Champions of Change

Tamara Finch is Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Sponsors at TD Securities.  Tamara leads a high-performing investment banking team responsible for being a trusted advisor to Private Equity, Infrastructure, and Canadian Pension Plan investors across LBO, M&A, IPO, and financing mandates.  In her 20+ years of private equity, investment, and corporate banking experience, Tamara has built a reputation for being an entrepreneurial change agent, building trust, achieving consensus, and driving value. 

Tamara is seen as a senior female role model in Finance, a believer in talent being the key driver of value in all companies, and a passionate advocate of the advancement of women in the workplace and on boards.  Tamara believes that diversity in teams and board rooms leads to better discussions, better decision-making, and ultimately better performance. 
 
Prior to joining TD, Tamara was a direct private equity investor, and built a successful value creation business for Ontario Teachers’, creating a systematic, repeatable transformation agenda across the global 60+ company direct investment portfolio that consistently delivered top-quartile returns.  Tamara sat on the Private Capital Underwriting Committee, chaired the Portfolio Monitoring Committee, and took on key leadership roles in strategy, talent, and digital innovation for the pension fund.   

Tamara began her finance career at Scotiabank in Corporate Credit focused on leveraged buy-outs.  She has extensive board experience including Amica Senior Lifestyles, Exal Group, Alliance Laundry Systems, and Women’s College Hospital. 
 
Tamara holds a BA in Honours Economics from Queen's University and an MBA from the University of Toronto.  She is a CFA charterholder and holds the ICD.D designation.  Outside of work Tamara enjoys community service, spending time with family and friends, and a good tennis match.

Maude Leblond is Head and Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group in the investment banking division of National Bank Financial

▪ Over 20 years of financial services investment banking experience with NBF in Toronto, London (U.K.) and Montreal
▪ Under Maude’s leadership, the group has expanded its investment banking practice in the financial services industry, gaining market share across all product groups
▪ Maude has worked on a variety of M&A and financing transactions in the exchange space, insurance, asset and wealth management, consumer loans and mortgages

– Advisory mandates to Fiera Capital on its acquisitions of Palmer Capital Partners and Centria Commerce
– Advisory mandates to iA Financial in the provision of fairness opinions in the context of the creation of its HoldCo structure
– Co-lead underwriter to several of iA Financial capital raises, including its most recent common equity and preferred share offerings in March 2018
– Advisory mandate to J.C. Flowers & Co. and Värde Partners on its acquisition of CitiFinancial Canada
– Advisory mandates to National Bank of Canada on its acquisitions of TD Waterhouse Institutional Services, HSBC Canada’s retail broker network and Wellington West
– Advisory mandate to Jovian Capital on its sale of MGI Financial to Desjardins Group
– Advisory mandate to National Bank of Canada on its sale of Natcan Investment Management to Fiera Sceptre

▪ Maude holds a B. Comm. from l’École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montreal

Valerie is Managing Director & Head of the Institutional Clients Group for HSBC in Canada. In this capacity, she has oversight of the global relationship between HSBC and institutional clients, including the public sector, public pension funds, financial sponsors, and asset managers. She leads a team of bankers who are responsible for global banking & market activities with these clients. Valerie is also the Sustainable Finance Lead for Global Banking & Markets at HSBC Canada. Prior to that, Valerie worked in Global Markets for 10 years, covering institutional clients in the global fixed income markets. Valerie previously worked at Societe Generale, National Bank of Canada, Casgrain & Cie.

Valerie has a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University and a Master in Finance from HEC Montreal. She is a member of the Canadian Women & Sports Association, Ambassador for the FitSpirit Challenge, and member of Women in Capital Markets (WCM). Prior to her career in finance, Valerie was a member of the Canadian Long Track Speed Skating team.

With more than 20 years in the Human Resources (HR) industry, Irene has been a trusted advisor to executive leadership teams spanning multiple lines of business. In her current position as AVP, HR Partner, Irene is providing strategic HR leadership to help cultivate an engaging work culture for the Canadian Wealth and Asset Management business, the Global Wealth and Asset Management Product and Strategy team, the Global Real Estate team and Manulife’s Property and Casualty business in Barbados. Irene is instrumental in attracting, developing, and retaining top talent through her dynamic HR strategies. With her support and guidance, Irene has a proven track record of helping executive leaders increase their employee engagement scores, year-over-year.

Passionate about driving diversity, equity and inclusion, Irene is an active member of several committees across Manulife including, spear-heading the partnership with Women in Capital Markets and accelerating gender diversity practices within the Women of Real Estate and Private Markets Diversity Council.

Lynn Maki is a tireless advocate for inclusion in the workplace.  She has been directly involved in helping to enhance BMO Capital Market’s Parental Leave program, re-establishing a women’s mentorship program, enhancing hiring processes to ensure they are fair, equitable and unbiased, pushing for the use of data analytics to provide transparency to employees and in finding ways to better leverage employee resource groups as a business resource.  

As mother of three, she leads by example by being open about her flexible work arrangements and is actively involved in increasing awareness, both internally and externally, about the work Capital Markets is doing to advance its culture of inclusion.          

By day she is a Managing Director in Global Markets and is accountable for the Strategy and Business Management of the US Global Markets business.  She is the Co-Chair of the Capital Markets DE&I Council, Chair of the NY Chapter of BMO’s Alliance for Women and a member of BMO’s enterprise Professional Development Committee.   

Lynn joined BMO in 2005 where she managed Capital Market’s Program Office.  She was dedicated to driving strategic change through acquisition integrations, new product deployments and large scale regulatory and real estate change initiatives before transitioning to her current role.  Lynn has a 20-year career working in the financial services, healthcare and telecommunications industries.  She earned a B.S. in Biology from Syracuse University and is an avid trail runner having just completed a run of the New Jersey section of the Appalachian Trail (71 miles). 

Chris Manning was appointed Senior Vice President, Global Business Payments in November 2020. In this role, Chris is responsible for Scotiabank’s global payments vision and strategy, including the oversight of wholesale deposits and cash management service and sales, trade finance, and correspondent banking for business banking customers.

Chris joined Scotiabank in 2007 in our Roynat Capital business, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank. Since that time, he has held progressively senior roles across International Corporate & Commercial Banking, Canadian Commercial Banking, and Global Risk Management. Most recently, as Senior Vice President, Canadian Retail and Small Business Risk and Chief Risk Officer, Tangerine, Chris led portfolio risk strategies and adjudication operations for the Bank’s Canadian consumer businesses. 

Chris was appointed Chair of the Board of Junior Achievement Central Ontario in 2020. He holds an MBA from Queen’s School of Business and has participated in the Institute of International Finance’s Future Leaders program.

Loretta Marcoccia was appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO), Global Banking and Markets in November 2018.  In this role, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Global Banking and Markets, developing and implementing strategy and priority initiatives as well as global wholesale operations, regulatory initiatives, global analytics and financial engineering.

Loretta first joined Scotiabank in 2015 as Managing Director and COO for Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) before taking on the expanded role of Managing Director and COO of Global Capital Markets. 

Prior to joining Scotiabank, Loretta worked at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch where she held increasingly senior roles and ultimately served as Managing Director and COO. She has 30+ years of financial services experience that span retail banking, human resources, and capital markets, and has led several large-scale global business and regulatory initiatives.


Loretta graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a Specialist in Administration. She is a member of Scotiabank’s Inclusion Council, the Executive Champion of Global Banking and Markets’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Executive Sponsor of The Scotiabank Women Initiative for Global Banking and Markets.  She was a member of the inaugural Board of Directors for Women in Capital Markets.

Sue is Managing Director and Deputy Head of Global Credit for RBC Capital Markets.

With more than 30 years of experience at RBC, Sue is an exceptional leader with a reputation for collaboration and strategic thinking, along with her ability to draw out diverse views and test new concepts.

After joining the bank in London, England, she moved to Toronto in 1995 and has held a variety of roles in both the wholesale lending and trading businesses, primarily within RBC Capital Markets. She assumed her current role as Deputy Head of Global Credit in April 2017. 

Sue is an ardent champion of diversity and inclusion. In 2021, she was appointed Co-Executive Sponsor of RWomen Canada, RBC’s gender diversity network, and is a dedicated member of RBC Capital Markets’ Canadian Diversity Leadership Committee. As part of the committee, Sue is leading education efforts focused on appreciating diverse experiences and is the sponsor of “Getting Comfortable with Uncomfortable Conversations” series. 

She lives in Mississauga with her husband Frank and daughters Laura and Emily, who are both studying at Western University. Sue holds a Masters of Arts in German and European Institutions from the University of Edinburgh. Among her many interests, learning new languages is a passion – she is fluent in German and has strong command of French and Italian.

Emily O’Donohue (she/her) is Director and Associate General Counsel at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan where she specializes in derivatives transactions and financial markets regulation. Emily is also the co-chair of the [email protected]’ Employee Resource Group, and is passionate about diversity and inclusivity initiatives, all in an effort to establish a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Matthew Owens is Managing Director and Head of Trading and Execution Services in Quantitative and Technology Services (QTS) for RBC Capital Markets.

Mat started his career in 1996 at Goldman Sachs in London where he worked in Equities Technology. He began his career with RBC Capital Markets in 2003 where he led the Global Equities Technology team, which serviced the technology needs of the Global Equities business, Global Research, the Canadian Mortgage Investment Group, and aspects of the Quantitative Strategy Group. He continued to take on roles with greater responsibilities and was appointed Managing Director in QTS as Head of Trading and Execution Services. 

Mat is a champion of Diversity and Inclusion here at RBC. He created the QTS Graduate Recruitment program back in 2006 to bring junior talent into RBC, and in recent years has leveraged strong support around it to drive significant outcomes in addressing the under-representation of females and BIPOC communities within QTS. 

He also sits on the RBC Capital Markets Canadian Diversity Leadership Council where he plays an integral role in shaping and executing RBC’s diversity and inclusion goals and objectives, overseeing the firm's D&I commitment to ensure RBC fosters an environment in which all employees have the same opportunity to grow, succeed and achieve their full potential.

Mat holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering from Manchester University in the U.K.

▪ Sean St. John is Executive Vice President, Managing Director, and Co-Head of Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Group. He is also a member of the Financial Markets Management Committee
▪ Mr. St. John joined National Bank in 1996, as Head of Corporate Trading
▪ Over 25 years of financial services experience in fixed income
▪ Sean spearheaded the growth of the firm’s institutional corporate bond trading business
▪ In 2008, he took over the Debt capital Markets business and was named Co-head of Fixed Income, one year later
▪ In 2012, Sean joined the Financial Markets Management Committee and became the sole head of Fixed Income and Equity Capital Markets in 2015
▪ Sean is on the Canadian Advisory Board for Right to Play, the Board of Governors for Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, and the Scholarship Committee for the Children’s Aid Society.
▪ Sean John holds an HBA from York University

Sil is the Head, Wealth Digitech Transformation and President of BMO InvestorLine. In the Digitech capacity, Sil is leading BMO Wealth Management's digital and technology transformation which enables modernization of the North American operating models and platforms.

As President of BMO InvestorLine, Sil continues to lead “Always ON” evolution of the investing business to a digital first operating model which creates significant wins to both clients and advisory teams.

He is accountable for several complex programs, including platform consolidations, improving efficiency, speed to market, creating new digital investing capabilities and smarter value networks. He built a culture grounded in diversity, inclusion and collaborative leadership throughout a matrix organization focused on ownership of outcomes (#TALO) by listening to clients and front-line teams to inform business strategy with guiding principles for smarter and faster execution (#GSD).

Sil was formerly Vice President of Deposits of Tangerine Bank (formally ING Direct), and prior to that, he served as President & CEO of Tangerine Investments. Over his tenure with ING Direct he was one of the pioneers of digital banking in Canada, leading teams that launched innovative products and services in anticipation of clients’ evolving digital preferences. He gained extensive experience developing new business lines, introducing new products to the Canadian market and leading business lines in transition.

Sil credits his progress to a relentless focus on personal development, great mentors and being part of organizations with environments conducive of growth opportunities. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI), a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB) and a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM). Silvio studied Mathematics and Psychology at the University of Toronto and completed several executive leadership programs at Harvard, ING, Ivey, Rotman and Schulich business schools.

Jo Taylor (he/him) joined Ontario Teachers’ in 2012 and was appointed President and CEO on January 1, 2020. Jo is a globally recognized investor and inclusive leader, with more than 35 years of experience leading investment teams.

Most recently, he was responsible for advancing Ontario Teachers' global effectiveness and expansion, working closely with senior colleagues to design and execute our international investment strategy. He has also been a member of the committees for private companies and total fund allocations to review investment proposals, manage key relationships and optimize resource allocation.

Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’, Jo spent more than 20 years with 3i Group plc where he held a number of senior Group Management roles. Jo graduated from London University with a B.A. (Honours) and later earned an MBA from Manchester Business School. He has served as a Chairman and non-executive director of many companies, including ISS, Helly Hansen, Busy Bees and Camelot (operator of the U.K. National Lottery).

Tim is Vice Chair and Co-Head of global markets sales, trading, and the origination functions for TD Securities. His career with TD spans over 20 years. Since joining the firm in 2000, he has served as Co-Head of Institutional Equity Sales, Executive Managing Director, and Head of Global Equities and Commodities from 2008-2013.

He was appointed CEO of TD Asset Management (TDAM) in 2013 and rejoined TD Securities as Head of Equities in 2017. His mandate was further expanded to include Global Commodities. Tim was named Co-Head, Global
Markets in 2021 and he was named Vice Chair, Global Markets in 2022.

Tim also serves as Co-Chair on our Sustainable Finance & Corporate Transitions team to inform and support the firm’s ESG strategy and approach. 

Community outreach, diversity and inclusion are very important to Tim. He currently sits on our Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council (IDLC) and has served as Co-Chair of IDLC’s action committee that is responsible for North American recruitment and outreach. He was also the Co-Chair of our United Way High Value Giving Campaign, and a former member of Crescent School’s Board of Governors.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and is a CFA charterholder

Charles Bendaly has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and has spent the last 10 years with Manulife Investment Management working in Wealth Sales. Prior to joining Manulife Charles worked with both bank and independent firms as a financial planner and associate. Charles is currently Regional Vice President for Manulife Investments responsible for covering Ontario East and the Maritimes.

Greg is responsible for voice and electronic trading of G10 spot and forwards with additional responsibilities in FX Data Analytics and Innovation. He is also the Co-Head of Emerging Markets FX Trading, responsible for European and Asian markets.

Starting as an associate in TD’s Treasury office in Winnipeg, Greg has been with TD for over 25 years. He joined the Commercial Paper trading desk after relocating to Toronto, and later the Foreign Exchange team. In 2010, he became the Global Head of FX forward and short-term derivatives trading.

Outside of FX, Greg has supported leadership opportunities for marginalized groups as a member of our Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council. He also works with our Women in Leadership groups to facilitate mentorship opportunities both inside and outside the firm. Greg is one of TD’s Well-being Ambassadors and supports colleagues to act on mental health issues.

Greg is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Regina.

