Kerem Kolcuoğlu

Managing Partner

Penrose Partners

Kerem is an MBA and the Managing Partner of Penrose Partners, a blockchain-focused consulting firm advising startups, enterprises, governments and investors on navigating the blockchain and digital assets space.

Kerem is an advisor to the Canadian Technology Accelerators and to the Premier’s Office of FinTech for the Bermuda Government. He is also a Founding Board Member of the Bermuda Innovation & Technology Association (BITA) and a Founding Partner of the i3 Innovation Incubator in Bermuda.

Previously at PricewaterhouseCoopers and at MLG Blockchain, he has consulted multinational enterprises, governments and educational institutions on understanding and adopting blockchain technology. Bridging his experience in multiple industries, he has foreseen change and advised clients on navigating digital transformation in an age of disruption.

Revathy Venugopal

VP of Digital Product Management

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

I am currently the VP, Digital Product Management of Picton Mahoney Asset Management. I bring over 23 years of Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Wealth Management, Fintech, and consulting experience with data driven product and digital transformation leadership experience. I have launched successful products while solving for both customer and business objectives. I’m passionate about solving problems and delivering results that create value for stakeholders.

I hold an MBA from Rotman School of management, University of Toronto, and MMA from Smith school of Business, Queen’s University.

Pawan Vatvani

Director of Portfolio Construction, Portfolio Construction Consultation Services

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

I joined PMAM in Nov 2021 as Director of Portfolio Construction within the Portfolio Construction Consultation Services (PCCS) team.

My start in the industry began in Sydney, Australia in the custody division of RBC DexiaInvestor Services and BNP Paribas Securities Services. I joined BlackRock in Jan 2008 as a middle office analyst and rose up the ranks to be a trader on the execution desk and eventually as Portfolio Manager within the Multi-Asset Strategies Team.

I moved to Toronto in June 2016 to lead the build out of the Portfolio Consulting Services function within iShares (BlackRock Canada’s ETF division).

In 2003, I graduated from the University of Western Australia with Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce degrees with majors in Information Technology, Investment Finance and Management. I also hold the CFA charter and FRM designations.

Henry Chau

Associate Vice President

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

What drew me to the world of finance was my desire to help individuals take control of their financial lives. After spending several years as an adviser to HNW individuals, I’m now an Associate Vice President with Picton Mahoney Asset Management, Canada’s largest alternative investments provider with approximately $10B in assets under management. Our mission is simple: help investors achieve their goals with greater certainty.

In my role, I am a trusted expert on all things portfolio construction related and on alternative investments for Investment Advisors, Portfolio Managers, and Family Offices across Ontario. Markets are changing — portfolio construction is too. I work with a team of experts to provide my clients’ with a quantitative framework to build better portfolios. I am a CFA Level III candidate and I graduated McMaster University in 2016 with a Bachelors in Economics.

Garima Gupta

Manager, People & Culture

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

I am currently the Manager, People & Culture at Picton Mahoney Asset Management. For more than 5 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working for growth-oriented organizations such as Picton Mahoney with an emphasis on talent management, organizational development and employee engagement. I am a very passionate Human Resources professional with an interest and core focus on cultivating high-value experiences for employees throughout the employee life cycle. I am very proud to be working for an organization such as Picton Mahoney who have consistently been recognized as one of Canada’s “Top Employers” and “Great Places to Work.”

Over the years, I have also volunteered in the community with Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Kids Help Phone, Toronto’s Distress Centers and many more organizations. I enjoy giving back and I’m deeply committed to creating an environment of support and trust which has always been something I strive for in my career.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from Seneca College, and I’m currently working towards the CHRL designation with HRPA.

Stacey Blyth

Director, Risk Advisory

KPMG International Financial Centers

Stacey is an IIROC qualified Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), certified anti-money laundering specialist (CAMS) and certified crypto currency investigator (CCI). As Director, Risk Advisory for KPMG International Financial Centers, based in Nassau, Bahamas she brings over 20 years’ experience in wealth management and related financial services. She is a regulatory and financial crime expert and founding member of KPMG Islands Group (KIG) Digital Assets team.

Prior to joining KPMG, Stacey held senior regulatory roles including Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer, and Chief Privacy Officer. After launching her career in Canada, she has since had the opportunity to live and work in a variety of international locations.

Head of Marketing

CIBC Mellon

Brent Merriman leads the team responsible for CIBC Mellon’s corporate external communications, including content marketing, product marketing, media relations, client events, and employer-of-choice communications. He also oversees the company’s market research, industry intelligence and client feedback programs.

Brent has more than 20 years of experience as a corporate storyteller, marketing strategist and educator. Since joining CIBC Mellon in 2008, Brent has held progressively senior communications and marketing roles within the company.

