| Speakers |
|
| |
|
|
|
  |
|
Jon Aikman, Adjunct Faculty, Smith School of Business Queen's University, Founder of Nordai Analytics and Matrix Law
Professor, Smith School of Business, Queen's University & founder/CEO of NordAi Analytics, law degree from Queen's, MBA from Oxford, and certificates in AI and fintech from MIT. A Chartered Investment Mgr &qualified lawyer in Ontario, England & Wales.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Sarah Davies, CTO, FinRegLab
Sarah Davies has over 20 years experience in the financial services sector, serving as an executive leader and innovator in the analytics and decision science field. She previously was the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Nova Credit and the Senior Vice President of Product, Analytics and Research at VantageScore Solutions, LLC where she led the development of the VantageScore credit scoring models. She has authored numerous whitepapers and research insights on consumer credit behavioral analysis. She holds several patents in both the credit analytics and airline optimization fields. She is a frequent speaker and educator on credit risk and consumer behavioral analytics. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Adam Dolson, OSFI
Adam Dolson is a Director in the Capital and Liquidity Standards Division at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). Adam joined OSFI in 2009 and has spent most of his career focused on banks’ market and liquidity risks. Currently Adam and his team are responsible for all of OSFI’s guidance associated with liquidity risk, as well as the capital adequacy guidance for operational risk and market risk. Adam and his team work very closely with Canadian banks and the various Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee (FISC) partners to ensure the standards OSFI implements, such as Basel III, have the intended results. The team also represents OSFI on a number of international BCBS groups including the Liquidity Experts Group and the Market Risk Group, both reporting to the Policy and Standards Group. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Natalia Evtushenko, Vice President, Funds Risk Management, Scotiabank
Natalia Evtushenko is Vice President with an oversight of Market and Credit Risk for Non-Bank Financial Institutions. She joined Scotiabank in 2011 and has over 12 years of experience in both market and credit risk. In her previous role she was responsible for Market and Liquidity Risk in Asia Pacific Region and was based in Singapore. In her current role she is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership globally with an oversight for Prime Services, Leveraged Loan Portfolio as well as credit oversight for a range of Non-Bank Financial Entities such as Hedge Funds, Regulated Funds, Private Equity, Pension Funds and Broker / Dealers. Natalia has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Master of Business Administration.
She is known for being passionate, not afraid of taking risks and a true advocate for Diversity and Inclusion. Natalia has an extensive international experience including LATAM, North America, Asia and Europe. She thrives to be a role model to other women including her two little girls |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Hany Farag, Head of Modelling and Methodology, Capital Markets Risk Management
Hany Farag is Senior Director and Head of Risk Methodology and Analytics at CIBC. Prior to his current position he was a partner at Eastmoor Capital Partners, LLP; Managing Director and Head of FX Statistical Arbitrage at CIBC; and Head of Quantitative Research at OANDA Corporation. Prior to his industry positions he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech and at Rice University. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Analysis from Yale, a MS in Theoretical Physics from Yale, and a BSC in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Ain Shams. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Winston Gee, Chair of Board of Directors, Blueprint and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Senior Legal Counsel, TD Bank Group
Winston Gee is Senior Counsel, ESG & Corporate Governance, at TD Bank Group. Winston advises the Bank's board, senior management, and business segments on the design and implementation of the Bank's ESG strategy, on the management of environmental and social risk, and on matters of corporate governance, including stakeholder engagement, disclosure, director duties, and the Bank's annual meeting of shareholders. Prior to his career at TD, Winston was a commercial litigator and regulatory lawyer at Torys LLP.
Outside of his legal practice, Winston serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Blueprint, a Toronto-based public policy consulting firm that advises governments and private-sector organizations across Canada. Winston is also an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, teaching a course on the rise of ESG expectations for business. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Alka Grover, CPA, CA ,Director, Capital Interpretation & Policy, Financial Resource Optimization, Corporate Treasury, Royal Bank of Canada
Alka leads and coordinates RBC directional policy and advocacy for capital and leverage regulatory requirements with its Canadian regulator, OSFI. She participates in major capital implementation projects as they arise to ensure projects meet regulatory requirements (e.g. Basel III Reforms, Securitization Framework and Counterparty Credit risk, Pillar 3 disclosures). Alka also coordinates RBC’s quarterly enterprise wide Pillar 3 external reporting disclosures. Alka has over 10 years’ experience in regulatory capital at RBC and enjoys translating complex requirements into meaningful requirements for messaging to all levels of staff. Alka is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant with experience in credit adjudication and financial reporting as well.
