Ralph Desando

Deputy CEO – Alternative Investments

Yorkville Asset Management

Kent Willmore

Founder and CEO

Crescero Natural Capital

Kent Willmore is a seasoned agricultural entrepreneur and thought leader with over 30 years of hands-on experience in Canadian farmland operations, investment management, and sustainable land stewardship. As the Founder and CEO of Crescero Natural Capital, Kent leads one of Canada’s most respected farmland asset management firms, headquartered in Chatham, Ontario.

Under his leadership, Crescero has launched and managed four farmland investment funds, each delivering strong, risk-adjusted returns while aligning the interests of investors and farm families. Kent’s approach centers on a simple but powerful premise: restoring and managing natural capital is the key to unlocking both ecological resilience and long-term economic value.

He is the architect of Crescero’s investment philosophy, which treats soil health, water access, and biodiversity not just as environmental goal posts but as core drivers of asset performance. Through proprietary diligence frameworks, infrastructure upgrades, and disciplined stewardship, Kent and his team improve farmland productivity while delivering scalable, institutional-grade outcomes for investors.

Kent holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Waterloo, where he was recognized as an All-Canadian Academic Athlete. He is an active member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

Fardan Ali

Vice President, Wealth Strategy & Advisor Enablement

Designed Wealth Management

Fardan is Vice President, Wealth Strategy & Advisor Enablement, where he works closely with advisors and leadership to develop platform strategy, investment solutions, and practice management initiatives that help advisory teams grow and serve clients more effectively. In his role, Fardan focuses on helping bridge the gap between investment managers, dealers, and advisory teams. His work includes evaluating investment solutions, supporting advisor education, and building initiatives that improve the advisor and client experience across the firm. Throughout his career, Fardan has conducted more than 200 branch audits, interviewed over 80 asset managers, and played a key role in hiring and developing talent. He is known for his practical approach to navigating regulation, product innovation, and advisor growth.

Josh Booth

Partner

Dawson Partners

Josh Booth is a Partner at Dawson, a global alternative asset manager focused on providing structured solutions to private markets. Josh joined Dawson in 2019 and has 13 years of private equity and investment banking experience. Prior to joining Dawson, Josh worked as a Principal and senior member of the Funds investment team at CPPIB in Toronto and London, UK. Josh was primarily responsible for sourcing, executing and monitoring private equity fund investments and managing several of CPPIB’s largest GP relationships. In addition, Josh represented CPPIB on several limited partner advisory boards in North America, South America and Europe and was also a member of the Funds, Secondaries and Private Equity Asia investment committees for CPPIB. Josh began his career in investment banking at Paradigm Capital. Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics from Queen’s University and is a CFA® charterholder.

Andy Yan

Principal & Portfolio Manager

Westcourt Solutions

As Principal & Portfolio Manager, Westcourt Solutions, Andy is responsible for the growth and development of Westcourt’s partner firms. Andy is registered as a Dealing Representative.

Andy previously worked at a large alternative equities manager focusing on long/short strategies where he facilitated the national roll-out of two new alternative mutual funds (both liquid alts) across Canada’s bank advisory and independent wealth management platforms. He was also responsible for covering institution clients and the due diligence/model portfolio teams within the bank advisory channels. With his deep knowledge of alternative investments, Andy advised his clients on the roles that these strategies play in a well-diversified client portfolio.

Andy earned a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. He also completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) from the Canadian Securities Institute.

Laurence Vigeant-Langlois

Partner

AE Industrial Partners, LP

Dr. Vigeant-Langlois is a Partner at AE Industrial, with a primary focus on new business development and portfolio management across AE Industrial’s funds in private equity and venture capital, where she serves on the Investment Committee of AE Ventures, and on AE Industrial’s Origination Guiding and Responsible Investment Committees. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of AEI portfolio companies: Alpine Air, Applied Composites, Columbia Helicopters and G.S. Precision, and on the Boards of Directors of AE Ventures portfolio companies: EVIO, FLYR, Gamma Alloys, Near Earth Autonomy and Revolution Space. She previously served on the board of Edge Autonomy prior to its sale to Redwire in 2025, and recently volunteered her time as a Senior Commercialization Advisor with DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of War focused on breakthrough technologies for national and economic security.