Brent is active in the communities where he lives and works. He sits on the Matching Committee for the Mentorship Program of the Canadian Association for Alternative Strategies and Assets, and volunteers with the Canadian Capital Markets Association’s T+1 Communications and Education Working Group. He is past chair of CIBC Mellon’s corporate social responsibility steering committee, past chair of its governance and ethics CSR subcommittee, and a founding member of the company’s parenting network.

Brent holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University and a Master of Education from York University.

Abdul Sheikh

Vice President, Fund and Portfolio Services

CIBC Mellon

With a particular focus on alternative asset, derivatives and daily valuations, Abdul has a long history of finding solutions for clients, whether hedge funds, pension plans or mutual funds, regionally and globally. His prime responsibilities include client service delivery and relationship management for CIBC Mellon’s institutional clients in Canada.

Previously Abdul was VP & Head of Client Service and Relationship Management at State Street responsible for client satisfaction, retention and growth for asset owners and assets managers globally.

Abdul has more than 25 years’ experience developing client strategies and service models for some of the world’s most sophisticated managers and investors.

Matt Shandro

President and Portfolio Manager

Fulcra Asset Management

Matt founded Fulcra Asset Management in 2009. Matt has 19 years of investment management experience, with an extensive background in fixed income and corporate investing. His previous experiences include managing corporate bond funds at Great Pacific Capital Corp, CI Investments and Marret Asset Management. In 2004, the $2 billion Signature High Income Fund that he co-managed at CI Investments was awarded the “Canadian Income Trust Fund of the Year” by Morningstar. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of British Columbia.

Mike Mangione

Director, Family Offices & Advisor Relations

Group RMC

Mike is the Director of Family Offices and Advisor Relations at Group RMC. He is responsible for establishing, developing and maintaining business relationships with Family Offices and Investment Advisors. He is also responsible for marketing the business in Canada and in the US. Prior, he held various positions in finance at prominent Insurance companies Standard Life and Manulife (John Hancock). Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with a concentration in accounting from the John Molson School of Business. He holds the CPA, CMA designation.

Jedidiah Liu

Chief Executive Officer

Cacoeli

Jedidiah has been an experienced real estate investor in the residential rental market since 2003. She started investing in the single-family residential market with tremendous success. Very shortly, she entered the multifamily residential market, owning and managing small and medium rental complexes. Professionally trained as a CPA, CA in Canada, Jedidiah possesses strong analytical and relationship management skills that are critical in evaluating appropriate real estate opportunities and ensuring the success of each real estate investment.

Elena Sinelnikova

Chief Executive Officer

Metis

Elena Sinelnikova is a former Government of Canada solutions architect turned entrepreneur and co-founded several startups. Metis.io: a scalability and low-code solution for DeFi, NFT and dApps on Ethereum, and CryptoChicks.ca – educational hub and accelerator for women in blockchain in 56 countries.

Michael Graham

Executive Director, Relationship Management (Quebec)

CIBC Mellon

Michael Graham is Executive Director, Relationship Management (Quebec).
Michael is responsible for leading the relationship management team in Quebec, overseeing the existing client relationships and partnering with our business development team to grow CIBC Mellon’s regional footprint. He also develops and manages initiatives that enhance client partnerships.

Prior to joining CIBC Mellon in 2013, Michael worked in progressively senior roles at a large, diversified financial institution in Canada, most recently as a relationship manager for domestic and international institutional investors.
In addition to his 20+ years of experience in the financial services industry, Michael is a CFA charterholder and earned his bachelor of commerce degree from Concordia University, with a major in finance at the John Molson School of Business.

Andy Smith

Chief People & Communication Officer

SGGG Fund Services

Andy Smith brings a wealth of experience in unitholder recordkeeping and transfer agency services dating back to 2000.

Andy’s career began at RBC Global Services providing administrative support to some of Canada’s largest mutual funds. He then moved to BNY Mellon Alternative Investment Services (Bermuda) where he spent seven years and became a vice-president. While at BNY Mellon, his department oversaw transfer agency services for offshore hedge funds with $125 billion in assets under administration. At BNY Mellon, Andy became an expert on alternative product offerings, series-based accounting, master-feeder structures and offshore regulatory compliance.

After returning to Canada in 2010, Andy joined SGGG-Fund Services Inc. In his roles here, Andy was focused on investor reporting, client communications, and meeting the needs of evolving industry requirements including FATCA, CRM2 and more. Today, Andy puts more focus on building relationships and knowledge across departments, with clients, and other stakeholders. He will continue the Human Resources initiatives he has started and will align some of our HR practices to deliver a consistently positive experience for SGGG-FSI’s employees.

Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate diploma in public relations from Ryerson University.

