WCM Award Recipients

Tia Peric is a Director in the Debt Capital Markets (DCM) Syndication team at CIBC Capital Markets. In her role, Tia is responsible for advisory, marketing, pricing, and execution of CIBC’s Canadian corporate bond mandates. Since joining CIBC full-time in 2015, she has held roles in the DCM Origination, Equity Capital Markets and DCM Syndication teams. Beyond her day-to-day business responsibilities, Tia serves as a Senior Advisor to the CIBC Capital Markets Junior Advisory Council and as co-chair of the Sleep Out: Champions Edition event in support of Covenant House Toronto.

Tia holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (French Studies) from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Andrea Topic is currently a Director in the Regulatory and Optimization, Global Funding and Treasury group at NBC in Toronto. Andrea started her career at NBC Global Finance, NBC’s Irish subsidiary. She became an expert in EU prudential regulation, specifically for capital and liquidity. Her talent was quickly recognized and she moved to a front office position where she traded delta one and securities finance structures. Andrea took the opportunity to move to Toronto and expanded her expertise to Canadian regulation. She actively participates in the structuring of trades for the Global Securities Finance team by leveraging her regulatory and trading experience, and leads regulatory initiatives relative to SFT reporting. Andrea is passionate about traveling, discovering new cultures and women’s right. She is also fluent in 4 languages: Croatian, English, Italian and French.

Nan Chen is a Principal/Portfolio Manager in the Capital Markets division at OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans. In her role, Nan manages several strategies within commodities and public equities. Her commitment to bring innovative ideas to investments as well as her dedication to accelerate gender diversity and inclusion have brought positive impact to the organization.

Prior to joining OMERS Capital Markets in early 2018, Nan was an Investment Analyst at RBC Global Asset Management, where she helped manage several quantitative-based funds and ETFs. Prior to that she served as an Investment Analyst in Quantitative Investments at Manulife Asset Management.

Nan is a student advisor for McMaster University’s “DeGroote Finance and Investment Council” where she is a mentor for students who are passionate about investing. She completed her undergraduate study in Commerce and Economics at McMaster University and graduate study in Financial Engineering from the Schulich School of Business. She is a CFA charterholder, and holds both the FRM and CAIA designations.

As a Wealth Advisor and co-founder of Velocity Investment Partners, Brianne uses her expertise to provide solutions to high net worth families who have complex financial needs, and deliver white glove, first-class service to clients who expect the very best. Her dedication to understanding and managing the unique financial challenges many families face gives our clients the peace of mind they need.

With the tools provided by the leading independent firm in Canada, Raymond James Ltd., she is continually raising the bar for customized and strategic investment solutions with a focus on risk
management. Brianne works closely with successful individuals, medical professionals, corporate executives, business owners and wealthy families across Canada, who have built significant wealth
through years of hard work. She takes pride in the opportunity to help them grow, protect, and diversify their wealth, and when the time comes, transfer it to future generations in the most efficient
manner.

Brianne and her team of experts manage money for 60 families across Canada, developing customized wealth management plans and solutions to meet their personal circumstances and goals. Brianne oversees a highly qualified team of six who help ensure all the clients receive ‘Amazon like’ efficiency and ‘Four Seasons like’ service. A disciplined and active risk management strategy allows clients to sleep soundly knowing their money is under prudent stewardship. Her team recently won Wealth Professionals 5 Star Top Teams in 2021.

Her unwavering passion for being a trusted financial partner and family advisor providing valuable guidance in overseeing their financial affairs is why she has built strong, long-term relationships.
Brianne has authored many industry articles over the years and is an expert financial contributor for Neighbours of Edgemont magazine as well as the Globe & Mail.

Brianne acts as a mentor to young women in business and has always been an active member of her community. She is a philanthropist through her membership in professional associations and charitable organizations such as Women in Capital Markets, Young Women in Business, SFU Beedie School of Business Mentorship program and ReThink Breast Cancer. She also serves as
a board member of Ascenda School of Management on the finance committee.

In her free time, Brianne leads an active lifestyle, and you’ll often find her playing golf, tennis, volleyball, skiing or hiking. She and her husband enjoy travelling and they love to spend time with family.

