NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Derek van Eck, a Principal and Director at Van Eck Associates Corporation, died unexpectedly last night. He was 46 years old.

Mr. van Eck, whose father, John van Eck, founded the company in 1955, joined his father and brother, Jan, at Van Eck Associates Corporation in 1993 and served as Chief Investment Officer as well as Portfolio Manager of the Van Eck Global Hard Assets Fund, Van Eck VIP Global Hard Assets Fund, and Van Eck’s long/short Hard Assets funds.

He will be succeeded in his portfolio management roles by Shawn Reynolds and Charles Cameron, who have been named Co-Portfolio Managers. Mr. Reynolds joined the company in 2005 and currently leads the energy investment team. Mr. Cameron has been with Van Eck for more than 15 years and is currently director of trading. Combined, they have 49 years of industry experience and are supported by a team of seven analysts and traders.

Mr. van Eck graduated from Williams College in 1986 with a BA in Economics, and received his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern) in 1993. He began his career in the securities business in 1986 at CS First Boston. He was a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the Association of Investment Management and Research (AIMR), and served on the board of the Fred M. van Eck Forest Trust, managed in conjunction with the Pacific Forest Trust.

Mr. van Eck is survived by his wife, Deborah S. van Eck, and two children Willem J. van Eck and Kathryn M. van Eck; his parents, Sigrid and John C. van Eck; and his brother, Jan van Eck, who continues as Principal of Van Eck Associates Corporation; and his sister-in-law, Cynthia van Eck. Mr. van Eck was a resident of New York City and Sharon, CT.

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MacMillan Communications
Mike MacMillan/Chris Sullivan, 212-473-4442