Amanda Holmes is responsible for Talent Acquisition at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – Canada’s largest single profession pension plan – across growing global offices in Toronto, Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and Singapore.

Amanda joined Ontario Teachers’ in 2017 as part of a people and culture transformation and brings over 15 years of talent management experience in both hospitality and financial services. Prior to joining Teachers’ Amanda held several positions with Accor Hotels, FRHI Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts including Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Director, Talent Management and Manager, Campus Recruitment & Graduate Relations.

Amanda has a genuine passion for building diverse teams and ensuring an inclusive candidate and employee experience. She is a high energy, authentic leader who has championed several I&D related initiatives including initiating Ontario Teachers’ participation in WCM’s Return to Bay Street program. She is an active member of the Teachers’ Inclusion & Diversity Leadership Council as well as several employee resource groups and has been a driving force to ensuring hiring is representative of the diverse geographies in which Ontario Teachers’ operates.

Amanda holds Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and an MBA specializing in Strategic Management from Wilfrid Laurier University. Amanda also holds her Brain Based Coaching Certification from the NeuroLeadership Institute, her Certified Human Resources Leader designation along with certificates from Cornell University in Women in Leadership, Executive Leadership, High Performance Leadership, Managing for Execution and Change Leadership.

Lisa Hutfloetz, Head of Finance, Public Markets, brings a dynamic approach to our Global Wealth and Asset Management business, by equipping senior leadership with financial insights to drive change, inform strategic decisions and expand awareness of financial performance to key stakeholders. Prior to this role, Lisa served as the Head of Finance for Wealth and Asset Management, Canada.

Since joining Manulife in 2003, Lisa has also held progressive leadership positions in corporate taxation and various project teams.

Lisa is a member of the Global Executive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council and is actively involved in employee engagement initiatives across the Manulife Finance
community. She is the Executive Sponsor for the Global Wealth and Asset Management Finance Social Committee and co-sponsors the Learning & Development
sub-committee. For the last three years, Lisa has also mentored diverse talent within the finance community and is passionate about sharing her own career development
stories to help inspire and guide her mentees.

Lisa is a CPA and holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo.

Michelle Khalili was appointed Managing Director and Head, Global Equity Capital Markets at Scotiabank in October 2018. Before joining Scotiabank, Michelle was a member of the Private Capital Investment Banking team at CIBC, focused on pension funds, private equity and sovereign wealth funds. Between 2012-2016, Michelle spent four years at Goldman Sachs as Head of Equity Capital Markets – Canada and was a member of Goldman Sachs Canada's Board of Directors. Michelle previously spent 12 years in the Equity Capital Markets group at CIBC, working on the origination and execution of equity financings in Canada.

In 2011, Michelle was recognized with an Industry Award for Leadership by Women in Capital Market. She has also received the 2008 WCM Executive Coaching Award and the 2018 WCM Champions of Change Award.

Michelle is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Women's College Hospital and a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Brain Institute. She is past Chair of the 100 Women in Finance's Committee in Canada, a global organization of more than 15,000 professionals. Michelle also served as Vice Chair and
Board member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and as a member of its Human Resources and Pension Committee.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and qualified for Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations.

Chint Kulkarni is Managing Director, Head of Mining and Loan Syndications for CIBC’s Capital Markets and she also has responsibility for sustainable finance and portfolio management within the corporate banking business. 

With more than 20 years of experience, Ms. Kulkarni has held various roles and has provided advice and expertise to many of CIBC’s core corporate and commercial clients. She has led teams in execution of event driven transactions across sectors and more recently, driven the build out of CIBC’s sustainable finance capabilities. Mr. Kulkarni is a member of the capital markets Global Deals Committee, the CIBC World Markets Board, and she is a former member of the CIBC Mellon Board.

Ms. Kulkarni remains strongly committed to talent development through her role on CIBC’s Inclusion & Diversity Counsel, and past roles as on the Co-Chair of Capital Markets Inclusion & Diversity Counsel and Executive Director Selection Committee. In the community, she supports the United Way Corporate Fundraising. 

Ms. Kulkarni holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from McGill University and an MBA in Finance from McMaster University. She also completed the Masters Certificate in Financial Services Leadership in 2015 from the Schulich School of Business and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

Scott Lampard was appointed Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Head of Global Banking for HSBC Bank Canada in August 2020. Mr Lampard joined the bank in 2015 as the Head of Capital Financing and prior to this appointment was Head of Global Markets. Before joining HSBC, he led capital markets, regional and country teams at Deutsche Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan in Toronto, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong and London.

He is also a member of the Board of Future Vault Inc. and a member of Ridley College’s Board of Governors and Chair of the school’s Finance, Audit, Human
Resource and Risk Committee.

He is married with three children and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Joëlle has over 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry with roles in Canada and in Europe. Currently a Director & Assistant Market Leader for London and area with BMO Wealth Management’s Private Wealth division, Joelle leads a team of successful wealth professionals. She completed her undergraduate studies and her an MA in Management from l’École Supérieure de Commerce de Clermont-Ferrand in France where she grew up, and also holds an MSc in International Finance from London Metropolitan University in the UK.

Joëlle joined the Bank of Montreal over 10 years ago shortly after emigrating from Europe to Canada. Prior to joining BMO Private Wealth, she held roles in the Corporate Finance Division as a Bilingual Senior Business Analyst and with Nesbitt Burns as a successful Bilingual Investment Advisor. A champion of lifelong learning and continuing education, Joëlle obtained her CIM® (Chartered Investment Manager) designation in 2020.

Millan Mulraine joined Ontario Teachers' in 2016 as the Chief Economist, after close to 10 years with TD Securities, most recently as its Deputy Chief US Economist in New York, where he was responsible for directing U.S. economic research and rates strategy. Millan leads the Economics Research Group at Teachers’ and is responsible for designing and conducting analytical macro-oriented research aimed at providing thought-leadership within Teachers’ on global economic, policy, financial market and

geopolitical issues to inform key Total Fund decisions on major investment themes and risks. Millan is also very passionate about inclusion and diversity issues and leads the [email protected]’ Employee Resource Group, aimed at fostering an inclusive and diverse community at Teachers’, as well as building bridges with external partners to advance inclusion and diversity in our broader finance community.

Millan holds a BSc in Economics and Statistics from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick in England, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Toronto.

James was appointed President and Group Head of Corporate & Investment Banking at Scotiabank in January 2021. In this role, he holds global management responsibility for Investment Banking, Global Business Payments and Corporate Banking with a specific focus on building strategic alignment, leveraging key growth opportunities and enhancing customer relationships while strengthening risk and governance oversight across the Bank’s Americas footprint.

Since joining Scotiabank in 1985, James has held a variety of leadership positions in areas including: Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Wealth Management, International Banking and Global Banking and Markets.

James earned a BA in Economics and Political Science at McMaster University and completed the Ivey Executive Program at Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

Jeremy L. Sonnenburg is the Head of Quantitative and Technology Services (QTS) in RBC Capital Markets.

Jeremy joined RBC in 2010 from Barclays Capital where he was the Head of Commodities Trading Technology for North America. Prior to Barclays, he worked at Credit Suisse leading a strategic change team. He started his career as a consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).

He is a graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied Management of Information Systems. At RBC, he sits on the Global Markets Operating Committee (GMOC), the T&O Operating Committee, and the Innovation Leadership Council. He is also a board member of Mouse.org, a national youth development nonprofit that empowers youth to create with technology, and elevates under-resourced communities through advocating digital literacy.

Linda Seymour was appointed Group General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer for HSBC Bank Canada effective September 2020. She is a member of the Board of HSBC Bank Canada and is Chair of the Board of HSBC Asset Management (Canada) Limited.

