Emerging Markets

Mr. Aghdasi is a senior analyst engaged in research for GMO’s Emerging Country Debt team. He primarily conducts research in sovereign credits, with a primary emphasis on the Latin American and Caribbean regions and spearheads the team’s sovereign ESG integration efforts. Prior to joining GMO in 2018, he worked at State Street Global Markets as an emerging markets strategist. Previously, he worked at Societe Generale CIB and UBS Investment Bank in similar roles. Mr. Aghdasi earned his bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University, his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and his MPA/ID from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Mr. Chiang oversees portfolio management for GMO’s Systematic Equity team and is the head of the Emerging Markets Select Equity team. He is a partner of the firm. Prior to joining GMO in 2015, he worked at Mellon Capital Management as a Managing Director of Active Equity Strategies. Previously, he worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco as a research associate. Mr. Chiang earned his bachelor's degree in Economics and his MBA from the University of California Berkeley. He is a CFA charterholder.

Ms. Courmes is engaged in portfolio management and research for GMO’s Emerging Country Debt team. She is primarily responsible for the team’s local currency debt portfolio and is also the team’s lead liaising with the Developed Rates & FX team’s quantitative researchers on currency and interest-rate strategies. Prior to joining GMO full-time in 2016, she worked at Acadian Asset Management as an Associate Portfolio Manager in Emerging Markets Local Bond Funds. Previously, she worked at Lord Abbett as an International Economist and Currency/ Local Rates Strategist. Ms. Courmes earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science from Barry University and her MA in International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University.

Mr. Divecha is a portfolio manager for GMO’s Emerging Market strategies and the founder of GMO’s Emerging Markets Equity team. He is also a member of the GMO Board of Directors and a partner of the firm. Prior to joining GMO in 1993, he spent 12 years at BARRA directing software development, marketing, client service, and emerging markets research and development. Mr. Divecha holds a Bachelor of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and an MBA in Finance from Cornell University. 

Mr. George is a portfolio strategist for GMO’s Systematic Equity and Emerging Markets Select Equity teams. Prior to joining GMO in 2009, he was a portfolio manager with AXA Rosenberg. Previously, Mr. George worked in several roles encompassing research and investment strategy at Barclays Global Investors. Mr. George earned his BTech in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and his MBA in Finance from the University of Rochester. He is a CFA charterholder.

Dr. Ross is engaged in research for GMO’s Emerging Country Debt team and a partner of the firm. He leads the team’s research in fundamental sovereign credit, with a primary emphasis on Asia, Emerging Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Prior to joining GMO in 2014, he was a managing director at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. where he covered emerging debt markets. Previously, he was the Senior Managing Director and Head of Emerging Markets Fixed Income Research at Bear Stearns & Co. Dr. Ross earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from Mount Allison University, as well as his MA and PhD in Economics from Georgetown University.

Mr. Sobolev is a senior analyst engaged in research for GMO’s Emerging Country Debt team. He conducts research on complex financing structures and corporate credits, with a primary responsibility for state-owned enterprises (“quasi sovereigns”) in Latin America and China. Prior to joining GMO in 2018, he worked at ING Financial Markets as a vice president in debt capital markets. Mr. Sobolev earned his BS in Economics from University College London and his MS in Management from Imperial College London. He is a CFA charterholder.

Mr. Ulukan is a senior analyst engaged in research for GMO’s Emerging Country Debt team. He conducts research on complex financing structures and corporate credits, with a primary focus on state-owned enterprises (“quasi sovereigns”) in Asia, Emerging Europe, Middle East, and Africa.  He is also the team’s expert on banks and financial firms. Prior to joining GMO in 2015, he was an associate for East Asian Financials at The World Bank Group, where he participated in Financial Sector Assessment Programs jointly with the IMF. Previously, he was a Private Equity Analyst at Grea Ventures. Mr. Ulukan earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine and his MBA from the George Washington University School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder.