Wealth Managers’ Forum 2023 – Vancouver
Overview
Join us, dozens of speakers, and scores of fellow IAs and investors for this all-encompassing alts conference specifically designed for retail advisors and the client base they serve.
This Forum will be held in person, paired with 4 unique networking receptions in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto to kick off the Forum!
Register now for the event in the city/cities of your choice.
CAASA CE Centre
The content for this platform comes from CAASA webinars and podcast as well as panel sessions from a selection of our conferences.
In addition, certain members of CAASA have provided their webinars and podcast for inclusion.
Topics and investment opportunities featured in these courses focus on alternative investments such as hedge funds, liquid alternatives, private equity, private lending, real estate, infrastructure, cryptocurrency, venture capital, and other Alternative assets and strategies.
Where
Vancouver, British Columbia
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
900 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6
Keynote Speakers (2023)
Travis Forman
Portfolio Manager
Harbourfront Wealth Management
Pamela Yoon, CMT, FEA
Senior Portfolio Manager
RBC Dominion Securities
Travis Forman
Portfolio Manager
Harbourfront Wealth Management
Travis Forman is a Portfolio Manager at Strategic Private Wealth Counsel – Harbourfront Wealth Management which has been named one of the fastest-growing wealth management practices in terms of AUM % growth for two years running. Travis holds 25 years of wealth management experience and holds in-depth expertise in the area of alternative investments. He has been instrumental in the development of a collection of private investment pools that span private debt, private real estate, and private equity.
In less than five years and over the course of the pandemic, Travis led the growth of Willoughby Asset Management’s private pools to over $1 billion in AUM.
His mission is to make a difference in the lives of Canadians. He is dedicated to the growth of portfolios owned by retirees, entrepreneurs, and working professionals
Pamela Yoon, CMT, FEA
Senior Portfolio Manager
RBC Dominion Securities
Pamela leads a team in providing comprehensive wealth management advice to affluent multi-generational global families, entrepreneurs, business executives, foundations & non-profits. An investment management veteran with 3 decades of experience, she have successfully guided clients through many bull & bear market cycles and their subsequent full recoveries, helping navigate clients into future market cycles.
Pamela manage concentrated, high-conviction global portfolios using proprietary technical analysis after screening companies for strong fundamentals. She is tactically-active in her strategy; her team & I roll up our sleeves and get to work doing deep due diligence on each and every company they invest in. They invest for the long-term but always conscious of short-term risks. Risk management is paramount. Pamela’s personal wealth is invested in the same strategies as her clients; they are in this together.
Pamela’s wealth & financial planning solutions are always custom-tailored to each client and their family. Absolutely no cookie-cutter approaches. She strongly believes that “investor behaviour” plays a huge role in investor success. Every elite athlete has an elite coach by his/her side and her promise to her clients is to be there to nudge them to do the uncomfortable things that will result in them being a better & stronger investor.
Pamela has travelled to 28 countries and looks forward to exploring more of this planet underwater as a scuba diver. She speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia. More information can be found at www.pamelayoon.com
Distinguished Speakers (2023)
Raj Tandon
Founding Partner
Algonquin Capital
Dean Shepard, CFA
Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Partner
Picton Mahoney Asset Management
Colin Kilgour
Principal
Kilgour Williams Capital
Steven R. Adang
Founder and President
Anchor Pacific Investment Management Corp.
David Vankka
President & Chief Financial Officer
ICM Asset Management
Jonathan Turnbull
Managing Director, Head of Canadian Transactions & Business Development
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC
Travis Dowle
Founder and Lead Portfolio Manager
Maxam Capital
James Burron
Co-founder & Partner
CAASA
Steve Ponte
CEO
PHL Capital Corp.
Raj Tandon
Founding Partner
Algonquin Capital
Raj Tandon is a Founding Partner of Algonquin Capital, a boutique asset manager dedicated to helping Canadians get more from their fixed income. In his previous lives, Raj studied mathematics, traded credit derivatives, and volunteered for numerous charitable organizations. As a structured credit trader for TD Securities London, he managed and traded multi-billion dollar portfolios across North American and international markets.