Linda began her career in Commercial Banking and has held a number of progressively senior roles within the bank, including: Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Banking; Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, Ontario Region; and Chief Operating Officer, Wealth and Personal Banking. 

Alan Tannenbaum was appointed Head, Global Investment & Corporate Banking (I&CB) in January of 2021. Alan is responsible for all of BMO’s I&CB activities with corporate, government and financial sponsor clients worldwide, including equity and debt underwriting, leveraged finance, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions advisory services and global trade and banking. He is a member of the BMO Capital Markets Operating and Executive Committee.

Prior to his appointment, Alan spent 3 years as Head of the Global Corporate Finance Solutions group in Investment and Corporate Banking with responsibility for all capital raising activities and associated risk across equity and fixed income. He managed the
teams in Equity Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance, Debt Capital Markets and the Financial Sponsors Group.

Before moving to I&CB in 2017, Alan was Co-Head of Global Equity Products with responsibility for overseeing all of BMO’s equity research, equity sales and trading, as well as the various equity finance businesses.

Alan joined BMO Capital Markets in early 2010 and has more than 25 years of experience on Wall Street, 13 years of which were at Lehman Brothers Inc. Alan’s roles at Lehman Brothers included Head of European Equity Capital Markets, based in London, and Head of U.S. Institutional Sales, based in New York.

Alan is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, high honors. Alan is married, lives in New York City, and has four adult children.

Ray Williams is a financial services executive with more than 35 years of experience in Global Capital Markets. His expertise is in debt capital markets and has held leadership roles in marketing, trading, risk advisory & execution as well as securitization. Drawing on his achievements within major financial institutions in the London and Toronto markets and in various trading, sales & management capacities, Mr. Williams currently holds the position of Managing Director & Vice Chairman, Financial Markets at National Bank Financial, one of the top six investment dealers in Canada. In this role, he is responsible for facilitating engagements with strategic accounts, working closely within financial markets to promote the banks’ One Mission synergistic approach. As a Financial Services executive, specialized in global capital markets, Mr Williams has extensive experience in Cash and Derivatives products in multiple asset classes, Infrastructure Financing, Provincial & Federal Liability Management, and Mortgage Finance Companies (MFC) Financing and Hedging of Securitized Product.

Mr. Williams is also committed to community engagement, in particular in the area of diversity and inclusion efforts. He serves on leadership boards for various organizations, including 100Strong Foundation. From 2000 to 2006, Mr. Williams was an advisor to the federal government as part of an External Advisory Group (EAG) on Embracing Change, a program designed to reconcile the evident disparities of visible minorities within the federal public service and federally-regulated industries, advising specifically though not exclusively, the President of the Public Service Commission (PSC), the President of the Publics Service Human Resource Management Canada (PSHRMAC), and the Clerk of the Privy Council ( at the time Alex Himmelfarb). He is an outspoken champion of workplace diversity and is a Past & Founding President (2000) and continuing member of The Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP) the pre-eminent professional trade organization for minorities in the financial services industry. He has been actively involved at all levels since its inception in 1997, and in that capacity acts as a mentor to a number of individuals. Additionally Mr. Williams was an Advisory Board Member to CAUFP for 3 years.

A firm believer in inspiring change within his community, Mr. Williams volunteers in various capacities as a mentor and has sat on the Board of numerous organizations, including the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research (CANFAR 2007-2012). Mr. Williams was also Co-Chair of CANFAR’s Investment Committee and was an Advisory Board Member. He was also member of the Pension Investment Committee of the United Way of Greater Toronto (2008-2013). Additionally he was the National Bank’s representative and contact with The Toronto City Summit initiative of which the Bank was a partner. Between 2005 and 2008, Mr. Williams was instrumental in engaging the National Bank’s participation in The BankSETA International Development Program, which each year brought to Canada up to 16 senior South African banking executives from previously disadvantaged groups.The six-week development program (part of the South African Financial Services Charter) combined academic learning with on-site workplace days at leading Canadian financial institutions including National Bank Financial. Mr. Williams also oversaw industry-relevant business projects, networking and socio-cultural opportunities for these individuals. He has a fundamental belief in community engagement reflected in his continuing charitable contributions and engagement, in particular to 100 Strong.ca an organization focused on changing the narrative around young black boys and one that inspires excellence without excuses in those boys.

Mr. Williams is also a member of Centennial College’s Financial Services Program Advisory Committee and has been a past Guest Lecturer at both Centennial and McMaster University De Groote School of Business and currently sits on the Pension Investment Management Committee (PIMC) of the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Canada. 

Mr. Williams holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees from North Staffs University (BA (Hons) Economics) and Coventry University (Master of Arts) in the United Kingdom. He is an avid cook having received his Culinary Certification from Toronto’s George Brown College Continuing Education programme in 2011. Mr. Williams also completed and obtained his ICD.D designation (Institute of Corporate Directors certification) from the Institute of Corporate Directors in conjunction with The Rotman School of Management in March 2012. He was co-valedictorian for his class, #DEP 36 with Bill Robson, The President & CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute.
He was also the recipient of the Planet Africa Award for Professional Excellence in Dec 2012. In October of 2013 Mr. Williams was nominated by the Canadian Diversity Business Council (CDBC) as part of the second cohort of 50 individuals deemed Board ready. In 2018 Mr. Williams was awarded The Ontario Black History’s Society (OBHS) Rev Addie Aylestock Award – “Paving the way for others to follow” as the organisation celebrated its 40th year. In 2019 he was presented with the President’s Award at the Annual Harry Jerome Awards. Mr. Williams is also a Co-Founder of the Black Opportunity Fund, established in 2020 and designed to be
the largest fund in Canada addressing anti-black racism through social & economic empowerment. He is also a Executive-in-Residence (EiR) at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and sits on the George Brown College Foundation (GBCF) as Board member. Mr. Williams is married to Georgina, his wife of 32 years, and has two adult children. He resides in Oakville, Ontario.

Jennifer Young is the Head of Human Resources for TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank® and TD Securities.

As Head of Human Resources for TD Bank, Jennifer is responsible for building organizational capability and driving the integrated talent strategy across the U.S. As Senior Vice President of Human Resources for TD Securities, Jennifer leads the human resources strategy that enables TD Securities to deliver against its business priorities, with teams in Toronto, New York, London, and Singapore.

Jennifer's background includes more than 30 years leading business and human resources. Most recently, Jennifer led Human Resources for TD Risk Management and Finance, and for TD Securities. Prior to joining TD Securities, Jennifer worked on the business side of TD's Business Bank in Toronto, later serving as Head of
Human Resources.

Jennifer spent the first 15 years of her career as a commercial lender for TD's Commercial Bank. Since then, she has led Human Resources for corporate, commercial, technology, and retail functions, as well as held roles within talent management, colleague experience, and served as an HR business partner.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

She is the Former Deputy Chair of the Oakville and Milton Humane Society in Ontario. Jennifer resides between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Toronto, Ontario.

”Diversity and inclusiveness drive innovation, create opportunity and we know better decisions are made when we incorporate different perspectives. Organizations like WCM are essential as we move forward and continue to push boundaries so that we can all share the benefits of a more inclusive future in this dynamic industry.”

Lisa Deakin is Director, Head of Global Market Corporate Sales in Western Canada for HSBC Bank Canada. She has worked in Global Markets with HSBC for 19 years and has been running the business in Western Canada since July 2017. In her current role, Lisa manages a team that is responsible for providing risk management solutions to the largest Canadian corporations, multinationals and commercial banking clients. Prior to joining HSBC, Lisa was Director of Treasury at Canadian Airlines. She also spent 3 years in corporate FX sales with another Canadian financial institution and was an equity analyst on the buy side, prior to moving over to sales. 

