Matt Boczkowski

Chief Executive Officer

Aquaporin

James Nguyen

Co-Founder & CEO

Quantropi

James, born and raised in Ottawa, is a Ottawa Top Forty under 40 recipient and is the Co-Founder and CEO of a quantum AI cybersecurity company – Quantropi, a NATO approved supplier, 2022 Deloitte Fast 50 company and 2023 Future In Review – FiRe Starters recipient. As an emerging leader in emerging industries, he has been privileged to have worked alongside some of the greatest minds in the industry when it comes to emerging deep-tech such as fin-tech, new material sciences, quantum and AI.

He has travelled extensively globally and has built a strong network in emerging markets. With his background in investments and banking he has been an active investor in early-stage companies while speaking at global events to help bring technologies to market that will make the world better.

Kapil Dev Ramgirwar

Co-Founder & CFO

Rosseau Immersion

Kapil is the co-founder and CFO of Rosseau Group, a company focused on reengineering immersion-cooled data centers. Rosseau’s solutions offer unrivaled efficiency and sustainability, expanding the potential of high-performance computing in areas such as artificial intelligence, edge computing, the Internet of Things, and Bitcoin mining. With 20 years of experience in big 4 professional services, Kapil has provided assurance services to public and private financial institutions, including central and commercial banks, multibillion-dollar hedge funds, and private equity funds. He also developed and led the crypto assurance services with a big 4 professional services firm. Kapil is a CPA, CA, and holds a CFA charter.

Bruce M. Hodges

CEO

Parachute

Bruce has had a progressive international career in all areas of financial services; Banking, Insurance, and Investments. Over the first 10 years of his career Bruce worked in retail banking for several of Canada’s top Banks working his way up from Teller to Personal Lender, Commercial Lender, and ultimately Product Manager with a $4B credit portfolio. During this time Bruce completed his MBA, published research for the Canadian Bankers Association, and taught E-commerce Strategy in Wilfrid Laurier University’s MBA program.

In 1998, Bruce left the corporate world and joined a 20-person start-up to take on-line credit adjudication to market. The start-up built credit solutions for the likes of National Bank, Fair Isaac, and Ford Credit globally. He facilitated a sale of the company to a publicly traded entity and continued the journey including raising $40M in equity.

On leaving the dot-com world, Bruce began a 20-year corporate stretch in Insurance, initially joining Manulife to build out their global e-commerce strategy and moving to several global roles with the likes of Generali, Sunlife and ING. This journey relocated he and his family to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, The Netherlands, and Italy in roles spanning CIO, COO, CIDO and CEO overseeing more than 60 different countries at various stages of his career.

After his final stint in Europe as CIDO (Chief Information & Digital Officer) at Generali, overseeing IT, Operations and Digital for the $70B, 60 Country Insurer, Bruce returned to Canada mid-2018. After his return, Bruce was COO of Foresters Financial, and EVP Transformation at CIBC, one of Canada’s top 5 banks. Since leaving CIBC in April 2021, Bruce founded Parachute, a start-up set to disrupt the financial wellness space taking on payday, and high interest predatory lenders, with the intent to bring at risk Canadians back from the brink to good financial health.

Prathna Ramesh

VP Operations

FutureSight Ventures

Prathna is an early-stage investor and operator in B2B SaaS companies. She is currently a VP of Operations at FutureSight, a venture builder fund that backs entrepreneurs as an institutional cofounder with capital. She is the former Managing Director of Maple Leaf Angels in Toronto, one of Canada’s most active angel networks. She served as GP (General Partner) of the MLA48 pre-seed funds and is currently the Chief Compliance Officer. She is active in the founder community as a business advisor and is an advocate for women in venture.

Lakhveer Jajj

CEO & Founder

Moselle

Diving into the venture world and having helped co-found various startups, including a commerce development shop called Sunview Labs, he joined CareGuide as a foundational member of the team and led their nanny tax payroll product called HeartPayroll.

Following CareGuide, Lakhveer joined Highline Beta to help launch their venture studio and various ventures, including Relay, which was recently acquired.

Reza Khanahmadi

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder

Rondeivu Inc.

Alik Sokolov

Co-Founder & CEO

Responsibli

Alik’s experience spans the fields of finance and AI in industry and academia. Alik spent 6 years in Deloitte consulting as an ML team lead, and a year at Mithril Capital as a venture capitalist investor.

He is also an accomplished researcher, having published works on applying deep learning to financial time series as well as for ESG investing. The latter set of algorithms is the backbone of Responsibli.

Ajay Rao

CFO

Chandaria Family Holdings, Inc.

Ajay is a seasoned family office and wealth management executive with a strong track record in managing and growing family wealth and investments. In a leadership role with a UHNW family business, he established their Family Office from scratch, implementing streamlined processes and risk management protocols. Previously, Ajay, a CPA from Ontario and India, held key Corporate Financial Leadership roles in India, Mauritius, and South Africa. Furthermore, Ajay serves as the Vice-Chair of FEI Canada’s Private Company Committee’s Family Business Thought Leadership Group.

Skip Cooper

Managing Director

Cooper Family Office

Skip Cooper is a first-generation member of the Cooper Family Office. Skip oversees risk management, portfolio allocation and back office operations. In addition to the office’s US-based alternative investing, his primary focus for the family office is investment internationally: in private equity, hedge funds, real estate and direct opportunities. Mr. Cooper is an honors graduate of Princeton University.

Skip Cooper is a member of the NYU Stern Family Office Council and the Stanford University Global Projects Center Global Investor’s Forum. Skip speaks regularly at family office and investment conferences around the world, often addressing the topic of global investing for US family offices.

Ian Garmaise

Chief Operating Officer

Virtual Film School

Ian Garmaise, COO of Virtual Film School, has a strong background in Edtech, and has worked in a variety of roles at various startups, and as an IT and Marketing Consultant.

Ryan Wallace

Co-Founder

Snowshoe.ai

Ryan Wallace is the CEO and co-founder of Snowshoe.ai. He is a Y-combinator alumnus with multiple successful exits. Ryanstudied electronic engineering and consults on applying artificial intelligence in the Enterprise.

Hudhaifah Zahid

Co-Founder & CEO

Econommi

Hudhaifah is a blockchain engineer turned co-founder & CEO of econommi. He is on a mission to transition the world away from debt, towards assets instead. Personally affected by a broken credit system, he believes we can all do better. His work brings a fresh, systemic perspective on money, society and incentives. His team has engineered a more equitable financial instrument for vehicle loans. They hope to expand this to all sorts of assets and contracts in the near future.

Tim Burgess

Co-Founder & CEO

WealthAgile

Senior financial executive, with 20 years of experience in institutional equity sales and portfolio management. Recently ran the Spartan onTREND Fund, where he built a fully systematic momentum strategy.

Mukul Pal

Founder & CEO

AlphaBlock

Mukul has spent over 20 years in global financial markets, in investment management capacities, working from 2000-2004 for the Bombay Stock Exchange, HDFC Securities, and various financial institutions in India, from 2005-2010 consulting European asset managers and securities divisions of financial institutions like Société Générale, Raiffeisen, Uniqua Insurance, Bucharest Stock Exchange, Bank of Transilvania and starting 2011 building Smart Beta Investing solutions for asset owners and asset managers in North America. He has published extensively, filed several patents, holds an MBA in Finance, a master’s in applied econometrics and statistics, the CMT and CAIA designations, and has been awarded a top fintech award from MIT in 2016. In his current role, he runs AlphaBlock, a Deep Tech company that in its first application builds Indexes and Exchange Traded Funds.

Yaron Vorona

Founder

Vorona Ventures

Yaron Vorona is a serial founder turned VC, Backing Innovators Building Abundance. Yaron has spent the past 15 Years working in finance and strategy for Deep-Tech ventures, raising over $55m. He co-founded companies in the cybersecurity, AI, blockchain, and defense sectors. His global network stems from his experience working in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. Yaron holds an MBA from the London Business School, and a BSc in Physics and Business from the University of Waterloo. He’s a Father, Explorer, Connector, and Personal Excellence Practitioner.

John Davitsky

Co-Founder

Golden Hawk Financial (GHF)

John is Co-Founder of Golden Hawk Financial (GHF) based in Toronto.  The company helps clients by connecting interesting ideas to interesting capital and vice versa. GHF focuses on alternative investments including AI, Tokenization, Sustainable Energy, Digital Assets, and Real Estate Development.

John started his career as a Financial Advisor at Caldwell Securities in Toronto in 2009. In this role he was responsible for managing investments for families, corporations and other high net-worth individuals. He progressed through the organization gaining experience in alternative investments, brokering private equity deals, placing shares in late stage pre-IPO companies and investing in digital assets.  In recent years John moved into trading, becoming Head Trader, and finally Vice President, where, as a high touch trader he traded $1B-$1.5B daily for the firm’s largest client.

In 2022, he joined Echelon Wealth Partners, where he worked with their Electronic Trading group to help lead a digital asset project with Fidelity Clearing Canada. This project developed a product to hold digital assets for clients on Fidelity’s balance sheet in a traditional finance model. 

Golden Hawk Financial was born out of a vision to create exciting and unique opportunities for its clients in the alternative investment space.

Robert Guo

President

Sixty Degree Capital

Mr. Robert Guo, President of “Sixty Degree Capital”-Venture Capital investment firm,  a seasoned insightful financial executive, and business leader with international market development skills with extensive experience in public and private companies as Board member, executive and advisor. Former:  Board Director of “China Wind Power” (TSX-V: CNW), and Board Director of “Environmental Waste International Inc. “(TSX-V: EWS). CEO of Goldenmount Capital International Inc. Investment Advisor at “BMO Nesbitt Burns” and Senior Associate at “TD”,  MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Shael Soberano

Chief Investment Officer

Sharno Group

Ali Yahyaoui

CEO

LexiComply

Dedicated professional with a strong academic background and practical experience in launching successful startup ventures. Adept at leveraging innovation and technology to drive growth. Master’s degree in Applied Entrepreneurship and hands-on involvement in multiple startup initiatives showcase a solid foundation for transforming ideas into thriving businesses.

Matthew He

Investment Analyst

Brightspark Ventures

Matt is an Investment Analyst at Brightspark Ventures, Canada’s oldest VC firm backing exceptional entrepreneurs at the early stage. Brightspark is actively investing out of its $120M Fund IV, leading Seed and Series A rounds across Canada.

Prior to Brightspark, Matt served for two years as the Director of Investments for Front Row Ventures, investing at pre-seed in the very best young founders across the Canadian ecosystem. He has previously worked at White Star Capital in New York and FounderFuel in Montreal. 

Marcus Daniels

Founding Partner & CEO

Highline Beta

Marcus Daniels is a Founding Partner & CEO of Highline Beta where he leads visionary execution, strategic deals, corporate venture co-investment and startup funding. He has 21+ years as a serial tech entrepreneur & operating executive with a top decile pre-seed investing (34 startups) track record. 12+ years working with Fortune 1000 companies advising on corporate innovation models & building a pipeline of new corporate ventures beyond the core business. Formerly the Co-Founder & CEO of HIGHLINE.vc and Managing Director of Extreme Startups, Marcus continues to help evolve accelerator models to make corporate-startup collaboration work.

Jason Chertin

Partner

McMillan LLP

Jason Chertin is an accomplished corporate finance lawyer with a dynamic capital markets and securities law practice and extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions. Structuring and executing a variety of capital market transactions, Jason advises on public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions with emphasis on negotiated transactions, plans of arrangement and amalgamations, and stock exchange listings. He is a leader of the firm’s Investment Funds & Asset Management Group.

Jason acts for issuers, underwriters, investment funds and asset managers in addition to stakeholders in the cannabis and mining sectors. He advises on public and exempt securities offerings, takeover bids, business combinations, reverse takeovers, qualifying transactions, reorganizations, proxy contests and related party transactions.
A significant part of Jason’s practice involves advising investment fund managers and portfolio advisers on public and exempt offerings of securities by open-end mutual funds, closed-end investment funds, commodity pools and pooled funds. He also assists with dealer and adviser registration and compliance matters.

Jason’s experience in securities regulatory work encompasses proxy solicitation, corporate governance, continuous disclosure, preparation for annual and special meetings of shareholders, compliance with NI 81-102 and IRC requirements, prospectus renewals, and applications to regulatory authorities for exemptive relief.

Harris Lambouris

Board Member / Director

Laertes Health

Harris is the Founding Partner and CEO of Laertes Health LLP, a private investment company aiming to develop healthcare projects in the MENA region. Sets standards of excellence and alignment of the company’s vision and strategy. Collaborates with family offices to develop the business, creating opportunities and maintaining professional excellence.

He is also a partner with hhm-consult, an advisory practice. As a trusted partner of choice continuously looks for innovations and improvements. Builds senior level networks and relationships with clients and partners. Engages and advises startup companies and green field projects helping them achieve their goals and objectives during the business cycle.

He has many years of international experience in management consulting/strategy. He combines the financial rigor of a Big 4 firm with the analytical skills and people leadership experience. Led healthcare strategy and directed projects during their planning, design and development stage. Served as a member of Deloitte (LSHC) Team for almost 10 years in MENA region. During his tenure he led the operational and commercial advisory and led large scale pre & post transaction projects.

His education includes: Corporate Financial Strategy at INSEAD Business School, France; MSc in Management Research, Cardiff, UK; and MBA in Finance Adelphi University, New York.

Sebastien Davies

VP, Research

Aquanow

As VP, Research at Aquanow and Market Strategist at AQN Digital, Sebastien Davies focuses on industry analysis, investment management, and growth initiatives. He joined from CIBC Capital Markets, where he held roles in Institutional Equity & Derivatives Sales. Prior thereto, Sebastien conducted research and risk management at a long/short hedge fund.

