Advisory Board

Brandon Diersch oversees governance for Microsoft’s retirement plans across 105+ countries and manages its global financial wellbeing program, within the Total Rewards organization. Over his 20+ year tenure at Microsoft Corporation, he has extensive experience in finance and benefits including managing strategic investments and venture portfolios; managing passive and internal equity overlay strategies; overseeing external managers and private equity real estate investments; and trading equity derivatives. He is also a member of Microsoft’s 401(k) Advisory Committee, which supports the company’s plan fiduciaries in oversight of their $55B+ defined contribution plan. He is currently serving as President-Elect of the Plan Sponsor Council of America and a board member of the American Retirement Association. Additionally, Brandon is an experienced venture capital and private equity investor, has served as a Board Observer for a SaaS provider in the dental space, and led a syndicate for a Series A investment in a non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) startup. Brandon graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Marianne Piquerel joined Scientific Beta in 2016. She is responsible for Business Development and Sales Management in Continental Europe for Smart Beta, Climate Impact Consistent Indices, and Macro Indices offerings.
Previously, Marianne worked for more than 10 years as an Equity Derivative Salesperson (structured products, exotics & flow), covering France, BeNeLux and Portugal at Barclays Capital, Societe Generale CIB, and BNP Paribas Arbitrage.
She graduated from ESCP-Paris and Dauphine University where she majored in Finance.

Therese Gerber is a business economist, a graduate in banking/finance from Swiss Finance Institute of University in Zurich, in management of IMD in Lausanne (PED, OWP).
She started her professional activity at Credit Suisse’s Head office in Zurich. In 1987 she joined Private Bank Sarasin in Zurich to lead, build and develop the Swiss institutional business. In 1996 she joined the London based MAM/MLIM (from 2003 BlackRock) as their first Swiss Country Head building the Swiss organisation and the AM business with Swiss institutions. In 2002 she decided to multiply her experience and founded CONTAG in Zug. She is active to date as an independent management consultant, supporting other businesses also as member of their (advisory) board, as a coach and mentor.

Howie joined the investment manager as Head of ETFs following LGIM’s successful acquisition of the Canvas ETF business in March 2018 from ETF Securities. During his time there for almost 10 years, Howie held various roles including CEO of Canvas, Co-Head of Canvas ETFs and Head of Legal.

Howie trained and worked at Simmons & Simmons in London advising the alternative investment funds industry and is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales.