Lawrence McDonald, Managing Director, Head of Global Macro Strategy, ACGA and Creator of The Bear Traps Report

Lawrence McDonald, Managing Director, Head of Global Macro Strategy, ACGA and Creator of The Bear Traps Report
Lawrence McDonald is a New York Times bestselling author, CNBC contributor, and Political Risk Expert. He is also the creator of The Bear Traps Report, a weekly independent investment letter focusing on global political and systemic risk with actionable trade ideas.

Larry McDonald as a Keynote Speaker provides rare insight into topics such as:

• Trump Presidency - Political Risk in 2017: An analysis of the Market Impact.

• Global Systemic Risk: A perspective on Trade and NAFTA Re-negotiations

• U.S. Global Economic Outlook: Market Impact of the Tax Reform from Washington D.C.

• China: The Epicenter of Risk and Unimaginable Debt

• The Rise and Fall of Emerging Market Economies

• Investment Risk Management

• Quantitative Easing, Federal Reserve Policy, and their side-effects

Thought-provoking Larry McDonald presents his captivating views on the Trump Administration, U.S. Financial Crisis, European Sovereign Debt, and China’s Economic Meltdown - spiced with actionable risk indicators, risk management lessons, and sprinkled with humor.
In 2016, Larry McDonald joined ACG Analytics in Washington D.C., as a partner with a unique skill set, as one of today’s leading political policy risk consultants and strategists. From 2011 – 2016, he was Managing Director and Head of U.S. Macro Strategy at Society Générale.
In 2010 he founded an investment research firm which publishes the The Bear Traps Report, focused on Political and Systemic Risk with actionable trade ideas. Larry makes weekly appearances on CNBC as a contributor focused on political and economic risk and opportunities.
In late 2006, as Vice President at Lehman Brothers, he led his team into betting against the subprime mortgage market, profiting the firm over $2 billion before its demise. In 2009, he wrote the international bestseller A Colossal Failure of Common Sense, The Inside Story of The Collapse of Lehman Brothers - translated into 12 languages, selling over 400,000 copies.
Larry McDonald’s proprietary risk indicators and risk management lessons are designed for Family Offices, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Hedge-Funds, and any investment group working to avoid the dangerous pitfalls in the post-Lehman financial markets.
McDonald was featured in the Academy Award winning documentary: Inside Job, and also featured in National Geographic’s award winning documentary: The 2000’s. He is a regular contributor on Bloomberg TV and Radio, Forbes, CNBC and Fox Business.
Larry has delivered over 125 keynote speeches worldwide. He details the complexities of the political policy implications of the Trump Administration and their relationship with Congress. Larry also adds the Lehman factor to his speeches, “why it was allowed to fail”, and above all - valuable risk indicators which help investors avoid the aftershocks that continue to rock the global economy until today. His presentations are thought-provoking and captivating.

Nelson Arruda, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Mackenzie Asset Allocation Team

Richard Austin, Partner, Deeth Williams Wall

Lewis Bateman, Chief Business Officer, Coinsquare

Eliott Behar, Founder, Inscape Privacy & Security, and former Security Counsel for Apple, Inc.

Ellen Bessner, Partner, Babin Bessner Spry LLP

Jordan Blain, Vice President, Sales, Evolve ETFs

Goran Bodiroga, Associate Director, National Sales, Invico Capital Corporation

Pat Bolland, Former BNN Anchor, Media Consultant

Andrew Branch, Associate Director of Sales, Centurion Asset Management Inc.

Adam Buzanis, Director of Research, Prime Quadrant

Daniel Child, Founder and Co-Portfolio Manager, YTM Capital Credit Opportunities Fund

Sean Clark, Founder & CEO, First Block Capital Inc.

John Courtliff, Partner, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager, ICM Asset Management

Devon Cranson, Founder and President, Cranson Capital Securities

Dawn Desjardins, Vice President, Deputy Chief Economist, Royal Bank of Canada

Frances Donald, Head of Macroeconomic Strategy, Manulife Asset Management

Shane Dubin, Sr. Vice President, Wealth Advisor & Portfolio Manager, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management

Bobby Eng, CIMA, Vice President & Head of SPDR ETFs Canada

Jennifer Eve, Counsel, Appleby (Bermuda) Limited

James Fox, Co-CEO, Managing Partner, Ninepoint Partners

Robert Gignac, Author: Rich is a State of Mind

Cam Goodnough, CEO, Timbercreek Financial

Will Granleese, Director & Portfolio Manager, Antrim Investments

Leanna Haakons, President, Black Hawk Financial

Brett House, Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist, Scotiabank

Michelle Hung, Founder, Sassy Investor

Peter Jarman, Partner, VP Capital Markets, Axcess Capital Advisor

Jason Jogia, CIO, Avenue Living Asset Management & CEO, Avenue Living Real Estate Opportunity Trust

Thomas Jones, President, Northern Coast Financial

Ronald Kosonic, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Nick Kyprianou, President & CEO, RiverRock Mortgage Investment Corporation

Martin Lalonde, Founder, President and Portfolio Manager, Rivemont

Dennis E. MacPherson, Senior Vice President, SGGG Fund Services Inc.

Ken McCord, CEO, Portfolio Manager, Red Jacket Capital Inc.

Ahson Mirza, Portfolio Manager, Arrow Capital Management

Sean Moran, Interim CEO, Bermuda Business Development Agency

Michael Nairne, President & Chief Investment Officer, Tacita Capital Inc.

Aryan Nava, Founder, Blockchain Mind Inc.

Dr. Jason Neale, Partner, OKR Financial

Lawrence C. Newhook, President & CEO, Alpha Innovations Ltd. & Laureate Digital Securities Ltd.

Neil Nisker, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Our Family Office Inc.

Curtis Potyondi, President, Prestige Capital Inc.

Brian Pulis, Co-Founder & CEO, Pulis Investment

Mark Purdy, Managing Director & CIO, Arrow Capital Management Inc.