Dan Ryan

Investor Relations

Creative Ventures

Joseph Bakish

Senior Wealth Advisor, Portfolio Manager

Manulife Wealth Inc.

Joseph Bakish is a Senior Wealth Advisor, Portfolio Manager at Manulife Wealth Inc. with over 20 years of experience in the field. Named Canada’s Top Under 40 Investment Advisors in 2020 by the Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC), Joseph Bakish has built his career by putting the best interests of his clients at the forefront of his objectives.  

Joseph recently joined Manulife Wealth to help expand their universe of alternative assets available for sale and to encourage the use and access of their capital markets team for retail investors. His experience at his previous firm, marked by an early adoption of alternative investments in portfolio construction,enables him to provide insight to the MW investment committee.

Bakish Wealth primarily deals with researchers and physicians as highlighted by the recent partnershipwith Heritage MD, a specialized advisory firm co-created with physician leadership to help physicians with their financial planning and asset allocation.

Rodrigo Gordillo

President

ReSolve Asset Management

Rodrigo is President of ReSolve Global* as well as Co-Founder and portfolio manager of the Return Stacked® ETF suite. Rodrigo brings nearly two decades of investment industry experience, specializing in developing innovative and diversified systematic investment strategies to a global clientele.

His expertise has been focused on the advancement of Return Stacking, All-Terrain portfolio construction, Managed Futures, and Systematic Global Macro strategies. Rodrigo has made significant contributions to the investment community through a series of insightful whitepapers, the book Adaptive Asset Allocation, the ReSolve Riffs Investment Podcast and The Get Stacked Investment Podcast.

Rodrigo’s investment philosophy and approach are shaped by a journey that underscores the importance of resilience, adaptability, and a global perspective in mastering the complexities of dynamic markets.

Allan Seychuk

Vice President & Senior Investment Director, Alternatives

Mackenzie Investments

Allan Seychuk is Vice President and Senior Investment Director and leads Mackenzie’s AlternativesTeam. In this role, Allan is responsible for product strategy and investment communications for Mackenzie’s suite of Alternative Products. Prior to the launch Mackenzie’s Alts business in 2019, Allan was the Senior Investment Director responsible for Mackenzie’s Multi-Asset Solutions.

Allan joined Mackenzie in June 2015 from Mercer Global Investments, Mercer’s multi-asset, multi-manager outsourced investments business, where Allan was the Head of Client Service for Mercer’s Institutional clients across Canada.

Prior to Mercer, Allan spent seven years with Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management, where he was an Institutional Client Portfolio Manager and was responsible for macroeconomic research, asset allocation and investment strategy. Allan began his investment career as an Economist with RBC, where he conducted research and gave presentations on global macro and financial market developments.

Allan has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Economics from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto respectively, and is a CFA Charterholder.

Mark Shore

Director and Economist

CME Group

Dr. Mark Shore, Director, and Economist at the CME Group. He is responsible for generating economic analysis on global financial markets by identifying emerging trends, evaluating economic factors, and forecasting their potential impact on CME Group’s various asset classes. He is a well-known alternative investment expert with over 30 years of experience in capital markets. He is also an adjunct professor at DePaul University.

Previous positions include full-time finance faculty and executive director of the Arditti Center for Risk Management at DePaul University, director of Coquest Institute at Coquest Advisors, head of risk at Octane Research, and chief operating officer of VK Capital, a wholly owned Morgan Stanley commodity trading advisor (CTA) business unit.

He conducts educational workshops, webinars, and is frequently invited to speak at industry and academic conferences. Mark has contributed research to several global organizations on volatility, macroeconomics, commodities, asset allocation, due diligence, and alternative investments.

Mark received his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from DePaul University with his dissertation topic related to alternative investments. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago

Scott Starratt

Senior Portfolio Manager

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management

Scott Starratt is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®), Chartered Investment Manager (CIM), and Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA). He earned his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta in 1993, majoring in Finance, Game Theory, and Chemistry, and brings more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.

As Senior Portfolio Manager, Scott leads the investment team with a total-portfolio perspective, overseeing portfolio construction, manager selection, and rigorous due diligence across both traditional and alternative investment strategies. He is deeply involved in evaluating private, hedged, and non-correlated investments, with a focus on downside risk management, capital preservation, and improving portfolio resilience across market cycles.

Scott takes a hands-on approach to manager research, regularly engaging directly with investment teams to assess not only performance and process, but also risk controls, alignment of interests, and decision-making under pressure.

In addition, Scott is frequently featured in Wealth Professional and is a regular speaker and panel moderator at industry events, where he shares practical, experience-driven perspectives on alternative portfolio construction, risk management, and long-term investing.

Guy Côté

Senior Wealth Advisor & Portfolio Manager

Guy Côté Integrated Wealth Management – National Bank Financial

Guy Côté, CFA has 30 years of experience in finance and asset management. He holds a BAA in Finance, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA),has taken courses on derivatives (options) and financial planning offered by the investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

Guy can count on the complete range of National Bank Financial products, services and specialists as well as on his extensive network of experienced professionals, in meeting all the specific needs of his clients.

He is a director of the Lise Watier Foundation and La Pietà musical ensemble. He is also actively involved with other foundations.

Cam Richards

Chief Investment Officer

Guardian Partners

As Chief Investment Officer at Guardian Partners, Cameron’s mission is to combine the investment strategies and disciplined portfolio construction and risk management utilized by pension funds and endowments, with the customization and client responsiveness required by private clients, to increase the robustness of investment solutions and to enhance the experience of Guardian Partners’ clients. Previously, he served as CIO of the Nova Scotia Health Employees’ Pension Plan, and was the Head of Real Assets at Albourne Partners in London, England. He also served as the Co-Chief Investment Officer of University of Toronto Asset Management (UTAM), and Chair of the Investment Committee for the entirety of the university’s investment assets. Before joining Guardian Partners, he founded Isengard Capital Management, which provided capital markets research to Albourne Partners and also designed a research platform which applied global macro, stock selection and quantitative strategies to generate long and short exposures in stocks.

Cameron is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Queen’s University, earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and is a CFA® Charterholder. He has been called to the Bar in Ontario.

Theresa Shutt

Chief Investment Officer

Harbourfront Wealth Management

In her role as Chief Investment Officer with responsibility over the Portfolio Management Department and overall investment platform, Theresa Shutt is a key member of Harbourfront’s executive team, contributing to the leadership and strategic vision of the firm with a focus on increasing AUM and developing innovative investment strategies.

Theresa brings over 20 years of experience in private and public markets with demonstrated success in leading asset management teams. Prior to joining Harbourfront, Theresa was the Head of Corporate Debt for Fiera Capital, where she was responsible for the overall strategic direction of Fiera’s corporate private debt strategies. In this role, she provided leadership in support of business development, investment approval, fund strategy and portfolio management. Theresa joined Fiera from Integrated Asset Management where she was Chief Investment Officer with responsibility for private market strategies.  

