Shalomi Abraham is a Senior Vice-President, Head of Legal - Canada, and Assistant General Counsel - Americas at Invesco. In this role, he is responsible for the delivery of legal advice for Invesco’s business lines in Canada and the oversight of the Canadian legal team. He is also responsible for legal support to Invesco’s venture capital and alternative solutions groups in the Americas.

Mr. Abraham joined Invesco in 2009. Prior to joining the firm, he practiced in the corporate and securities law group at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in Toronto.

Mr. Abraham earned a BBA degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University, a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, and an LLM from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He sits on the Canadian ETF Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada Board of Directors, where he acts as Co-Chair of the Strategy & Vision Committee and is past chair of the board.

John started his career as a bank teller, serving clients on the front line and developing an appreciation of customer service.  

With a focus on client service and supporting business growth for both record keeping software and for operations outsourcing, John is currently Chief Revenue Officer at International Financial Data Services Canada.   John is focused on enhancing fund administration efficiency through innovative and challenge-driven problem solving and supports clients across Canada, the Caribbean and the Latin American markets,

Prior to joining IFDS John held a variety of roles in Financial Services, including Retail Management, Product Management, Operations and Information Technology. 

Paul has over 25 years of experience in the Mutual Fund industry spending time on both the Distributor side prior to moving to the Asset Management side at Mackenzie Investments.  For the past 18 years at Mackenzie Investments, Paul has responsibilities of overseeing the various Operations teams and managing external relationships across IGM including the related fund companies. Paul is an active member of the FundSERV Standard Steering Committee, Fundserv Manufacture Advisory Council and IFIC Operations Working Group.

Steve Braugiroux is an Associate Vice President in Operations Investments responsible for dealer operations, reconciliations & estates at National Bank of Canada. He leads over 180 employees amongst various operations groups. Accountable for all CIRO (IIROC/MFDA) and OSFI Canadian distributors operations of fundserv products, manual funds and GIC at National Bank of Canada.

Steve has over 18 years of experience in wealth, brings in-depth knowledge and expertise on operations. His expertise lies leadership, transformation, and operational efficiencies. He is an innovator who continuously seeks process improvements and drives continuous improvement. Prior to his tenure at National Bank of Canada, he has worked at BMO, Fidelity and Manulife. Within the wealth industry, he is an avid advocate and active contributor in furthering operational efficiency in the industry.

Dr. Alan Chaffe is an Associate Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board of Canada, where he leads custom research projects and provides strategic insights on key issues affecting Canadian organizations and public policy. Prior to joining the Board, he served as an instructor and teaching professor at the University of Victoria, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Economics, the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, and the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies.
 
Alan has also held senior economist roles at Statistics Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation. His research spans economic impact studies, program evaluations, labour markets, consumer prices, price indexation, and economic forecasting with a focus on analyzing short- and long-term trends in Canada’s domestic economy. He has authored numerous research papers and book chapters and has presented at various conferences, including the Socio-Economic Conference, the United Nations Ottawa Group on Price Indexes, the World Congress on National Accounts and Economic Performance Measures for Nations, and the B.C. Labour Market Conference.
 

Raymond Chan is the Senior Vice-President of the newly established Investment Management Division (IM Division) of the Ontario Securities Commission. The IM Division is responsible for regulatory engagement with investment fund managers and portfolio managers. The IM Division will continue to have regulatory and distribution oversight of investment funds. Raymond was the Director of Investment Funds and Structured Products Branch.Raymond is a member of the Committee on Investment Management of the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

Raymond joined the OSC in 2001. He is a CPA and a CFA charterholder. He graduated with a
master’s degree in Accounting and a bachelor’s honours degree in Mathematics from the
University of Waterloo.

Mario Cianfarani is head of distribution for Vanguard Canada. Most recently, Mario was head of national accounts & institutional sales and was previously head of ETF capital markets. Before joining Vanguard in June 2015, he was a portfolio manager at First Asset Investment Management, responsible for domestic and global equity ETFs and sector-based, North American covered call ETFs. Mario has held senior sales and trading positions with a number of Canadian capital markets teams. His experience includes trading equity derivatives and marketing derivative-related risk management solutions to a broad range of clients.

Mario earned a BA in applied mathematics from York University and is a CFA® charterholder.

In her role, she manages member services and events, ensuring that constituent organizations maximize their membership benefits, receive exceptional user experiences, while exploring innovative ways to expand these services within the broader industry.
 
Aidan started her career managing the professional services team at Winfund, a Mutual Fund Dealer back-office system, then moved to Fundserv where she led industry engagement and established several advisory councils. Prior to joining IFIC, she supported Sun Life's launch of a new securities dealer as the Director of Advisor Enablement & Experience.
 
With over 20 years of experience in wealth management, Aidan has acquired extensive knowledge in dealer operations, investment fund management, distribution, and the supporting technologies. She leverages this expertise to support IFIC's strategic planning, develop and implement new service models, and foster member engagement.

John is a Partner with First North Consulting, a firm that provides management consulting services to regulated financial services companies including some of the world’s largest financial institutions. He is a subject matter expert in both CIRO and OSC regulated entities advising on middle and front office services.  With over 30 years of experience beginning as an Advisor to C-suite executive roles, he has successfully grown and transformed various enterprises, from large integrated wealth advisory branches to new independent asset management firms at both bank and independent environments.
His core competencies and strengths include strategic planning and execution, change management strategies and digital and technological tool management. 
John resides in Toronto with his wife and has two adult children; Jaclyn and Jon. In his spare time, he is the drummer for the band Guilty5 that performs at corporate, charitable and festivals. He is also co-chair of Healing in Harmony; a charity that raises money for the Child Life Department at SickKids Hospital. John is fluent in English and Italian.
 

Chris Cummings is the Chief Executive of The Investment Association, a post he has held since September 2016.  The Investment Association is the trade body that represents UK-based investment managers.
 
He is a member of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, and was a founding member of its Financial Services Trade & Investment Board. He serves on the Chancellor’s Financial Services Industry Advisory Group and Department for International Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group.  He is a Board member on EFAMA, the European trade association for investment management and is Chairman of IIFA, the international association for investment management.  He is also a Chair of Just Finance Foundation.

He was previously a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Decisions Committee, a Settlement Decision Maker for the Payment Services Regulator.  He served on the Foreign & Commonwealth’s Diplomatic Excellence Panel.

Before joining The Investment Association he was the founding CEO of TheCityUK, held senior posts in banking, insurance and consulting with major global firms. He is a regular columnist, commentator and speaker on issues of international competitiveness and regulation in financial services.

Thomas is a Director in PwC’s Cloud and Data consulting practice, with over a decade of experience advising some of Canada’s largest investment managers, including the Maple 8 and several prominent private equity firms. He has a strong track record of driving digital transformation initiatives and enabling analytics-led value creation across the investment landscape. His expertise includes developing Data, AI, and Cloud strategies, designing and implementing modern systems architectures, and leading data science and analytics-driven engagements. Thomas has played a pivotal role in helping organizations leverage their data to improve operational efficiencies, enhance decision-making, and unlock new sources of value. His work has spanned complex projects from strategy through execution, helping firms adopt cutting-edge technologies to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry.

Eloise is the CEO and Founder of Financial Resilience Institute, a non-profit organization and leading independent authority on financial well-being in Canada. With over 25 years of experience in strategy consulting and financial health, Eloise has lived and worked in six countries. She leads financial health research and initiatives globally, and is a UN-PRB reviewer of financial health and inclusion impact measurement for Financial Institutions across the world. As an Impact-preneur and Certified Management Consultant, Eloise was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award by CMC Canada in recognition of her impact work.

Eloise is the creator of the peer-reviewed Seymour Financial Resilience Index ®, which measures household financial resilience across Canada. The Index has been levered to prove how planning ahead financially and/or working with a financial planner and adhering to a financial plan leads to improved financial resilience and financial wellness outcomes for Canadians across every household income demographic, with data published in the Institute’s ‘Financial Planning: a Pathway to Financial Resilience’ report, currently being used for government advocacy. She leads financial health work globally and has recently launched a free financial resilience score tool for Canadians and global citizens. Dual nationality Canadian and British, Eloise lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children. 

Robert Ebel is the Chief Operating, Privacy and Compliance Officer of Fundserv, the indispensable connectivity hub enabling innovation for the Canadian investment industry. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the organization’s operations. This includes relationship management, product direction, corporate governance and managing the privacy framework in support of the more than 700 member organizations and service providers that count on the security and reliability of the Fundserv network every day.

Robert brings a wealth of experience, with 25 years as a service provider in the investment funds industry. Prior to joining Fundserv in 2016, he worked at Citi for 12 years where he became a Director in the Global Business Planning unit for Securities and Fund Services Operations and Client Delivery. He was responsible for providing strategic planning, financial analysis and business support to 7,200 employees in over 50 offices.

Robert earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph.

Justin Flowerday is Managing Director and Head of Public Equities at TD Asset Management. Justin is also Co-Manager of the TD Canadian Equity and TD North American Dividend Funds. Prior to assuming Head of Equity responsibilities, Justin led the Global Equity Research effort at the firm and was previously the Lead Manager of the North American Blue-Chip Model. Additionally, he assumed lead coverage for Global Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Industrials, and the Canadian Banks as an Analyst at the firm. Justin has a B. Comm. from McGill University and an MBA from the University of London and is a member of the TD Wealth Asset Allocation Committee.

Goshka Folda is Global Head of Research for the ISS Market Intelligence division of ISS-STOXX and the Head of the Investor Economics business unit. With more than 25 years of experience as a subject-matter expert, Goshka leads a global team dedicated to creating data-driven, fact-based research on the retail financial services industry. Her areas of expertise include household wealth, the asset and wealth management industries, life insurance, banking and retirement. Over the course of her career, Goshka has led a wide range of research and consulting projects focused on growth strategy, addressable market, competitive frameworks, disruption and innovation, product and distribution strategies, client journeys, and manufacturing and distribution business models in the retail financial services realm.

Goshka has executive responsibility for a wide range of research initiatives and publications, databases, information gathering, and client service at ISS MI. As a subject-matter expert with in-depth expertise on North American and global financial services industry topics, she is a frequent speaker at industry seminars and conferences and is regularly quoted in the media. 

Goshka graduated with distinction from the Warsaw School of Economics’ Master’s Program and holds an International Baccalaureate (IB) designation from the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.
 

James Gauthier oversees the fee based, discretionary managed and unified managed account platforms at iA Private Wealth – a full-service securities dealer with more than $55 billion in AUA across close to 500 advisory teams. He also directs the product research and product oversight functions within the organization.  

His team’s goal is to help advisors develop a model-based approach within the investment management part of their practice and to provide the platforms and resources required to support this.     

James has worked in various roles in the wealth management industry since 1997.  

Judy G. Goldring is the President and Head of Global Distribution at AGF Management Limited, where she supports the CEO on business planning and execution of strategic initiatives.

Judy also brings unified accountability to and fosters greater synergies across AGF’s respective sales distribution channels globally. In addition, she oversees the firm’s Human Resources function and is responsible for AGF’s Private Client business. Judy is a member of the Board of Directors for AGF Management Limited and AGF Mutual Funds.

Judy is the Chair of The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC)'s Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the Victoria University, at University of Toronto, Defy Gravity Campaign. 

Judy is one of Canada’s most influential business women and was named a Top 100 Hall of Fame Inductee by the Women’s Executive Network™ (WXN) in 2015.

Arnie Hochman is a senior business lawyer with 35 years of experience in the financial services industry.  He is currently Vice-President, Policy and General Counsel at the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC).  Prior to his current role, he was Vice-President, Wealth Legal at TD Bank Group, where he led the global wealth legal team for 14 years.  Arnie was previously the General Counsel and Executive Director, Finance for Global Strategy Financial, Deputy Director, Corporate Finance Branch at the Ontario Securities Commission, and an investment banker at Prudential-Bache Securities Canada and Richardson Greenshields of Canada.

Arnie has been a director of IFIC, and a member of the Executive Steering Committee of ICI Global and the Investment Industry Regulatory Authority of Canada (IIROC) Hearing Committee.

Arnie holds B.A. and LL.B. degrees from the University of Manitoba and an M.B.A. degree from Western University.
 

David Howarth is the Senior Vice-President, Securities Operations for Primerica Financial Services Canada, serving in that role for more than 20 years. David has been an active participant on many regulatory, IFIC, CLHIA, and Fundserv committees, providing expertise and insight from an operations and compliance perspective. David is currently the Chair of the IFIC Operations Working Group, Co-chair of the IFIC Total Cost Reporting Implementation Task Force, and an active member of the IFIC and CLHIA Total Cost Reporting Working Groups.

David leads the team of Wealth Management Consultants in Canada, focused on expanding Envestnet’s presence and supporting client firms in the adoption and growth of their wealth management platform.  David and his team engage with investment advisors to leverage Envestnet’s technology and solutions to enhance their business, deliver better client outcomes and drive revenue.   

