2024 WORLD CONGRESS SPEAKERS

PAUL TAYLOR

VICE PRESIDENT & PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Mackenzie Multi-Asset Strategies Team

Asset Allocation, Equities Management

Paul Taylor, Vice President, Investment Management, joined the Mackenzie Multi-Asset Strategies Team in October 2019 as a Portfolio Manager and a member of Mackenzie’s Global Investment Committee. Paul has significant investment experience in the areas of multi-asset allocation, Canadian equity management, and manager evaluation, selection and oversight. Prior to joining Mackenzie, he worked for 14 years at a major Canadian bank as Chief Investment Officer, where his responsibilities included making tactical asset allocation decisions across institutional, high net worth and retail lines of businesses and leading large teams of investment professionals, which included equity, bond and asset allocation managers. Over his career, he has also held senior investment roles at other leading Canadian wealth management firms and has lead third party manager search initiatives, due diligences and oversight. In addition to his investment management experience, Paul also brings an excellent track record in media communications — including appearances in BNN, CNBC, Globe & Mail, Financial Post and other media outlets to the team. Paul earned an MBA at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and holds a BA (Economics) from the University of Western Ontario. He is also a CFA charter holder.

BLAKE CLUFF

ASSOCIATE PORTFOLIO MANAGER & WEALTH ADVISOR

Assante Capital Management Ltd.

Institutional Investing for the Retail Client

With a decade of investment industry experience, Blake was raising capital for a leading Canadian Alternative Asset Manager before joining Assante. Before that, Blake held various roles at other Global Banks and Asset Managers, ranging from capital markets to corporate strategy. Blake received an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBsc) in Financial Mathematics from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, the gold standard in the investment management industry. Blake also holds the Canadian Investment Manager® designation and Certified Financial Planner® designation. Blake believes giving back to the community is extremely rewarding. He has held various leadership roles with motionball, a national non-profit that raises money for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.

DEREK BRENZIL

PORTFOLIO MANAGER & HEAD OF INSTITUTIONAL BUSINESS

Yorkville Asset Management

Refining Portfolio Construction - An Institutional Perspective

Derek Brenzil is a Portfolio Manager and Head of Institutional Business with Yorkville Asset Management, advising private & institutional investors on portfolio construction, asset allocation, incorporating alternative investments and ESG practices into their portfolios. He also manages Yorkville’s Pre-IPO Equity mandate and oversees the investment research on Yorkville’s private investments and transactions. Derek brings over a decade of portfolio management experience, having worked with some of Canada’s wealthiest families & numerous large institutions during his tenure with two multinational financial institutions. Derek received his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from McMaster University with a focus in Finance and a minor in Economics. Derek is a CFA charter holder and a member of the Toronto CFA Society.

TREVOR MAPPLEBECK

MANAGING DIRECTOR & NATIONAL CLIENT ADVISORY

Marsh McLennan

Strategic and Alternative Risk

Trevor is the Client Advisory Services Leader for Marsh Canada and a member of the Canadian Executive Committee. In his role, Trevor is responsible for strategy, resourcing and client management across a variety of advisory services including Strategic Risk (Resilience, Cyber, Enterprise Risk Management, ESG, Business Continuity), Data/Analytics and Alternative Risk (including the design of economically efficient insurance programs), our Loss and Risk Mitigation and Engineering services (including Natural Catastrophe Modeling team), and our Claims Solutions practice. Prior to taking on this role, Trevor was the Prairie Zone Leader (covering Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba operations) for Marsh Canada, responsible for colleague engagement, client retention and ensuring our clients have access to the best of Marsh McLennan’s global capabilities, and for generating growth strategy. During his career, Trevor also held positions such as National Sales and Specialties Practices Leader for Marsh Canada and Partner with Oliver Wyman’s Risk and Trading Consulting practice.

CHRISTIAN LOPES

5TH YEAR HONOURS COMMERCE STUDENT

McMaster University

Exploring the Career Path of Michael Kovacs

Christian is a fifth-year Honours with Internship Commerce student at McMaster University, enrolled in the DeGroote School of Business Program. Christian has a dual focus in Finance and Sales and is complementing his education with minors in Economics and Innovation. He's thrilled to join the McMaster World Congress conference as an Interviewer and is appreciative of the invitation to attend. Christian is eager to enhance his current knowledge of the topic of financial literacy and to help McMaster students further grow their interest in the finance sector. In his leisure time, he passionately supports the Toronto Raptors, partakes in long hikes, and is interested in new emerging technologies.

JOHN HOLLINGSHEAD

DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENT

Fidelity Investments Canada

Investing for Success & the Value of Financial Advice

John Hollingshead is a District Vice President with Fidelity Investments Canada and has been working in the financial services industry for almost 12 years. In his current role with Fidelity, John partners with financial advisors in identifying suitable investment strategies for investors as well as communicating market & economic outlook from Fidelity’s Portfolio Managers. Prior to his time at Fidelity John worked in pharmaceuticals. John has a Masters in Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University.

STAN KONDA

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Equity Associates Inc

Importance of Investing Early, Dollar Cost Averaging, Common Mistakes Investors Make

Stan has been working in the investment industry since Sept 1997 and works with a private client base which he has grown over time. Some of his services include investment planning, tax reduction strategies and estate planning.

He has hosted numerous seminars over the years and enjoys educating clients on the various options available to them when it comes to investments and insurance planning. (ie. RRSPs, Tax Free Savings Account, First Home Savings Accounts, Segregated Fund Investing, etc…)

Stan strongly believes in the value of working with an independent advisor and educating clients on the merits of getting unbiased advice when working with an advisor/consultant. Stan’s clients enjoy his down to earth personality and ability to explain complex subject matters in a straight forward away that is easy to understand.

