Leadership

Salman Ahmed, CFA

President

Elvis Picardo, CFA
Elvis Picardo is a Portfolio Manager and Partner at Luft Financial, iA Private Wealth. Prior to joining Luft Financial, he was Vice President-Research and a Portfolio Manager at a leading independent investment dealer in Vancouver. Mr. Picardo has more than 25 years of international capital markets experience in diverse disciplines, including portfolio management, equity research, strategy, and currency trading. He received the CFA® charter in 1998 and holds the Canadian Investment Manager designation, as well as degrees in engineering and management studies. He has been a frequent contributor to several leading financial publications and is an active volunteer and mentor. Mr. Picardo has supported CFA Society Vancouver for several years, starting in 2014 where he co-chaired the University Outreach Committee, and subsequently led the development of the Mentorship Program.  He joined the Board of Directors in 2015, was appointed Secretary from fiscal 2019 to 2021, and has acted as Vice President for the past year.

Vice President

Salman Ahmed, CFA
Mr. Ahmed is a Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager with Steadyhand Investment Management. He is also a Shareholder of the firm. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Concordia University in 2006 and is a CFA charterholder. Mr. Ahmed has been involved with CFA Society Vancouver since 2015, primarily on the programs committee which he chaired. He was a co-recipient of the Society's volunteer of the year award in 2017. 





Secretary

Karim Allibhai, CFA
Mr. Allibhai is a Financial and Tax Planning Specialist, Portfolio Manager with the Robertson Investment Group at Odlum Brown Limited, an independent, full-service investment firm. His team offers personalized investment portfolios under a responsible investment mandate. The seamless integration of investment management and financial planning has helped their clients protect and grow their wealth for generations. Mr. Allibhai developed his multi-faceted business acumen over 15 years of tax experience from both a mid-sized accounting firm and a "big four" accounting firm, during which he achieved his Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) designation; completing his MBA (Dean's Honour List) at the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario; and several years in the real estate sector. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and the Responsible Investment Professional Certification (RIPC). Mr. Allibhai is also a member of CFA Institute's Practice Analysis Working Group and has volunteered with the University Outreach Committee. He believes in giving back to his community and currently volunteers with the Junior Achievement BC program – teaching kids and young adults about financial literacy. 

Treasurer

Andrew Marshall, CFA
Mr. Andy Marshall is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 15 years of public company accounting, finance and corporate governance experience. He joined First Mining Gold Corp. in June 2015 and assisted in building the company’s gold portfolio during its period of growth when it acquired eight companies in just over one year. Prior to this, Andy held roles at two Vancouver based TSX/NYSE MKT-listed silver mining companies with operations in Mexico and Canada. He began his career in public company auditing and assurance with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, training in the London technology, entertainment and mining practice before moving to Vancouver and joining their mining practice in 2008. Andy graduated from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in England with a BA (Hons).