Harry Singh, CEO, Indigoblue Mortgage Investment Corporation

Rob Stitt, V.P., Head of Institutional Sales, Fundamental Research Corp.

Daniel Straus, Ph.D., M.Fin., ETF Research & Strategy, Derivatives & Structured Products, National Bank Financial

Conner Sura, Director Business Development, Lawrence Park Asset Management

Andrew Torres, CEO and Founder, Lawrence Park Asset Management

Leslie Toth, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, RISE Properties Trust

Gavin Treanor, Vice President of Sales, Newlook Capital Inc.

Marc Van Der Chijs, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, First Block Capital Inc.

Rod White, CEO, Krypton Fund Services Holdings Ltd.

Joacim Wiklander, Chief Business Officer, Aequitas NEO Exchange

Jamie Wise, President & CEO, Periscope Capital

Doug Zabkar, Chief Financial Officer, Ardenton Capital Corporation

Nelson Arruda, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Mackenzie Asset Allocation Team
Nelson Arruda, Vice President, Investment Management, is a Portfolio Manager on the Mackenzie Asset Allocation Team.
Nelson has experience in investment research and portfolio management of multi-asset strategies, including equities, foreign exchange, sovereign debt and commodities. Prior to joining Mackenzie in 2017, Nelson spent seven years at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board where he performed various roles, including head portfolio manager of the active commodities portfolio, covering energy, agriculture and metals.
Nelson has Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in computer science from the University of Toronto and also graduated from the Rotman School of Business with a Master of Finance. He is a CFA charterholder.

Richard Austin, Partner, Deeth Williams Wall
Richard practices corporate and commercial law with a focus on information technology and business process outsourcing, cloud computing, applications (and Apps) development, artificial intelligence and privacy and security. Prior to returning to private practice, Richard was General Counsel at EDS Canada for 18 years where he headed a team of lawyers and contract professionals with responsibility for the legal aspects of EDS' business in Canada. Richard’s responsibilities at EDS Canada included providing strategic advice on and negotiating IT and business process outsourcing transactions with public and private sector entities.
Richard is a frequent speaker on technology law issues including on cloud computing, privacy, security and cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, outsourcing, social media and software and applications development. Richard is a member of the Executive Education Faculty of the Centre for Outsourcing Research and Education (CORE) and is a former Director and President of the Canadian IT Law Association. Richard has been listed in Best Lawyers in Canada for 2014 – 2018 for Information Technology Law.

Lewis Bateman, Chief Business Officer, Coinsquare
Lewis Bateman is Chief Business officer of Coinsquare, focusing on business development, corporate strategy, and managing Capital Markets, Custody and Asset Management. He also serves as the CEO of Coin Capital Investment Management, a subsidiary of Coinsquare and Canada's leading dedicated technology-sector asset manager.
Prior to Coinsquare, he was founder and CEO of Sphere Investments, continuing his over two decades of financial services experience.
On top of his experience in equities trading for Merrill Lynch (Midland Walwyn) in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and New York, he held senior roles with the Toronto Stock Exchange (TMX) where he was responsible for introducing new global participants to the Canadian marketplace and providing coverage to large domestic and international accounts and Structured Products Providers.
Now, taking his executive experiences from First Asset Capital Corp., Horizon ETFs Management Inc., and Sphere Investments, Lewis is building Coincapital to help Canadians easily access the tremendous growth potential of emerging industries.

Eliott Behar, Founder, Inscape Privacy & Security, and former Security Counsel for Apple, Inc.
Eliott served as Security Counsel for Apple, where he advised the company on issues at the intersection of security and privacy and oversaw global investigations into cyber crime, data breaches, large-scale fraud, and the theft of intellectual property. He developed innovative crisis readiness and response strategies and collaborated with project teams, engineers and executives to protect Apple technology and IP and identify and remediate product risk.
Prior to joining Apple, Eliott spent ten years litigating high-level trials and appeals and working in specialized prosecution units targeting hate crimes, police corruption, and international crime. From 2008-2010, he worked in The Hague as a war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations.

Ellen Bessner, Partner, Babin Bessner Spry LLP
Ellen Bessner is an experienced, tough-minded commercial litigator, known for her determination and common sense advice. After 25 years of practice on Bay Street at prominent Canadian law firms, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Gowling WLG, Ellen joined Babin Bessner Spry LLP in 2014, where she is a leader in commercial and securities litigation, employment litigation, insurance defence, directors’ and officers’ liability, professional negligence, class actions, and regulatory matters. She is regularly retained to advise boards of directors and senior officers on compliance issues.
Ellen has acted as counsel before every level of the Ontario courts and in many arbitrations and regulatory proceedings, including before the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA), and the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).
Ellen is the author of Advisor at Risk, a Roadmap to Protecting Your Business. This bestselling book is a leading risk management tool for professionals in the financial services industry. Ellen has also written extensively on the subject of risk for national, business and industry publications.
Ellen is a gifted public speaker and frequently delivers her popular and effective training programs across Canada to a range of professionals, including C-suite teams, boards of directors, management teams, and regulated professionals (accountants, financial and investment advisors, lawyers, planners, and portfolio managers). These programs cover a range of liability, ethics, and compliance issues, and they are designed to help reduce litigation and regulatory risk.
In 2016, Ellen was appointed to the OSC’s Seniors Expert Advisory Committee. She sits on the board of Knowledge First Financial Inc. and is a panel member for the Certified Professional Accountants of Ontario’s regulatory arbitrations.

Andrew Branch, Associate Director of Sales, Centurion Asset Management Inc.

Adam Buzanis, Director of Research, Prime Quadrant
Adam is the Director of Research at Prime Quadrant LP, a Toronto based investment consulting and research firm with a focus on the sourcing and analysis of global alternative strategies across all asset classes. Adam has over 10 years’ capital markets and asset management experience with an expertise in alternative investment research and hedge funds.
Prior to joining Prime Quadrant in 2016, Adam was most recently a Director at a Toronto based private wealth management firm. He began his career within risk management at CIBC, prior to transitioning to the bank’s asset management arm in 2009. In 2012, Adam joined CC&L Funds Inc., an affiliate company of the CC&L Financial Group responsible for launching and developing the firm's alternative investment funds business.
Adam obtained his Master of Finance degree from the Queen's School of Business and holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations.