Jenny Kletinich joined RBC Capital Markets in 2015 and is currently a Vice President in the Debt Capital Markets group. In her role, Jenny supports DCM coverage for clients in the infrastructure, power and energy sectors, including bond offerings and liability management exercises. In addition to her day-to-day role within DCM, Jenny acts as formal mentor to new and junior staff, including providing guidance to female colleagues looking to manage their careers, and is actively involved in RBCCM’s university recruitment efforts. In 2020, Jenny was one of only 23 recipients of the RBC Performance Award, considered the peak of recognition at RBC and is awarded to employees who exemplify our Purpose, Vision and Values in every aspect of their work. Jenny also sits on the steering committee for the Toronto chapter of Women’s Infrastructure Network, a dynamic forum designed for women in infrastructure to help facilitate connections and networking, exchange ideas, and help shape the infrastructure agenda. Jenny graduated from McGill University in 2014 with a major in Finance and minor in Economics.

Maryam Moshiri is responsible for managing FX businesses that help corporates and retail clients facilitate cross-border payments more efficiently. Within this mandate, Maryam had developed new businesses from inception generating new revenue streams for Capital Markets. Maryam has a degree in Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

A results-oriented, team-focused Financial Services professional with eight years of Leadership, Sales and Client Service experience. Passionate about coaching and leading a high-performing team and empowering them to reach their potential. Driven to making a positive impact and add value to my clients, organization, and community.

I joined Manulife’s Wealth Sales team in 2013 as a Business Development Associate, supporting Wholesaling teams execute their sales strategy and deliver high-quality service and solutions to Investment Advisors. In 2015, I transitioned into a leadership role, leading the Central East Business Development Associate team

Prior to joining Manulife, I graduated from Western University in Business Management and worked in South Africa for a Management Consulting firm. South Africa was an incredible experience that pushed me outside of my comfort zone and taught me about living and working in a different culture and with individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Outside of the office I enjoy exploring new cities and cultures and love being active – skiing and golf being my favourites.

My recent accomplishments include:

- Co-lead of Women in Capitals Markets and Manulife’s internal committee. Our purpose is to promote WCM programming and encourage diverse representation across Manulife, develop talent and increase Manulife’s presence at external events.
-Steering committee member for Manulife Investment Management inaugural Women in Finance – Career in Sales event, April 2021. 150 attended and resulted in hiring new talent.
-Panelist in Women in Capital Markets: Overview of Careers in Finance, June 2020
- 2019 Women in Capital Markets Emerging Leaders Award Recipient.
- Spearheaded the transformation of department’s Internal Wholesaler Development Program: A defined 6-month curriculum to provide the knowledge, training and coaching necessary for Associates to transition into an Inside Sales role

Brandon Gill New is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Capital Markets Group at OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans. In her role, Brandon provides strategic direction and oversight over a number of strategies within the plan’s portfolio of C$6B externally managed public-markets funds.

Prior to joining OPTrust in early 2018, Brandon was a Director at BMO Capital Partners, a proprietary private debt and equity fund at Bank of Montreal. She also spent a decade at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. There, she served as a Portfolio Manager in the Alternative Investments Division managing a portfolio of global hedge funds and esoteric investment funds, and as an Assistant Portfolio Manager in the Public Equities Division covering Emerging Markets equities.

Brandon serves on the Institutional Asset Management Committee for CFA Society Toronto, as the Fund Development Chair for the Junior League of Toronto, and as a mentor for Women in Capital Markets.  Brandon holds an MBA from London Business School and a B.A. in International Economics from Middlebury College in Vermont. She is also a CFA Charterholder.

In her role as Director, Deposits & Investments in Global Business Payments, Deborah is responsible for developing investment strategies for corporate and commercial clients. Prior to her current role, she served as part of GBM’s Fixed Income Sales team, where she held primary sales coverage responsibilities for institutional clients including, governments, pensions, asset managers and corporate treasuries. Since joining Scotiabank in 2009 as part of International Banking’s Rotational Program, Deborah has held progressively senior roles in International Banking, Corporate Banking, and a secondment building the strategy for GBM’s Diversity & Inclusion Office.

Deborah balances her passion for the business with a desire to drive positive social change and exhibits leadership through action. She is a mentor through GBM’s Parental Advisor Liaison Program and the WCM Mentorship Program and is a strong advocate for the advancement of women and diversity and inclusion in the industry. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. In 2016, she was recognized by Women in Capital Markets as one of Canada’s Emerging Leaders.

Joegina Philip joined National Bank Financial in 2012 where she is currently a Director in the Risk Management Solutions Group. In her role, Joegina is responsible for leading, structuring and marketing foreign exchange hedging solutions to corporate clients across Canada and in the U.S. Joegina is actively involved with a number of strategic initiatives at NBF particularly around gender diversity and inclusion and is a strong advocate for the advancement of women in the industry. Joegina is an informal mentor to her younger colleagues on the team, as well as formal mentor to women through Women in Capital Markets’ mentorship program.