Theresa began her career working as an economist for the Conference Board of Canada. She has held a variety of roles at large Canadian financial institutions marketing public fixed income to asset managers as well as structuring bond and equity derivative backed products for retail investors.

Theresa is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and also holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics (Honours) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts (MA) in Economics from McMaster University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto.

Ida Khajadourian

Senior Portfolio Manager, Senior Investment Advisor

Richardson Wealth

For over 20 years, Ida has worked closely with Institutions, Family Offices, wealthy entrepreneurs, and high net worth families building trusted relationships and delivering a high level of holistic Wealth Management services.

Ida’s beliefs include the importance of estate planning, tax minimization, capital preservation and evolutionary portfolio construction using alternative strategies to achieve consistent absolute returns with a risk reward-oriented approach.

Ida obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto with specialization in Finance and major in Economics. Ida is a multi award winning Portfolio Manager and obtained her Chartered Alternative Investment Advisor (CAIA®) designation in 2005.

Martin Pelletier

Senior Portfolio Manager

Wellington-Altus Private Counsel

Martin has over 20 years of investment industry experience including senior-level positions in both institutional equity research and portfolio management.

Martin is currently a senior portfolio manager at Wellington-Altus Private Counsel (previously TriVest Wealth), an award-winning portfolio management firm (Wealth Professional 5-Star Asset Manager 2022), where he is the co-manager of the firm’s risk-managed balanced fund and helps oversee custom built, HNW and UHNW private client portfolios.

Prior to co-founding TriVest and its sale to Wellington-Altus in early 2020, Martin’s career was focused on institutional energy equity research and capital markets primarily at two top-ranked boutique investment banks. He provided investment recommendations on energy markets, commodities, and individual security selections to institutional fund managers located in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Martin is regularly featured in the media as a market strategist including his weekly column to the Financial Post’s Investment Pro section for the past decade. He was won numerous awards for his passion for financial education and quality of service provided for his clients.

Martin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in finance from the University of Alberta, studied international economics and finance at Örebro University in Sweden, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.

Martin grew up in a small farming community in Northern Alberta and believes in the power of positive innovative change having lived in Canada’s first Eco-community. He and his family is also passionate about mental-health awareness initiatives focused on youth impacted by ADHD, OCD and Autism. On weekends, his family can be found on a mountain either freestyle/big mountain skiing or downhill mountain biking.

Rafa Silveira

Portfolio Manager

LGT Capital Partners

Rafa Silveira (American/Brazilian) is a Principal at LGT Capital Partners in New York, where he serves as a portfolio manager for the LGT Multi-Alternative Fund and is a member of the U.S. leadership team. Before joining LGT in 2019, he was a portfolio manager at AQR Capital Management. He has also held roles as a solutions strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and a senior quantitative analyst at Bank of America. Mr. Silveira earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Brasília.

Ash Lawrence

Head of AGF Capital Partners

AGF Capital Partners

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 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.

Ash is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience and a wide breadth of expertise in alternative investments and portfolio management across sectors. As Head of AGF Capital Partners, 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 and his team are continually looking to diversify and expand the business’ capabilities and alternatives offerings to meet clients’ evolving needs.

Prior to joining AGF Investments, Ash spent 16 years with Brookfield Asset Management working in real estate investments and portfolio management in North America and Brazil, ultimately leading the Canadian real estate business. Ash also has experience in financing municipal infrastructure projects and 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.

Ash sits on numerous Boards and is a member of the America’s Executive Committee and a Global Governing Trustee for the Urban Land Institute.

Brianne Gardner

Senior Wealth Manager

Velocity Investment Partners – Raymond James

As an Investment Advisor and co-founder of Velocity Investment Partners, Brianne uses her expertise to provide solutions to high-net-worth families who have complex financial needs, anddeliver first-class service to clients who expect the best. Her dedication to understanding and managing the unique financial challenges many families face gives our clients the peace of mind they need.

With the tools provided by the leading independent firm in Canada, Raymond James Ltd., she is continually raising the bar for customized and strategic investment solutions with a focus on risk management. Brianne works closely with successful individuals, medical professionals, corporate executives, business owners and wealthy families across Canada, who have built significant wealth through years of hard work. She takes pride in the opportunity to help them grow, protect, and diversify their wealth, and when the time comes, transfer it to future generations in the most efficient manner.

Brianne and her partner John manage money for families, developing customized wealth management plans and solutions to meet their personal circumstances and goals. Brianne oversees a highly qualified team who help ensure all the clients receive ‘Amazon-like’ efficiency and ‘Four Seasons-like’ service. A disciplined and active risk management strategy allows clients to sleep soundly knowing their money is under prudent stewardship.

Her unwavering passion for being a trusted financial partner and family advisor providing valuable guidance in overseeing their financial affairs is why she has built strong, long-term relationships. Brianne has authored many industry articles over the years and is an expert contributor for Neighbours of Edgemont magazine where she educates clients and investors on financial planning and investments to help them make informed decisions and understand how their money is working for them.

Brianne acts as a mentor to young women in business and has always been an active member of her community. She is a philanthropist through her membership in professional associations and charitable organizations such as Women in Capital Markets, Young Women in Business, SFU Beedie School of Business Mentorship program and ReThink Breast Cancer.

In her free time, Brianne leads an active lifestyle, and you’ll often find her playing golf, tennis, volleyball, skiing or hiking. She and her husband enjoy travelling and they love to spend time with family.

Ted Karon

Portfolio Manager

RBC Dominion Securities

Ted draws on his expert knowledge and more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to provide access to a comprehensive range of services. For the past two decades, Ted has been working with high net worth individuals and families to help them meet their complex financial goals.

 His depth of experience includes investment banking, commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, equity research and portfolio management. Over the years, Ted has also developed extensive expertise in the alternative investment sector.  Ted brings a holistic perspective on investing to his work, ensuring sound advice, expert execution and peace of mind for clients who need solutions for broad and multi-dimensional wealth management needs.

 A graduate of Queen’s University, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in finance. A firm believer in ongoing education, he has acquired the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, and licenses for insurance, derivatives fundamentals and options.

Aled ab Iorwerth

Deputy Chief Economist

CMHC – SCHL

Groundbreaking research by CMHC has revealed that inadequate supply is a key driver behind escalating house prices in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. The lead researcher for that project – Deputy Chief Economist Aled ab Iorwerth – now coordinates a diverse national team of researchers and analysts who are investigating impediments to housing supply and potential solutions.

“Housing markets are local. Broader challenges such as supply are often common, but the drivers and magnitude of these challenges may differ significantly across the country. My goal is to help understand and inform on market dynamics, how they support or hinder housing affordability goals and to provide thought leadership on housing economics across housing industry participants.”

Aled joined CMHC in 2016, bringing his strong analytical and research capabilities to bear on complex housing issues. He previously had a 15-year career at Finance Canada, in various research and analysis roles that included secondments to Environment Canada and the Council of Canadian Academies.

Aled holds a PhD in Economics from Western University and master’s degrees in European and International Relations (University of Amsterdam) and Economics (Carleton University). He speaks three languages: English, French and Welsh.