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons, Finance) from the University of Manitoba and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She is married with 3 active children. She enjoys early morning workouts and skiing with her family.

"True to their mission, WCM is a great accelerator in gender diversity in the financial industry and corporate boardrooms across Canada.

Fostering an environment of diversity and inclusiveness strengthens creativity and enriches engagement with colleagues, clients and the communities.

WCM supports professional women in career development and works with organizations to embrace this effort."

Laurent Ferreira is Executive Vice-President and Co-Head, Financial Markets, a responsibility he shares with Denis Girouard. He is responsible for National Bank's wholesale banking activities and treasury, including Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Equity, Fixed Income and Derivatives. Mr. Ferreira is a member of National Bank’s Office of the President. 

Mr. Ferreira joined National Bank in 1998 and successively held the positions of Senior Manager, then Executive Vice-President and Managing Director, Derivatives and Equities within Financial Markets. Before joining the Bank, he worked for two years at Bankers Trust. 

Mr. Ferreira served as a member of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec from 2014 to 2019. He is socially committed and contributes to the success of several charitable causes. He was notably co-governor of National Bank’s United Way Centraide campaign in 2016 and 2017 and is now co-president of the fundraising campaign for the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Foundation. 

Mr. Ferreira has a Master’s degree in Finance from HEC Montréal and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Université du Québec à Montréal.

“Diversity and inclusion underpins our culture and everything we do. For me as a leader, it’s important that each and every team members feels as though their voice matters and that it’s always ok to speak up. That’s why organizations like WCM are so important. I’m very proud to work for RBC, and of our partnership with WCM, and the progress we’re making together in ensuring there are strong and capable women in important leadership roles across the organization.”

Derek Flood is the Global Head of Equity Sales and the Head of Canadian Equities at RBC Capital Markets. His group is responsible for delivering Global Equity products and solutions to RBC’s institutional client base.

Derek has been with RBC since 1995, starting in Corporate Finance within Investment Banking and subsequently progressing into senior leadership roles across the firm’s Global Equities group. 

Derek is an ardent supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives, both through his team building efforts and through his roles as Co-Chair of the Canadian Diversity Leadership Council, Executive Sponsor of RBC’s RWomen Canada employee resource group, and as a member of the RBC Capital Markets Donations Committee. Derek is equally active in his community as both a Board member of Capitalize for Kids and as a MIG Cabinet Member for the United Way Toronto & York Region.

“Return to Bay St. is an innovative program that directly addresses a systemic barrier to women’s participation in the financial sector in a measurable, outcome-oriented way. BMO is proud to partner with WCM on this approach to increase equitable access to our industry.”

Darrel Hackett is responsible for the performance, strategy, and delivery of BMO Financial Group’s private wealth management businesses throughout the United States. This includes leadership of three distinct businesses across the mass affluent, high net worth and ultra-high net worth segments: BMO Harris Financial Advisors, BMO Private Bank and BMO Family Office. The U.S. wealth management business provides the full complement of wealth management services, as well as comprehensive multi-family office services. Hackett oversees a team of 1,100 wealth management professionals with offices across the U.S. For more than 130 years, BMO Wealth Management – U.S. has served the unique and continually evolving needs of affluent individuals and families through a highly personalized, relationship-focused approach.

Mr. Hackett represents Wealth Management on BMO’s Leadership Committee for Inclusion and Diversity, an enterprise-wide committee of senior executives who drive the banks diversity and inclusion goals and advocate for inclusive practices. He was instrumental in founding the US Executive Action Committee on Inclusion and Diversity, and was the driving force behind the establishment of Linkages – a small-group mentoring program dedicated to advancing the careers of employees of color in the US.

Mr. Hackett has served in a variety of leadership roles since joining BMO in 2004. He most recently served as Senior Vice President & Head of North American Integrated Channels. Other key roles include leading US Business Banking and serving as Regional President, Harris Chicago Community Bank. 

Before joining BMO, Mr. Hackett was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. During this time he led several strategic engagements with Fortune 500 companies, with an emphasis in Financial Institutions. He previously held a variety of management roles at the General Electric Company. 

Mr. Hackett has a Masters Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science (Cum Laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago United, the Children First Fund and Chicago Sports Commission. He is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, Economic Club of Chicago, the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and the Executive Leadership Council. Some of Mr. Hackett’s recognitions include 2018 and 2016 Savoy Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America”, 2009 Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40”, 2007 Chicago United - Business Leader of Color and being a 2007 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.

“WCM, you are trailblazers and agents for change. You hold our industry accountable for delivering on our commitments. And together, with your support, we can influence more deeply and broadly and ultimately create more inclusive workplaces.” –  Ziad Hindo, Chief Investment Officer

Ziad Hindo leads all aspects of Ontario Teachers' investment activities with oversight of the overall Investment Division. He is responsible for the global portfolio and strategy for all aspects Ontario Teachers' investment activities, including the real estate portfolio managed by wholly-owned subsidiary Cadillac Fairview, and its international offices in London and Hong Kong.

Ziad joined Ontario Teachers' in 2000 and has global experience in both public and private markets spanning multiple asset classes. He was most recently head of the Capital Markets group, a cross asset class, multi strategy platform that manages and enhances Ontario Teachers' policy portfolios while maximizing value add. His achievements during this time included the successful integration of two departments on the trading floor to execute a centralized trade strategy to support all of Ontario Teachers' investment groups.

Ziad is also a true champion of diversity. He serves as Chair of Ontario Teachers’ Inclusion & Diversity Leadership Council with a mandate to embed I&D across the organization. More specifically, within the Investment division, Ziad believes in recruiting and retaining top female talent to create a broad pipeline of future leaders and is an advocate for many of the senior women on his team. 

Beyond his day-to-day, Ziad is actively involved in the Investor Leadership Network (ILN), a network of institutional investors who are addressing sustainability and long-term growth. Ziad also co-chairs ILN’s Investment Advisory Committee, whose mandate is to increase diversity and inclusion as a strategic business enabler within the global investment management industry. 

Ziad earned a B.Sc. at the University of York, an M.Sc. from the University of Warwick, and is a CFA charterholder.

"Women in Capital Markets plays a critical role in creating pathways for women in establishing and advancing their careers in finance. I am honored to be recognized with this award by WCM."

Melissa Li rejoined CIBC in 2016 as a Managing Director in the Private Capital Group at CIBC Capital Markets. From 2015 to 2016, Melissa was Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy at George Weston Limited, where she led a number of corporate divestitures and strategic initiatives. Before George Weston, Melissa spent 9 years in CIBC's Mergers & Acquisitions group, executing transactions across the real estate, mining, oil and gas and consumer and industrial sectors. Notable transactions include advising Superior Plus on a private placement by Brookfield, the sale of BGIS to CCMP, the sale of BGRS to SIRVA, IPO of MAV Beauty Brands, the sale of Shoppers Drug Mart’s home care business to Motion Specialties (a portfolio company of Birch Hill), and the acquisition of Transglobe Apartment REIT by a consortium including Starlight Investments, Timbercreek, CAPREIT and PSP. 

Prior to joining CIBC, Melissa spent 3 years in technology investment banking at Citigroup in New York, and 6 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Corporate Finance practice.

Melissa has an MBA from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Western Ontario

"Women in Capital Markets has had a very substantive impact by providing meaningful mentoring, networking and learning opportunities that help to advance talented women in the Capital Markets industry, where gender diversity is crucial to balancing and optimizing business approaches."