Joegina holds a Bachelors of Business Administration Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CFA charterholder.

Lindsay is a Director in the Diversified Industries Investment Banking team at TD Securities where her coverage activities span a range of sectors and transaction types. Since joining TD in 2008, Lindsay has also worked in the Equity Capital Markets and Financial Sponsors teams where she supported origination and execution efforts in those groups. Through her involvement in TD Securities' Women in Leadership Canada committee, Lindsay is actively involved in attracting female talent to the business and is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives across the firm. Lindsay holds a BA (Honours) degree in Economics from Queen's University and a Master of Financial Economics degree from the University of Toronto. In 2019, Lindsay was a recipient of TD Securities' Pinnacle Award and TD Bank's Vision in Action Award, its highest employee honour.

Christina Wood has consistently demonstrated over her 11 year career at CIBC to be a rising star through her thought leadership, commitment to innovative excellence, and passion for advancing industry goals as they pertain to gender diversity and inclusion. During her career, she has worked in Toronto, Hong Kong, London and New York as an FX Options Trader, gaining invaluable global experience and taking charge in a role largely dominated by men. As of 2017, her mandate grew to lead and execute CIBC’s electronic FX Options strategy. Since this appointment, CIBC became the 1st in Canada to fully automate price streaming, executing and warehousing FX Options with institutional and corporate clients. Christina manages a diverse cross functional team focused on taking CIBC from being the #1 USDCAD FX Options liquidity provider in Canada to #1 globally. Christina holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, a Masters of Managerial Analytics from Queen’s University and holds a CFA designation. Her level of care extends beyond professional aspirations, as she is part of a small team that created, coordinates and executes the ‘Women of CIBC Series’ which seeks to inspire and support female talent both at the bank and its clients by hosting meaningful dialogue, promoting diversity and inclusion, and seeking allies. Christina is also an active member of the CIBC Run For the Cure Fundraising Committee and participates in CIBC’s recruitment, training and mentoring efforts to foster the bank’s future leaders.

Brittany Clarke joined CIBC Capital Markets upon graduating in 2013 and is currently a Director in the Equity Capital Markets group. Brittany began her career in CIBC’s rotational program where she completed rotations through various groups at CIBC including debt capital markets, securitization, institutional fixed income sales and equity derivative sales. In early 2014, Brittany joined CIBC’s ECM team as an analyst. Today, Brittany works alongside her team to execute, price, structure and syndicate follow-on equity offerings and IPOs for corporate clients. She specifically assists in the coverage efforts for companies within the technology, power & utilities and diversified industry verticals. Brittany is proud to assist with recruiting efforts at CIBC and makes an effort to actively mentor junior employees. She also sits on the committee that hosts an annual bank-wide poker tournament to support the United Way. Brittany graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2013 with a degree in Honours Business Administration and successfully earned the CFA designation in 2018.

Cilise is a Vice President within the Strategy and Transformation team at RBC Capital Markets. In her role, she is responsible for leading and managing the firm’s Business Process Stream aimed at adding value by reviewing existing functional processes and quantifying the benefits obtained through process simplification for RBC’s Interest Rates Derivatives Replacement Platform Initiative. Throughout her 6 year career with RBC, Cilise has worked on a variety of revenue generating and process efficiency projects for Interest Rates Derivatives and other asset classes, which gave her exposure to various business lines and functions.

In addition to her role, Cilise is actively involved with a number of diversity initiatives at RBC. In 2018, Cilise was named Co-Chair of RBC Capital Markets’ gender diversity employee resource group, RWomen Canada. RWomen’s mission is to promote gender diversity and inclusion at RBC Capital Markets through advocacy & awareness, community involvement, ongoing education and networking opportunities. Cilise is also a RBC Academy facilitator and a RBC Ladies who Lunch mentor; both programs work to provide support and mentorship for high school students. 

In 2009, Cilise moved to Canada from Trinidad & Tobago to attend the University of New Brunswick, and she graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree.

Jennifer started her career at Scotiabank in 2006 as an Associate in GBM’s Sales and Trading Rotational Program. She subsequently joined the Commodity Derivatives Group where she progressed through a series of increasingly more senior roles and was responsible for marketing energy and agricultural hedging solutions to end users of commodities across North America. Jennifer has also completed a secondment to the Bank’s Global Risk Management and Special Account Management groups. She mentors several women within Global Banking and Markets and is a keen supporter of the Bank’s efforts to promote inclusion.  Jennifer holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

On the personal front, Jennifer married her high school sweetheart and enjoys spending time with her two high-energy children.

Grace is a Director in Corporate Banking. Her primary responsibilities are the origination, structuring and management of acquisition, project finance, fund and corporate loan transactions in the power, utilities and infrastructure sector. Grace joined Corporate Banking in 2011 and prior to joining the group she held responsibilities involving commercial lending transactions across a variety of sectors. Grace holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University.

Melissa Tan is a Vice President in the Equity Capital Markets team at National Bank Financial Inc.  In her role, Melissa is responsible for structuring, leading and participating in equity and hybrid equity offerings. She also advises public and private clients on optimal capital structures and financing alternatives whilst navigating the Canadian and U.S. regulatory framework.  Melissa’s expertise in the equity capital markets is also complemented by three years of experience in NBF’s corporate and investment banking group.

Alongside her career, Melissa is actively involved with a number of committees within the bank.  Melissa is one of the co-chairs of NBF’s Toronto United Way Campaign, and acted as team captain for NBF’s Covenant House Guts and Glory Challenge for three consecutive years.  Melissa also mentors young women and men informally, as well as formally through NBF’s mentorship program.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto.

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Carla Deeks joined Scotiabank in 2007 and has held progressively senior roles in Global Risk Management and Corporate Banking. Carla was promoted to her current role in 2014 and has made significant contributions to a variety of strategic initiatives at GBM. Carla is an active volunteer inside and outside the organization. She is a mentor in GBM’s Parental Advisor Liaison Program and the GBM Mentorship Program and is a strong advocate for the advancement of women in the industry.

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Mélanie is a Director in Foreign Exchange Electronic Trading. She is experienced in systematic market making and developing trading strategies in algorithmic trading. Mélanie's expertise includes Capital Markets and Risk Management practices. Prior to joining the eFX Trading desk, Mélanie was part of the Foreign Exchange and Precious Metals sales desk where she contributed in deepening existing client relationships and cultivating new ones.

Alongside her professional career, Mélanie is actively involved in different Financial Women Associations and Non-Profit organizations where she holds leading positions.

Mélanie holds a Master degree in Financial Engineering. She is the recipient of the Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Rising Star Award and the Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Emerging Leader Coaching Award. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations.

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Jennifer Diana Lee is Principal in the Strategy & Risk group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Her responsibilities include providing insights and advice to all private market underwriting and investment committees across the fund from a total fund perspective. Prior to her role at Ontario Teachers’, Jennifer was an Associate for two years at Goldman Sachs in London, UK, and began her career at Deloitte in Toronto. Jennifer is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and a Chartered Professional Accountant. She has Bachelor of Commerce and Global Professional Masters of Law degrees from the University of Toronto and most recently completed the Private Investments Board of Directors Program at the Rotman School of Management. Jennifer is passionate about giving back and currently serves as the youngest elected board member on CPA Ontario’s Council.

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In demand since the start of her career, Aliyah is a past recipient of the coveted Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship which recognizes academic excellence, leadership capabilities and volunteerism.

With a BSc in Neuroscience from Dalhousie University, Aliyah graduated as an Ivey Scholar from the MBA program at the University of Western, Richard Ivey School of Business.

Introduced to TD Securities through a summer internship in 2004, Aliyah became a permanent team member in 2005, advising on transactions across multiple industries with the Mergers and Acquisitions group.

In 2014, Aliyah joined the Real Estate investment banking group, where she currently has direct corporate client coverage responsibilities, and advises on a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, initial public offerings and equity and debt, public and private offerings. To date, she had advised on more than $15 billion of mergers and acquisitions.

Through the informal relationship-building events she arranges for women in the industry and her commitment to taking younger colleagues under her wing, she has made a significant impact as an advocate for gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond.

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Jackie Nixon is a Director on the Equity Capital Markets team within Global Investment Banking at RBC. In her role, Jackie is responsible for originating, structuring and executing equity and equity linked financings for Canadian issuers. She is also responsible for providing market informed judgements to Corporate and Private Equity clients in connection with financings, capital structure advisory, M&A advisory and trading dynamics.

In addition to her role, Jackie is actively involved with a number of committees within RBC Capital Markets. Jackie is one of the co-chairs of RWomen, the internal women’s network for RBC Capital Markets employees; she is a member of the Canadian Diversity Leadership Council, and is a member of the Corporate Citizenship Committee. Jackie also established and now co-leads a Technology & Innovation committee for Canadian Investment Banking.