Daniel Child, Founder and Co-Portfolio Manager, YTM Capital Credit Opportunities Fund
YTM Capital was founded by Daniel Child CPA, CA, CFA, who has 25 years of financial markets experience. Daniel spent nearly 15 years as a bond trader with CIBC Wood Gundy and then Scotia Capital, where he was a Managing Director, Head Corporate Bond and MBS Trader. He was directly responsible for managing a $1 billion portfolio of corporate bonds, including public and private investment grade and high yield bonds, asset backed securities and both mortgage backed securities and commercial mortgage backed securities, distressed debt, and preferred shares. Daniel is a graduate of the Ivey Business School and is a Chartered Accountant as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Daniel is co-portfolio manager of YTM Capital Credit Opportunities Fund and portfolio manager of YTM Capital Mortgage Income Fund.

Sean Clark, Founder & CEO, First Block Capital Inc.
Mr. Clark is an experienced technology entrepreneur, and Co-Founder and CEO of Hut 8 Mining Corp. He is also Co-Founder and Director of First Block Capital, Canada’s first fully regulated cryptocurrency investment firm, and Co-Founder and Director of First Coin, an international ICO advisory firm. He started his career in 2008 as analyst for Deloitte. From 2010 to 2011 he led Coastal Contact’s Australian operations where he was able to increase the company’s sales by 10X in just over a year. He then founded Shoeme.ca in January 2012, which he sold to Shoes.com in 2014 where he became Chief Revenue Officer and achieved over $300M in revenue. Mr. Clark was in the Business in Vancouver Forty under Forty list in 2015, the winner of STARTUP 50 in 2016 and the winner of EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2016.

John Courtliff, Partner, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager, ICM Asset Management
John is a Portfolio Manager, Managing Director, and a Director of the Manager and has been working with ICM since 2011.
Prior thereto, John was Vice President and associate portfolio manager of a registered investment fund manager and portfolio manager headquartered in Calgary. John has over 12 years of experience in investment management and the Canadian capital markets, beginning his career in investment banking before transitioning to real estate investment management. He has been directly involved in transactions and the management of over $700 million.
John speaks French and English and understands both fluently, as well as conversational Spanish. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of Calgary as a four-year Academic All Canadian, including studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Wirtschafts Universitat Wien. John holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
John is a member the board of directors of Calgary United Soccer Association, an organization responsible for operating soccer leagues in Calgary for over 300 teams and 9,000 adult participants.

Devon Cranson, Founder and President, Cranson Capital Securities

Devon Cranson is the Founder and President of Cranson Capital Securities, an Exempt Market Dealer and boutique investment banking firm which sources, structures and raises capital from accredited investors for private placements in real estate, growth companies and financial services.
Devon has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial financing, M&A and capital raising with particular expertise in real estate. He acts as the General Partner for three Toronto condo developments, a Trustee of a multifamily residential REIT and a Trustee of three Land Development Funds. Devon also sits on the Boards of a TSX-listed real estate lending company and a Senior’s Housing company based in Western Canada.

Dawn Desjardins, Vice President, Deputy Chief Economist, Royal Bank of Canada
Dawn Desjardins joined the RBC Economics team in January 2006. She is a key contributor to the macroeconomic forecasts for Canada and the U.S. and is part of a team that is responsible for the interest rate forecasts for both countries. Dawn delivers economic analysis to RBC’s clients through a variety of publications and presentations. She is often interviewed by media from across North America to discuss developments in the economy and financial markets.
Prior to joining RBC, Dawn worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Financial News in Toronto covering the Canadian bond and currency markets and was the Canadian bond market strategist for a major U.S. bank for ten years. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto.

Frances Donald, Head of Macroeconomic Strategy, Manulife Asset Management
Frances Donald is Head of Macroeconomic Strategy at Manulife Asset Management, responsible for coordinating and generating global macroeconomic investment research and analyzing the potential opportunities and impacts on Manulife Asset Management’s investments. Prior to joining Manulife, she worked as a financial economist for Scotiabank in Toronto, and before that as a global macro analyst for Pavilion Global Markets in Montreal. Earlier in her career, she held various positions at Deloitte, Roubini Global Economics and Bank of Canada. She makes regular appearances on Business News Network and CBC, and is frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Bloomberg.

Shane Dubin, Sr. Vice President, Wealth Advisor & Portfolio Manager, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
Shane joined Canaccord Genuity in April 2018 and has spent his career in wealth management. His knowledge and practice of investments started at a young age and carried through over the 18 years working at Scotia McLeod. He has made a successful transition over to Canaccord and continues to grow. A true believer in total wealth planning, he prides himself on his love of the business and practiced approach in looking after clients and families with complex financial situations.
Energized by the connection that investing has to world affairs, his clients value the tenacity and candor he brings to his proactive relationship management approach. Inspired by each of his clients, he takes time to listen first. With openness and know-how, Shane takes great pleasure in getting to know his clients and helping get them get to where they need to be.
Shane has completed several Canadian Securities Courses including the CSC, CPH, LLQP, PFP, OTC, FTC, and holds his CIM designation. Shane was honored by the Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC) in both 2016 and 2017 as one of the Top Under Award 40 award nominees.
For many years, Shane has lent personal support and fundraised for the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

Bobby Eng, CIMA, Vice President & Head of SPDR ETFs Canada
Bobby is a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors, Ltd and Head of SPDR ETF Business Development for Canada. Bobby focuses on the distribution of SPDR ETFs to institutional investors throughout Canada including pension plans, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, investment consultants, asset managers and banks.
Prior to this role, Bobby was Senior Vice President and Head of Sales at First Trust Portfolios Canada responsible for overall sales and distribution. He also spent 10 years at Blackrock Asset Management, most recently as Director & Vice President, Head of National Accounts responsible for asset managers and brokerage senior executive relationships. Bobby was instrumental in the success of the iShares, Exchange Traded Funds business in Canada being responsible for sales and business development across Canada. Bobby also held sales and relationship management roles at Fidelity Investments and National Bank of Canada.