Alka is the recent recipient of RBC 2023 CFO Group Leadership Model Award. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Victoria Guo, Interim Managing Director, Global Risk Institute and Co-Regional Director, PRMIA Toronto
Victoria Guo is the co-Regional Director of PRMIA Toronto and currently serves as the Interim
Managing Director at the Global Risk Institute (GRI). In her role at GRI, she is tasked with
engaging with GRI's membership base to strategize and identify avenues through which GRI can
generate economic value for all stakeholders by leveraging the organization's risk research
programs.
Bringing over a decade of experience in treasury and risk management in the financial services
industry, Victoria has previously assumed a number of management roles at Scotiabank. Her
responsibilities encompassed overseeing risk within capital markets and treasury activities,
including the critical assessment of liquidity risk management through stress-testing and
enterprise recovery and resolution planning across Scotiabank's diverse businesses.
Victoria holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor’s
degree in Financial Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and is a CFA and FRM
charter holder.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Anshu Kaushal, Director, Group Risk Management - Wholesale Credit, Royal Bank of Canada
As a Director of Wholesale Credit at RBC Capital Markets, I am responsible for credit adjudication, execution, and portfolio management on real estate, corporate, and leveraged finance transactions across North America. With over 10 years of experience in Corporate Banking (Originations & Relationship Management) and Credit Adjudication, I have developed a strong expertise in structuring and executing complex and innovative financing solutions for a wide range of clients across industries.
I am passionate about delivering excellent client service and building long-term partnerships based on trust, collaboration, and strategic thinking. I have a proven track record of leading and supporting multiple transactions with deal sizes from $25million to over $1Billion, generating significant value and returns for both the clients and the bank. As a seasoned loan markets professional and people manager, I also enjoy mentoring and building high performing teams. |
|
| |
|
|
|
.jpg) |
|
Katerina Kindyni, Lead on ESG Risk, EY Canada
Katerina Kindyni is part of the Financial Services Risk Management (FSRM) team of Ernst & Young. She leads the Sustainable Finance, Climate Risk and Risk Management practice in Canada, specializing in risk modelling, stress testing, net-zero strategies and portfolio management.
Based in Toronto, she promotes the effective management of financial risk with a combination of strong analytical skills and practical knowledge. Prior to joining EY, Katerina has held positions in areas such as credit risk modelling, portfolio management, stress testing and credit risk analytics. Her experiences also include the implementation and design of the IFRS 9 stress testing projection methodology, regulatory stress testing exercises (e.g. PRA, EBA) and capital management.
Katerina is a member of the Centre of Climate Finance & Investment of Imperial College London, a member of the Canadian Standardization Advisory Committee on ESG and sits at the board of the Canadian Banking Association. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Cleo Li, Co-Regional Director of PRMIA Toronto, Ex-Institutional Equity Trader, BMO Capital Markets
Cleo is a highly accomplished Institutional Equity Trader with a proven track record of success in the financial industry. With a wealth of experience in Capital Markets, Private Wealth, and Risk Management, she has held significant strategic roles in renowned financial institutions. She previously served as a Sales Trader at Bank of Montreal, playing a pivotal role in the equity trading team at the Capital Markets and Wealth Management division.
Her expertise lies in driving equity trading strategies and providing value-added solutions to hedge funds, asset managers, and investment advisors. Leveraging her deep understanding of fundamental and technical research, Cleo delivers exceptional equity sales trading coverage to institutional clients, while generating innovative trade ideas. She excels in client relationship management, forging strong partnerships across multiple functions. Cleo's impressive career started in risk management at Credit Suisse in the London, UK office.