Sean Mann joined CIBC Capital Markets Securitization Group in 1995 and is currently Managing Director and Head, Securitization. Mr. Mann is responsible for CIBC’s securitization business and provides advice and transaction structuring and execution expertise to many of CIBC’s core corporate and financial clients. He is responsible for business development, marketing, structuring and execution of ABCP-funded securitization programs and public and private ABS transactions, both domestically and internationally, across a broad range of clients and asset-classes, including auto loans/leases, equipment loans/leases, residential mortgages, commercial mortgages, credit cards and trade receivables. 

Mr. Mann is actively involved with talent development through initiatives such as chairing the Capital Markets Executive Director Selection Committee and is involved with on-campus recruiting and other mentorship activities with GenNext and Women in Capital Markets. He is a frequent speaker at securitization conferences on various topics. 

Prior to joining the Securitization Group, Mr. Mann spent four years in CIBC Capital Markets’ North American Corporate Banking Group and two years in CIBC’s Commercial Banking Group.

"I think organizations like WCM enable us and our industry to be ready for monumental moments in history. While we would like to believe that we are all capable of instant change, history would tell us that this is not possible. Organizations like WCM create awareness, environments for dialogue and support for improvement. For the past 25 years, WCM has demonstrated the commitment, compassion and courage to be a champion for change in the capital markets. 

As a woman, and a woman of color, I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me, including from WCM through the Heather L. Main Scholarship in 2004 and the Rising Star Award in 2018, from TD Securities, my employer for the last 15 years and my clients. However, this gratitude does not belie the fact that we still have more work to do in our industry, and I look forward to all opportunities to support WCM as they positively influence, impact and inspire Canadian finance."

Aliyah is a Managing Director in TD Securities' Real Estate Investment Banking group based in Toronto. She has 15 years of experience advising clients, most recently in the real estate sector, on a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, initial public offerings, and public and private offerings in both equity and debt markets. To date, she has advised on more than $30 billion of mergers and acquisitions. 

In 2018, Aliyah received a Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Rising Star Award, which recognizes high- performing female professionals whose entrepreneurial spirit, leadership and social responsibility have made a unique contribution to the capital markets industry. 

She holds an MBA (with distinction) from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a BSc in Neuroscience and Math from Dalhousie University.

"WCM is a unique and important organization that we are privileged to have in Canada. Its dedication to continuously promote and support women in financial markets, at all levels, is truly remarkable and unlike anywhere else in the world. Over the past 25 years, WCM has been instrumental in inspiring and opening doors for young women to join our industry, helping narrow the gender gap. It has created a much-needed network where women can seek guidance and obtain mentorship from seasoned professionals to help them successfully manage their career in capital markets. I witness every day the importance of gender diversity in building stronger teams and creating better solutions for our clients as we all benefit from our colleagues’ diverse and complementary approaches. Congratulations to WCM and to all the women who make their mark every day in our industry. Corporate Canada should take note and follow our lead!"

Marjorie has 20 years of experience working in capital markets in Canada and United States. Her current role is to structure risk management solutions for corporations. She assists clients in developing appropriate interest rate, foreign currency, commodity as well as equity risk management strategies. Prior to joining National Bank, Marjorie worked at TD Securities in their derivatives origination group as well as Goldman Sachs in their investment banking division, NYC office. Marjorie holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in finance and minor in accounting from McGill University where she graduated with distinction.

"Simply put, a more diverse work force is critical to building good business, healthy organizational culture and ultimately a stronger economy. To be successful in this rapidly changing world we must provide platforms that encourage diversity in every sense. This enables organizations to spur innovative thinking, deeper client engagement and relationships, develop and retain the best talent, operating effective cross-functional and collaborative teams and ultimately unlock a company’s full potential. We all need to champion and advocate for more diversity, inclusion and equality within our industry—WCM has been a great conduit to enable this change in the past, present and most importantly the future to come."

Paul O’Hea joined the Equity Sales and Trading team at Scotiabank in 2011 and brings over 15 years of institutional sales and trading experience from both RBC and Merrill Lynch.  As Head of Cash Equities Paul has global oversight of all aspects of equity execution, institutional client coverage, risk management, new issue and research distribution as well as global corporate access and marketing. He is actively involved in the firms various diversity, mentorship and recruitment initiatives and currently sits on the board of the Scotia Women’s Initiative. Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University.

"It's well accepted that diverse perspectives and experiences are fundamental to innovation and building resilient organizations. Though we have made progress over the last 25 years to reflect the demographics of a global society within the workplace, we have not gone far enough to reflect it at all levels – especially when it comes to the representation of women in leadership positions. If we aspire to be the best that we can be as individuals, as an organization, and as a society we must be unequivocal in seeing diversity as additive to our culture. 

WCM is an important voice and partner in the evaluation and progression of gender equality and diversity in the capital markets. Their focus on growing available talent pools, industry research, and public advocacy continues to be essential in the shift for inclusive workplace cultures and management." 

Robbie Pryde has led TD Securities (TDS) Corporate and Investment Banking since his appointment in 2016, and oversees the dealer's Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Lending & Syndication, Origination, and Credit Management areas, and has shared oversight for the Equity and Debt Capital Markets as well as Global Transaction Banking. Previously, Robbie was the Vice Chair and Head of Global Equities at TD Securities. 

Robbie's industry knowledge, markets acumen, and client-centric approach are valued by clients and colleagues and have meaningfully shaped the global business landscape. He is also an avid developer of the industry's future leaders, retaining an active role in the firm's recruiting and mentoring initiatives. 

Robbie serves on the boards of the National Ballet of Canada and the Sterling Hall School Foundation and is a member of the Campaign Cabinet for SickKids Foundation. As a committed fundraiser, he supports several community initiatives, including TDS Underwriting Hope, United Way Corporate Fundraising Campaign, and Food Allergy Canada. 

Robbie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

"As a gender-diversity champion I am striving to empower women to be their best and authentic selves and to give them confidence to view their perspectives and experiences at work as valid as the traditional ones."

“Throughout my career, I’ve learned just how important having a strong network is to feeling valued and appreciated at work. For the past 25 years, WCM has helped foster inclusion across the industry by establishing mentorship and advocating for women. I’m proud that RBC is fully invested in attracting and retaining diverse talent and supports women throughout their career journey. Without a doubt, that inclusive mindset is essential to a successful business strategy.”

Anita Stefan is the Global Head of Business Services and Global Markets at RBC Capital Markets.

Ms. Stefan is currently responsible for Business Management, Quantitative Analytics, Capital Markets IT, Client Analytics and Trade Desk Supervision for Global Markets. Previous roles at RBC included Head of U.S. Commercial Mortgage Securitization, Capital and Term Funding for Corporate Treasury and Chief Dealer, responsible for the trading and execution of Corporate Treasury’s hedging and discretionary portfolios.

Prior to joining RBC in 1992, Ms. Stefan worked for Salomon Brothers Inc, located in Tokyo, Japan. While there, she worked in various sales and analyst roles from 1986 through 1992. Ms. Stefan has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Ontario. She is involved in various volunteer activities including Lead Project sponsor for several micro-finance projects in Kenya and currently sits on the Board of Moorelands Kids. Anita is the executive sponsor of RWomen Canada which promotes gender diversity and inclusion at RBC Capital Markets through advocacy & awareness, community involvement, ongoing education and networking opportunities. She is also an active member of RBC CM’s Canadian Diversity Leadership Council.

In the recent years, she worked closely with HR on the review and redesign of the Global Markets Program which attract, develop and retain top emerging talent at RBC. In addition, she mentors and sponsors women in Capital Markets including one of our recent Return to Bay Street hires.

"Not only does Women in Capital Markets provide us with access to strong talent and support the growth and network of our existing female leaders, but they also help shape our strategy with industry research, provide a basis to measure our progress and are a true partner in our Inclusion & Diversity journey." 

