Ronald Schwarz, CFA
Chair
Ron Schwarz, CFA is a corporate director and capital markets consultant with over 25 years of industry experience. He currently manages his own investments and provides corporate consulting services. From 2009 until 2012, he served as Executive Director of UBS Global Asset Management Canada where he was responsible for a $650MM Canadian Small Cap Equity fund and sat on the asset mix committee. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Head of Canadian Cash Equities at CIBC Capital Markets where he was responsible for equity sales, trading, research and prime brokerage and electronic trading operations. Mr. Schwarz received his undergraduate degree in Finance at Concordia University in 1991 and earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1995. He is currently a director and Chair of the Board at CHC Student Housing, a TSX-V listed student housing real estate company where he additionally serves on the Audit Committee and Compensation and Governance committees. Ron is also a director on the private board of SideDrawer Inc, an estate planning document management application company. Ron previously served on the private board of Electric Sky Wine LLC, a joint venture between Interscope Records and Anheiser Busch. He also served on the board of directors of Noble Iron Inc., a TSX-V listed rental equipment and software company, where he chaired the Audit Committee and KGIC Inc., a TSX-V listed English as a second language education provider sitting on both the Audit and Compensation and Governance Committees. Mr. Schwarz also recently served as a director on the board of CFA Society Toronto where he chaired the Society’s Communications Committee and is currently a member of the Governance and Nominations Committee. In addition, he was a two-term member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Small-Medium Enterprise Committee.
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| | Michael Burnyeat, CFA
CFA Society Calgary
Mr. Burnyeat joined the Board of Directors of CFA Societies Canada in 2019. Michael currently is a financial consultant. His most recent position was the Chief Financial Officer at Wayfinder Corp., a privately held company focused on the manufacture and transloading of specialty proppants used in the hydraulic fracturing sector. Prior positions include CFO at Redrock Camps and EVP and CFO at Black Diamond Group. Previous experience includes senior finance roles in Insurance, Technology, and the Oilfield Services sectors. Michael graduated from the University of Alberta in 1990 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Finance). He is a Chartered Accountant (1992) and a CFA Charterholder (2003).
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Stephen J. Thompson, CFA
CFA Society Edmonton
Stephen is the Executive Director of Capital Markets for the Government of Alberta and heads the Capital Markets Branch responsible for the development and execution of the Province of Alberta's Global Funding programme. Stephen oversees the development and execution of debt management strategies for the Province's $100 billion debt portfolio. Stephen also oversees development of investment strategy and investment policy for the Province's $18 billion Heritage Fund and other provincial endowments with AUM totaling over $28 billion. He advises government on the use of the Provincial credit and relationships with the global capital markets and investor communities.
Steve is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds degrees in Finance and Economics from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Steve has over 12 years of experience as a Board Member of several Canadian CFA Societies and with the CFA Institute.
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Carl Robert, CFA
CFA Montréal
Carl Robert is Managing Director, Total Fund Investments at PSP Investments. Prior to joining PSP, Carl was Director and Portfolio Manager at Intact Investment Management; Carl has more than 19 years of experience in the capital markets working for asset management firms in Canada and the United States. He is combining a background in physics (Ph.D. University of Maryland, M.Sc. and B.Sc. Laval University), experience as a researcher and professor (University of California Santa Barbara, Reims University) as well as training in finance (CFA charterholder 2010, Financial Risk Manager 2007). He has volunteered with CFA Montréal since 2011, and was the President of the board from 2019 to 2021.
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Coreen Sol, CFA
CFA Society Okanagan
Coreen Sol has been managing investment portfolios since 1992. As a Chartered Financial Analyst, Coreen acts as a fiduciary, manages discretionary portfolios using a fundamental and quantitative approach, and undertakes integrated wealth planning for multi-generations within a family.
Her passion for managing investment biases provoked her first book, Practically Investing, Smart Investment Techniques Your Neighbour Doesn’t Know published in 2014, as well as lecturing at UBC Okanagan as an adjunct professor in behavioural finance in 2015 as part of the fourth year, undergraduate program. Coreen is currently in the process of publishing her second book, The Unbiased Investor, expected to hit bookstores in spring 2022.
Coreen is a single mother of three children, and in her leisure time, you can find Coreen on a sunny Okanagan golf course, cycling the hills of Vancouver, balancing in a yoga studio, or cruising the blues on her Gnu snowboard.
Having enjoyed a professional dance career with Ballet B.C., Coreen feels passionate to support the community and arts in particular. Coreen proudly contributes to Ballet B.C., Ballet Kelowna, the Vancouver Art Gallery, CIBC Run for the Cure, and other vital organizations.
| Sean Kulik, CFA
CFA Society Ottawa
Sean is the Managing Director, Investments at Nunavut Trust, a $1.8B closed endowment based in Ottawa. Sean focuses on overall asset allocation, manager selection, risk management, and portfolio monitoring. Sean is the President of CFA Society Ottawa, the Chapter Executive for the Ottawa CAIA Canada Chapter, and he currently sits on the investment committee for the University of Ottawa Telfer Capital Fund, and the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library. Sean sits on the Canadian Investment Performance Council and also holds several roles at the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC), as the Chair of the Asset & Return Survey Working Group and as a member of the Member Services Committee and Alternatives Working Group. Sean holds a BComm from the University of Ottawa, is a CFA charterholder, a CAIA Charterholder, and also a Chartered Accountant.
