Adrian Cronje, Ph.D., CFA, is Balentine’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, and a founding partner. Adrian has also served as Wilmington Trust’s Chief Investment Strategist and Deputy Head of the Quantitative Equity Products team for Schroders in London. A CFA® Charterholder, Adrian is an active member of the CFA Institute, contributing frequently on the regional, national, and international levels. Adrian’s presentation, “Revisiting the Winners’ Game,” at the CFA Institute’s Asset Allocation for Private Clients conference, was chosen by the CFA Institute to be included in its prestigious publication Conference Proceedings Quarterly.
Adrian is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and has been a member of Vistage 151 since 2009. He frequently addresses Vistage audiences across the country and was recognized as a top new Vistage speaker for 2019. Additionally, Adrian was recognized as a Top Entrepreneur in 2018 by TiE Atlanta, an organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship with a focus on giving back to the community. In 2010, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Adrian one of Atlanta’s 40 under 40, an honor designating the region’s up-and-coming business and community leaders.
Adrian was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to a very close-knit family that traces its origins to the original French Huguenot settlers in the country. Since then, past generations have gone from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves twice—in the shipping and farming businesses. He regards his father as the quintessential entrepreneur and first generation wealth creator. Adrian attributes much of his entrepreneurial drive, success, and perseverance to lessons learned early on, both in his home life from his parents and in his academic studies. One of the first lessons Adrian learned was that humility and servant leadership is everything, and it’s an ethos that guides all his personal and professional interactions today.
Adrian attended University of Cape Town, where he fell in love with economics. For him, economics holds the key to making sense of history, the way the world works, and the issues of the day. One of the most pivotal moments of Adrian’s life was when he was nominated by his university to enter an annual competition for the best economic students. As part of the competition, he was asked to defend a paper he had written about the policy issues facing South Africa at the time. He ultimately won the competition, earning himself a scholarship to continue studying economics at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, considered the birthplace of macroeconomic studies. Adrian still refers to his time at Cambridge as “heaven on earth” for a young economist eager to further broaden his world view.
Adrian’s parents also instilled in him a passion for travel as a way to get a fuller sense of the world. It is this curiosity for the world that ultimately led Adrian to Atlanta, where he met his beloved wife, Eve, a Georgia native. As a naturalized citizen, his gratitude for the entrepreneurial opportunities and freedoms one can find in the U.S. is something Adrian shares enthusiastically with colleagues and clients alike.
Outside of work, Adrian is passionate about family, friendships, sports (especially squash), travel, history, and philanthropy. In 2014, he founded A+ Squash, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering year-round youth programming that encourages academic, athletic, and civic growth for kids starting in the fourth grade through college graduation. In January 2020, the organization moved to a new home at the Atlanta Community Squash Center, which was funded through Adrian’s tireless fundraising efforts. He is also an active member of the Atlanta Rotary Club and serves as a Trustee of Agnes Scott College, his wife’s alma mater, where he chairs the Investment Subcommittee for Financial Success.
Adrian is a fierce and compassionate advocate for brave, clear communication within families. He has always focused on coaching wealth creators to communicate early, often, and with courage, something he learned from personal experience. The loss of Adrian’s mother in 2016 represented a major turning point in his life. Over the course of his mother’s illness, he made time to talk with her and to “leave nothing unsaid.” It was an incredibly liberating and powerful experience for him, and it’s a deeply personal experience that he shares freely with Balentine clients—especially those who may be struggling with communication and adversity within their families.
Adrian and Eve reside in Atlanta with their two children.
Awards and Honors
In the decade prior to the publication of this book, Adrian has been honored by many esteemed organizations.
Top New Vistage Speaker, Vistage International
TiE Atlanta Top Entrepreneur Awards
Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 40 Under 40
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