Beth Tyndall is responsible for Ontario Teachers’ human resources function across its global offices in Toronto, London, and Hong Kong.

Beth joined Ontario Teachers’ in 2017 after more than a decade at Deloitte, where she held various roles including National Talent Leader for the Audit, Tax and Consulting practices. She was a member of the Tax, Consulting and Audit Executive teams, as well as the Global Talent Councils for each of those businesses. Prior to her time at Deloitte, she worked for many years in the technology sector.

In her three years at Ontario Teachers’, Beth Tyndall has transformed the structure and capabilities of the People & Culture team and reimagined our approach to talent, culture and leadership; setting us apart as an employer of choice. In 2019 her team was recognized as Canadian HR Team of the Year and she was recently featured on the HRD Global 100 list of leading HR professionals. Beth has a passion for developing top talent and has a natural ability to lead teams through complex change. 

Beth is also a true champion of inclusion. In addition to ensuring that inclusive policies and practices are foundational to Ontario Teachers’ transformation, she recently led the implementation of an enterprise I&D Leadership Council, employee resource groups and was instrumental in establishing several industry partnerships. Her authentic leadership style helps all employees feel included and empowered at work.

"Diversity is important to me because it provides access to a greater range of perspectives, knowledge and talent. Such exposure encourages acceptance, personal enrichment and growth, as well as an increased likelihood of success."

"Engaging more men is as simple as including them in the conversation.  The conversation should focus on the fact that organizations that are more diverse innovate more, make better decisions, and generate stronger financial results. Those results will resonate with everyone."

Eric Métivier joined CIBC in 1994. Mr. Metivier is currently Managing Director and Head of Corporate Banking – Canada.

Previously, he was Managing Director and Global Head of Corporate Solutions; a group that provides hedging products in foreign exchange, interest rates, commodities and equities to CIBC’s corporate and government clients globally. Mr. Métivier also oversaw the Macro Strategy group, which focuses on fundamental and technical research in energy, foreign exchange, interest rates and the emerging markets.

Mr. Métivier joined CIBC to help start the Power and Utilities group within the CIBC’s Investment Banking practice. Prior to joining CIBC, Mr. Métivier worked at a leading competitor bank in Canada in Corporate Finance with responsibilities in real estate and structured finance.

Mr. Métivier sits on CIBC’s Global Deals Committee, Global Risk Committee and various technology steering committees. He also served as a past Chair of the CIBC’s Trading Room Deals Committee. He is also involved in various community initiatives including the Investment Committee for the Children’s Aid Foundation, as well as having been a guest lecturer at the Rotman School of Management and Osgoode Hall Law School.

Mr. Métivier holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management and a Baccalauréat en commerce from l’Université d’Ottawa.

"Being a mentor to both junior and senior female employees within the organization has been the most insightful experience. By holding mentoring sessions with a diverse group of staff, Jason is able to not only recognize talent, but check the pulse of the Bank to understand the issues within the organization and identify cross-functional opportunities."

Jason Henderson was appointed Head of Global Markets for HSBC Bank Canada in March 2010. He became EVP and Head of Global Banking and Markets in March 2013. He is also the Chairman for HSBC Securities Ltd. Canada. Jason joined the Board of Directors for HSBC Canada in February 2015. 

In Jason’s current role, he is responsible for the management of the combined Global Banking and Global Markets business lines in Canada. He also oversees the Global Liquidity and Cash Management operations in Canada. 

Jason first joined HSBC in 2006 in New York where he was Head of Currency and Commodity Derivatives for the Americas. Before joining HSBC, he spent 13 years with another Canadian financial institution and held positions in the US, Singapore and UK. 

With over 25 years in capital markets and banking, Jason brings a broad range of skills and experience in both international and domestic markets. Jason holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from Queen’s University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Getting more women into the industry and leadership positions requires leading by example and understanding the unique challenges that women have.  Leaders need to be more vulnerable in their approach.

Catherine Milum is a customer-obsessed sales powerhouse. From client services to sales and marketing, she has spent the last 25 years learning, training and becoming an authority in helping make customers’ decisions easier and their lives better.

As the Head of Wealth Sales for Wealth and Asset Management, Canada, she guides the National Sales team of more than 100 professionals by openly imparting her knowledge and experience to help advisors grow their business.

Clearly, she is passionate about growing strong relationships and about developing the abilities of talented team members – with a specific focus on women in the industry – but she is also an accomplished presenter, with hundreds of seminars on countless topics under her belt.

For her, information-sharing is about connecting and having fun, and her creative approach has earned her a reputation as one of the top practice management leaders and sales trainers in the industry.

There are many ways to champion.  For me personally, it hasn’t been about loud advocacy, but rather a daily quest to lead by example through modelling inclusive behaviours in a manner my daughters can be proud of.  If you have a voice and a vision for change, don’t ever hold back. Put the difficult issues or topics on the table for debate - it does make a difference. 

Tim is the Global CFO for Manulife’s Global Wealth and Asset Management businesses which include retail investment products, retirement record keeping and Institutional Asset management spanning
Canada, U.S., Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as the Company’s insurance General Account. Collectively these businesses manage over $1trillion of assets. Previously, Tim held senior executive roles at Manulife including Head of Enterprise Risk and Chief Accountant. Prior to Manulife, Tim was a Director at PWC LLP in the Global Capital Markets Group based in Toronto and London UK.

Tim is an Ontario Chartered Professional Accountant and a U.S. Certified Public Accountant. In 2013, he was presented the Award of Distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario for career achievements and contributions to the community. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University. He is a Director of Business / Arts, a national arts organization based in Toronto.

"We work in a fast-paced environment and being on the sell side, we cover many clients. Leaving for a few months is definitely a setback. Maternity leave must be seen as an opportunity for personal growth and must not disadvantage mothers compared to their colleagues."

Isabelle Paquet is a Managing Director for the Global Equity Derivatives Group at the National Bank of Canada. Since joining the Bank in 2005, Isabelle has covered structured and derivative products for a clientele comprising institutional investors, high net worth individuals, portfolio management firms and retail clients. She is currently in charge of the development and coverage of derivative products in Europe, US and Canadian clients. Isabelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Mathematical and Computational Finance from University of Montreal.

"We need to do a better job explaining to women the benefits of working in the industry and dispel some of the myths or working conditions that were more prevalent years ago. When recruiting, we must always keep gender diversity top-of-mind."

Denis Girouard is Executive Vice-President and Co-Head, Financial Markets, a responsibility he shares with Laurent Ferreira. He is responsible for National Bank's wholesale banking activities and treasury, including Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Equity, Fixed Income, Derivatives and Proprietary Trading. Mr. Girouard is also a member of National Bank's Office of the President. 

Denis Girouard began his career in 1982 as a bond market trader at the Caisse de dépôt et Placement du Québec. In 1990, he joined National Bank Financial (NBF) where he has held various strategic executive positions. At the time of his appointment, Mr. Girouard was Executive Vice-President, Managing Director, Co-Head of Fixed Income and Deputy Head of Financial Markets at NBF. 

During his career in Financial Markets, Mr. Girouard held various appointments and gained in- depth knowledge of the sector's activities. Under his stewardship, National Bank has notably positioned itself as a leader in government financing in Canada. 

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Girouard has served on several boards within the business community. He is currently a member of the CanDeal board of directors. 

Mr. Girouard has a Bachelor's in Finance from HEC and is a Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA®. 

"Be bold and tenacious. Respectfully challenge people and the status quo. Try to bring unconscious bias to the conscious level of discussion. If you see something that feels biased, flag it. Change will take time, but each conversation represents a step forward."