Colleen Redmond

Vice President, Investment Product Research

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Canada Inc.

As part of the product team at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Canada (MSWC), Colleen is responsible for conducting initial and ongoing due diligence on various investment products including mutual funds, ETFs, SMAs and alternatives. She works closely with internal and external partners to build out the MSWC product shelf. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2022, Colleen spent over seven years at CI Global Asset Management including four years as the product manager for CI’s suite of liquid alternative products. She also held roles in operations, client services and sales. Colleen holds a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Colleen is an avid runner. In her spare time, she enjoys training for her next marathon.

Robert Wilson

Senior Vice President, Head of Portfolio Construction Consultation Service

Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Robert Wilson, Senior Vice President, is the Head of Picton Mahoney’s Portfolio Construction Consultation Service (PCCS). He is responsible for leading a multi-disciplinary team of experts in asset allocation, risk management, quantitative research and portfolio management. Robert and his team partner with investment advisors and institutional investors to help them construct more resilient and efficient investment portfolios. Robert is often invited to share his insights on alternative investments, asset allocation and portfolio construction with industry groups and media outlets.

Prior to joining Picton Mahoney in 2019, Robert spent 10 years working in financial services in progressively senior roles. Most recently, Robert was vice president at BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited where he distributed iShares ETFs to Canadian investment advisors. Prior to that, Robert was an associate at PIMCO where he distributed PIMCO funds to Canadian investment advisors.

Robert holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is a CFA charterholder, and he holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation. He is also a member of the Responsible Investment Association of Canada and holds the Responsible Investment Professional Certification designation.

Josh Benchetrit

Principal and Portfolio Manager

Westcourt Capital

As Principal, Asset Management & Client Services, Josh’s responsibilities include the construction and management of diversified investment portfolios and reviewing investment products for Westcourt’s clients. Josh is registered as a Portfolio Manager (Advising Representative) and a Dealing Representative.

Prior to joining Westcourt, Josh was an executive at two of the country’s largest single-family offices, and a member of the Investment Committee. In this role, he was responsible for building the investment framework covering all major asset classes and geographies.

Paul Patterson

National Sales

Spartan Fund Management

Paul has been with Spartan Fund Management since 2015.  From 2008 to 2014, Paul was Vice-President, Private Investment at Integrated Asset Management (“IAM”), a $3B Toronto-based multi-strategy alternative asset manager.  Prior to that, he was Associate Vice-President, Institutional and Offshore at BluMont Capital, a hedge fund and structured products firm. Before joining BluMont, Paul practiced corporate and securities law with Lang Michener (now McMillan LLP) and served as legal and policy counsel with the Toronto Stock Exchange.  Paul has a B.A. from Carleton University, a J.D. from the University of Toronto and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s J. L. Kellogg School of Management. He is also CAIA charterholder and is the former Deputy Chair of the Canadian chapter of the Alternative Investment Management Association.

James Burron

Founding Partner

CAASA

James co-founded CAASA in response to industry support for a Canadian alternatives association to serve all aspects including: hedge / alternative strategies; liquid alternatives; private lending; private real estate; private equity; plus emerging areas where Canada is a leader such as digital assets / blockchain and robo-advisors.

Prior to CAASA, James was the Chief Operating Officer of AIMA Canada where his team of three worked with 12 committees to produce 50-60 events per annum across Canada, organized 100+ committee meetings, and increase member numbers over his 7-year tenue from 66 to 164 corporate entities.

James currently sits on the Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee (CIFSC), which categorizes mutual funds and alternative mutual funds (aka liquid alternatives) for the retail space in Canada. He is also called upon by membership and industry groups to speak to risk ratings and portfolio placement of all types of alternative investments.

James also has experience in research and writing for the CAIA Association (holding the designation since 2006) as well as serving on CAIA’s exam council and as a well as other duties. He had roles in institutional sales and FoHF structuring in Seoul, South Korea, as a Product Manager at ICICI Wealth Management, and as an Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities. James graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BBA (Finance).

David Sheng

Managing Director – Portfolio Advisory

Aksia

David is a Managing Director on the Portfolio Advisory team and has over 18 years of experience in alternative investments. He is responsible for alternative investment programs in the Americas, including portfolio management and construction, as well as manager evaluation. David leads alternatives coverage for Aksia’s institutional Canadian clients.

Prior to joining Aksia in 2018, David was a Senior Manager Research Analyst at Man FRM focused on sourcing and evaluating alternatives strategies, as well as active portfolio management. Prior to Man FRM, David was a Vice President within the Institutional Sales and Trading business at HSBC, and before that he worked at Morgan Stanley, where he covered institutional clients across the hedge fund, asset management, and sovereign wealth fund universe, with a focus on fixed income and foreign exchange.

David graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Economics and holds an MBA from Columbia University. David was recognized as a 2023 Knowledge Broker by Chief Investment Officer and Institutional Investor’s 2024 Consultant of the Year.

Craig Machel

Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

Richardson Wealth

Craig empowers his clients to think differently about investing in order to ensure a positive impact in his clients’ financial circumstances. He works beyond traditional portfolio management in the equity and bond markets alone to include conservative and predictable alternative assets, offering more effective diversification and a benchmark that offers protection and peace of mind regardless of market conditions. Craig is a frequent commentator on alternative asset allocations for various media outlets, and a panelist and speaker at industry events.

Mackenzie Shaw

Principal, Research and Analytics

Westcourt Capital

As Principal, Research and Analytics, Mackenzie works closely with the Research & Analytics team in the sourcing, evaluation, due diligence and on-going monitoring of Westcourt’s recommended private investments. Prior to joining Westcourt, Mackenzie was the Controller at a digital asset trading platform where she was key in building the platform’s accounting team and in developing policies and procedures to meet industry standards and regulatory compliance. Mackenzie’s past experience also includes working at a national accounting, tax and business consulting firm, in the firm’s Toronto public companies accounting practice. At this firm, Mackenzie gained experience in engagement planning, risk assessment, financial analysis, execution, and presentation, providing high-quality services to both regulated private and public clients. Mackenzie earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree with a Specialty in Accounting from McMaster University and obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation.

Nima Sanajian

Managing Director, Investments

Wealthsimple

Nima Sanajian, with 14+ years of investment experience, is Managing Director of Investments at Wealthsimple. He leads asset allocation, portfolio construction, and manager selection/analysis for Wealthsimple. Prior to Wealthsimple, Nima spent about 7 years at CPP Investments focusing on the fund’s strategic asset allocation and portfolio construction as well as designing/managing systematic macro strategies. Prior to that, he was a senior quantitative analyst at RBC. Nima holds a Ph.D. in Operations Research from the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto

Giovanni Fracchia

Executive Director

LGT Capital Partners

Giovanni Fracchia (Italian) is an Executive Director at LGT Capital Partners in New York. He focuses on origination, due diligence, execution and monitoring of secondary investments.