Jennifer Eve, Counsel, Appleby (Bermuda) Limited
Jennifer S. Eve is counsel and a member of the Funds & Investment Services and Technology & Innovation Teams within the corporate practice group of Appleby (Bermuda) Limited. She practises in the area of company and commercial law, specialising in the structuring of funds including as mutual fund companies/hedge funds, unit trusts, segregated accounts companies, limited liability companies and partnership. Jennifer has worked has included ILS funds for a number of large reinsurance companies and large third-party managed platforms utilising segregated account structures.
Jennifer has extensive experience in the licensing and on-going regulation of Bermuda-based investment managers/advisers under the Investment Business Act and local fund administrators under the Investment Funds Act 2006. Jennifer provides advice on AML/ATF and corporate governance issues for licensed entities including reviewing and drafting of compliance related documents.
Jennifer has also been involved in growing Appleby’s fintech and digital asset practice which includes initial coin offerings.
Jennifer was recognised by Legal 500 2018 in the Banking, Finance and Capital Markets and Corporate and Commerical catergories.

James Fox, Co-CEO, Managing Partner, Ninepoint Partners
James Fox is a founding principal, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Ninepoint Partners. James oversees all business development, capital raising & marketing initiatives of the firm. Prior to Ninepoint’s formation, James served as the President of Sprott Asset Management LP (SAM) as well as Managing Director of Sprott Private Wealth. In his role at SAM, James initiated the development of new products, formed a wholesale group to increase fund distribution and led marketing efforts to increase the company's brand awareness in Canada and abroad. Notably, James led the Firm’s efforts to launch Sprott Physical Trusts on NYSE Arca and TSX that raised over $4B in assets, and helped lead the successful take-over of the Central Gold Trust ($1B in Assets) by Sprott Physical Gold Trust.
James has a BA in Finance and Economics from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Robert Gignac, Author: Rich is a State of Mind
Robert Gignac is the owner of "Rich is a State of Mind" and his core mission is helping Advisors improve their business by improving their client relationships. Companies turn to Robert to help their Advisors understand how to engage with their clients in today's ever-changing and hypercompetitive environment. For twenty years Robert has studied, researched and most important, listened to clients to recognize their fears, hopes, and dreams to understand what they want from their advisor and the client/advisor experience. Robert authored the bestselling, Rich is a State of Mind (now in it's 18th printing...), a novel that teaches lessons about both personal finances and life.
In addition to speaking across North America, Robert is the host of the Money, Motivation & More podcast and the new television show "WE Talk Money" on we-tv.ca.

Cam Goodnough, CEO, Timbercreek Financial
Cam Goodnough is Chief Executive Officer of Timbercreek Financial and Managing Director, Corporate Development of Timbercreek Asset Management, our manager, an asset management company that is responsible for originating and placing commercial real estate mortgage and loan investments. In his role as Managing Director, Corporate Development, Mr. Goodnough is a senior member of the team responsible for evaluating and executing on strategies to build and grow Timbercreek. Mr. Goodnough is also responsible for the review and structuring of capital and acquisition mandates that align with Timbercreek’s overall business goals.
Mr. Goodnough has 20 years of experience in capital markets. Most recently, Mr. Goodnough was Managing Director with the Financial Institutions Group at TD Securities. Prior to joining TD Securities, Mr. Goodnough also worked within the investment banking groups at RBC Capital Markets, Merrill Lynch Canada and CIBC Wood Gundy.
Mr. Goodnough holds two undergraduate degrees (Commerce and International Relations) from the University of Windsor and a combined Masters of Business (Schulich School of Business) and Bachelor of Laws (Osgoode Hall).

Will Granleese, Director & Portfolio Manager, Antrim Investments
Will is the Lead PM of Antrim Balanced Mortgage Fund; Canada’s largest private residential MIC. Having extensive experience in both the financial advisory business and mortgage underwriting Will leads the company by nurturing Antrim’s core competencies, creating a Firm strategy, and building a sustainable competitive advantage. Will has and undergraduate degree in Finance from Simon Fraser University, an M.B.A ( Finance) from Dalhousie, is a Financial Management Advisor, Derivatives Markets Specialist, and Chartered Investment Manager. Will is a previous top 40 under 40 BC business recipient and past president of the BC Mortgage Investment Corporation managers association with association AUM over $3billion. Will is a licensed mortgage broker with the Financial Institutions Commission of BC and portfolio manager with the BC Securities Commission. When not participating in one of many charitable activities he is involved with Will enjoys spending time at home with his wife and two young children.

Leanna Haakons, President, Black Hawk Financial
Leanna Haakons is the founder of the financial marketing firm Black Hawk Financial, which she formed in 2014 following her last role in London working for the only FCA authorised investor relations firm in the UK. She has over 11 years of experience consulting and facilitating transactions alongside multi-billion dollar funds, private, and public companies listed on the TSX, NYSE, NASDAQ, ASX, AIM, TSX-V, and the LSE in various sectors including fintech, media, alternative assets, clean tech, and resources.

Ms. Haakons is also a bestselling millennial financial literacy author following the publication of her book “Young, Fun & Financially Free” in 2017, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the WE Charity. She has been requested to speak, adjudicate and host at conferences and media outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg and Cheddar TV, as well as many other podcasts, entrepreneur features, book reviews and blogs.

Leanna landed her first job in the capital markets while attaining her business degree from Ryerson University, and has since gained securities licencing and knowledge through higher education at Harvard University, Pepperdine University and Skema International Business School (France).