Gillian Brown leads Ontario Teachers’ Capital Markets group, which manages Total Fund exposure to the equity, fixed income, credit, inflation-sensitive and absolute return asset classes. The Capital Markets team supports all of Ontario Teachers' investment groups and is responsible for executing on a centralized trade strategy that allows the Fund to focus on the needs of today's more sophisticated trading environment and its increasing regulatory complexity.

Since joining Ontario Teachers' in 1995, Gillian has held progressively senior roles; she was most recently the Managing Director, Credit, Insurance Linked Securities, Equity Products in our Capital Markets team, and prior to that she was the Director of Derivative Strategies and Trading within the Tactical Asset Allocation and Natural Resources department.

Gillian has more than 20 years of industry experience in equity and derivatives investment management. She holds a B.Comm. from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder. 

Gillian mentors other women through C4K and Girls Who Invest and is an active member of Women in Capital Markets and the Toronto chapter of 100 Women in Finance.

"Further education and encouragement for people managers should be a focus to ensure that recruitment, hiring practices, compensation and promotions are fair for everyone. We need to encourage everyone to get involved in these initiatives and understand the value."

Jason Chang leads Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s Fixed Income, Currency & Commodities team (FICC) in the Capital Markets department.  The team is responsible for the overall Fund exposures to these asset classes and related active programs. Since joining Ontario Teachers’ in 1995, Jason has held progressively more senior positions, most recently as the Vice-President, Fixed Income.  Jason also serves as the Vice Chair of the Fund’s Credit and Counterparty committee. He holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and is a CFA charterholder.

Jason is active in the industry serving as a member of the Canadian Fixed Income Forum which is a senior level industry-wide committee established by the Bank of Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Alternative Reference Rate working group, and on IIROC’s Fixed Income advisory committee. He also serves as the co-facilitator for the gender diversity initiative under the Investor Leadership Network.

"Engage with, and advocate for, the up-and-coming generation. Those individuals who are starting to gain momentum in their careers. Find out what is important to them, and what they see as barriers to advancement. Use your voice and your influence to press for change, speak up for them and actively sponsor them. They are going to be the ones who shape how we work, and how we define leadership and what success looks like in the future."

Nadine has global accountability for financial governance, control, valuations and performance management for Investor & Treasury Services and Capital Markets, and is a member of Operating Committees for both businesses. Nadine is also a member of the CAO & CFO Operating Committee.

Nadine joined RBC 19 years ago and has held various senior roles in Corporate Treasury and Finance, including VP & Controller, Global Head of Financial Control, Capital Markets Finance.

She is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.

"Every single person in an organization has the capacity to champion gender diversity. It can be as simple as a manager encouraging his or her employees to bring their ideas for change forward. A business will absolutely be more successful if it fosters a culture in which every employee feels comfortable bringing their best authentic self to work."

Mike Bowick is Head of the Global Markets division of RBC Capital Markets. Mr. Bowick provides oversight to the Trading and Sales activities of Global Equities, Global Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities, as well as Futures and Electronic Trading. In addition to his responsibilities in Global Markets, Mr. Bowick has responsibility for the Counterparty Risk Trading (CRT) group, which manages the counterparty risks arising from OTC derivative contracts, as well as oversight of some of RBC Capital Markets’ legacy risk positions. Since joining RBC in 1986, Mr. Bowick has assumed increasingly senior roles managing derivative businesses that reference most asset classes, including FX, Interest Rates, Credit, and Equity.

Mr. Bowick holds an undergraduate degree in Business from the University of Prince Edward Island and an MBA from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"I have benefited greatly over the years from the mentorship and sponsorship of both men and women. I want to pay that back – and forward. I envision an industry that reflects our clients and our communities. One that makes everyone feel included, where there are no barriers, whether systemic or self-imposed, that limit anyone from setting and fulfilling bold ambitions."

Mary is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the relationship management strategy for key institutional clients of Scotiabank’s Global Capital Markets division. Mary joined Scotiabank over 25 years ago and she has since assumed increasingly senior roles in Debt Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Fixed Income, and the Financial Institutions Group. 

Mary holds MBA and HBA degrees from the Ivey School of Business. She is a CFA charterholder and holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. 

She is an active champion of Global Banking and Markets’ Diversity & Inclusion strategy, participating as a mentor in various GBM mentorship programs. She has also contributed to a number of WCM initiatives over the years, and was a recipient of the inaugural Women in Capital Markets Executive Coaching Award.

She has served as a director on several not-for-profit boards and was named to the Canadian Board Diversity Council’s Diversity 50 List of Board-Ready Candidates in 2016.

"I encourage more men in capital markets to sign up for a mentorship program, become involved in a career day or attend a recruiting event.  Most importantly, be approachable and open to new perspectives and ideas and be an advocate for their advancement."

Scott Morrison is Director and Head, Commercial Derivative Products Group and Foreign Exchange, Sales.  Based in Toronto, Scott leads a diverse team who work with Mid-Market clients across Canada providing customized risk management solutions to mitigate market risks such as currency, interest rate and commodity exposures.

Scott is an active champion of diversity and inclusion and is involved in mentorship programs.  In addition, Scott is an Advisory Board Member for the Scotiabank Women Initiative. The Scotiabank Women Initiative is a comprehensive program helping women take their business to the next level through access to capital, support from senior business leaders and education tailored to their needs.

Scott joined Scotiabank in 2001 in Scotia Asset Management where he was part of the Institutional Sales Team. In 2003 he moved to Global Banking and Markets to join the Foreign Exchange Sales Team and in 2007 became part of the Derivative Products Group.    

Scott has over 17 years of experience within the financial services industry and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario. Scott is an avid squash player and enjoys spending free time with his family.

"Start by openly championing and advocating for a top-performing woman on your team. If you're more junior in your career or don't know where to start, raise your hand for a gender diversity committee or ask senior leadership how you can help. I believe everyone can lead at their own level, whether they're an analyst or vice-president. Think about how you can add value and set out to do it."

Jenn is a Managing Director on the Prime Brokerage desk for TD Securities’ Equities business, responsible for leading the Securities Lending team. 

Jenn began her career in capital markets in 1997, spanning back-office operations, relationship management, and securities lending. She started at TD in 2003 as a Relationship Manager on the Prime Brokerage desk, and now covers a portfolio of large hedge funds and pension plans in North America. 

Prior to joining TD, Jenn was responsible for settlements and collateral management at Scotia Capital. 

Jenn co-chairs the Women in Leadership Champions Network for TD Securities and the annual TD Securities Underwriting Hope for Charity Auction that raises millions each year. Jenn was a recipient of the 2014 Women in Capital Markets Rising Star award, the 2015 TD Vision in Action award, and the 2016 Catalyst Canada Emerging Leader award. 

As an active member of the community, Jenn has been involved with the board of Eva’s Initiatives homeless youth shelter and served on their Resource Development and Capital Campaign committee. She previously co-chaired their Taste Matters Charity Auction, which raised over $150,000 annually. Currently, Jenn sits on the committee for 100 Women in Finance’s Toronto Chapter and the board of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation. She also volunteers with the Havergal College Parents Association. 

Jenn is a mother to a young daughter and enjoys playing golf with her husband in her spare time.

"I believe everyone deserves an opportunity to achieve success, and promoting diversity, inclusion and balance is the ethical social approach to ensuring no one is denied that basic human right."

Andrew is an Executive Managing Director and is responsible for the Real Estate, Diversified Industries and the Financial Sponsors groups at TD Securities. 

Andrew joined TD in 1985 and has experience in all areas of commercial, corporate and investment banking.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of Toronto and serves on the board of directors of The Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and The Toronto Symphony Orchestra.