Jackie joined RBC in July, 2016 after spending nine years at Goldman Sachs. Jackie started her career at Goldman Sachs International in London, England where she worked on the Corporate Equity Derivatives team within the Investment Banking Division for six years. Her experience in London was followed by three years at Goldman Sachs in New York, USA where she was a Vice President on the Equity Capital Markets Team, covering US issuers the industrial sector.

Jackie holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Dalhousie University.

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Maria Tihotchi is a Director with Global Structured Products (“GSP”) within the Trading Products group at BMO Capital Markets. GSP is dedicated to providing innovative investment solutions along with sales and after-sales support to the retail and wholesale investment community within Canada, the US and abroad. 

In her role as Director, Maria is responsible for structuring Principal at Risk Notes investment products within Canada and works closely with both of GSP’s trading and sales teams to create tailored investment solutions designed to meet the various risk appetites and return needs of Canadian investors.

Prior to her current role, Maria worked as an accountant at UBS Securities Canada.  She also obtained a Bachelor’s of Finance degree from University of Toronto and is a CFA Charterholder.

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As a Capital Markets professional, Priya Radha is responsible for Scotiabank Global  Banking Market’s Fixed Income Interest Rate Options Business globally. Prior to running the Options  Business, Priya was a successful Swap trader in the U.S. and Canadian markets as a market maker for Scotiabank as well as a Swap Trader and market maker in European and Sterling interest rates.

Priya is on the Board of Directors for the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation. As a former  recipient of the Scholarship, Priya is grateful to be able to give back to an organization like this which is
focused on Education, Accountability and Community Service.

Priya is also the Treasurer and sits on the Board of Directors for a grassroots non-profit organization, REA’son D’etre Dance Productions.

Priya holds both a B.B.A. (Hon.) and an M.B.A (Dean’s List) with a Specialization in Finance and Strategic Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

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This award is recognition of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP)'s data-driven and transparent approach to EDI and taking deliberate steps to standardize and de-bias processes. 

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Scotiabank’s Global Banking and Markets Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Office - Led by WendySmith, Managing Director. 

Following a successful career in Capital Markets Sales and Trading, Wendy formed the new office in 2015, which reports directly into the business line and is located on the trade floor. The D&I Office has made a measurable impact, advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace for the benefit of all employees.

With over 20 years’ experience in Capital Markets, Wendy has worked in many roles at several of the Big 5 banks' Capital Markets divisions, as a Senior Economist, Manager in Analytics and Electronic Trading Development, and Institutional Fixed Income Sales. She spent almost seven years on Scotiabank’s Emerging Markets Fixed Income desk,  marketing to large institutions in Canada and the United States . About three years ago she moved off the trading desk to pursue a new challenge: creating a Diversity and Inclusion Office for Scotiabank’s Global Banking and Markets Division.

A strong supporter of women in her business, Wendy  is an active member of several organizations including Women in Capital Markets, and Women in Leadership, having  served  on various committees and also as a mentor for over 15 years. In 2014, Wendy won WCM’s Executive Coaching Award.

Outside of her career, she has two major passions: travel and the resolution of global poverty issues.

She is a Governor of Opportunity International, a charitable microfinance organization which has clients in over 20 countries.

Wendy has an MA from York University in Economics and a BA Honors from Glendon College, major in Economics and a minor in French Literature.

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RBC Vision Women’s Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF (RLDR)

Canada’s first ETF that focuses exclusively on driving board diversity in Canada. The award is recognition of the collaborative approach between RBC Global Asset Management, RBC Capital Markets and OMERS for the launch, distribution and funding of the ETF.

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.

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RBC Vision Women’s Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF (RLDR)

Canada’s first ETF that focuses exclusively on driving board diversity in Canada. The award is recognition of the collaborative approach between RBC Global Asset Management, RBC Capital Markets and OMERS for the launch, distribution and funding of the ETF.

Satish Rai is OMERS Chief Investment Officer. His mandate includes the overall global investment strategy, portfolio construction activities, and P&L accountability across all asset classes and geographies where OMERS invests. A 30-year veteran of the investment sector, Satish joined OMERS in January 2015, and immediately focused on delivering a strengthened approach to capital markets investing, with the ultimate goal of bolstering long-term value for members. Satish previously served as Chief Investment Officer at TD Asset Management (TDAM), overseeing $250 billion in assets under management; he was also Chair of the Committee of the Advancement of Visible Minorities in Leadership Roles, and a Diversity Leadership Council member. Believing strongly that distinct perspectives strengthen a workplace, Satish actively delivers on his commitment to diversity at OMERS through a differentiated approach to hiring, mentorship and investing. Satish holds both a Bachelor of Mathematics (University of Waterloo) and a CFA. In 2002, he was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Industry Leaders Under 40, and in 2006 he received the Alumni Achievement Medal from Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics. Satish serves on the Toronto Global and Capitalize for Kids Boards and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization/World Presidents’ Organization. He is a past member of the respective Boards of the University of Waterloo, Michael Garron Hospital Foundation and Women in Capital Markets.