Prior to joining AE Industrial, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois worked for GE Aerospace as Chief Executive Officer of the GE Passport joint venture with Safran Aero Boosters (Belgium) and IHI (Japan), and as program management executive responsible for the GE Passport, CF34-3 and CF34-8C engines on Bombardier and Mitsubishi’s aircraft. Previously at GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois joined the tiger team that founded GE Additive to transform industrial 3D printing, and led the strategy and global field marketing teams supporting the sale of GE Aviation’s engines, systems and services across commercial, business and military aviation.

Before GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois led commercial, product and engineering teams in aerospace and high- tech industries. At Sikorsky Aircraft (Lockheed Martin), she launched new engineering innovation, ran defense offset programs and led the Operations Analysis and contract R&D teams. At aircraft lessor CIT (Avolon), she gained increasing responsibilities in acquiring $9B of aircraft and engines. At The Weather Company, she led the democratization of cockpit weather information and the launch of SiriusXM Aviation Weather. She also previously transported air freight flying Learjets across North America.

She received SM and PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, is a graduate of the International Space University space studies program, UTC’s Darden executive program, several GE Crotonville programs, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and completed the CFA Level 1. She is a certified FAA commercial pilot with Learjet privileges and a flight instructor in gliders. She also serves as Board Advisor to AI health tech company Triangulate Labs, and is a member of The Wings Club and PEWIN.

Shael Soberano

Chief Investment Officer

Sharno Group Inc.

Shael Soberano, CFA, is the Chief Investment Officer of Sharno Group, a privately owned independent principal investment group and family office focused on identifying strategic, value-add investment opportunities across a wide range of traditional and alternative asset classes and strategies.

Shael is also the President & CEO, Portfolio Manager & Chief Compliance Officer of Sharno Capital Corporation, a registered Investment Fund Manager, Portfolio Manager, and Exempt Market Dealer with the Ontario Securities Commission. Sharno Capital Corporation manages the Azalea Fund LP, a private investment fund focused on smaller capitalization public equities, utilizing a fundamental value and research-intensive approach.

Prior to the Sharno Group of Companies, Shael Soberano was Vice President, Senior Analyst at Vision Capital Corporation, a leading Toronto-based Hedge Fund manager focused on publicly traded real estate related securities. Shael first joined Vision Capital as an Analyst in 2009, shortly after its inception. He was promoted to Vice President, Senior Analyst in 2014, and was registered as an Advising Representative with the Ontario Securities Commission in 2017. With a wide range of roles spanning both business development and investment management initiatives, Shael’s contributions were integral in growing Vision Capital’s assets under management and contributed to its award-winning risk-adjusted performance over that period.

Shael is a CFA Charterholder and completed the Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies Honours Degree with a Specialization in Finance at the University of Western Ontario. Shael completed the Partners, Directors, and Senior Officers (PDO) Course in 2019 and the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) in 2010, provided by the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI).

David Manzano

Managing Director

Golub Capital

Mr. Manzano joined Golub Capital in 2020 and is a Managing Director on the Global Product Group within the Investor Partners Group. He is responsible for supporting business development and investor relations as a subject-matter expert for the Firm, strategies and products. Previously, Mr. Manzano was a Partner, Managing Director and co-head of the Senior Debt Business in the Private Debt group at AEA Investors, where he was responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of middle market club and syndicated leveraged loans. Prior to this position, he was a Principal and Portfolio Manager at Callidus Capital Management, where he managed several collateralized loan obligations. Prior to that, Mr. Manzano was an investment banker in the Leveraged Finance group at Merrill Lynch & Co. and began his career at The Chase Manhattan Bank. Mr. Manzano earned his BA in Government from Cornell University. He received an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

Saad Hassan

Principal and North American Head

Hassan Family Office

Saad Hassan is Principal and North American Head of Hassan Family Office, a Abu Dhabi–based single‑family office dedicated to private alternative investments. As a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, he collaborates with fellow principals and family members to shape strategic asset allocations across private equity, venture capital, real estate and private credit.

