Senior Research Team
Phillip Colmar
Partner
Global Strategy
Phillip Colmar is Managing Partner and Global Strategist at MRB Partners. Phillip focuses on global multi-asset investment strategy, trading opportunities, and financial market risks. His expertise is in identifying key macro themes/frameworks and building a clear roadmap for investors. Phillip speaks regularly at conferences and is regularly quoted in, and the financial media.
Over his career, Phillip has covered all major global asset classes and has developed comprehensive frameworks, models, and indicators.
Prior to forming MRB, he was the Head of both the Daily Insights and Global Fixed Income Strategy services at BCA Research Inc.
Phillip has an MSc. in Finance from Queen’s University, as well as a B.A. in Economics and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) from Bishop’s University.
Mehran Nakhjavani
Partner
Emerging Market Strategy
Mehran Nakhjavani is a partner and helped found MRB in 2010. He has extensive experience in investment research and investment management, specializing in emerging markets and oil-producing economies. Mehran focuses on investment themes arising from the emergence of economies and financial markets outside the developed world. He works with clients to assist portfolio investment decisions primarily in emerging markets.
Prior to joining MRB, Mehran managed emerging market and global equity portfolios at UBS Global Asset Management (1998-2008).
He was also a minority owner and Managing Editor of BCA Research Inc., where he founded the firm’s emerging markets strategy service (1992-1998). Previously, he covered OPEC economics and finance with the Middle East Economic Survey, Financial Times and Economist Intelligence Unit.
Mehran has an M.A. in Economics from McGill University and a B.A. from the University of Cambridge.
Peter Perkins
Partner
Global Strategy & Regional Equities
Peter Perkins is a founding partner. He has extensive experience, both as a strategist and economist. Peter focuses on asset allocation issues and strategy, key drivers of the global economy and capital markets, as well as investment opportunities and risks. He works closely with MRB clients on tactical and strategic asset allocation, assisting them in interpreting and translating macroeconomic and policy factors into a tailored investment strategy. Peter speaks widely at conferences, seminars and client meetings and regularly participates in investment committee meetings for select investment management firms.
Over his career, Peter has covered all major asset classes and regions, and worked in the U.K., Hong Kong, Mexico, and Canada, and now resides in the U.S. Prior to forming MRB, he was Managing Editor at BCA Research Inc., focusing on tactical asset allocation and supporting major clients.
Peter has a Master of Economics from Pennsylvania State University and B.A in Economics from the University of Maryland.
Warren Smith
Partner
U.S. Strategy
Warren C. Smith is a founding partner. He has extensive experience as an investment strategist. Warren focuses on investment strategy in the U.S. and other developed markets. He is responsible for coordinating the MRB Weekly Macro Strategy Report.
Prior to forming MRB, Warren was minority owner and Managing Editor of BCA Research Inc. (1982-2009). He was a major contributor to the research and product development processes, and setting the investment strategy at BCA.
He chaired the firm’s daily research and view meetings, and was responsible for the firm’s U.S. investment strategy. Since 1992, he has been an independent director of several North American mutual funds, as well as a member of various investment committees managed by leading global asset management firms and family offices.
Warren has a Masters of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and BSc. (Math) from the University of British Columbia.
Prajakta Bhide
Strategist, U.S. Economy
Prajakta Bhide joined MRB in 2017 and specializes in the U.S. economy, policy and asset markets. Her areas of expertise include business cycles, monetary policy, and macroeconomic modeling.
Santiago Espinosa
Strategist, Foreign Exchange
Santiago Espinosa joined MRB in 2010, and specializes in foreign exchange strategy and absolute-return investment ideas. He is currently responsible for driving MRB’s house view on developed markets foreign exchange.
Mazen Issa
Strategist, Fixed Income
Mazen Issa joined MRB in 2024. He is based in New York and leads the global fixed income strategy for MRB. Mazen has extensive sell-side and buy-side experience in cross asset strategy and trading.
Amr Abdel Khalek
Strategist, Emerging Markets
Amr Abdel Khalek joined MRB in 2011 and specializes in emerging markets (EM). Along with Mehran Nakhjavani, he is responsible for driving MRB’s house view on EM ex-China economies and financial assets.
Arshiya Malik
Analyst, Developed Markets
Arshiya Malik joined MRB in 2023, and specializes on developed market economies and policy. She supports the research team with data analysis and forecasting of regional economic trends and financial markets.
Salvatore Ruscitti
Strategist, U.S. Equities
Salvatore Ruscitti joined MRB in 2011. He has extensive experience in both top-down and bottom-up equity research. Salvatore is responsible for MRB’s global and regional equity sector views.