Hannah Smerek is a Director in National Bank’s Commodity Derivatives group where she covers a book of energy clients. Through her position, Hannah has extensive experience working directly with C-Suite executives, building and executing on strategic solutions for managing their commodity price risks. Hannah has been at National Bank since 2014 and has held various roles within Sales & Trading, including NGL trading and equity derivatives structuring. She was also selected for National Bank’s Financial Markets Rotational Program during which she held positions across all verticals of Capital Markets. Hannah has a Bachelor of Engineering in Materials Science with First Class Honours from Imperial College London, UK. She graduated at the top of her class and was awarded the IOM3 Prize in Materials from the UK Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining for her strong academic performance. Hannah is passionate about the advancement of women in male-dominated fields and has been actively involved with Women in Capital Markets as a member of the Calgary Steering Committee since 2017 and Co-Chair of the Calgary Chapter since 2019. Hannah was a recipient of Women in Capital Market’s Emerging Leaders Award in 2020.

Keren Beletsky is a Principal in the Private Capital group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), she joined OTPP in 2018. Prior to joining Ontario Teachers', Keren worked in M&A investment banking at National Bank Financial.

Keren has been a volunteer with Women in Capital Markets (WCM) since 2016 and became co-chair of the WCM UniConnect Committee in 2018.

Keren holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Mélanie is a Director in Foreign Exchange Electronic Trading. She is experienced in systematic market making and developing trading strategies in algorithmic trading. Mélanie's expertise includes Capital Markets and Risk Management practices. Prior to joining the eFX Trading desk, Mélanie was part of the Foreign Exchange and Precious Metals sales desk where she contributed in deepening existing client relationships and cultivating new ones.

Alongside her professional career, Mélanie is actively involved in different Financial Women Associations and Non-Profit organizations where she holds leading positions.

Mélanie holds a Master degree in Financial Engineering. She is the recipient of the Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Rising Star Award and the Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Emerging Leader Coaching Award. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations

Lindsay Brent is Vice President, Research Product Manager in Global Equities at RBC Capital Markets. Throughout her career at RBC, Lindsay has had broad exposure to the organization, through prior roles in Wealth Management with the Portfolio Advisory Group, Institutional Equity Sales with Capital Markets, and Strategy Development with Personal & Commercial Banking. In her current role, Lindsay works on a global team to strengthen RBC’s research product and distribution, in collaboration with the research team, sales and trading.  

Lindsay is passionate about women’s empowerment, as exemplified by her contributions to the community. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Women in Capital Markets High School Liaison Committee, and holds the positions of Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Strategy Committee at Jessie’s Centre, an organization that provides support and services to pregnant teens and young mothers and their children facing obstacles such as poverty and social isolation. She has also been an active volunteer with Camp Oochigeas in recent years, and is involved with mentorship and recruiting initiatives at RBC. This fall, Lindsay was honoured with the 2020 RBC Global Citizen Award for her volunteer efforts in the community.

Lindsay holds an MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and an Honours Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University.

Carmen is an investment professional with over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, including advisory roles and 11 years of institutional investment management experience in trading, investment strategy and client consulting.  Carmen was recently promoted to a Derivatives Trader role on a cross-asset trading desk, her fourth progressively more senior position since joining BCI in 2008.  Carmen's breadth of experience allows her to excel and provide leadership to her team when faced with strategic business initiatives.  Her key strengths include methodical decision making, analysis and relationship building.  In her spare time, she chairs the WCM Victoria Chapter which she co-founded in 2017.  

Carmen has a Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA).

A multiple award-winning Capital Markets professional, Leanne Herbst is a Director in Trading Business Management for Global Markets at TD Securities. She leads a diverse team of senior risk professionals responsible for the first line of defense trading governance and control mandate. In addition to heading up operational risk programs, model risk and algorithmic trading governance, and business compliance programs for Volcker, Swap Dealer, and MiFID, she also acts as the Compliance, Audit, and OSFI liaison for Global Markets.

With over 26 years at TD Bank Group, Leanne has held a variety of roles in Retail, Project Delivery, Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering, Capital Markets Infrastructure, and Audit. An active member of TD's Indigenous Student Mentorship Program and United Way Women United Program, as well as TD Securities' North American Recruitment & Outreach Committee and Return to Bay Street Program, Leanne has dedicated her career to diversity and inclusion advocacy and leadership.

