Born and raised in Carlisle and adopted at an early age, Rusty lived with different relatives and attended many different schools up until the age of fifteen when he had to fend for himself. At the age of seventeen, he joined the 49 Field Regiment Royal Artillery and remained there for approximately four years. While there, he was made captain of the regimental football team and represented the Royal Artillery and British Army football team at top amateur level. He completed several of Northern Ireland as a patrol commander and was heavily involved in adventure training, completing the Italian Alps walk, French Pyrenees walk, and the Great Divide trail walk in Canada in successive years. Rusty volunteered to serve with 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, completed the grueling selection process, and at Lympstone received the coveted Green Beret. Within fifteen months of being in 29 Commando training wing. He applied to join the SAS and in 1977, completed the SAS selection course receiving the coveted beige beret and winged dagger in six months, assigned to B squadron.

Thanos is the Founder & CIO of ABP Invest, a research boutique founded in 2015, specializing in geopolitics, economics, markets, and FX analysis. With a 20-year background in asset management at CSFB Investment Management / Credit Suisse Asset Management and Investec Asset Management, he garnered extensive experience across fixed income, emerging markets, currency management, and multi-asset. Throughout his career, Thanos managed portfolios for various pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices, earning his team the "Currency Manager of the Year" award twice. Notably, his foresight in calling for higher inflation in June 2020 and predicting Trump's unexpected US victory in 2016 underscore his keen insights into global economic trends and political developments.