Brett House, Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist, Scotiabank
Brett House is Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist at Scotiabank. He works with the Chief Economist to manage a research team that provides Scotiabank and its clients with macroeconomic insights across the bank’s domestic and international business lines.
Prior to joining Scotiabank in October 2016, Brett was Chief Economist at Alignvest Investment Management in Toronto and Global Strategist at Woodbine Capital Advisors, a New York-based global macro fund. Earlier in his career, Brett served as Principal Advisor in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General and as an Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He cut his teeth in financial markets at Goldman Sachs International in London and at the World Bank in Washington, DC.
Brett is a Rhodes Scholar with degrees in economics from the University of Oxford and Queen’s University at Kingston. In addition, he has taught at Oxford and McGill University in Montréal, and has held research roles at Columbia University in New York and Massey College at the University of Toronto.
Brett sits on the investment committees of Pearson College and the Canadian Rhodes Scholars’ Foundation. He received the 2014 Québec Notable Award in Finance and the 2015 Good Citizen Award from his hometown of Lincoln, Ontario. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic forum in 2010.

Michelle Hung, Founder, Sassy Investor
Michelle Hung is the founder of the Sassy Investor, a platform empowering women to take control of their finances and teaching them how to build a lifetime of wealth. She graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2008 with a Bachelor's of Mathematics, specializing in Finance. She has spent 10 years working in finance, from investment banking and venture capital in Toronto, to now, personal finances and financial education. Michelle is also a CFA charterholder. In her spare time, you will find her at a hot yoga class or playing competitive soccer.

Peter Jarman, Partner, VP Capital Markets, Axcess Capital Advisor
Peter Jarman is a Partner and the VP Capital Markets at Axcess Capital Advisors, an Investment Fund Manager and Exempt Market Dealer founded in 2002. Peter is an engaging speaker and writer, and was published on the subject of real estate in mixed asset portfolios, in Taxation, Valuation and Investment Strategies in Volatile Markets, Carswell (2010). Peter consults with private market issuers and supports capital formation and is a Member of the Alberta Chapter Executive, Private Capital Market Association.

Thomas Jones, President, Northern Coast Financial

Thomas Jones is the President of Northern Coast Financial, a firm specializing in the manufacturing of alternative investment products for retail investors, and the manufacturer of Northern Coast Strategic Fund, a fixed income, mortgage-backed issue. An entrepreneur at heart, Tom is unafraid to rethink traditional asset management models to create structures that place the investor first. His strong track record in closing complex transactions and his solid communication skills are the foundation of his “win-win” philosophy, which promotes sustainable profit models for all stakeholders. Before founding Northern Coast in 2012, Tom spent 3 years as an Investor Relations Manager, was a senior manager at a Montreal-based technology company specialized in custom internet applications for the financial sector for nearly 8 years, and founded the predecessor to Northern Coast, a real estate development company specialized in non-subsidized affordable housing in Mexico and Florida (post-financial crisis).
Tom is also CEO of Smartchase Corp., an OTC-listed public company that leverages non-traditional channels to offer unbiased portfolio management to retail investors, and create new opportunities for alternative issuers looking to increase their retail investor base.

Ronald Kosonic, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Ronald Kosonic is a partner in the Investment Management Group at the Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Ron practises corporate, commercial and securities law, focusing on domestic and offshore hedge funds, private equity funds, investment management companies, securities regulation and regulatory compliance. He assists Canadian and foreign fund managers and portfolio managers on registration matters, on the creation of new investment products and on ongoing legal compliance matters and regulatory audits.
With 26 years of securities law experience, Ron has been involved with many of Canada's hedge fund professionals and has participated in the growth cycle of a large number of hedge funds in Canada and offshore since 1994.
Ron is a frequent speaker and writer on topics of interest to the hedge fund industry.

Nick Kyprianou, President & CEO, RiverRock Mortgage Investment Corporation
Nick is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Prior to founding RiverRock in 2014, Nick was the CEO at Equity Financial Trust. Before joining Equity Financial, Nick was the President and also a director at Home Trust Company for over 18 years, where he was instrumental in the company’s national expansion, mortgage growth and operations.

Nick obtained his degree from McMaster University in 1986, has completed the Executive Program at the Queen’s School of Business as well as the Institute of Corporate Directors Program at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Business.

Martin Lalonde, Founder, President and Portfolio Manager, Rivemont
Martin Lalonde is founder, President and Portfolio Manager of Rivemont. He has many years of experience in the financial markets. Before founding Rivemont Investments, he was a senior investment, mergers and acquisitions analyst for a major Canadian organization.
As Portfolio Manager, Mr. Lalonde is responsible for all the strategies of the firm. In that role, he is responsible for the construction of the portfolios including determining the allocation between the different asset classes and the selection of securities.
Mr. Lalonde holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa with specialization in international trade from the École supérieure de commerce of Reims, in France. He also holds the title of CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and is an active member of the Ottawa and Montreal CFA Societies.

Dennis E. MacPherson, Senior Vice President, SGGG Fund Services Inc.
Mr. Dennis MacPherson has diverse experience in investment fund operations. He began his career with TD Bank Financial Group supporting Greenline Investor Services (now TD Waterhouse Canada). Later, the TD third-party fund business was purchased by AGF Management Ltd., and Mr. MacPherson accepted the role of Director, Dealer Relations for Unisen Inc. (now owned by Citigroup).
Then, Mr. MacPherson returned to TD Bank to run the Client Transfer Services area, for all products and business lines of the Wealth Management Division. He then accepted a senior management role in Investment Fund Operations, where he was responsible for transaction processing for all TD brokerage and retail distribution channels, and all TD Mutual Funds products.
Mr. MacPherson was then recruited by Felcom Data Services Inc. as the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all day-to-day operations, budgeting, and staffing. There, he developed and grew the business to the point where it was targeted and acquired by CIBC Mellon. After ensuring an orderly transition of all Clients, staff and business processes, Mr. MacPherson made the decision to assume his current role at SGGG Fund Services.
Mr. MacPherson has been an industry leader in process improvement change as a Member or Chair of several Committees and Working Groups, and is currently an active Member of the FundSERV Standards Steering Committee (SSC). He has also participated in several high-profile speaking engagements, including: the annual IFIC (Investment Funds Institute of Canada) Conference, CCMA (Canadian Capital Markets Association) Information Sessions on Straight-Through Processing (STP), the IFIC Dealer Operations Forum, an "expert panel" discussion on Pooled Fund hosted by PMAC (Portfolio Managers Association of Canada), an operations panel at the annual WAISC summit, and most recently hosted a regulatory roundtable for HFM.