Prior to joining the firm in 2014, he was an investment analyst with Synergo, a private equity firm in Milan, where he focused on sourcing, carrying out due diligence on and monitoring private equity investments in Italy. Before that, Mr. Fracchia was ana nalyst with Crédit Agricole Private Equity in Paris and Maybrook Saint James, a private equity firm in London.

He holds an MA in Management from the ESCP EUROPE Business School and a BA in Business and Management from University of Turin. He is fluent in English, Italian and French.

Robb Nelson

Chief Executive Officer

Farm Lending Canada

With more than 35 years of successful business and entrepreneurial experience, including 25 years in the Private Lending space specializing in agriculture, residential development, and residential homes, Robb is a practicing mortgage professional, co-founder, and co-owner of AgriRoots Capital Management Inc., now operating as Farm Lending Canada – Canada’s first National Alternative Lender, specializing in the agricultural sector.

In addition, he is the founding Principal, Broker of Record, and CEO of the National Mortgage brokerage FamilyLending.ca Inc. – a mortgage brokerage providing residential, commercial, and agricultural mortgages – founded in 2001. A founding member with the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, Robb has grown a reputation for being a leading expert in agricultural lending, finance, investment, and mortgages. He offers deep insight and expertise to agricultural borrowers and investors alike, with the objective of keeping farming families on family farms across Canada.

A goal-driven, collaborative, and insightful professional, Robb focuses on identifying opportunities, building financial solutions, and providing high-quality client service.

John Butler

Managing Director

Cohen & Company

John Butler is Managing Director and Head of Cohen & Company’s U.S. Insurance Asset Management Platform and Global ILS Program. From 2012 to 2017, Mr. Butler worked for Twelve Capital, a European asset manager specializing in investment in the insurance sector where he served in various senior roles including Managing Partner & Head of Investment Management. In this role, he oversaw investments principally in fixed income, insurance linked securities and equity.

Prior to this, Mr. Butler worked as Senior Underwriter managing the International Catastrophe and Terrorism reinsurance portfolios of Hannover Re Bermuda, where he was responsible for managing the company’s position as a lead reinsurer particularly in European and Asia-Pacific markets. Prior to this, Mr. Butler spent seven years with the White Mountains Insurance Group, both in Ireland and Bermuda, managing the underwriting of their international non-marine treaty portfolio. Earlier in his career, he worked for entities in the London reinsurance market, underwriting a broad range of business lines. Mr. Butler has served on a variety of advisory boards and non-executive leadership positions in the insurance industry.

Mr. Butler holds an honors degree in Law from the University of London.  He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of the UK, a member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland, is qualified as a Chartered Insurer and is appointed a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Insurers, and a Freeman of the City of London.

Michael Nicks

Deputy CIO

Pepperdine University Endowment

Mr. Nicks is a leader and innovator in the institutional investor community. In over two decades at Pepperdine’s endowment, Mr. Nicks has managed multiple alternative investment portfolios and pioneered new technology and strategies for the investment team. He has run a successful portable alpha strategy for over a decade, and has incorporated machine learning into both the information management and asset allocation processes. He also leads research into new strategies, manager analysis, and portfolio construction. As a former Scuba instructor and dive master, he has a deep appreciation for risk management and a great love of the sea.

Mr. Nicks is a CFA charter holder (2006) and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (2006). He has a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Pepperdine University and an MBA with an Emphasis in Finance from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management (2002).

John Davitsky

Co-Founder

Golden Hawk Financial & Goldenhawk Real Estate Advisors

John is Co-Founder of Golden Hawk Financial (GHF) & Goldenhawk Real Estate Advisors (GREA) based in Toronto.  The companies help clients by connecting interesting ideas to interesting capital and vice versa. GHF focuses on raising capital for alternative investments in AI, Digital Assets, Battery Technologies, Longevity, Business Aircraft Acquisition as well as Pre-IPO private company shares while GREA focuses on Multi-Family Real Estate Development in Toronto.

John started his career as a Financial Advisor at Caldwell Securities in Toronto in 2009. In this role he was responsible for managing investments for families, corporations and other high net-worth individuals. He progressed through the organization gaining experience in alternative investments, brokering private equity deals, placing shares in late stage pre-IPO companies and investing in digital assets.  In recent years John moved into trading, becoming Head Trader, and finally Vice President, where, as a high touch trader he traded $1B-$1.5B daily for the firm’s largest client.

In  2022, he joined Echelon Wealth Partners, where he worked with their Electronic Trading group to help lead a digital asset project with Fidelity Clearing Canada.  This project developed a concept to hold digital assets for clients on Fidelity’s balance sheet in a traditional finance model. 

Golden Hawk Financial & Goldenhawk Real Estate Advisors were born out of a vision to create exciting and unique opportunities for its clients in the alternative investment & real estate development space.

David Burbach

Partner, CCO

YTM Capital Asset Management

David is a Partner of YTM Capital, a manager based in Oakville that provides better fixed income solutions. He is co-portfolio manager of YTM Capital Mortgage Income Fund, arguably the most defensive mortgage fund in Canada.

During the first 17 years of David’s career he practiced corporate and securities law.  Just before he joined YTM Capital 11 years ago, he led the Legal Department at Mackenzie Investments.

David holds a Honours Business Degree from the Ivey Business School, an LL.B from the University of Toronto, and he is an CAIA Charterholder.

Scott Dickenson

Principal

Northwood Family Office

Scott is a Principal in the family office advisory group at Northwood. In this role, he acts as a trusted advisor to a number of Northwood’s client families in Ontario and British Columbia on their integrated financial affairs.

In addition to his work with Northwood’s client families, Scott co-chairs Northwood’s Business Development and Marketing Committees alongside his colleague Brad Jesson. Scott writes frequently on the Northwood Perspective Blog, helped create the Northwood Quarterly Reading List, and has hosted several episodes of the Wealth of Wisdom podcast series.

Beyond his duties at Northwood, Scott is a guest lecturer at the Rotman School of Management. He is also the Vice Chair of CFA Society Toronto’s Private Wealth Management Committee, and on the Steering Committee of the Forum on Multi-Generational Family Wealth and Leadership.

Outside of work, Scott and his wife Ruth are the proud parents of their son Dean. Scott is also an avid traveler (and self-published writer), who has travelled to over 65 countries on five different continents.

Prior to joining Northwood, Scott worked at RBC Capital Markets in Equity Research and Fixed Income Sales and Trading.

Peter Pulkkinen

Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Private Credit, Lombard Odier Investment Managers

Lombard Odier Asset Management (USA) Corp

Peter Pulkkinen joined LOIM in February 2021. Before joining LOIM, Peter was Portfolio Manager for the Avenue Sustainable Solutions Fund. Peter has over 20 years of relevant industry experience having held senior roles at leading institutions with direct responsibility for sustainable private debt investments across renewable energy, infrastructure and project and asset backed finance at firms including BNP Paribas, Silverpeak, UBS AG, and Deutsche Bank AG. Peter began his career in private credit at Lehman Brothers. Peter earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire (1992) and a Masters in International Affairs from The Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in International Finance/Economics (2004).