Cleo received her Master of Finance degree from Queen's University, where she showcased exceptional academic achievements. She holds Honours Bachelor of Mathematics from University of Waterloo. She is a charter holder of CFA and is a PRMIA Professional Risk Manager (PRM™) Designation holder. Beyond her professional endeavors, Cleo finds fulfillment in engaging in outdoor activities and running. With her international expertise, strategic mindset, and drive for excellence, Cleo is poised to make a lasting impact as the Co-Regional Director role within the PRMIA Toronto community. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Ijeoma Madeuke, Executive Director Sustainable Finance, CIBC
Ijeoma is an Executive Director, Sustainable Finance at CIBC Capital Markets where she provides subject matter expertise and advises clients on strategies to overlay ESG into their capital structure across public and private markets. Her career has spanned sustainability, corporate and investment banking as well as M&A in various capacities and across different geographic regions.
Ijeoma joined CIBC from Sustainalytics, an ESG research and ratings firm, where she was Regional Lead for the Americas Opinions team. In this capacity, she was responsible for the technical assessment of second party opinions on green, social,
sustainable and transition finance frameworks across use of proceeds and sustainability-linked instruments across a variety of sectors and geographies.
She is a Vice Chair of the Canadian Advocacy Council (CFA Societies Canada) which
advances investor protection, industry professionalism, market integrity and transparency. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, Ijeoma has authored various pieces on equity and is a mentor with the Black Business Ventures Association and Women in Capital Markets.
Ijeoma holds an MSc. in International Business and Finance from the University of Dundee, Scotland as well as a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from Carleton University. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Justin McCarthy, CEO, PRMIA
Justin McCarthy is CEO of the Professional Risk Managers International Association (PRMIA). This is a non-profit professional association, governed by a Board of Directors directly elected by its global membership. Previously he has served as the chair of the Global Board of PRMIA. He has worked in roles in many firms, including Ulster Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers and with the Irish Financial Regulator at the Central Bank of Ireland. This work has allowed him to see the changes in risk management since through and beyond the recent global financial crisis. His work on the PRISM risk-based supervision framework with the Irish Financial Regulator included exposure to banking, funds and insurance risk practices as well as the quantitative work done on the related impact models and the challenge in feeding valid financial data to these models. Justin has a BSc from University College Cork and an MBA from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College Dublin. He recently completed his Corporate Director Certificate at Harvard Business School. He is originally from Schull, west Cork, Ireland and has two children. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Jafer Naqvi, Vice President & Director, Lead of Institutional Asset Allocation Team, TD Asset Management Inc.
Joined the firm: 2012 Began career: 2004
Jafer leads the Institutional Asset Allocation Team. He is accountable for designing strategic asset mix, fund selection and tactical asset allocation within active balanced funds and custom fund of fund solutions for institutional investors. Jafer is Portfolio Manager for the TD Greystone Balanced Fund, TD Greystone Balanced Plus Fund, TD Greystone Target Date Plus Funds and TD Greystone Real Asset Fund. He has previous experience working in fixed income and investment solutions development as a Vice-President with a global investment management firm along with experience within investment consulting. Jafer holds a B.B.A. with Honours from Wilfrid Laurier University.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Rick Nason, PhD, CFA
Rick is an Associate Professor of Finance at Dalhousie University where he has been received numerous awards for teaching excellence. His academic work includes researching corporate risk management and complexity in business. As a former capital markets, as well as corporate learning professional, he remains active in consulting, conference presentations, and corporate training, specializing in applications of complexity science and risk management.
He is the author / co-author of seven books and textbooks, including It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business, published by University of Toronto Press, and Rethinking Risk Management, by Business Experts Press.
He has a BSc. in Chemistry from McMurry University, a MSc. in Physics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a MBA and PhD from the Ivey School of Business at Western University (Canada) |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Jason Parker, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income, iA Global Asset Management
Jason is Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income at iA Global Asset Management, helping oversee the company’s $100+ billion in assets under management. He boasts nearly 30 years work experience in the capital markets and spent the bulk of his career at BMO Capital Markets, where he was Managing Director and Head of North American Credit Research. While at BMOCM, he led his team to a #1 rank in Canadian fixed income research for 13 consecutive years prior to his departure, according
to Greenwich and Associates.
