2024 WORLD CONGRESS SPEAKERS

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.

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

Rod White Financial Group at Scotia Wealth Management

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: The keys to wealth management in 2023 and beyond

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.