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Pier-André Blanchet, CFA
CFA Québec
Pier-André is a portfolio manager at iA Financial Group. He has more than 12 years of experience in fixed income trading and portfolio management.
He is responsible for managing portfolios backing insurance liabilities as well as total return mandates. His focus is on developing new interest rate hedging solutions in addition to value-adding strategies for different business lines within iA Financial Group.
Prior to joining iA in 2012, he worked three years as a trader for the sinking fund of the Province of Québec and on the treasury desk. Pier-André is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds an MBA from Laval University. Pier-André has been volunteering for CFA Québec since 2014 where he has held many roles.
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Veronica Gamracy, CFA
CFA Society Saskatchewan
Veronica is a Portfolio Manager and
Investment Advisor with CIBC World Markets in Saskatoon, and has over 30 years
of experience serving a clientele of affluent individuals, institutions, and
corporations.
She holds an MBA (McGill) in International
and Corporate Finance as well as the CIMA (Certified Investment Management
Analyst) designation. She is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder
as well as a CIPM (Certificate in Performance Measurement) certificant.
Veronica has been the recipient of the
Investment Dealers National Award of Distinction for the province of
Saskatchewan, an annual award created to recognize excellence and
professionalism in the industry.
She has served on the boards of several
charitable organizations, provincial crown corporations, and industry councils,
and is currently Past President of CFA Society Saskatchewan.
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Kathrin Forrest, CFA
CFA Society Toronto
Kathrin Forrest is an equity investment specialist at Capital Group, supporting both wealth management and institutional retirement with a dedicated focus on the Canadian market.
Prior to joining Capital Group, Kathrin spent 17 years in multiple senior roles across Sun Life Financial. She most recently served as vice-president and portfolio manager of Sun Life Global Investments, overseeing equity, fixed income and asset allocation solutions, and partnering with cross-functional peers to facilitate the evolution of the organization’s product shelf. Prior to joining Sun Life Global Investments, Forrest was assistant vice-president, product and strategy at Sun Life Investment Management.
Kathrin holds a Master of Arts in Economics and is a CFA charterholder. She is an active member at the CFA Society Toronto, currently serving as Vice-Chair, Programming on the Society’s Board of Directors.
| Jessie Bobinski, CFA
CFA Society Vancouver
Jessie
joined Burgundy Asset Management Ltd’s new Vancouver office in March 2020 as an
Investment Counsellor. Prior to joining Burgundy, Jessie was a Portfolio
Manager with Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel where she spent 7 years managing
relationships on a discretionary basis for families in Western Canada and led
the firm's Associate Team. Prior to Dixon Mitchell, Jessie spent 5 years as an
Investment Counsellor with MD Private Investment Counsel and 8 years with
Phillips, Hager & North working with clients in a non-discretionary basis
and as an Associate of the discretionary Private Client Department.
Jessie
is a Director and member of the Executive Committee of CFA Societies Canada,
Past President and Chair of CFA Society Vancouver and was the recipient of the
CFA Society Vancouver 2018 Volunteer of the Year award. Jessie is a CFA charterholder
and has obtained the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.
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Mark Stephenson, CFA
CFA Society Victoria
Mark Stephenson is a treasury analyst at the University of Victoria. He
received his BA in Economics with a Business minor from the University of
Victoria, and is a CFA charterholder. Prior to working at UVic, Mark has worked
in investment services at a private lending firm, as well as an analyst at a
real estate development company. At UVic, Mark is responsible for managing the
University’s short term investment fund, forecasting operating cash flow
requirements, as well as administering the Applied Portfolio Management
Program. As Treasurer for CFA Society Victoria, his duties include drafting the
budget for the year, ensuring invoices are paid, and providing monthly
financial updates to the board. When Mark is not at work or working on the
Society budget, he is likely out exploring Vancouver Island, or training for
his next ultramarathon.
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Emily Burt, CFA
CFA Society Winnipeg
Emily is the Executive Vice-President and Chair of the Board at Cardinal Capital Management, Inc., located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She leads the business development and operations teams at Cardinal. Emily works closely with the President on strategic planning and is a part of the Senior Management team. Working with institutional and private clients across Canada and the United States, she assists clients in building and managing investment portfolios that will meet their long-term goals and objectives. Prior to joining Cardinal, Emily gained a number of years of financial services experience at Assante Wealth Management and TD Waterhouse in Toronto. Emily has a Master of Business Administration degree from York University’s Schulich School of Business and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Emily currently serves as President of the board of directors of CFA Society Winnipeg.
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