An eight-year Women in Capital Markets (WCM) volunteer, she is Co-Chair of the organization's Coaching Awards Committee which was expanded during her tenure to include the Emerging Leaders Program.

In 2016, Leanne was a recipient of the TD Vision in Action Award of Distinction, the company's highest honour recognizing the contributions of truly outstanding employees, as well as the TD Securities Pinnacle Award, the most prestigious employee recognition bestowed by the Securities group. 

Farialle is an Associate Investment Advisor at Richardson GMP for The Kaufman Wealth Group. A licensed Advisor, Farialle is also responsible for the internal operations of The Kaufman Wealth Group; effectively the Chief Operating Officer of the practice. Before joining Richardson GMP, she worked as an Account Manager for a privately-owned Canadian Investor Relations firm. Farialle holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts, with a major in History and a minor in Political Studies from Queen’s University.

In her free time, Farialle co-founded with two colleagues, Femina Cena, a speaker series which acts as both a networking and discussion forum for women, centered on topics relating to the modern working woman. In addition to being an active volunteer and member of Women in Capital Markets, she is also currently the Co-Chair of AIMACanada’s Events and Programming Committee. Aside from her passion to promote greater gender diversity and female-empowerment, Farialle enjoys playing squash at the Toronto Lawn and Tennis Club at a non-competitive level, and spinning at SpokeHaus.

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A creative and entrepreneurial change agent with a reputation for creating high performing teams, building consensus, and driving value across a portfolio of 60 mid-market companies, Tamara Finch leads the Value Creation and Portfolio Construction and Analytics team for Ontario Teachers’ $32 billion private equity arm. Since joining Private Capital in 2002, Tamara has been a direct investor, built Teachers’ successful post-investment value creation business, and created a systematic, repeatable transformation agenda across Toronto, London and Hong Kong investment teams that consistently delivers top quartile returns. Tamara plays an active role on the Private Capital Underwriting Committee and Chairs the Portfolio Monitoring Committee.

Tamara is seen as a role model within Teachers’, 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 and better decision making and is a driving force in improving the number of women on portfolio company boards.

Tamara began her finance career at Scotiabank in Corporate Credit where she was responsible for determining credit-worthy leveraged buy-outs in the midst of a recession. In addition to her day job in Private Capital, in 2017 Tamara took on a six month interim HR leadership role supporting the CEO while he led the search for a new Chief People Officer. She currently sits on the board of Baybridge Senior Living and Exal Group, and was on the board of Women’s College Hospital for six years. Tamara holds a BA 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.

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Patrick Cronin is CEO and Group Head of BMO Capital Markets. He was appointed to this role in November 2016 and is responsible for BMO Financial Group’s interactions with corporate, government and institutional clients.

 Previously, Mr. Cronin was President and Chief Operating Officer of BMO Capital Markets where he had oversight of all balance sheet and risk management activity, international operations, and regulatory and compliance functions. Prior to that, he served as Head of the firm's Trading Products group, where he had responsibility for the Sales, Trading, Research and Structuring groups in Equity Products, Debt Products, Foreign Exchange, Derivative Products and Securitization.

 Mr. Cronin joined BMO Capital Markets in 1993 and progressed through a series of increasingly senior positions on the trading floor. He was appointed Co-Head of the Equity Derivatives Group in 2001 and Co-Head of Financial Products four years later.

 Mr. Cronin is a member of BMO Financial Group's Executive Committee and chair of BMO Capital Markets’ Operating and Executive Committees. He currently serves on the Board of the Loran Scholars Foundation, Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation, and the Canadian Depository For Securities Limited. He is also a Sector Chair of the United Way Toronto & York Region Individual Giving Cabinet.

 Mr. Cronin holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.

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Susan Rimmer has taken on leadership of CIBC’s Global Corporate Banking team as Managing Director & Head, Global Corporate Banking. In this role, Susan is responsible for CIBC’s corporate banking business across Canada, U.S., Europe & Asia.

Most recently, Ms. Rimmer was Managing Director & Global Head of CIBC’s Debt Capital Markets business. Her responsibilities included investment grade, high yield and government finance fixed income origination & syndication across Canada, U.S. and the U.K. She joined CIBC following a 15 year career in global capital markets and investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London, U.K., & Toronto, Canada.