Ahson Mirza, Portfolio Manager, Arrow Capital Management

Ahson Mirza is a Portfolio Manager at Arrow Capital Management, he joined the firm in 2016. Ahson co-manages the Exemplar Growth & Income Fund, Arrow Performance Fund and Arrow Global Growth Fund. Prior to joining Arrow Capital, Ahson worked for Timelo Investment Management in Toronto and Formula Growth Limited in Montreal as an Investment Analyst. Ahson graduated from McGill University in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Finance.

Sean Moran, Interim CEO, Bermuda Business Development Agency
Sean is Interim CEO at the BDA, overseeing all the agency’s industry initiatives and stakeholder relationships. Previously, he was the BDA’s Head of Business Development, and also was responsible for both the asset management and trust & private client sectors. Sean has more than 20 years of financial services experience, including three years as vice president of Citi Hedge Fund Services for Citigroup, New York. Prior to Citi, Sean held senior roles with Butterfield Fulcrum Group as director of business development, and with HSBC Alternative Fund Services as client relationship manager in New York and Hong Kong.

Michael Nairne, President & Chief Investment Officer, Tacita Capital Inc.
Michael Nairne is President and Chief Investment Officer of Tacita Capital Inc., a multi-family office that provides portfolio and wealth management services to high net worth families. Tacita Capital is also the manager of TCI Premia Private Pools, quantitative multi-factor funds that pursue excess returns from risk and behavioral premia in multiple Canadian asset classes.
Prior to co-founding Tacita, Michael was the Chief Operating Officer of Loring Ward Inc., a family office located in New York and Los Angeles. Michael was also the co-founder and Vice Chairman of Assante Corporation prior to its acquisition by CI Financial.
Michael writes frequently on wealth management matters including the Serious Money column in the Financial Post. He has spoken internationally on advanced asset allocation, quantitative investing, investment tax planning and other investment topics relevant to families of affluence.
Michael holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Toronto. He is a Registered Financial Planner, a Certified Financial Planner and graduated first in his class in Canada as a Chartered Financial Planner. Michael was also the gold medalist in his graduating year from the Honors Commerce Program at the University of Manitoba.

Aryan Nava, Founder, Blockchain Mind Inc.
As the Founder of Blockchain Mind Inc., Aryan is a true IT entrepreneur with experience of Hardware and Software development and training. He brings over 18 years of experience working in the fintech, energy and heath sectors for corporations like Blockchain Mind, Toronto Stock Exchange, Canadian Depository for Securities, TSX Venture, TSX Trust, Economical Insurance, Extendicare, Direct Energy and E-Health Ontario. Aryan has been involved in Blockchain technology since 2016 while working with Ethereum Co-Founder Anthony Diorio at TSX.
He has led Blockchain Mind Inc in the successful development of a hardware wallet prototype and which was backed by Venture Capitalist funding to go mainstream. Aryan and his Team has developed an ICO platform for fund raising (key features include Buy Tokens, Dashboard, AI powered KYC verification, User Management, White Paper, ICO website development, Tokenomics and Smarts Contracts) for several companies. Blockchain Mind has successfully developed a AML/KYC automated process for a leading crypto exchange, providing network/security/auditing services to host smart contracts, code audits and monitoring to ensure that ICO services run smoothly.
Aryan has conducted training for over 100 Executives and Managers of large corporations on Blockchain technology. He is also involved in developing a decentralized crypto exchange (www.linkcoin.pro) and helped raise over $10 Million for Initial Coin Offerings and currently advisor for Swachhcoin and Aarnav. He also holds the position of Chief Technology Officer for EzExchange (www.ezexchange.com).

Dr. Jason Neale, Partner, OKR Financial
Dr. Jason Neale is a serial entrepreneur, turnaround expert and technology executive. Jason has a real love for starting new ventures, turning around struggling companies, developing novel technology and managing fast growing opportunities. Direct experience of raising Government funding and equity (circa $200 million), buying and selling technology and other operating businesses (7), business turnarounds (7), winning major contracts ($100+ million) and the sale (5) of technology companies, in part or whole.
In 1998 Dr Neale gained a PhD in Electronic Systems Engineer from the University of Essex (UK), “Remote News Reports via Digital Cellular Networks” sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Jason also holds an MBA from Columbia Business School (US) and an MBA from London Business School (UK), graduating from their joint EMBA program in 2005. He also completed the 1 year Entrepreneurship Development Program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (US) (2009).
Jason was previously an Ernest and Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner (National - Innovation and Development and Quebec - Emerging Entrepreneur) (2009), a Deloitte Top 10 Fast 50 CEO (2010) and the National Research Council (NRC) Leaders in Innovation award recipient (2009).
For the past 6 years Dr Neale has largely focused on Business Turnarounds and financing companies via government and private capital. Jason Neale is a General Partner in 3 Old Kent Road Financial Funds (OKR); OKR Financial Fund I, a $20M fund; OKR Financial Fund II, a $20M fund in collaboration with Pinnacle Wealth Brokers and OKR Income Fund I, a $50M fund. OKR is active in creating a 4th fund, Old Kent Road Financial Venture Fund 1, targeted for a launch in 2019 and additionally plans to create a venture debt fund to address European opportunities.
Dr. Neale has a wide ranging business interests and investments that include Transportation, Internet Acceleration, Communications, Sports and Entertainment. He was honored to previously be an MIT Sloan School of Management Business Coach as well as a guest speaker at numerous Universities throughout the world.