Stan is married and has 3 children…he enjoys golf and being a domestic UBER driver for his children’s sporting events

CAITLIN BRYANT

STRATEGY & OPERATIONS LEAD

Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, Visa Canada

Driving Financial Literacy & Inclusion through Open Banking

Caitlin currently serves as the Strategy & Operations lead for Commercial and Money Movement Solutions in Canada. Caitlin supports the market strategy and execution for real-time payment experiences delivered by financial institutions, fintech, bigtech and enabling partners. Prior to joining Visa, Caitlin has held both product and strategy roles at Canada’s top financial institutions, where she led national go-to-market strategies across multiple lines of business..

Along with Strategy and Payments certificates from Cornell University and Rotman School of Management respectively, Caitlin holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Development and an Honours Bachelor of Economics from the University of Guelph.

MICHAEL KOVACS

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Harvest ETFs

Equity based Investment Products

Michael Kovacs is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Harvest ETFs. He founded Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. in 2009 and is a veteran of the Investment management business. Michael began his career as an Investment Advisor and managed money for individual investors before moving into senior management roles within the Investment Management Industry. He is a strong believer in providing individuals with Investment products that are equity based, have long term growth prospects and transparent portfolios. Michael has been featured in the Globe & Mail, National Post and BNN-Bloomberg. Michael is also the Chairman of the Board for Harvest.

DENNIS MITCHELL

CEO & CIO

Starlight Capital

Real Assets

Dennis Mitchell joined Starlight Capital in March 2018 as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer. He has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry and has held executive positions with Sprott Asset Management, serving as Senior Vice-President and Senior Portfolio Manager, and Sentry Investments, serving as Executive Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Mitchell received the Brendan Wood International Canadian TopGun Award in 2009, 2010, and 2011 and the Brendan Wood International 2012 Canadian TopGun Team Leader Award. He also received the Afroglobal Television Excellence Award for Enterprise in 2020 and the Black Business and Professionals Association’s Harry Jerome President’s Award in 2021. Mr. Mitchell holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Business Valuator designations and earned a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University in 2002 and an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1998. Mr. Mitchell currently sits on the Board of the Toronto Foundation and is Co-Founder and Director of the Black Opportunity Fund.

ALEX POGACEAN

ASSOCIATE PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Alex Pogacean Financial Group at Scotia Wealth Management

Planning, communication, and evidence-based investing

Alex joined ScotiaMcLeod and Rod White Financial Group in 2013, after completing his Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree with a minor in Economics from McMaster University. His role within the team has evolved over the past 10 years, and is now an Associate Portfolio Manager. Alex uses a client centric approach to understanding the client’s needs and to uncover what’s really important. In the planning process, he works with a team of specialists to produce actionable solutions that help reach the client’s targeted goals and objectives. Alex has completed the Certified Financial Planner® and Chartered Investment Manager® designations.

ROD WHITE

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Rod White Financial Group at Scotia Wealth Management

Planning, communication, and evidence-based investing

Rod joined ScotiaMcLeod in 1997 as a Wealth Advisor. Over the past 26 years, he has lead a team dedicated to helping families achieve their goals through a highly personalized process that includes financial, tax and estate planning, as well as out-of-the-box thinking around the softer issues surrounding retirement. Portfolios are managed on a discretionary basis and are always highly diversified and hold a high quality bias. Rod and his team emphasize planning, communication, and education with their clients.

PAUL LEE-CHIN

PRIVATE CLIENT PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Mandeville Private Client Inc.

Mentoring Wealth Management

In 2007, Paul formed a team known as Mentorship Wealth Management, with the vision to mentor clients to achieve financial security and prosperity. Paul is a graduate of McMaster University, with a B.A. in Economics.

Paul Lee-Chin believes in the importance of serving your community and has been on, and currently sits on many boards who make it their goal to help others. Some of these boards include the Canadian International Council, the Hamilton Community Foundation, the International Committee SickKids Foundation, and the Dundas Valley School of Art.

Furthermore, Paul established the 'Paul Lee-Chin Scholarship' at McMaster University in 2012. He founded this scholarship because he wanted "to honour his belief in the importance of investing in education, the mentoring of students and perseverance in achieving one’s goals." These are only some of the amazing acts of kindness Paul Lee-Chin has done to give back to his community.

MARK PERKINS

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

FirstOntario Credit Union

Responsible Credit

Chief Operating Officer and also the Corporate Ombudsman, Mark Perkins, oversees the Business Banking Group, Retail banking and Alternative Delivery Channels, including responsibility for the Dealer Centre, Mortgage Broker, Digital Services and Creative Arts Financial division of FirstOntario. Mark has worked in the financial industry for over twenty years.
He has been with FirstOntario since 2012 and has extensive experience in business process improvement, project management, change management, product management, commercial sales, credit adjudication, risk management and syndication. He spent six years in consulting and technology roles, followed by 15 years in increasing senior commercial sales and credit roles. Mark holds an honours degree in economics from McMaster University and is involved with a number of local charities focused on improving the lives and safety of individuals within the FirstOntario footprint.

PRAKASH KOIRALA

FOUNDER

FINLIT Nepal

Embracing Financial Behaviour in our Body, Mind and Soul

Prakash envisions inclusive financial literacy that helps reduce vulnerability, increase resilience, and improve financial confidence for young people. He has helped central banks, universities, local governments and more than twenty financial institutions to design the financial literacy roadmap, curriculum and outreach initiatives. Using a values-based financial literacy approach, Prakash has already impacted more than 190,000 people. He has been successful in transforming people’s mindsets into the builders of emerging financial markets as an internationally recognized policymaker, advocator and author. He is a Harvard Kennedy School Alumna and Forbes 30 Under 30.