Jason is currently finishing his Doctor of Business Administration degree at the University of Calgary. He holds an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University in Geography and Political Science, an MA from University of Toronto in Geography, an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University and an MEd in Developmental Psychology and Education from University of Toronto. Jason is a CFA charter holder and a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. He holds a Certificate in Quantitative Finance from Fitch Learning and a Certificate in Technical Analysis from the Canadian Securities Institute. |
|
| |
|
|
|
.jpg) |
|
Edward Persaud, Senior Manager, Business Risk, Royal Bank of Canada
Edward Persaud is a member of the RBC Wealth Management’s Operational Risk & Shared Services group as Senior Manager, Business Ris. Previously he was Senior Manager, Regional Head of Model Risk Governance for HSBC managing Model Risk Governance across HSBC Canada.
Edward supports the WM Canada and Global Asset Management businesses in the execution of Internal Controls Management Policy (ICMP) and Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) programs.
Edward has over 16 years of diverse experience in Risk Management, Compliance and Audit, which he gained via progressive roles within the Canadian financial services industry (including wealth and asset management businesses) and from tenure with the Cayman Island Monetary Authority and the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Edward holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and is a certified Professional Risk Manager (PRM). He has completed the PRMIA Market, Liquidity and Asset Liability Management (MLARM) certification, and he is currently pursuing his Certified Internal Auditor designation. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Francisca Quinn, President and CEO, Quinn+Partners
With 25 years in corporate strategy and sustainability, Francisca has a track record of assisting large corporations to conceptualize and implement ESG industry leadership initiatives and excel in ESG disclosure. Her work with global institutional investors focuses on embedding responsible investment principles in governance, due diligence, monitoring and reporting in alternative and private markets investment portfolios.
In 2013 and 2017, Francisca was named as a Clean50 honouree, joining a group of Canadian leaders who is recognized for outstanding contributors to sustainable development and clean capitalism in Canada. In 2023, she was nominated to the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards for founding and growing the leading Canadian ESG advisory firm, Quinn+Partners.
Francisca is a board director at Canada Nickel Company, a next generation metals company delivering zero carbon nickel.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
.jpg) |
|
Nicholas "Nick" Schmidt, Founder and CTO, SolasAI
Nicholas "Nick" Schmidt is the Founder and CTO of SolasAI and holds the title of AI Practice Leader at BLDS, LLC. Residing in Philadelphia, he has deep expertise in the domains of algorithmic fairness and explainable AI. Nick's approach intertwines statistics and economics to address critical questions related to law, regulatory compliance, and model governance best practices.
His pioneering work in data science includes devising techniques that are foundational to SolasAI, a cutting-edge data science software platform that equips it users with the ability to measure, understand, and counteract bias and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making. Nick's contributions have found their way to some of the nation's leading lenders, fintechs, and insurance providers—enabling them to pave the way for more equitable outcomes for their clientele.
Beyond his hands-on work, Nick is a passionate communicator. He writes and frequently speaks about the benefits and pitfalls of artificial intelligence, the nuances of Explainable AI, and the intricacies involved in crafting fairer machine learning algorithms. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Caroline Tutakawiecz, Senior Director, Fraud and Security, RBC
Caroline Tutakiewicz (Care-o-line Two-tak-ev-its) is the Senior Director, Fraud & Security Risk Oversight with accountability for the global risk oversight strategy including governance, risk reporting, issue and regulatory management for RBC, RBC Brewin Dolphin, and City National Bank. Over the last 9 years, Caroline has held leadership roles in RBC Ventures aligning scaling Ventures with corresponding RBC portfolios and was the former Director and Head of Anti-Money Laundering at RBC specializing in terrorist financing, organized crime, and human trafficking.
Caroline is the co-founder of RBC’s Survivor Inclusion Initiative, has held varied non-profit board positions in the community, currently serving as Vice Chair for Sherbourne Health. Her longstanding leadership and community commitments have been globally recognized by Yahoo Finance as a four-time Top 50 LGBT+ Role Model, and as Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Woman in 2019 and 2022. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Chenlu Zhou, Executive Director, MSCI Research
Chenlu Zhou is an Executive Director of Multi-Asset Class Factor Research at MSCI. Her team leads the research in multi-asset class factors, macro-finance modeling, asset allocation and at the intersection of climate and investing. Her team leads the research that powers portfolio and risk management solutions serving largest financial institutions in the world. Chenlu has a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Peking University. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|