Leadership
The Principals
David Zirulnikoff
Founder & Principal
David Zirulnikoff is a seasoned entrepreneur and transaction principal with over two decades of experience spanning mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, and physical commodities trading. His career is defined by a consistent principal-led approach — remaining actively engaged across the full transaction lifecycle from origination through closing and delivery.
In the healthcare and capital markets space, Mr. Zirulnikoff has delivered measurable strategic growth and value creation across a diverse portfolio of engagements. He played a central role in the formation and public listing of a biologics company, including the successful procurement of multiple FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approvals — a process requiring deep regulatory fluency and sustained institutional engagement.
Complementing his capital markets background, Mr. Zirulnikoff brings more than 15 years of hands-on experience in physical commodities trading across energy, metals, and natural resources. This dual expertise — combining strategic financial execution with direct operational experience in global commodity markets — positions him uniquely among transaction principals in his field.
Mr. Zirulnikoff is an American citizen, fluent in English and Spanish, and is based in Aventura, Florida. He founded Patagonia Global Trading, LLC in 2011 with a mandate of principal-driven execution, transactional certainty, and long-term counterparty relationships.
In the healthcare and capital markets space, Mr. Zirulnikoff has delivered measurable strategic growth and value creation across a diverse portfolio of engagements. He played a central role in the formation and public listing of a biologics company, including the successful procurement of multiple FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approvals — a process requiring deep regulatory fluency and sustained institutional engagement.
Complementing his capital markets background, Mr. Zirulnikoff brings more than 15 years of hands-on experience in physical commodities trading across energy, metals, and natural resources. This dual expertise — combining strategic financial execution with direct operational experience in global commodity markets — positions him uniquely among transaction principals in his field.
Mr. Zirulnikoff is an American citizen, fluent in English and Spanish, and is based in Aventura, Florida. He founded Patagonia Global Trading, LLC in 2011 with a mandate of principal-driven execution, transactional certainty, and long-term counterparty relationships.
Ben Richardson
Principal — Commodities Trading
Ben Richardson brings eight years of front-line commodity trading experience with Trafigura. Over the course of his tenure, Mr. Richardson held positions across five international offices — Mumbai, Geneva, Singapore, Montevideo, and Mexico City — developing a truly global operational perspective and deep cross-cultural commercial fluency.
Mr. Richardson left Trafigura in 2024 to pursue independent ventures, co-founding Patagonia Global Trading's commodities trading division alongside David Zirulnikoff. Mr. Richardson is a British citizen, fluent in English and Spanish, and divides his time between Mexico City and London.
Mr. Richardson left Trafigura in 2024 to pursue independent ventures, co-founding Patagonia Global Trading's commodities trading division alongside David Zirulnikoff. Mr. Richardson is a British citizen, fluent in English and Spanish, and divides his time between Mexico City and London.
Jonathan Leinwand, Esq.
Securities & Corporate Counsel
Securities and corporate attorney with nearly three decades of experience advising public companies, investors, and broker-dealers. University of Miami School of Law graduate with deep expertise in OTC Markets, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange. Extensive experience in private placements, PIPEs, and public company compliance.