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where he is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to his role as CEO of NYDIG, Robert served as Head of Product Development and Execution at Stone Ridge, overseeing investment strategy formulation and serving as a portfolio manager on all Stone Ridge funds. Robert received his BA in Mathematics and Music from Columbia University.

George Kirchner is Head of Sales at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, George spent 6 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Vice President in the equity derivatives business of the firm’s private bank. George earned a BS in Philosophy and Psychology from Northwestern University.

Eric Kramer is Head of West Coast Business Development at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Eric spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and specialized in institutional sales for US credit products. Eric earned his BA in Economics from Colgate University.

Brian Langel is the Chief Technology Officer of NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Brian spent seven years as founder and CTO of a telematics company named Dash. From 2014 to 2020, Brian was an adjunct professor at NYU in the graduate school of computer science. Brian received a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Benjamin Lawsky is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and has been with NYDIG since its founding. He has also served as Head of Regulatory Affairs at Stone Ridge Asset Management since 2015. Benjamin was previously New York State’s Superintendent of Financial Services. In that role, Benjamin also spearheaded creation of the BitLicense, the first regulatory licensing scheme for digital currency businesses. Benjamin holds a JD and a BA from Columbia University.

Rodney Miller is the Chief of Staff at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Rodney spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Managing Director and Chief of Staff for the Global Equities Division. Rodney received a BA in Business Administration from Michigan State University.

Jim Rothwell is the Chief Legal Officer for NYDIG. He is also the Chief Administrative Officer and the Head of Legal at Stone Ridge.  Prior to joining Stone Ridge in 2015, Mr. Rothwell was a partner in the Securities and Equity Derivatives Group at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. Mr. Rothwell holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a AB in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University.

Patrick is the Head of Bank Solutions at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Patrick was the Chief Innovation Officer at Quontic Bank where he elevated the firm into a leading adaptive digital bank through technology and innovation. In 2020, Patrick was named American Banker’s “Digital Banker of the Year” and named one of Independent Community Bankers of America’s “40 under 40 Emerging Community Bank Leaders.” Patrick earned a degree in Political Science from Taylor University.

Tejas Shah is Global Head of Trading and Execution at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Tejas worked at Two Sigma where he focused on systematic options trading. Previously, Tejas spent nearly 20 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a partner and co-head of Equity Derivatives Trading for the Americas. Tejas earned a dual BS in Physics and Economics from the University of Michigan.

Ross Stevens founded NYDIG in 2017, and serves as its Executive Chairman. Ross founded Stone Ridge in 2012, and serves as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Management Committee. Ross started his career at Goldman Sachs after receiving his PhD in Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago (Booth) and his BSE in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). Ross founded and serves as the Advisory Board Chairman of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).

Ronnie Wexler is Global Head of Business Development at NYDIG. Prior to joining NYDIG, Ronnie spent 19 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a partner and co-head of Americas Equities Sales and head of Americas Equity Derivative Sales, as well as a member of the firm’s Structured Investment Products Committee. Ronnie received his BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

Yan Zhao is President of NYDIG. She is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where she is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to her role as President of NYDIG, Yan served as CEO of Flourish, a fintech platform started by Stone Ridge, and before that, Head of Reinsurance funds at Stone Ridge. Yan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

Robert Gutmann is co-founder and CEO of NYDIG. He is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where he is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to his role as CEO of NYDIG, Robert served as Head of Product Development and Execution at Stone Ridge, overseeing investment strategy formulation and serving as a portfolio manager on all Stone Ridge funds. Robert received his BA in Mathematics and Music from Columbia University.

David B. Heller is a private investor. Previously, he was the Co-Head of the Global Securities Division at Goldman Sachs, where he also sat on the firm’s Management Committee. His current investment focus is on financial companies that benefit from regulatory and technological disruption as well as consumer brands that benefit from demographic and lifestyle changes. David’s current investments include stakes in Peloton Interactive, The Infatuation, Stone Ridge Holdings Group and NYDIG. Mr. Heller holds a BA from Harvard College.

Benjamin Lawsky is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and has been with NYDIG since its founding. He has also served as Head of Regulatory Affairs at Stone Ridge Asset Management since 2015. Benjamin was previously New York State’s Superintendent of Financial Services. In that role, Benjamin also spearheaded creation of the BitLicense, the first regulatory licensing scheme for digital currency businesses. Benjamin holds a JD and a BA from Columbia University.

Jacqueline Reses is the CEO of Post House Capital and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She previously led Square Capital, part of Square Inc., and was a member of the board of directors of Alibaba Group, where she helped lead the company’s IPO.

Rob Stavis is a partner in Bessemer Venture Partner’s New York office. He focuses on investments in financial services, education and emerging technologies. Rob has been actively investing in venture backed startups for over 20 years and currently serves on the board of directors of several companies including 2U, Betterment, Gerson Lehrman Group, Brightbytes and Forever Oceans. Some of Rob’s historical investments include Skype (acquired by eBay); United Capital Financial Partners (acquired by Goldman Sachs); SiteAdvisor (acquired by McAfee); Kroll Bond Ratings, Yodle (acquired by Web.com); debit-card provider PRE Solutions (acquired by Incomm); India based financial services provider Motilal Oswal and Bermuda based reinsurance company PXRE. Rob entered venture capital after a 15-year career at Salomon Smith Barney, where he was co-head of global arbitrage trading and a member of the operating and risk-management committees. Active in a number of not for profit initiatives, Rob serves on the Board of New Schools Venture Fund, University of Pennsylvania and Crisis Text Line.

Ross Stevens founded NYDIG in 2017, and serves as its Executive Chairman. Ross founded Stone Ridge in 2012, and serves as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Management Committee. Ross started his career at Goldman Sachs after receiving his PhD in Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago (Booth) and his BSE in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). Ross founded and serves as the Advisory Board Chairman of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).