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About Us
Leadership

See list of past presidents

Chair: Brian Madden, CFA

Brian Madden, CFA

Chair

Brian is the Chief Investment Officer at First Avenue Investment Counsel. Brian began his investment career in 1997 with one of Canada’s foremost independent research firms. In 2003, Brian co-founded one of the predecessor firms to First Avenue Investment Counsel, where for eight years he served affluent and high net worth private clients as Vice President & Portfolio Manager in managing equity investments. Subsequently, he spent five years managing a suite of balanced funds at one of Canada’s oldest and largest mutual fund companies. Immediately prior to joining First Avenue, he spent five years as Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager with a Toronto-based investment counsel firm, serving high net worth private clients in Canada and the United States. Brian has been a CFA charterholder since 2000, and also holds a CFP and CIM designations and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1997. Away from the office, Brian embraces an ethos of volunteerism, community and mentorship and is the proud father of a teenage son who enjoys spending time with family and enthusiastically exploring far flung corners of the planet.  
Heather Cooke, Incoming Chair

Heather Cooke, CFA

Vice Chair

Heather Cooke is the Chief Investment Officer of The Audra Group - a single family office and affiliate of The Woodbridge Company Limited where she is responsible for the management and oversight of the investment program.  Prior to joining The Audra Group, Heather worked at Fiera Capital Corporation where she was the Deputy Chief Investment Officer and SVP of Private Alternatives.  She was also the Chair of the Global ESG Committee and expanded the Multi-Asset Class Solutions platform as SVP of Investment Solutions. Over her 30-year investment management career, she has held senior investment management and Canadian leadership roles at global asset management and consulting firms such as Unigestion Asset Management, Mercer Global Investments, Rogerscasey and Northern Trust Global Investments. Heather earned her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Smith School of Business at Queen's University and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. She also volunteers at the CFA Society Toronto as a Board Member at Large and is a member of The Ticker Club of Toronto. 

Treasurer: Bobby Thompson, CFA

Bobby Thompson, CFA

Treasurer

Bobby Thompson is a Partner at KPMG to in the Audit Practice focusing on financial institutions in the insurance sector. Previous to his role at KPMG, Bobby was a Senior Manager at EY providing audit and accounting advisory services to insurance and financial services clients across Canada. In addition to holding the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst, he holds the designation of Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant. He has served on the CFA Society Toronto Finance Committee since 2015. He has lectured senior finance and accounting courses at Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College. A community member of Waterloo Region, he enjoys spending free time with his partner Jenna and three children, Brooklyn, Mason and Juliet.

 

Director: Sadiq Alladina, CFA

Sadiq Alladina, CFA

Director

Sadiq has specialized in commercial real estate since 2006 with experience evaluating investment and development opportunities across all major sectors. He is the Founder and Principal of Arrowton Realty Advisors, a firm that serves institutional investors, family offices, and high net worth individuals. Previously, Sadiq carried out core, value-add and opportunistic mandates in development management. He began his career at LaSalle Investment Management where he invested in real estate across Canada on behalf of a series of commingled funds and separate accounts. Sadiq also volunteers at the CFA Society Toronto as the past Chair and current Senior Advisor to the Industrial Relations and Corporate Governance committee. His writing has appeared in Canadian Investment Review, FDI Magazine, and Benefits Canada.


Sebastian Becerra, Director

Sebastian Becerra, CFA

Director

Sebastian Becerra is the Managing Director, Deputy Head Global Transaction Banking at RBC Capital Markets. He leads client coverage for the Americas, Australia and New Zealand as well as the Product Strategy and Data and Automation teams. Sebastian is a client-centric business development professional skilled at combining industry, product, and regulatory knowledge to provide clients with tailored advice, insights, and solutions. He has a deep understanding of international and domestic payments, the securities industry and trade finance. Sebastian holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering (honors), a Master’s in Software Engineering, an MBA from McGill University and is a CFA charter holder. 



Director: Nigel Carpenter, CNE

Nigel Carpenter, CNE

Director

Nigel brings 30 years of experience as a senior technology executive, with past leadership roles also responsible for Human Resources and Facilities. He has more than 10 years of healthcare experience in mental health, research, advocacy, and health centre management, including board director roles at the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres and as Vice-Chair at Wellfort Community Health Centres. Most recently, Nigel was Vice-President of IT Governance & Co-Chair of the Transition Management Office for the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), overseeing activities related to the consolidation of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA) and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). He joined MFDA in 2016 as Chief Technology Officer, where he was responsible for technology strategy, security, and the lifecycle of all information systems, ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information.