Susan is a member of the CIBC Operating Committee and the Capital Markets Executive Committee. She was appointed to the Board of Directors for CIBC Mellon November 1, 2015. Susan serves as Co-Chair of the annual CIBC United Way Campaign. She holds an Honors BA from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

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Duane Green is president and CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments Canada and of Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada. Leveraging more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, he oversees Franklin Templeton's Canadian business.

Mr. Green previously served as managing director - Canada, responsible for the firm's Canadian retail, institutional and HNW distribution business. Prior to that, he was head of Institutional, Canada. Mr. Green joined Franklin Templeton in 2004 as vice president, Strategic Alliances. Before joining the firm, he was a vice president at an international insurer.

 Mr. Green is chair of the board and director of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., director of Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada and is chair and director of FTC Investor Services Inc. He also serves as president, CEO and director of both Templeton Growth Fund Ltd and Franklin Templeton Corporate Class Funds Ltd. He is on the Board of Directors of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC), the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) and Business for the Arts (BftA). He also sits on the Pension Committee of Canada's National Ballet School and is a past board member of Canada's National Ballet School and of Crohn's and Colitis Canada.

 Mr. Green has a degree in economics from the University of Ottawa and is a fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. He holds the FMA, CIM, and FCSI designations.

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Harleen has over 22 years of experience within Fixed Income and Capital Markets. Currently, she has CIO level relationships across RBCCM’s client base, positions RBC as a thought leader in Canadian OTC Derivatives Reform and her derivatives footprint is widely considered the best in the industry. Harleen is also a charter member of United Way’s Women’s United. Women United focuses its efforts on raising funds to support education and employment programs for women in the Toronto & York region. Harleen also sits on United Way’s Toronto & North York Cabinet as Co-Chair Women’s Leadership Initiatives.

She has had roles within part of the Global Markets Program, Interest Rate Derivatives Trading, and trading both the front-end of the USD and CAD curve. She was also in charge of building out RBC’s Institutional STRIP bonds business. During her career, RBC’s Institutional STRIPs business for Provincials and Government of Canada bonds quickly grew to rank No. 1 among its longer standing peers. Harleen was appointed a Managing Director in 2005, managing Provincial, SSA and Rates risk. Harleen transitioned from trading to sales lead in Institutional derivatives, with progressively more senior roles, including leading the Rates Sales business in the U.S., returning to Canada in 2014 to expanded Canadian responsibilities for Money Markets and Futures. In 2017, her role grew to include Canadian Rates Trading. 

Harleen earned her Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Finance) from The University of Calgary in 1996 and is a CFA charterholder.

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Marian Lawson has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, holding progressively senior positions in Corporate Banking, Audit, Investment Banking and Global Capital Markets.  Marian has spent the majority of her career in client facing roles, working with company executives across multiple industries to advance their business priorities.  

In her current role as Executive Vice President, Global Financial Institutions and Transaction Banking, Marian has oversight and responsibility for the business conducted with all financial institutions globally, as well as cash management, payment and trade finance solutions for the Bank’s business customers. 
Marian is a member of a number of executive committees at Scotiabank, and also sits on the Board of an internal subsidiary.  Previous Board experience includes a private energy company located in Toronto.

As an advocate for diversity, Marian is Co-Chair of Global Banking and Markets Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  In 2016, she was recognized by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as one of Canada’s “Top 100 Most Powerful Women” and also, in 2016 was awarded the Women in Capital Markets (WCM) Leadership award for her contributions to diversity in the workplace. She is also involved in a number of initiatives such as Return to Bay Street and Dress for Success, as well as Women United, under the United Way banner. 

Marian holds a Master of Business (Finance) degree from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from York University.  She also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

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Mr. Tripp is the former President of BMO Capital Markets. Mr Tripp consults within the financial industry and serves on several boards both in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.   He is a past board member of the TMX Group and currently sits on the boards of the Canadian Market Authority Integration Office, Connor Clark and Lunn Financial Group, the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and is Board Chair of the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation.

Annie Ropar currently serves as a director on the boards of Ontario Capital Growth Corporation and Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.  Prior to her current role with Canada Infrastructure Bank, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. and had been with the company since its inception.  Previously, Annie was Managing Director, Global Equities at RBC Capital Markets where she was responsible for business management and strategy execution for the institutional sales and trading side of the business. During her career at RBC, she was also a Partner with RBC Capital Partners overseeing the bank’s private equity activities.  Prior to RBC, Annie spent 7 years at CIT Group Inc. as Senior Vice President and Group CFO of what was then their Structured Finance Division. Annie is a Canadian CA, CPA and also holds a U.S. CPA designation.   Annie started her career at Deloitte & Touche in Toronto and completed her undergraduate degree in Finance at Ryerson University.