Outside of work, Raj is passionate about dancing, kayaking, and community service. He is currently a Volunteer Crisis Counsellor for Victim Services Toronto, and in 2022 received the Toronto Police Services’ VST Volunteer of the Year Award . Raj also serves as the Chair of the board for Unity, Canada’s largest hip-hop charity. Prior to founding Algonquin, Raj spent 18 months volunteering in South America, and whilst in London was awarded Get Connected’s 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award for his service on a children’s helpline.
Dean Shepard, CFA
Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Partner
Picton Mahoney Asset Management
Dean Shepard is the Chief Revenue Officer & Managing Partner of Picton Mahoney Asset Management. He is responsible for Industry Leadership, Corporate Development, C-Suite Client Relations and Collaboration, and is an investment industry veteran with over 25 years’ experience. Dean holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia and is a CFA charterholder.
Colin Kilgour
Principal
Kilgour Williams Capital
Colin Kilgour is the Co-Founder and Principal of Kilgour Williams Capital (“KWC”). The firm was established in 2007 to advise Canadian investors burdened with restructured asset-backed commercial paper on risk assessment, valuation, and liquidity access. Over the course of a decade, KWC advised on more than $2 billion of these structured notes. In 2017, the firm pivoted to become an investment manager. Today, KWC manages two private credit funds focused on marketplace lending.
Prior to establishing KWC, Colin founded a structured finance firm focused on providing securitization-based funding to mid-market companies. The company was later sold to Coventree Capital. Colin started his career in management consulting with a focus on financial institutions in North America and Europe.
Colin holds a B.Sc (Honours) computer science degree from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from the Ivey Business School.
Steven R. Adang
Founder and President
Anchor Pacific Investment Management Corp.
Steven Adang, CFA, CAIA is the Founder and President of Anchor Pacific Investments, which is a trade name of Aligned Capital Partners, and Anchor Pacific Financial Risk Labs, which is an emerging provider of data visualization, comprehensive risk analytics, market insight and intelligence to the global investment industry.
Anchor Pacific functions as a fractional Chief Investment Office providing sophisticated full-access investment platforms and customized solutions, hedge fund and alternative investment specialized expertise, risk management advisory services, and proprietary risk software to high net worth and multi-generational families, family offices, financial advisors, and select institutional pools of capital.
David Vankka
President & Chief Financial Officer
ICM Asset Management
Mr. Vankka is the President & Chief Financial Officer of ICM Asset Management and the Chief Executive Officer of ICM Investment Management Inc. He is the Portfolio Manager on the ICM Crescendo Music Royalty Fund and the ICM Advantage Venture Capital Corporation.
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. Vankka also 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.
Jonathan Turnbull
Managing Director, Head of Canadian Transactions & Business Development
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC
As Head of Canadian Transactions and Business Development, Mr. Turnbull is responsible for sourcing Canadian transactions and forming/developing joint venture relationships across the country. In addition, Mr. Turnbull is responsible for developing Canadian focused business strategies, leveraging local expertise/relationships and Harrison Street’s global capabilities into new targeted product offerings for our global and Canadian investors.
Prior to joining Harrison Street, Mr. Turnbull was a Managing Partner of Alignvest Student Housing and Canadian Student Living Group where he oversaw the development, launch and execution of a dedicated Canadian student housing fund which grew to become the largest owner/operator of student housing in the country. He was responsible for the fund, including transaction sourcing, diligence, financing, property/asset management, investor relations and operations. Prior to Alignvest Student Housing, Mr. Turnbull was the CEO of the first SPAC ever in Canada, Dundee Acquisition Ltd., and the head of Dundee Private Equity which targeted investments in Canadian real assets.
Mr. Turnbull received his HBA in Business Administration at the Richard Ivey School, Western University in London, Ontario.
Travis Dowle
Founder and Lead Portfolio Manager
Maxam Capital
Travis Dowle is the founder and lead portfolio manager at Maxam Capital, an investment firm focused on alternative strategies. He has over 25 years of experience in the investment industry, beginning his career in 1996 with MK Wong & Associates, which was later acquired by HSBC Asset Management. Travis left HSBC in 2007 to lead public market investments for a family office before he founded Maxam in 2009. Travis is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
James Burron
Co-founder & 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).
Steve Ponte
CEO
PHL Capital Corp.
Steve Ponte is the CEO of PHL Capital Corp. which manages two funds with over $700 million in assets under management. He has over 20 years of combined financing, construction and development experience and serves on the lending committee for both funds. Mr. Ponte serves on the board of directors of the BC MIC Managers Association (BCMMA), whose membership includes some of British Columbia’s largest and most reputable MICs. He also serves on the board of directors for the Canadian Mortgage Alternative Lenders Association (CAMLA), which supports the growth of companies that are in the business of alternative mortgage lending across Canada.
Agenda
Day 1
- February 15, 2023
- 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
- February 15, 2023
- 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Day 1
11:00 am
Registration
11:30 am
NowTalk – Liquid Alts Primer
James and his CAASA co-founder Caroline were at ground zero when the initial Liquid Alts legislation was proposed in March 2013 and watching to go through town-halls, committee meetings, and CSA task force meetings and deliberations was seemingly glacial (it was promulgated in January, 2019) but the results were worth it.
James will give a (thankfully) brief timeline of the process, the legislation as it stands now, its purpose when proposed and if it hit the mark, and where this growing part of the alts industry might be headed in the next few years.
James Burron, CAASA
12:00 pm
Lunch
12:15 pm
Lunch Keynote – The Growing Importance of Privates in Portfolios
Travis Forman has made a name for himself and Harbourfront Wealth by creating an impressive franchise anchored on so-called alternative investments (which many have found to be integral to modern portfolio management). He not only has a growing roster of clients, he also has a fund of funds that allocates to select real estate and private lending shops, creating a one-stop portfolio that can provide a great deal of value those clients and their families.
On the other side, Jonathan Turnbull is with Harrison Street, a real estate asset manager headquartered in Chicago that offers is extensive investment capabilities to investors in the U.S. and Canada.
Both of these seasoned investors will share their experiences in the space as well as where the business of investing in real estate and alternatives is headed over the next few years.
Travis Forman, Harbourfront Wealth
Jonathan Turnbull, Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC
1:00 pm
Table Talks
Round table discussions hosted by our Sponsors.
This session is aimed at providing all event attendees with the ability to join in genuine knowledge exchange and discussion in a small group setting.
Choose from 2 x 25-minute round table discussions
2:00 pm
Survey of the Privates Market
Privates have been all the rage for the last many years, and not without a few hiccups along the way as investors and managers solidify their diligence and investment processes. This panel will give attendees a broad look at some of the major sub-sections of privates and focus in on a few key opportunities as well.
Colin Kilgour, Kilgour Williams Capital
David Vankka, ICM Asset Management
Steve Ponte, PHL Capital Corp.
2:45 pm
NowTalk – Building a Franchise in the Minds of Investors
In this session, we hear from a veteran IA who has decades of experience in creating value for clients and ensuring they not only have assets/income into retirement, but also the confidence that they can weather the inevitable storms that rear up in financial markets.
Pamela Yoon’s three decades of service to her clients is based on her financial expertise backed by her ability to translate the investing world for her clients (she’s also a polyglot) and giving them a guiding hand to do uncomfortable tasks such as buying low or rebalancing out of trades that would seemingly go to the moon.
This talk will span her career (one minute per year, on average) and give the audience a feel for what it takes to really connect with clients.
Pamela Yoon, RBC Dominion Securities
James Burron, CAASA
3:15 pm
Positioning Liquid Alts with Clients
Liquid Alternatives funds are not known to all investors, even though they have been around since at least January 2019 (and during 2018 in pre-market). AUM growth typically spikes after market routes, possibly as investors and advisors see the diversification benefits of this access class (as opposed to asset class). Getting clients past the ‘alternative’ moniker can be difficult as they may translate the word to ‘not needed’, but these funds are surely appropriate for many investors and have excellent vol and diversification characteristics. This panel will speak to this and more!
Steven Adang, Anchor Pacific Investment Management
Dean Shepard, Picton Mahoney Asset Management
Raj Tandon, Algonquin Capital Management
Travis Dowle, Maxam Capital Management
4:00 pm
Reception
Opportunity to network over food and drinks!
Thank You to Our 2023 Sponsors
CAASA Member
Member of CAASA
Event Registration Closed
Investment Advisor | Single Family Office
Non-Member of CAASA
Event Registration Closed