Previously, Mr. Ellison was Director, U.S. Fixed Income at Sun Life Financial, one of the world’s largest asset managers with more than $1.4 trillion in assets under management. At Sun Life, he was responsible, with the team, for managing in excess of $25 billion of fixed income assets across more than 70 portfolios with varying mandates while contributing to the firm’s credit investment strategy, portfolio management, trading, and risk management practices. Primary sector coverage included financial institutions (banks, insurance, asset managers, specialty lenders, Business Development Companies), consumer products, food & beverage, utilities, REITs, transportation (autos, airlines, rails), aerospace & defense, and industrials. Secondary coverage included TMT, energy, healthcare, and pharma.

Prior to joining Sun Life, Mr. Ellison worked on the Global Credit Trading desk in the top-ranked Fixed Income division of Deutsche Bank, the largest bank in the world at the time with $2.8 trillion in assets. At Deutsche Bank, he traded the full cap structure, including senior and subordinated bonds, credit default swaps, hybrid securities, and preferred stock across financials, energy, utilities, autos, and industrials.

Preceding Deutsche Bank, and during the Global Financial Crisis, he was a banker focused on underwriting and managing leveraged loans within the technology, media, and telecom sectors at Scotia Bank where he had primary responsibility for $2 billion of the team’s $6 billion loan portfolio. During this tumultuous period, Scotia Bank, Canada’s third largest bank with greater than $1 trillion in total assets, was one of the world’s top performing global financial institutions in terms of fewest loan losses.

Mr. Ellison began his career in the financial services industry in New York at Thomson Reuters within the firm’s Corporate Advisory Services division, where he served the majority of Fortune 500 energy and utility companies as a capital markets advisor.

From 2020 through 2023, Mr. Ellison was honored to serve as a board member for both the CFA Society of Los Angeles and the Southwest Chapter of the CAIA Association; a distinctive honor as he was the sole individual to hold similar positions simultaneously on a national level. In 2021, he was awarded the James H. Fletcher Emerging Leader Award by CFA Society of Los Angeles.

His views on investing in innovation and venture debt are showcased in monthly columns he writes for Venture Capital Journal and Built In, as well as engaging discussions with leading investors each week on The 7 in 7 Show with Zack Ellison (Podcast). Additionally, he authored the Venture Debt chapter in the recently released book from the CFA Institute Research Foundation: An Introduction to Alternative Credit.

Mr. Ellison holds an MBA with concentrations in Analytic Finance and Economics from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business along with an MS in Risk Management from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College while majoring in Economics. In his personal time, Mr. Ellison is working towards completion of a Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Florida (Gainesville). Additionally, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations and previously held FINRA Series 7, 55, and 63 licenses.

Contact Zack Ellison at zellison@arivc.com.