Director: Sarim Farooqi, CFA

Sarim Farooqi, CFA

Director

Sarim Farooqi has been at Laurentian Bank since February 2018 as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. He is responsible for Balance Sheet Management and Funding Execution. This includes Cash and Liquidity Management, Funding Planning, the Management of Structural Interest Rate and Foreign Exchange Risk, and the Execution of Secured and Unsecured Funding programs. Sarim is also responsible for the Management of Banker, Dealer, Rating Agency and Debt Investor Relationships and Corporate Development. Prior to Laurentian, Sarim had over 20 years of experience, working in Canadian and Global Banks in roles of increasing seniority covering Treasury, Fixed Income, Money Markets, and Equities. 

Audrey Gan, Director

Audrey Gan, CFA

Director

Audrey is a Senior Vice President at BNY Mellon with over 30 years experience in the Financial Services Industry of which 20 years in Investment System Conversion and Integration in North America, United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Audrey was a Principal at Barclays Global Investors (Now Blackrock) managing national and global technology projects. Previously she was with AEGON Capital Management managing day-to-day operations with overall responsibility for the technology strategy for the investment division. Audrey has also held senior positions at prestigious financial services firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and TD Asset Management. Audrey currently serves as the Vice Chair of the External Relations Committee. Audrey has been a CFA Charter holder since 1998 and completed her MBA in Finance and BBA in Marketing from Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Ontario. 

Director: Kar-Wei Lam, CFA

Kar-Wei Lam, CFA

Director

Kar-Wei Lam is a Wealth Advisor & Portfolio Manager at Aligned Capital Partners Inc., collaborating with families, professionals, and corporations in creating customized wealth solutions. In addition to managing clients’ investment portfolios, she advises on financial planning, insurance solutions and estate planning. As part of her commitment to the community, Kar-Wei was a volunteer member of the CFA Society Toronto’s Mentorship Committee for nearly a decade. She is also an avid connector and ran a long-standing Bay Street executive networking group that met twice a month to share ideas, collaborate and make new contacts. She is currently completing her Certified Financial Planner designation.

 

Jenifer Rush, Director

Jenifer Rush, CFA

Director

In her role as Head of Responsible Investing and Manager Research, Jenifer is responsible for enhancing SLGI’s multi-manager capabilities and accelerating the focus on responsible investing. Jenifer joined SLGI in February of 2022 to work as part of the Multi Asset Solutions team. Prior to joining Sun Life Global Investments in 2022, Jenifer was AVP, Head of Global Manager Research, in Canada, at a leading wealth management firm. Jenifer played a key role in augmenting the focus on ESG for Managers on the platform in her previous role. She brings with her over 25 years of industry experience across manager research and portfolio management. Jenifer holds an MBA from Queen’s University as well as the CFA and CAIA designations. Jenifer is actively involved in the Toronto CFA Society. Jenifer is also a Board Member of the North York Women’s Centre.

Director: Noelle Sargent

Noelle Sargent

Noelle is a seasoned corporate leader with over 20 years of experience in global senior executive roles within diverse financial services firms, including OMERS, Scotia Capital, Russell Investments, and International Financial Data Services (IFDS). She has held roles in Human Resources, Risk Management, and Governance, and is known for contributing pragmatic, creative solutions and deep expertise in organizational effectiveness and transformational change management. Currently, Noelle leverages her experience as a trusted advisor to corporate executives and board directors, providing bespoke coaching and advisory services. She demonstrates her commitment to making a broader contribution to society through her involvement in non-profit endeavors; she is a former board director for the Youth & Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) and is involved in local community initiatives.

Secretary: Minal Up

Minal Upadhyaya, LLB

Secretary

Minal is Head of Legal for Capital Group Canada, where she oversees the legal and compliance functions for Capital Group’s Canadian business. She has been in the financial services business for more than 20 years, providing business practical legal advice to investment management firms, including for the Canadian wealth and asset management businesses of TD Bank Group. Immediately prior to joining Capital Group Canada, Minal was the General Counsel and Privacy Officer for Halton Healthcare Services. 

CEO & Director: Fred Pinto, CFA

Fred Pinto, CFA

CEO and Director 

Fred Pinto is CEO of CFA Society Toronto. Fred is responsible for CFA Society Toronto's overall strategic direction and management. Core to this mandate is continuing to deliver outstanding member value, promoting high ethical standards in the investment industry and increasing the visibility of the charter with multiple key stakeholders. He sits on the Board of Directors of CFA Society Toronto.  Fred brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the Asset and Wealth Management industry and also sits on other Boards and Advisory Councils.

Fred holds a BA (Honours) from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and received his ICD.D designation.