Eugene Dimitriou

Founding Partner, Origination

Farsight Partners

A veteran finance professional with over 28 years experience across consulting, asset management and investment banking, Eugene Dimitriou focuses on the nexus of life insurer capital management, actuarial matters and investments. Eugene achieved his Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries, holds an MBA in Finance from New York University, and a Bachelors in Mathematics and Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo.

His firm, Farsight Partners is a life and insurance receivables specialist investment manager that invests in the many opportunities available within the global life insurance space, targeting actuarial risks such as mortality/longevity, accident and health and policy lapsation. Unlike peer funds, traditional US Life Settlements and catastrophe bonds fall out of scope. The strategy has provided long-term, stable and predictable cash-flow generating returns over time with very low correlation to other asset classes.

Ben Keen

Partner

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Ben’s practice encompasses all aspects of securities and corporate law, with a focus on public and private financings, investment fund formation and distribution, investment management, private equity and regulatory compliance.

He advises underwriters and public and private issuers, as well as investment fund managers, portfolio managers and investment dealers in connection with registration matters and the establishment, operation and administration of publicly offered and privately placed investment funds and private equity products. These include pooled funds, hedge funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds, other alternative investment vehicles and the placement of securities in Canada of foreign issuers.

He also advises Canadian and international private equity firms and private equity investors in connection with structuring, regulatory requirements and advising on the terms of offerings.

Ben also advises on domestic and cross-border M&A.

Ida Khajadourian

Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

Richardson Wealth

For over 20 years, Ida has worked closely with Institutions, Family Offices, wealthy entrepreneurs, and high net worth families building trusted relationships and delivering a high level of holistic Wealth Management services.

Ida’s beliefs include the importance of estate planning, tax minimization, capital preservation and evolutionary portfolio construction using alternative strategies to achieve consistent absolute returns with a risk reward-oriented approach.

Ida obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto with specialization in Finance and major in Economics. Ida is a multi award winning Portfolio Manager and obtained her Chartered Alternative Investment Advisor (CAIA®) designation in 2005.

Ben Fox

Chief Investment Officer

Members Capital Management

Ben is Chief Investment Officer at Members Capital Management, a newly incorporated investment manager at the intersection of reinsurance, digital assets and the capital markets.  With over 16 years’ experience in reinsurance, insurance-linked securities, investment management, and alternative risk transfer, Ben is responsible for all aspects of the firm’s investment activities, and has previously held senior positions at Hiscox, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and the World Bank.  Ben holds a Doctorate degree in Seismology, and a Master of Science degree in Earth Sciences, both from the University of Oxford.

Sandy Poklar

Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director

Firm Capital Corporation

Sandy Poklar is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Capital Markets & Strategic Developments for Firm Capital Corporation, EVP Finance for Firm Capital Mortgage Investment Corporation (FC : TSX), Chief Financial Officer and a Trustee for Firm Capital Property Trust (FCD.UN : TSX) and President & CEO of Firm Capital Apartment REIT (FCA.U/FCA.UN : TSXV). Sandy is also a Trustee and Chairman of the Audit Committee for True North Commercial REIT (TNT.UN : TSX).

Prior to joining Firm Capital, Sandy was employed at Macquarie Capital and TD Securities where he was a Vice President in their Real Estate Investment Banking Groups. Sandy is a CPA, CA in Canada, a CPA(US) licensed in the State of Illinois and has his ICD.D designation.

Kent Willmore

Founding Partner & President

AGinvest Farmland Properties Canada

Kent is a highly experienced leader in the agriculture industry with over 30 years of expertise. As the President and Founder of AGinvest Farmland Properties Canada Inc., he has established a successful farmland asset management firm in Chatham, Ontario. In 2018, Kent launched the AGinvest Farmland One Fund, providing investors unique access to Ontario’s fertile farmland. Under his leadership, AGinvest has established three more successful funds that have delivered exceptional results for investors and farm families. AGinvest is committed to creating mutually beneficial opportunities for investors and farm families while supporting food security and promoting sustainable farming practices. Kent holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo, where he was recognized as an all-Canadian academic athlete.

Kent is a member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, demonstrating his commitment to advancing the industry.

Greg Kalil

Managing Partner

Glengarry Farm Finance

Greg Kalil is the founder and Managing Partner of Stormont Partners, a Toronto based merchant bank with a strong focus on emerging alternatives in real assets.

One of Stormont’s first investments is Glengarry Farm Finance, an alternative lending business focused on providing transitional funding to Canadian farmers who are temporarily unable to access the mainstream banking system.  Greg serves as Glengarry’s CEO, and is a lead investor in the Glengarry Funding LP, an open-ended partnership that provides the capital for Glengarry’s lending activities.

Greg has over 30 years of experience in real estate, infrastructure and renewable power investment and investment banking.  Before founding Stormont, Greg spent 12 years as a Managing Partner at Brookfield Financial, the investment banking arm of Brookfield Asset Management. As head of their Canadian platform and a member of the global management committee, Greg created and led the firm’s Structured Transactions, Public Sector Advisory and Healthcare Real Estate practices.

Prior to Brookfield, Greg co-founded Cornerstone Commercial Realty, which was ultimately acquired by TD Securities where Greg subsequently worked in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group.

In the past, Greg has served on the boards of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, Toronto Community Housing (Chair of Investment and Development Committees), Holy Trinity School, and Trellis Housing Initiatives (Chair), a non-for-profit developer of affordable housing for underhoused single parents.

Greg presently sits on the boards of the Innis College Expansion Capital Campaign and Noozhoo Nokiiyan Limited Partnership (Chair of Investment Committee), the economic development arm of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, and Voyageur Services, a construction services company focused on the nuclear power sector in Ontario.

Aleks Karamarkovic

Vice President, Corporate Development

Graywood Developments

As the Vice President of Corporate Development at Graywood Developments, Aleks lead the company’s real estate private equity fundraising program and the origination of real estate partnership opportunities. With more than 12 years of experience in the real estate sector, he has a proven track record of raising capital, sourcing deals, and managing investor relations for a diverse portfolio of projects.

Aleks’ core competencies include financial accounting, audit and tax, financial reporting, and financial modeling, which he developed as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a CFA Institute Charterholder (CFA). He also have a strong background in real estate development, fundraising and investments, having been involved in over $500 million in equity fundraising and multiple transactions involving land acquisition, dispositions, joint venture formation, and project financing. His mission is to create value for Graywood and its partners by delivering innovative and sustainable real estate solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders.

Jordan Villarreal

Manager, Private Capital Research North America and LatAm

Preqin

Jordan manages the Canadian and Latin American research teams for Preqin across its Chicago and New York offices. Preqin is a leader in industry data and insights within the alternative assets space. Jordan’s experience includes working with Canada’s market leaders to gather key data and intelligence. He joined Preqin in 2020 and helped spearhead the creation of the dedicated Canadian research team. Jordan studied at the University of Western Ontario and holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Indiana University.