Christi Hayes

Chief Compliance Officer

Invico Capital Corporation

As the Chief Compliance Officer at Invico Capital Corporation, Christi Hayes brings over 15 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance — and her organizational prowess — to seamlessly oversee the closings for all Invico managed funds and the day-to-day operations of the entire organization. Before joining Invico, Christi served as a Syndication and Accounting Analyst at FirstEnergy Capital Corporation, where she worked closely with the corporate finance team on public and private financings, including brokered and non-brokered offerings and grey market trades.Beyond her role at Invico, Christi is also a member of the Calgary Corporate Challenge Governance Committee, a non-profit providing community-focused team building events, and advises the Board on matters pertaining to strategic planning, governance, and human resource matters. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in Archeology and a double minor in history and anthropology.

Ron Lloyd

Partner & Senior Advisor

Waratah Capital Advisors

Ron joined Waratah Capital Advisors in 2015. He brings over 30 years of leadership in pension consulting and investment management to Waratah. Prior to joining Waratah, Ron was President of Hewitt Associates Canada (now known as AON Hewitt) and held senior executive positions at various Canadian asset management firms.

Ron graduated from Queen’s University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Masters of Industrial Relations degree. Ron has also completed executive courses at the Harvard Business School and University of Toronto, in addition to the Fundamentals of Alternative Investment Certificate Program by the CAIA Association. He received his CIM designation and is registered as a Dealing Representative.

Harley Gold

Managing Director

Peakhill Capital

Peakhill Capital is a commercial real estate lender and equity provider to leading real estate developers and investors. Peakhill Capital was founded by Harley Gold, Partner and Managing Director. Harley brings extensive experience in financing on all asset types including multi-family, senior housing, retail, industrial, hospitality, and land development, and has closed in excess of $15 billion in loans over the past 15 years in Canada and the US. His client base includes developers, REITs, pension funds, and high net worth individuals.

Harley’s focus has traditionally been on delivering strong returns with opportunistic investment strategies through utilizing competitive and flexible financing. Prior to founding Peakhill Capital, Harley was the Vice-President of Business Development at CMLS Financial. Harley graduated from the University of Toronto and holds an MBA from Canisius.

Daniel Conti

Principal

HarbourVest Partners

Daniel Conti joined HarbourVest’s investor relations team in 2018 and focuses on coordinating, monitoring, and enhancing relationships with new and existing Canadian investors and consultants.

Dan joined the Firm from CI Institutional Asset Management, where he was most recently a vice president responsible for institutional business development and client service for consultants, pension plans, foundations, family and multi-family offices as well as banks and insurance company platforms. Prior to this, he was an investment counsellor for CI’s Private Counsel division. His prior experience includes roles for a single family office and a multi-family office in Eastern Canada.

Dan received a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Economics from École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montreal. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Planning designations. Dan currently serves as co-director of the CFA Montreal Mentoring Program.

Yavor Nikov

Director, Sales – Quebec Region

Avenue Living

Mr. Nikov holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Concordia University in the John Molson School of Business. In addition, Mr. Nikov has a Financial Planner Diploma from the Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF). Over the past years, Mr. Nikov has held positions with companies from both the public and private sectors. He has been in financial sales for his entire career, working in Montreal, Quebec.

Kathy Kozak

Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Finance, Vancouver, BC

Trez Capital

Kathy joined Trez Capital in 2017 and is responsible for strategy and portfolio financing for the Trez Capital investment funds. She brings over 20 years of financial services expertise to the role. Prior to joining Trez, she worked at GCM Grosvenor with various roles in due diligence, treasury, accounting, financial reporting and tax. She began her career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen.

Kathy graduated with honors from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, and with distinction from DePaul Kellstadt Graduate School with a Master of Business Administration. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the United States, Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant in Canada, Chartered Financial Analyst, and Certified Fraud Examiner.

Celeste Warren

Head of Human Resources

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Celeste Warren is the Head of Talent & Culture at Picton Mahoney Asset Management. For more than 20 years, Celeste has been partnering with highly dynamic and growth-oriented organizations to build their leadership teams, workplace wellness programs, and culture and engagement initiatives. She has a reputation for consistently cultivating best workplace environments with a core focus on enhancing the health and well-being of the leaders and employees that she works with. Celeste is a committed leader herself and the results of her efforts have led to significant increases in employee engagement and company morale for the firms she has partnered with, including consistently becoming recognized as one of Canada’s “Top Employers” and “Great Places to Work”.

Celeste is a Certified Coach Practitioner (CCP), Health and Wellness Specialist (HWS) and graduate from the Strategic Human Resources Management Program (SHRMP) with the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management. Celeste holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Psychology from the University of Waterloo, in addition to a post-graduate diploma in Human Resources Management.