At Demeter Tactical Investments, our leadership team brings together decades of experience spanning global financial markets, data science, technology, and governance. Each member contributes specialized expertise that strengthens the firm’s systematic approach to active management and ensures institutional-grade oversight across all aspects of strategy, risk, and operations.
Jeffrey A. Sexton is Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Demeter Tactical Investments (ME) Ltd. (Abu Dhabi), DTIC (BVI) Ltd. (British Virgin Islands) and Demeter Tactical Investments Corp. (USA), where he monitors, manages, constructs, and oversees trading of each firm’s investment portfolios.
His career started as a U.S. corporate and securities lawyer—he was one of the attorneys responsible for conducting the 1993 IPO of pizza company Papa John’s International, Inc. He shifted to investment management as a portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch in 1997, eventually moving to Morgan Stanley, then becoming Director of Quantitative Strategies at Roxbury Capital Management until the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-2009. Afterward he was Chief Investment Officer at Arsenal Investment Advisors then Chief Investment Officer of Silver Leaf Capital in New York until founding Demeter at the end of 2022.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Kentucky; a Juris Doctor from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville;, a Master of Arts in Economic Statecraft with specialized study in Islamic finance from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky; and, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he conducted research under Eugene Fama, the 2013 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, research that has since been published.
He remains a licensed member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the American Bar Association and holds multiple securities licenses. He comments publicly on economics and investment strategy, and has appeared on international financial television, including Bloomberg TV and Fintech TV broadcasts originating from Dubai.
John Hensel serves as Senior Executive Officer for Demeter Tactical Investments (ME) Ltd. and leads Demeter’s fund manager operations and product distribution in the Middle East, operating from the firm’s Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) office. Mr. Hensel brings extensive regional and institutional experience, having previously led DTCC Digital (ME) Ltd., the regional arm of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, and co-founded Securrency, Inc., a leading digital infrastructure firm acquired by DTCC in 2023.
Mr. Hensel has lived in the UAE since 2017 and previously served as Senior Executive Officer for two FSRA-regulated financial firms. Earlier in his career, he completed 25 years of service as a U.S. Navy pilot. He earned an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University-Carey Business School, an M.A. in Strategy & Policy from the U.S. Naval War College, and a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Dr Ryan Lemand serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Demeter Tactical Investments (ME) Limited. He is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Neovision group of companies and brings extensive experience across regulation, asset management, risk management and board governance.
Dr Lemand previously served as Chief Executive Officer of ADS Investment Solutions, Senior Advisor and Head of Risk Management at the UAE’s federal securities regulator, and Lead Portfolio Manager at Fortis Investments, where he oversaw a portfolio of EUR 14.6 billion. He holds a PhD in Financial Econometrics, awarded summa cum laude, from the École Normale Supérieure.
He is an approved person across multiple jurisdictions, including the FSRA, SFC, MAS, AMF and Saudi CMA, and serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the boards of several regulated entities across the ADGM, VARA and DFSA. He is also a published author, academic researcher and commentator on international financial markets.
Emmanouil Tzannes serves on the Board of Directors of Demeter Tactical Investments (ME) Limited and brings extensive international experience in institutional strategy, governance, financial sustainability and strategic partnerships.
Throughout his career, he has advised senior leaders and government stakeholders on organisational growth and long-term value creation and has led the development of innovative funding models and high-value collaborations across the Middle East. His experience spans the cultural, non-profit and mission-driven sectors, providing the board with a multidisciplinary perspective on institutional development and strategic oversight.
Mr Tzannes brings particular expertise in philanthropy, corporate partnerships and stakeholder engagement, supporting Demeter’s governance framework and long-term institutional growth.
Each member of Demeter Tactical Investments’ leadership team brings specialized expertise that reinforces the firm’s foundation in systematic research, disciplined execution, and institutional governance