Pascal St-Jean

President & CEO

3iQ

Throughout his career, Pascal has focused on the transformation and disruption of industries via rapid scaling of businesses under his leadership. Having successfully created and grown multiple business ventures, Pascal was recognized as one of the youngest recipients of the Forty Under 40 award.
Before joining 3iQ, Pascal was an active angel investor and served as Strategic Advisor and Fractional Executive to over 5% of the Globe and Mail’s 500 fastest growing companies in Canada.
Pascal’s experience in open-source technologies and distributed systems led him to invest in cryptocurrency in 2016, and act as an educational resource on digital asset investments to several organizations. As President & CEO of 3iQ, Pascal is focused on overseeing the growth and global expansion of the company as it continued to pave the way as a global leader in Digital Asset Management.

Charlie Morris

Co-founder and Managing Partner

CMCC Global

Charlie is the co-founder of CMCC Global. CMCC Global was founded in 2016 and is one of Asia’s first venture capital companies focused solely on blockchain investments. The company now has offices in both Asia and North America and offers three different investment products: Digital Asset Fund (tokens), SyzCrest (fund of quant funds) and Titan Fund (equity VC).

Charlie was previously the CIO at a blockchain VC firm as well as a management consultant in London and software engineer in Hong Kong. He is an expert Blockchain Adviser for Chinese investment company, CLSA and was an Ethereum ICO investor in 2014. Charlie holds a PPE degree from Oxford University.

Lois Tullo

Executive in Residence

The Global Risk Institute

Lois Tullo is an expert in the area of risk, technology, finance, compliance and corporate governance. She has over 30 years of business experience spanning financial services, technology, cryptocurrency, telecommunications, strategy consulting, raising venture capital, M&A, and natural resources. In 2024 she was awarded Top 10 Women CFOs in Canada. She is a UN CEFACT Expert, Digital Euro Association Expert and Global Blockchain Business Council Ambassador. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Emerging Technology with a specialization in AI at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

As CFRO/CCO she is responsible for financial oversight for KuberMIC a Mortgage Investment Corporation and Advisor for YAMS LLP a Crypto system company. She has over 20 years of Board experience as Chair, Treasurer, and Risk and HR Committee Chair, for a tier 1 bank, private sector and not-for-profit organizations. As an Executive-in-Residence for the Global Risk Institute she spoken on and published the Global Risks and Trends Framework (GRAFT), the linkage of risk management and business strategy, Polycrisis, and the Future of Digital Assets. She has publications for the Banking, Government, and Pension/Asset Management sectors. She is an conference speaker at the United Nations, IACPM, Risk.net, etc, author, and faculty of risk mgt; cyber security, data and IT risk; and financial services at the Schulich School of Business, York University. She teaches in the Master of Risk Management Certificate program, executive programs, MBA, and undergraduate program. She is the author of the whitepaper Enterprise Risk Management – Canadian Best Practices, and Nonfinancial Risk Best Practices in Canada. She was previously CFO for CIBC Finance Inc. where she was responsible for a $6 Billion credit portfolio, Human Resources, and $1.5 securitization. She held senior positions with a large telecommunication company in the area of Finance, HR, and Business Process Redesign. She provided strategy and technology advice for a Boston consulting firm in the financial, oil and gas, mining, and government sectors. She has done international relief and development work in Ethiopia. She was in data management for a gas transmission company. Previously she was a C.P.A./C.A. with Clarkson Gordon/E&Y, and PWC.

Ms. Tullo is a CPA, CA, ICD.D, CCO. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, and an EMBA from the Ivy School of Business, University of Western.

James Emerson

Manager, Digital Asset CoE

KPMG

James is a Manager in KPMG’s Digital Asset Center of Excellence based in Toronto and he has a deep understanding of blockchain networks, digital assets and risks & controls. He has been actively involved in the Digital Asset space since 2017 and bring over 8 years of audit and advisory experience focused on supporting large publicly traded crypto funds, private financial institutions and crypto-native companies.
He specializes in the financial technology industry and has led complex crypto financial statement audits for Digital Asset exchange and broker clients. He also advises clients with their Digital Asset strategy and implementations, vendor assessments, SOC reviews, identification and evaluation of controls and risks. He has also been responsible for overseeing the development of several in house crypto specific audit tools and has delivered several externally facing educational workshops on global Digital Asset regulations.
He is certified on Chainalysis Reactor and is an Elliptic Specialist Investigator and has performed on chain digital asset investigations and wallet risk rating analysis using these blockchain analytics tools for a number of audit clients and select advisory clients.

Ronald C. Landry

Vice President, Head of Segment Solutions and Canadian ETF Services

CIBC Mellon

As Vice President, Head of Segment Solutions and Canadian ETF Services at CIBC Mellon, Ron leads a team responsible for developing products and solutions that meet the sophisticated and evolving needs of CIBC Mellon’s clients.

Kevin Jiang

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

Virgo Digital Asset Management Inc.

Kevin Jiang is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Virgo Digital Asset Management Inc., where he leads the firm’s vision, investment strategy, and execution across multiple digital asset strategies. With over 14 years of experience spanning digital assets, fixed income, equities, and derivatives, Kevin brings a rare blend of traditional market discipline and cutting-edge crypto expertise. Prior to VDAM, Kevin served as Head of Trading and Portfolio Manager at 3iQ Digital Asset Management, overseeing more than $4 billion in AUM. In that role, he was instrumental in launching one of the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETFs, not only in Canada but also Australia’s first spot Bitcoin ETF through an ETF-of-ETF wrapper— a milestone that helped shape the global digital asset investment landscape. Kevin’s institutional-grade approach to portfolio construction, risk management, and market execution has earned him a reputation for turning ideas into investable realities. He has a proven track record of developing and launching innovative, emerging investment products that anticipate market trends and meet the evolving demands of sophisticated investors.

Jennie Baek

Partner, Capital Markets & Securities

McMillan LLP

Jennie Baek practises capital markets and securities law with an emphasis on the investment funds and asset management industry, including compliance and registration matters.

Advising on a variety of corporate and securities law matters, Jennie assists clients with the formation, structuring, management, and distribution of public funds and private equity funds as well as other investment products. She also provides counsel on registration and regulatory compliance, corporate governance and reporting obligations, public and private financings, and stock exchange listings. Jennie is a member of McMillan’s Sustainability / ESG Initiative and co-leads the firm’s blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital assets group.

Jennie has significant experience in share and asset transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, and other corporate transactions.

Prior to joining McMillan, Jennie worked as in-house counsel at a leading investment fund company and practised at a Toronto law firm.

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.

Temmy Lewis

Director of Institutional Sales & Trading

WonderFi

Temmy Lewis is an experienced financial professional, entrepreneur, and digital asset trader. A former wealth advisor who managed client portfolios, he has also launched and sold successful businesses. He now serves as Director of Institutional Sales & Trading at WonderFi, providing institutional and high-net-worth clients with access, trading, and execution services in digital assets.