David has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry where he has been successful in launching and growing new programs at Canada’s largest wealth management organizations, partnering with investment managers and supporting advisors on practice management and business growth.  He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and holds a MBA from the Schulich School of Business and a BA in Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario.

Shelly joined BMO Economics in 2020 and conducts research on the Canadian and regional economies. She also provides support on fiscal policy, and country risk analysis. Prior to joining BMO Economics, Shelly worked on fiscal policy at the Department of Finance Canada. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s degree in Economics from Queen’s University.

Neal Kerr is Head of Scotia Global Asset Management and Executive Vice President, Scotiabank.  Mr. Kerr is responsible for all aspects of Scotiabank asset management in Canada, including its Scotia, Dynamic, Tangerine and Jarislowsky Fraser investment businesses. 

Mr. Kerr has 29 years of investment industry experience. Before joining Scotia Global Asset Management in 2019, he was employed for 25 years at CI Financial and predecessor companies, most recently as Executive Vice President where he had management responsibilities for CI’s investment teams, its institutional asset management business as well as CI’s Australian funds management business. 

Mr. Kerr also has previous investment experience managing product development, retail distribution, and operations functions.    

Mr. Kerr serves on boards across Scotia’s asset and wealth management businesses, as well as being Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. He is a Trustee for the Toronto Symphony Foundation.  

Mr. Kerr holds an Honours BA in Economics (Dean’s List) from Western University as well as the Partners, Directors, and Senior Officers course from the Canadian Securities Institute.   

Mr. Kerr lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.  

Andrew J. Kriegler is the inaugural CEO of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) formed on January 1, 2023, through the amalgamation of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA).

In late 2014, Andrew was appointed President and CEO of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), CIRO’s predecessor organization. Before coming to IIROC, Andrew served as Deputy Superintendent of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) where he was responsible for the prudential supervision of Canada's federally regulated financial institutions. He also spent 25 years in the private sector, most recently as Treasurer of CIBC from 2008 to 2012, and earlier as Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer of Moody's Corporation, parent of the credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service, where he had been the Canadian Country Managing Director.

Andrew has also worked as a treasury executive, as a securitization and debt capital markets banker, as an analyst and then a trader on a mortgage-backed securities trading desk.

Andrew serves on the Board of Directors of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). He holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Economics from Trinity College in the University of Toronto.

Gillian Kunza brings a creative approach to her role as CEO of Designed Wealth Management. With 15 years’ experience in the investment industry, she has held senior roles including Chief Executive Officer (her current role), Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer.

A champion of transparency, in her role as co-founder of Designed, she seeks to bring trust and partnership to a new level. Resonating across generations, she is pulling from the traditional approaches advisors use to manage and build their business, while simultaneously driving adoption of artificial intelligence and helping advisors prepare their practice for the future. 

She holds her Master’s of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, holds her Chartered Investment Manager designation and is a Fellow of CSI designation holder. She currently sits on the CPA Ontario Council as a Council Member-at-large, serves on CIRO’s Ontario Regional Council, and is the vice-chair of CIRO’s Conduct, Compliance & Legal Advisory Section committee 

Gillian can also be found working on creative endeavours as a lyricist, opera singer, and music producer across a variety of music genres. 

Joe leads the team responsible for CIBC Mellon’s asset manager segment, including oversight for client relationships, strategy, solutions and thought leadership.  
 
Joe works closely with asset manager clients and enterprise delivery teams to drive client satisfaction, engaging with asset managers regarding current and future needs, and connecting those to inform CIBC Mellon's services and solutions.  Joe and his team engage with asset managers across products, solutions, knowledge leadership and industry participation, and in turn strengthening CIBC Mellon’s leadership position as an investment operations and asset servicing provider for asset managers in Canada.
 
Prior to joining CIBC Mellon in 2015, Joe worked in financial services technology and asset servicing.   He has more than 25 years of financial services experience, holding progressively senior roles in business development and relationship management.  Joe holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Laurentian University and a certificate in International Marketing from Humber College.
 
Joe is also a member of CIBC Mellon's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Steering Committee, and he chairs its Client CSR Sub-committee.

