John Niepold
Managing Partner
John is a co-founder of SQM has over 35 years of experience in emerging markets including more than 30 years in frontier investing and advisory in Africa and the Middle East. John served as the Portfolio Manager for the firm’s Frontier Africa Fund until 2020 and remains the firm’s Managing Partner. Currently, John is an Independent Director and head of the Finance and Derivatives Exchange committees for the Nairobi Securities Exchange, an Independent Director for the Integra MENA Fund and a Senior Advisor to All Africa Partners, a UK based fund manager focused on listed equity investments in Africa. Prior to SQM, John was a Portfolio Manager and Partner at Emerging Markets Management (EMM) where he launched and managed The Africa Emerging Markets Fund, the first fund dedicated to investing in Africa’s frontier stock markets in 1993 as well as the Emerging Markets Middle East Fund in 2004. John also served as an equity analyst in Southeast Asia for Crosby Securities and as an independent consultant covering frontier markets. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Davidson College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill.
Donald Savage, CPA
Partner, Chief Compliance Office and Treasure
Don is a co-founder of SQM and has more than 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, and business administration including 21 years as the key financial officer of operating entities (11 of which were for 3 hedge funds) and six years in public accounting. Don spent 11 years as a co-founder of two, and CFO of three Hedge Fund companies: Ninth Wave Capital, Sivik Global Healthcare and K Capital. Two of these firms grew assets to more than $1 billion. At SQM, he structured and ran all the back-office, administrative, financial and tax functions for the firm, its funds and any other related companies or partnerships. Don has a B.S. from Babson College with majors in finance and economics as well as an MS in Accountancy from Bentley College.