Lawrence C. Newhook, President & CEO, Alpha Innovations Ltd. & Laureate Digital Securities Ltd.
Lawrence Newhook is a veteran investment professional with a 20+ year track record investing globally across all asset classes. He has built successful investment and hedge fund portfolios for the pension, family office, and high net worth investor communities, with a particular focus on identifying and extracting sources of alpha from both public and private markets. Mr. Newhook serves as the President & CEO of Alpha Innovations, where he oversees all facets of the business, including product innovation, alpha identification, and risk management. Lawrence also leads Laureate Digital Securities, a cutting edge technology firm that is creating an institutional blockchain platform of investment funds.
Prior to launching Alpha Innovations and Laureate Digital Securities, Lawrence was a member of the management team at Point72 Asset Management LP for twelve years, where he managed the team responsible for the firm’s external investments in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital and real estate. His team was also responsible for evaluating all discretionary and quantitative PMs, analysts and traders to ensure the standard of only hiring best in class investment talent. Earlier in his career, Mr. Newhook was the Portfolio Manager of Alternative Strategies for OMERS, one of the largest Canadian pension plans, where he designed, developed, and managed its hedge fund and active currency programs. Prior to this, he traded international OTC and listed derivatives and cash markets, and helped manage global derivatives and FX portfolios for both the pension fund and large banks.
Mr. Newhook holds a Masters degree in Financial Economics from the University of London and is a CFA Charterholder.

Neil Nisker, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Our Family Office Inc.
With investment management and wealth advisory experience dating back to 1972, founder and CEO Neil Nisker enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a trusted and respected figure in the Canadian financial services industry. His keen intellect and deep expertise make him particularly well-qualified to revolutionize the multi family office segment in Canada and grow Our Family Office into the market-leading service provider and partner to the nation’s wealthiest families.

Highlights of Neil’s career to date include:

• Fiera Capital Corporation: Neil was active with Fiera Capital Corporation, one of Canada’s largest investment managers, from 2006 to 2014, serving as the President of Fiera Private Wealth and as the company’s Executive Vice Chairman and a member of the company’s board of directors and governance committee

• YMG Capital Management Inc.: Neil served as President of the YMG Private Wealth Management division from 2000 to 2006. Fiera Capital Corporation purchased YMG Capital Management in 2000.

• Nisker Associates, Strategic Wealth Management: From 1997-1999, Neil was the Chairman of Nisker Associates, Strategic Wealth Management, a Canadian registered investment counselling firm. It was acquired by YMG Capital Management in 2000.

• Best Investments International Inc.: In 1990, Sir John Templeton selected Neil to be one of the three managers of Best Investments International Inc., a global equity mutual fund he owned. Neil held this position until 2000.

• Brown Baldwin Nisker Ltd.: For more than 25 years, Neil was a driving force behind Brown Baldwin Nisker. Through his diligence the firm grew into one of the premier institutional brokerages in Canada. It was sold to HSBC Securities in 1988.

• In addition, Neil has been the President of Privatech Investments Inc., an investment company headquartered in Toronto, Canada since 1994.

Volunteerism and philanthropy

Neil has been extensively involved in philanthropy and a range of activities, including acting as:

• Co-Chair of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Annual Campaign

• Co-Chair of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Campaign

• Vice Chair of the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and Chair of its Investment Committee

• Chairman of The Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, Chair of its Investment Committee

• Co-chair of the 2011 JFNA Investment Institute in Palm Beach, Florida

• Frequent speaker at Investment Conferences for family offices and foundations and endowments

Curtis Potyondi, President, Prestige Capital Inc.
Curtis has over a decade of experience in the private capital markets and has successfully created and executed offerings for numerous real estate backed investments. He is a recent nominee of the Ernst and Young Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2017). Curtis is also an experienced private capital director and serves on the board of the Private Capital Markets Association of Canada (PCMA), and previously with the National Exempt Market Association of Canada (NEMA). As President of Prestige Capital, he is also a director of Prestige’s new Hotel Opportunity Fund; a private capital firm which specializes in hospitality. Curtis brings insight, energy and a positive work ethic to all projects that he is involved with. He is a strong believer that successful projects always create a win-win outcome for stakeholders.

Mark Purdy, Managing Director & CIO, Arrow Capital Management Inc.
Mr. Purdy serves as Chair of the Investment Committee at Arrow Capital Management. With over 20 years of related experience, Mr. Purdy shares responsibility for fund manager selection and asset allocation process. He has served on Arrow Capital’s Investment Committee since its inception. Mr. Purdy held senior roles at BPI Financial Corporation and IBM Canada Ltd. Mr. Purdy graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics degree. Mr. Purdy is active in Varsity Blues alumni fundraising projects at the University of Toronto and is on the Board of the Ireland Park Foundation.

Harry Singh, CEO, Indigoblue Mortgage Investment Corporation
Harry has worked in the mortgage industry for over 20 years. Over that time, Harry has held several senior level roles with various financial institutions in Canada. Harry launched successful mortgage products for various brokerages as Vice President at Paradigm Quest and led a team of over twenty Business Managers across Canada at Equitable Bank as a Director. In addition, Harry is a part time professor at Seneca College). In 2012, Harry was appointed a Director on Independent Mortgage Brokers Association’s (IMBA) board. Harry completed his final term with IMBA, presently known as CMBA Ontario, in 2017 as Treasurer. Harry was the recipient of the 2014 and 2016 President’s Award and was inducted into the associations Hall of Fame for his exemplary work on education and professional development in 2017. Harry holds a degree in Economics, a graduate degree in Business Administration and the CRM designation.

Rob Stitt, V.P., Head of Institutional Sales, Fundamental Research Corp.
Rob has over twenty years of experience in capital markets. This includes eight years in sales and trading at a global brokerage firm and seven years as a portfolio manager at independent firms. In his role as portfolio manager, Rob was responsible for selecting and allocating to private investments. As part of the firms’ executive team, he was responsible for managing and overseeing all aspects of the regulated business. He has been VP, Head of Institutional Sales at Fundamental Research since 2016, where he overseas a team responsible for connecting the firm’s best research ideas with institutional investors.
Rob is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). He holds an Honours degree in Commerce from the University of Manitoba. He holds over a dozen FINRA and IIROC licensing certificates including the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course and the Chief Compliance Officer Course.