In his North American role, Saad leads deal sourcing and due diligence for co‑investment opportunities throughout the region, leveraging an extensive network of sovereign wealth funds, institutional allocators and top‑tier general partners. He applies a data‑driven investment framework combined with hands‑on value‑creation initiatives—focusing on operational improvement, risk management and ESG integration—to optimize long‑term risk‑adjusted returns.

A University of Waterloo alumnus with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Saad began his career in financial services and consulting, where he honed the analytical rigor that informs his investment philosophy today. He regularly serves as a judge at startup competitions and mentors emerging entrepreneurs on fundraising, business models and scaling high‑growth ventures.

Adrian Barber

President

Barber & Associates

Adrian Barber is the President of Barber & Associates(B&A), a single-family office based out of Mississauga, Ontario.

Overseeing a ‘wheel-spoke’ model, Adrian utilizes a range of partners to allow for both operational efficiency as well as best-of-breed execution. Investment management, operations, governance, succession and multi-generational planning fall within his purview. B&A’s portfolio is fully diversified and overweight private markets.

Sean O’Hara

Co-Founder & Chief Investment Officer

Obsiido Alternative Investments Inc.

Mr. O’Hara holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations.

Ryan Tomicic

Partner

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Venelina Arduini

Co-Leader, Alternative Investments Canada

Mercer

Venelina works with clients to build and maintain their alternatives portfolios, helping them with portfolio construction and manager selection. She joined Mercer in 2011. Venelina is also a Board of Director member for the West Park Hospital Foundation based in Toronto. Venelina holds an MBA from Ivey Business School. She also earned the CFA and CAIA designations.

Daniel Cohen

Head of Canada, Capital Formation

Coller Capital

Daniel is Head of Canada, Capital Formation. Daniel also works closely with the wider Investor Relations team to help grow the distribution capabilities to institutional investors across Canada.

 Before joining Coller Capital, Daniel was Head of Investor Relations at Fiera Comox, a global investment management firm with investments in Private Equity, Private Credit and Natural Capital (Agriculture and Timberland). Daniel was responsible for the investor relations program for institutional and private wealth investors, globally. Daniel began his career as a corporate lawyer at Stikeman Elliott LLP, where he practiced primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities, and corporate law, with a focus on cross border private equity transactions.

River Ewing

Director

Hadley Family Office

River is a Director at Hadley Family Office, where he partners with entrepreneurs to acquire and build enduringly profitable small businesses as a leading investor in entrepreneurship through acquisition.

In 2019, River founded the Hadley Family Foundation, a registered Canadian charity and private foundation focused on high-impact philanthropy in food systems. River earned a BA in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario and an HBA from the Ivey Business School. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

François Ritchot

Investment Director

Sagana

François is an impact investing transaction and strategy professional. He is an Investment Director at Sagana, advising UNWHI and family offices investing in companies and funds with attractive financial returns and significant human and planetary impact. At Sagana, Francois leads investment activities in the Food and Agriculture sector globally. He was previously an Associate Director at Palladium Impact Capital (formerly Enclude) where he provided capital raising services to impact enterprises (pre-revenue to growth-stage) and mission-driven financial institutions as well as impact fund placement.

Jean-François (J-F) Démoré

Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer

Innova Wealth Partners

Jean-François (J-F) Démoré, CIM, CFP, MBA, is the Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Innova Wealth Partners, an independent wealth management firm overseeing more than $900 million in client assets. While leading one of Northern Ontario’s rapidly growing wealth management firms, J-F remains very much “in the trenches” as a practicing advisor, working directly with families, professionals and business owners. He also oversees nearly $500 million invested through Innova’s proprietary investment pools, which have made extensive use of alternative investment strategies since 2019. This gives him a unique perspective as both an allocator and the advisor ultimately responsible for explaining portfolio decisions, liquidity, risk and outcomes directly to clients.

J-F’s background also bridges finance and technology. He holds an Honours degree in Commerce and Computer Science, has been actively involved in the development of software and application of AI within financial services, and was a founding member and later Co-Chair of the Advocis Technology Task Force. He also consulted with one of North America’s most active angel investment organizations by deal flow, which gave him a keen understanding of the venture capital and private equity landscape.

His entrepreneurial and industry contributions have been recognized with RelèveON’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and Northern Ontario Business’ 40 Under Forty. J-F also holds an MBA, for which his graduate research focused on tactical asset allocation.