Kai is PwC Canada’s Consulting Leader for Investment Management Clients including Pensions, PE and Asset managers. He’s also a senior leader in the Global Strategy consulting practice. Over the past 20 years Kai has advised a range of investor, corporate and government clients across Canada and globally, on a wide range of strategic and operational issues including investment strategy, operating model transformation, commercial growth, advanced data analytics, operational effectiveness, policy reform and the impacts of technology and regulation. Kai has led various strategic and operational engagement for large global pension funds and asset managers. In particular, Kai brings deep experience as a buy side analyst at a global sovereign wealth fund, as a strategy consultant and as a tech entrepreneur, as well as a PhD in Management Science and Engineering from the University of London and Certificates in Investment Management and ESG Investing from CFA UK. 

Eric is the Managing Director & Chief Economist for RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (RBC GAM). He maintains the firm's global economic forecast and advises its portfolio managers on key themes and risks. Eric is also a member of the RBC Investment Strategy Committee, which is responsible for the firm's global asset mix recommendations.

Eric makes regular presentations both within and outside of RBC GAM. He is also a frequent media commentator on global economic and financial trends, appearing regularly on CNBC, BNN and other networks. Eric's written editorials have appeared in The Globe and Mail, National Post, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.

In his two decades as an economist, Eric has also worked as a bank economist for another large financial institution, as a trading floor economist and as a fixed income strategist. He began his career at Statistics Canada. Externally, he serves on the C.D. Howe Institute's Business Cycle Council, the group that dates recessions and other economic turning points in Canada. He is also on the board of the Toronto Association of Business and Economics.

Eric holds a graduate degree in Economics from Queen's University as well as a Bachelor of Economics from Princeton University.

Ash Lawrence is Head of AGF Capital Partners, AGF Management Limited’s diversified alternatives business with extensive capabilities across both private assets and alternative strategies.  Ash and his team identify tenured managers with demonstrated investment expertise in their fields, structuring partnerships to offer long-term strategic support, resources, and capital to sustain and enhance the partners’ growth.  Ash is also a member of AGF’s Executive Management Team where he assists in the development and execution of AGF’s overall business strategy providing insight and vision that promotes AGF’s long-term growth.  

Prior to joining AGF Investments, Ash spent 16 years with Brookfield Asset Management in both Toronto and New York, ultimately leading the Canadian real estate business. Prior to this, Ash working in the real estate and infrastructure sectors, developing infrastructure and transportation solutions for private and public sector clients.

Ash earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo. 
 

Dr. David R. Lewis worked in the wealth management industry in Canada and the United States for many years as a C-level executive, board member, and board chair at firms including Scotiabank, ING DIRECT USA, UBS Financial Services Americas, UBS Bank USA, and Barclays Wealth Management Americas.

Currently, Dr. Lewis conducts behavioural science research on enhancing financial decision making and personal financial wellbeing. He serves as a board director for a bank, an insurance company, and the Ontario Securities Commission. Previously, he was President of the BEworks Research Institute where he conducted and published applied behavioural economics research on financial decision making. Prior to joining BEworks, he was Assistant Professor of Retail Management at the Ted Rogers School of Business. He also taught at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University while completing his PhD in marketing with a focus on consumer behaviour. David’s doctoral research considered consumer decision making regarding investing and financial advice.

David holds a BA from Western University, an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a PhD from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. David is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Julie Littlechild is the Founder & CEO of Absolute engagement and a recognized expert on the drivers of client engagement and growth. Absolute Engagement provides award-winning engagement technology that uses real-time personal sentiment data from prospects and clients to scale a personalized experience. 

Julie has worked with and studied successful financial advisors and their clients for more than twenty-five years.

She is the author of a popular blog and The Pursuit of Absolute Engagement. She has served on the national board of the Financial Planning Association and currently sits on an Investment and Wealth Institute advisory board.  In 2023 she was awarded the ‘Iconoclast’ award by Bob Veres, the Luminary award for innovation by Think Advisor and a wealthtech leadership award from WealthBriefing. The Absolute Engagement Engine was named one of the 100 most innovative wealthtech firms in 2024.
 

With over 20 years of industry experience, Derek Lynden combines his extensive knowledge of Canada’s Wealth Management, Financial Services and Technology arenas. Creating amplified experiences through the deep and broad capabilities of today. He is a leader who takes a strategic, yet pragmatic approach to crafting solutions and positions them for the success of tomorrow. The true definition of future forward, Derek will tell you where the next step leads before you realized you moved a muscle.  

Tyler McNaughton is VP Strategic Accounts at Conquest Planning Inc. His team is responsible for the account management of Conquest’s ever-growing client base. A 25-year veteran of technology sales, Tyler’s previous employers include Fintechs such as Advicent and Street Context. He has been with Conquest since January 2024.