Daniel Straus, Ph.D., M.Fin., ETF Research & Strategy, Derivatives & Structured Products, National Bank Financial
Daniel Straus joined National Bank’s ETF Research group as a research associate in 2010 and was promoted to Vice President in 2017. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto, a Ph.D. in Engineering from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a Master of Finance degree from the Schulich School of Business.

Conner Sura, Director Business Development, Lawrence Park Asset Management

Andrew Torres, CEO and Founder, Lawrence Park Asset Management
Andrew is a 25 year bond market veteran who has built and run successful fixed income trading businesses in the largest financial centres around the world. He has held senior positions on the fixed income desk at TD securities in Toronto, New York and London, where he was named Vice-Chair and Global Head of Credit Trading, overseeing a $30 billion trading and investment platform. After TD, Andrew joined a European hedge fund as a partner and senior portfolio manager for its euro relative value credit fund. In 2011, Andrew returned to Toronto and founded Lawrence Park, with a mission to provide alternative, global fixed income solutions to Canadian investors.

Leslie Toth, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, RISE Properties Trust

Leslie has over 23 years of experience working in the financial services industry, specializing in life insurance, living benefits, succession planning, and legacy planning, Leslie has trained and motivated hundreds of new agents and previously managed a very successful agency. Since 2006, Les has been an executive consultant to several small and medium size corporations on business development, sales and marketing, operations, risk management, and international relations. Les is also a partner in a Multi Family office specializing in private equity, with a strong focus on real estate. In his current assignment, Leslie is overseeing RISE’s fund raising through all distribution channels across Canada.

Gavin Treanor, Vice President of Sales, Newlook Capital Inc.

Mr. Treanor is Vice President of Sales at Newlook Capital. Mr. Treanor is an Aerospace Engineer by training, having started his career with Rand Worldwide and quickly moved to Country Manager running the Asia-Pacific division based in Australia. Mr. Treanor then founded a Merchant Banking firm focused on identifying and developing strategic metals for B.R.I.C. Countries and had offices in Australia, China and Africa. In the last 10 years, he has founded, raised substantial capital and sold several entities operating in Africa, Asia and North America. Mr. Treanor brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the capital markets, asset management, mergers, and acquisitions to the Newlook Team.

Marc Van Der Chijs, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, First Block Capital Inc.

Marc is a successful technology entrepreneur and thought leader in the cryptocurrency space. In 2005, he co-founded Tudou, which was ultimately sold to Alibaba for $5bn in 2016. Until 2011, Marc acted as CEO of Spil Games Asia. After moving to to Vancouver in 2013, Marc became a managing partner in venture capital fund, CrossPacific Capital where he focused on FinTech, with an emphasis on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. In early 2017 Marc founded the first registered cryptocurrency investment fund in Canada, First Block Capital, and launched Canada’s first licensed Bitcoin fund, the FBC Bitcoin Trust. He also founded Initial Coin Offering investment bank First Coin Capital and the largest Bitcoin miner in North America Hut 8 Mining, taking it public in March 2018.

Rod White, CEO, Krypton Fund Services Holdings Ltd.

Roderick White is the company’s CEO proving his expertise day to day in the business. Rod has been in the financial services industry in Bermuda since 2005 with extensive experience in the alternative funds industry, including administration, valuation, audit, and regulatory compliance.
Prior to forming Krypton, Rod spent 10 years with Equinoxe Alternative Investment Services (“Equinoxe”) as a member of the Executive Committee responsible for the global business. During his tenure with Equinoxe he started as a Group Manager and was instrumental with the establishment of the company’s SSAE16 report globally and continued to his final role as a member of the Executive Management Committee which managed the global business. Prior to Equinoxe, Rod spent two years with JP Morgan (Bermuda) Ltd where he was a Group Manager responsible for a team servicing daily and monthly funds and 2 years with Deloitte in Nova Scotia Canada auditing clients ranging from manufacturing to Insurance Segregated Funds.
Rod has a Bachelor of Business degree from Acadia University in Canada and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He is a member of the CPA Canada.

Joacim Wiklander, Chief Business Officer, Aequitas NEO Exchange

Joacim Wiklander is Chief Business Officer, responsible for long term business strategy, sales and business development activities across all product and service offerings at Aequitas. Joacim has extensive electronic trading experience in both the equities and derivatives markets, and was the CEO of Neonet Securities, a European agency broker who pioneered Smart Order Routing. Prior to Neonet, Joacim held several different executive positions with the Orc Group, a global provider of electronic trading technology, including Chief Strategy Officer and VP Product Management. Joacim holds a MSc in Engineering Physics and a BSc in Business Administration and Economics.

Jamie Wise, President & CEO, Periscope Capital

Jamie Wise is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Periscope Capital, a Toronto-based hedge fund manager. Established in 2009, Periscope Capital is an alternative investment asset manager focused on cross-asset arbitrage strategies and applied machine learning and artificial intelligence frameworks.

Mr. Wise was formerly a managing director at Moore Capital Advisors Canada, a multi-strategy Canadian-focused hedge fund. Prior to Moore Capital, Mr. Wise was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at the Bank of Montreal where he led an internal proprietary trading group. Mr. Wise has appeared on CNBC, BNN and regularly contributes to various podcasts and blog posts. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, MarketWatch and across leading ETF industry journals.

Mr. Wise has an undergraduate business degree (hons.), graduating first in his class from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in 1998 and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Doug Zabkar, Chief Financial Officer, Ardenton Capital Corporation

Doug’s primary role is to support Ardenton’s Business Development activities including raising capital and product development.
Previously, Doug was a partner at Western Management Consultants and was the Office Managing Director for the Vancouver office for six years. His consulting practice focused on merger & acquisition advisory, post-merger integrations, business strategy and business change.
He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and obtained his Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator designations while working with Deloitte & Touche in Vancouver.