Ashwath, an economist and until mid-2011 the CEO of the MRI Group, a commodities group with annual turnover of approximately $3 billion. He is currently CEO of Astor Management AG, a holding company with interests in natural resources businesses. He has worked in the minerals industry for 26 years, starting his career with Philipp Brothers after which he spent 10 years with Glencore, where he was a senior partner and ran the Nickel and Cobalt Divisions. He has substantial experience in projects and project finance and has worked on equity and bond issues.