Dr. Jack M. Mintz is the President’s Fellow of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary after serving as the Palmer Chair and founding Director from January 1, 2008, to June 30, 2015.

He is a board member of Mackenzie Health, York Region, Ontario, Canada West Foundation and the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow, MacDonald-Laurier Institute, Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, and research fellow at International Tax and Investment Centre in Washington D.C., CESIfo Germany and Oxford’s Centre of Business Taxation.  He is a member of the editorial board of International Tax and Public Finance. He is weekly contributor to the Financial Post of Canada.

Dr. Mintz became a member of the Order of Canada in 2015 as well as receiving the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for service to the Canadian tax policy community and Queen Elizabeth Platinum Medal in 2023 for serving as chair of the Alberta Premier’s Economic Recovery Council from 2020 to 2022.   

Andy has worked in the financial services sector for more than 30 years and has broad investment industry and leadership experience. Before joining IFIC, Andy was Managing Director and Head of Asset Management Distribution for SEI Investments Canada. Prior to joining SEI in 2013, he held senior leadership roles at Worldsource Wealth Management, Standard Life Canada, and Bank of America Canada. Andy has a Master’s in Business Administration from Dalhousie University, is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers, and holds his Responsible Investment Specialist designation.

Eric J. Pan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), the leading association representing the global asset management industry in service of long-term individual investors. ICI members manage more than $34 trillion worldwide, and ICI has offices in Washington DC, Brussels, and London.  

Mr. Pan previously served as the Director of the Office of International Affairs at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and before that as head of international regulatory policy at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He represented both market regulators in international standard-setting bodies, including the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Financial Stability Board (FSB), and in regulatory dialogues with European and Asian counterparts. He chaired several international committees and working groups.  

In addition to his government service, Mr. Pan was a Managing Director of Rock Creek Global Advisors LLC, a leading international economic advisory firm in Washington DC and Director of the Heyman Center on Corporate Governance and professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York where he wrote extensively about financial regulation and corporate law. He also practiced corporate and international law with Covington & Burling in Washington DC.

Mr. Pan is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Edinburgh, and the Harvard Law School. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School in New York.

As a demonstrated leader, Jennifer is responsible for achieving business results through sales management leadership. She works closely with Regional Managers and advisor teams to maximize revenue and productivity opportunities within Ontario, while working to remove barriers that impede sales force effectiveness.  Jennifer believes in maintaining and strengthening relationships with advisor teams by fostering an open and inclusive environment along with an advisor focused culture.

Creating an environment that supports the advancement of women in wealth management is something that Jennifer is passionate about.  She is a co-planner and co-host of the NBF Women Investment Advisors’ Symposium, and a past co-lead on the National Bank Women’s Leadership Network.

As the Chief Legal Counsel of AUM Law, Kim leads the team of professionals at the firm and advises on all aspects of registrant regulatory compliance. With over 25 years of legal experience, Kim specializes in registration regulation, regulatory policy and investment funds.

Kim’s experience includes advising clients on a broad range of regulatory and compliance issues involving registered dealers, advisers and investment fund managers. She has also advised domestic and international issuers on the formation and compliance requirements for various types of investment vehicles. Kim has expertise advising on continuous disclosure obligations, unitholder communications, fund governance matters and other general securities and corporate law matters impacting registered firms.

Kim is recognized by clients for her professionalism, practical and inspired advice, leadership and broad strategic expertise in her field. Kim is involved in all aspects of AUM Law, from professional advice to innovations in providing cost-effective compliance services to operational firm management.

Kim is principally responsible for the content of the widely read monthly bulletin of recent developments released by AUM Law.

Tim leads Aviso’s asset management division, including NEI Investments and Managed Assets Program, and is a member of Aviso’s Executive Committee. Tim drives the investment and product strategy, including the product development roadmap, across all business lines to support the growth of Aviso.

Before joining Aviso, Tim headed the wealth distribution business for one of Canada’s largest insurers, executing the wealth strategy, overseeing platform technology implementation, and leading sales teams in support of 4,000 advisors. Previous experience includes retail and institutional sales roles at two of Canada’s largest fund companies, and a decade-long tenure at a big-five bank in increasingly senior management roles in wealth management, retail and commercial banking.

Tim earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, with a major in Environment and Resource Management. Tim is a long-serving member of various IFIC steering committees in addition to past non profit advisory and board positions.

