Parul Garg

Associate Portfolio Manager

PenderFund Capital Management

Parul Garg is Pender’s stressed and distressed credit investing specialist. Since joining the award-winning Pender Corporate Bond Fund portfolio management team in 2015, Parul has quarterbacked numerous successful workouts with stressed and distressed investments. With a track record of value creation in these credits, Pender has launched the Pender Credit Opportunities Fund, a standalone, limited partnership fund for accredited investors, with Parul leading portfolio management along with Geoff Castle.

Parul started her career as a Software Engineer for Accenture plc., from 2007-2009. Her focus area was on projects in the financial domain where she got her first exposure to capital markets. In 2009 she moved to Future First, a private investment firm in India, working as a Fixed Income Derivative Analyst. In 2013 she joined MCX Stock Exchange in India, working as a Product Developer with the Business Development Team for the Fixed Income Markets. She moved to Vancouver in 2014 to start her MBA.

Parul is a seasoned investment professional known for her meticulous evaluation and strong focus on risk mitigation. She conducts thorough assessments of company value, credit risk and liquidation value, tailoring her analysis to the unique risks of each credit investment. An advocate of objective analysis, she utilizes risk measurement systems derived from market trends and fundamental analysis. Parul prioritizes rigorous risk assessment, employing a comprehensive 13-point checklist during due diligence to deeply understand investment risks. Once an investment is secured, she actively manages the portfolio, strategically rotating holdings to optimize performance and “crystallize winners.” Her proactive approach, combined with thorough due diligence and proactive credit risk management, has led to a strong track record in the Pender Corporate Bond Fund, particularly in the stressed or distressed category.

Parul has a Bachelors of Technology in Civil Engineering from NIT Surat in India, a Masters of Business Administration from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. In 2022 Parul attended the highly regarded Distressed Asset Investing & Corporate Restructuring program at the prestigious Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Carsley

Managing Partner

Kirkland Capital Group

Chris Carsley brings 29 years of investment industry expertise specializing in portfolio management, risk management, valuation, regulatory compliance practices, corporate and venture finance, business operations efficiency, research & analysis, and hedging. Chris is CIO and Managing Partner for Kirkland Capital Group and is responsible for portfolio management, risk assessment, and fund operations for the Kirkland Income Fund, a micro-balance commercial real estate bridge financing fund. He co-founded the Seattle Alternative Investment Association in 2004 and is a member of the executive board of the CAIA Pacific Northwest chapter that launched in 2017. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1998, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst in 2011, and holds a BBA from the University of Portland.

David Vankka

President & Portfolio Manager

ICM Asset Management

Mr. Vankka joined ICM as a partner in 2017 and leads ICM’s diversified private equity platform. Mr. Vankka has 30 years of experience in investment banking, trading, and capital markets. He has been a Managing Director at several investment banks with extensive advisory experience in domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt origination, due diligence, structured product management, strategic planning, risk management, and proprietary trading. Mr. Vankka was a founder of global energy investment bank Tristone Capital which was ultimately sold to Macquarie Group and before that co-head and principal at Peters & Co. Limited. Mr. Vankkaalso was Vice President, Risk Management at Gluskin Sheff + Associates.

Mr. Vankka holds Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Professional Accountant, and Chartered Accountant designations. He is registered as Portfolio Manager with the Alberta Securities Commissions and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction from the University of Calgary.

David and his family are passionate skiers and can be found in the mountains at various Freeski competitions throughout the winter, followed by mountain biking, golfing and hiking throughout the summers.

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.

Tricia Wu

Principal, Associate Portfolio Manager – Private Clients & Foundations

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel

Tricia joined Leith Wheeler in October 2016, bringing over six years of experience in treasury, pensions, corporate finance, and risk management. Initially with the Pensions & Institutions team for three years, she transitioned to managing discretionary investment portolios for Private Clients and Foundations.

She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Tricia is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder and holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designation. She has previously served as a Director on the CFA Society Vancouver Board and currently sits on the Canadian Cancer Society’s Organizing Committee for the Daffodil Ball.

Tricia is fluent in both English and Mandarin.

Jacky Shen

Treasurer and Director of Investment

Simon Fraser University

Jacky Shen is the Treasurer and Director of Investment at Simon Fraser University, where he provides the treasury, investment and responsible investing leadership by supporting the university’s investment governance duties, implementing investment decisions and responsible investing initiatives, as well as managing debt and operating cash flows.

Jacky has managed SFU’s endowment portfolio to consistently outperformed its benchmarks for all annualized period on a rolling 10-year basis, and to consistently ranked in the top quartile for the ten–year annualized return within the balanced manager universe, as well to consistently ranked among the top performing Canadian universities in the Canadian University Investment Survey. He also successfully implemented the university’s investment decarbonization plan and guided the investment portfolios toward the university’s 2025 divestment commitment.

Jacky is a trustee of both SFU Academic Staff Pension Plan and SFU Administrative/Union Staff Pension Plan. He is also a Treasury and Investment Committee member of Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO).

Jacky has accumulated more than 30 years of experience of investment management, corporate finance, credit analysis, marketing and product development for various organizations including managerial roles in leading global firms such as HSBC and AIG. Jacky joined Simon Fraser University in 2007.

Jacky earned an MBA degree from University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Global Assets and Wealth Management from Simon Fraser University, and he is a CFA Charter holder.

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.