Adrian Cronje, Ph.D, CFA

Chief Executive Officer, Balentine

Adrian Cronje is Balentine's Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the firm has experienced exponential growth. He has been recognized by Atlanta Business Chronicle for his leadership as a Most Admired CEO, by Barron’s for his impact guiding clients as a Top 100 Independent Advisor nationally and one of the Top 10 Financial Advisors in Georgia, across independent and brokerage firms alike. In addition, Balentine was named one of America's fastest-growing companies by Inc. and one of America's fastest-growing Registered Investment Advisors by Citywire RIA. Adrian is a founding partner of Balentine, its former Chief Investment Officer and a member of both the management committee and the investment strategy team. Previously, Adrian served as Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Strategist at Wilmington Trust and chaired its investment strategy team. Adrian began his career at Schroders in London as Director, Deputy Head of Quantitative Equity Products.   Adrian holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics, with honors, from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Adrian is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Journal of Wealth Management Editorial Board. He is actively involved in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Within YPO, Adrian is a member of the Chief Executives Organization and the Learning Officer for YPO’s Financial Services Network. He is also Past Chair of the Wealth Management Vertical for the Global Financial Services Network. Dedicated to serving the Atlanta community, Adrian is a member of Leadership Atlanta's Class of 2026, actively involved in the Rotary Club of Atlanta as Past President as well as Board Member and Trustee of the Charitable Foundation, and the founding President of the not-for-profit A+ Squash. He served previously as a Trustee and Head of the Financial Success Committee and Investments Sub-Committee of Agnes Scott College.   A frequently requested speaker, Adrian has published several papers and addressed national audiences on topics relating to investments and the economy. In addition, he enjoys teaching and is a recurrent guest lecturer at several prominent universities. He regularly contributes his expertise in wealth and legacy to entrepreneurial publications such as Fast Company and Real Leaders Magazine. In 2010, Adrian was named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 40 Under 40, an honor designating the region’s up-and-coming business and community leaders. He was also an honoree at TiE Atlanta’s 2018 Top Entrepreneur Awards. In 2019, Adrian was recognized as a top new speaker for Vistage International for his highly rated talk on how “Capital Markets Lead the Economy, Not the Other Way Around.” He is also a published author. First Generation Wealth, a book he co-wrote with Chairman Robert Balentine, won the Nautilus Book Award in 2023.