Ravi currently serves as Senior Vice-President, Global Shareholder Services and is responsible for overseeing Franklin Templeton Canada’s transfer agency functions including the management of its key distributor relationships, He is also responsible for partnering with internal and external stakeholders to help lead Franklin Templeton Canada in execution of its product strategy as well as operational and regulatory initiatives. In addition, Ravi serves as the Privacy Officer for Franklin Templeton Canada providing leadership on all Privacy related matters.

Ravi currently serves on the Board of Directors of FundSERV and is regularly engaged in steering groups at both FundSERV and Investment Funds Institute of Canada to influence better outcomes on emerging regulatory and operational changes.

Ravi joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 2007 and has held various leadership roles within its Global transfer agency group (Global Shareholder Services). Prior to joining the firm, he served as Head of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer of a boutique asset manager and mutual fund dealer.

Ravi holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Toronto as well as the Canadian Securities Course and the Officers, Partners and Directors certification.

Gaurang brings 30 years of financial services industry experience and leads Broadridge Consulting Services in Canada. Over the course of his career, he has helped clients embrace disruptive innovation and reimagine their organizations for today’s digital world.
His client service has spanned various regulatory readiness engagements, business growth strategic initiatives, operating model enhancements as well as data and technology modernization.
He is a skilled leader of large teams on major projects, bringing unique perspectives by leaning on his industry experience in financial services and his practical experience as a trusted advisor.
Gaurang has helped his clients make definite, enduring and material performance improvements in their businesses. 
 

Kim founded Sionna, one of the largest independent investment firms led by a woman, in 2002. Kim is the lead Portfolio Manager on Sionna's large cap, all cap and focused Canadian value strategies and co-lead on Sionna's high conviction strategy. Since joining the industry in 1983, she has received numerous awards, including Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year (2005), the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award (2007), Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award (2007, 2017), the Rotman Women in Management Association Top 10 Award (Entrepreneur Category, 2015) and the Rotman Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award (2021). Kim was also inducted into the IIAC Investment Industry Hall of Fame in 2022. Kim is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and is on the board for the Brandes Institute, Ontario Arts Foundation and United Corporation. She is also a member of the CFA Institute Board of Regents (previously served as its chair) and is a past President of the CFA Society Toronto. Kim previously served as a board member with the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance and served as Chair of its Governance Committee. Kim was amongst a select group of industry experts to present at the 2020 Columbia Business School’s “From Graham to Buffett and Beyond” Omaha Panel. Kim also co-hosted the female-led Variant Perspectives Value Investing Conference in 2019, which featured Warren Buffett as a keynote speaker.
 

Scott Sullivan leads the Wealth Management Advice and Solutions division of Edward Jones Canada. His team equips Edward Jones Branch Teams with the advice, financial planning, products and services needed to make a positive impact in the lives of their clients. Scott also serves on the Canadian Leadership Team charged with developing and executing on the long-term strategy for the Canadian Business Unit.  

Scott represents Edward Jones as the Chair of the IIAC Private Client Committee. 

Scott joined Edward Jones in February 2019 as a General Partner to lead Canadian Products. He expanded his leadership in 2022 with the addition of Canadian Analytics. In 2024, Scott was appointed as Head of Canadian Wealth Management Advice and Solutions.  

Prior to joining Edward Jones, Scott was a Vice President with TD Bank Group, where he led the Product and the Portfolio Advice & Investment Research functions for TD Wealth. Prior to that, Scott had spent most of his career at TD Asset Manage-ment and was responsible for Product Development and Management for TD     Mutual Funds, Canada's 2nd largest asset manager.   

Scott earned a BA from Western University in London, Ontario in 1995. In 2000, Scott earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  

Christine joined SLGI in 2018, bringing extensive experience in fundamental bottom up portfolio management and expertise in emerging markets, including country macroeconomic analysis.  She is a member of the Investment Oversight Committee and the Asset Allocation Committee for the Sun Life Granite Managed Solutions and Sun Life Milestone Funds. Her role also includes leading the evolution of SLGI’s DC OCIO platform and leadership of the Investment Product Specialists representing the team’s investment philosophy, process and portfolio strategy. 

Prior to joining SLGI, Christine was Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager at Excel Investment Counsel Inc. In addition to oversight of all sub-advised funds, she had portfolio management responsibility for the Excel Emerging Markets Fund. Christine has travelled extensively in emerging market countries for due-diligence meetings with corporate management teams.  Christine was previously Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Gluskin Sheff + Associates, a prominent wealth manager serving high-net-worth clients, where she co-managed a top-quartile, $1.5-billion Canadian equity portfolio. Prior to Gluskin Sheff, Christine was a Canadian equity manager at a boutique asset manager and an investment banker at a major Canadian bank focused on mergers and acquisitions. 

In addition to being a CFA charterholder, Christine has a MBA from the Schulich School of Business and a BSc (Honours) from the University of Alberta.

Jurrien Timmer is the director of Global Macro at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. 

Mr. Timmer is part of Fidelity’s Global Asset Allocation group, where he specializes in asset allocation and global macro strategy.  Jurrien has been at Fidelity for 29 years and has four decades of experience in the industry. He appears frequently in front of Fidelity clients and in the media, and his work can also be seen on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Prior to assuming his current position in 2005, Jurrien held various other roles within Fidelity, including technical research analyst and portfolio manager of the Fidelity Global Strategies Fund. Before joining Fidelity in 1995, Jurrien was a vice president in the Fixed Income group at ABN AMRO Bank in New York. He has been in the investments industry since 1985.

Jurrien earned his finance degree from Babson College in 1985.  He was born and raised as a Dutch citizen in Aruba, but has lived in the U.S. all of his adult life.  He became a dual citizen in 2002. Jurrien is a strong proponent of healthy work-life integration, is an avid traveler, cook and cyclist, and runs a food-related theme camp at Burning Man.

With more than 16 years of expertise in wealth management technology, Bryan is a seasoned leader and innovator, dedicated to delivering cutting-edge products and solutions that elevate customer experience, boost advisor productivity, and optimize investment management within the wealth management sector. As the head of CGI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) committee in Canada, Bryan ensures that CGI's prominent global presence aligns with the demands of today’s workplace.

Bryan is also a proficient public speaker, frequently participating in a wide array of conferences and events across North America, where he shares his insights and experiences in wealth management technology and DE&I initiatives. His contributions have made a significant impact on the industry, driving progress and fostering a more inclusive environment.

As Senior Vice-President, Member Regulation, and Corporate Strategy, Alexandra (Alex) Williams is responsible for the development and implementation of member regulation policy, as well as business conduct compliance and financial and operations compliance. She also leads the development of CIRO’s organizational strategy, with other members of CIRO’s Executive Leadership Team.
Alexandra is an active thought leader with deep knowledge of the Canadian regulatory landscape. Before joining CIRO, Alex served as SVP, Head of Operations, Service Centre, and Compliance at Aviso Wealth (following the merger of Credential, Qtrade and NEI). She has significant industry experience at the former Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA), and Investment Funds organizations.
Alex previously served as the former Chair of the Conduct Compliance and Legal Section (CCLS), and the Pacific District Council. She has been an active member on Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), MFDA, IIROC, and trade association committees and working groups. She also served as a former Industry Hearing Panel member for IIROC and board member of the Ombudsman of Banking Services and Investments (OBSI).
As a lifelong learner, Alex holds an MBA from Queen’s, the Rotman ICD.D designation and most recently completed the LLM degree, specializing in Securities from Osgoode Hall law school.
 

Craig leads Pollara’s research divisions and the development of their research techniques and products. He provides actionable, insightful counsel to all clients, applying expertise gained over more than 25 years of conducting quantitative and qualitative research for an extensive array of private, public and not-for-profit sector clients – including numerous investment firms, banks, insurance companies, associations, and regulators in the financial sector. He is committed to providing creative, customized research solutions that provide clarity of understanding and direction to our clients.

Craig began his research career at Angus Reid Group/Ipsos-Reid, and went on to found and manage public affairs practices at Leger and Angus Reid Public Opinion/Vision Critical before joining Pollara in 2008. He has appeared in print and broadcast media on hundreds of occasions, providing commentary on public opinion trends, elections, and research techniques. Craig holds a BA Honours in political science from Carleton University, and a MA in political science from Brock University.

Brian Ziedenberg is a senior vice president and is responsible for national accounts and institutional for Capital Group in Canada. He has 20 years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for seven years. Prior to joining Capital, Brian led the strategic alliances and national accounts team at TD Asset Management, where he managed several large institutional relationships. Before that, he was director of strategic accounts at AGF Investments and worked in a sales and consulting role at Morningstar Canada, where he contributed to the firm’s growth in Canada. He holds an MBA from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor and a bachelor’s degree from York University. Brian is based in Toronto.