Private Markets Conference
Toronto

Navigating through Turbulent Times:
Building Portfolio Resiliency through Private Markets

About

Join us to hear from insightful guest speakers and our experienced investment specialists as we explore topics including:
  • Cushioning your portfolio from inflationary
    forces
  • Navigating risk and protecting value in times of high uncertainty
  • Breaking through the noise of ESG investing
  • Creating portfolio stability through strategic allocations to Private Markets

Program

October 18, 2022
Malaparte, Toronto

Registration & Breakfast

Opening Remarks

A Review of the Macroeconomic Outlook

Speaker
Candice Bangsund, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Global Asset Allocation
Moderator
Claude Lockhead, Senior Advisor, Institutional Markets

Real Assets for Real Solutions

Speakers
Moderator
Michael Quigley, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Distribution, Fiera Capital

Real Assets, including Agriculture, Infrastructure and Real Estate, offer stable, long-term growth and superior levels of diversification. Rooted in essential services and basic commodities, they benefit investors by their very nature as they are less vulnerable to varying market conditions such as inflation, slowed growth, and unforeseen volatility.

What makes real assets so compelling for long-term investors? In this panel discussion, we will examine these strategies to understand their drivers of return, their overall impact on portfolios and how to successfully implement real asset portfolios.

Private Credit: Generating Resilient and Diversified Sources of Income and Return

Speakers
Moderator
Sarah Butcher, Senior Capability Specialist, Private Credit, Fiera Capital

Private credit investing provides investors with opportunities to enhance portfolio yield while simultaneously reducing portfolio risk. Portfolio resiliency is enhanced through increased portfolio diversification, stronger covenants and deeper due diligence and transparency available to private creditors.

In this session, we will explore the origination networks, investment opportunities and sources of risk across collateral types and geographies, as well as the critical input of ESG evaluation into credit analysis and monitoring.

Break

The Growing Demand for Private Equity

Speaker
Bradley Mashinter, Partner & Head of Private Equity, Fiera Comox
Moderator
Frederick Chenel, Head of Canadian Institutional Distribution, Fiera Capital

Private Equity has been a popular asset class for Canada's most sophisticated investors for several years. We are now seeing the rise in demand for Private Equity amongst a broader investor base in Canada. This discussion on Private Equity will center around the relevance of a Private Equity investment in one's strategic asset allocation and more specifically in a volatile market environment.

Breaking Through the Noise in your ESG Approach

Speakers
  • Jeff Chan, Senior Portfolio Manager, ESG Investing, Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan
  • Rosalie Vendette, Manager, Quinn & Partners
Moderator
Stéphanie Lachance, Head of Sustainable Investment, Fiera Comox

Today, more than ever, investment managers are looking at how to effectively to integrate ESG factors as part of their investment strategies, decisions and risk management processes in order to improve the rigor and scope of their approaches and make better informed decisions. We recognize that the integration of ESG cannot be siloed within an organization; rather, it must be aligned across investment functions, as a key contributor to value creation and risk management.

What challenges and opportunities do investors face today? By earnestly considering ESG integration as a core component to value creation and risk management, investors can strategically overcome challenges such as limited data of quality, reliability and comparability, which can seem like a deterrent. In this session, we will examine how embracing sustainable investing can lead to strengthened performance.

Constructing Resilient Portfolios with Private Investments in the New Economic Environment

Speaker
Caroline Grandoit, Global Head of Total Portfolio Solutions, Fiera Capital

Investors are faced with challenging and unprecedented times: interest rates movements, rampant inflation, geopolitical risk and sustained market volatility are creating major headwinds.

In this session, we will examine how private assets have historically fared in such environments and the critical role that they will play in total portfolio construction in the coming years.

Lunch

Keynote Address

Speaker
Cassie Campbell, Former Captain of the Canadian Women's Hockey team, Author

Cassie Campbell won 21 medals with Canada’s National Women’s teams, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals.

Two Olympic gold medals (2002- Salt Lake City and 2006 – Turin, Italy), and one Olympic silver medal (1998 – Nagano, Japan). A six-time World Champion gold medallist (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004), Cassie Campbell is the only captain, male or female, to lead Canada to two Olympic gold medals. When Cassie Campbell was dressed for Team Canada, her team had a 129-26-2 record.

Cassie Campbell was Captain of Canada’s National Women’s Team from 2001 to her retirement in 2006, which made her the longest serving captain in Canadian hockey history. Cassie Campbell was an alternate captain with Canada's National Women’s Team from 1997-2001, receiving this honor just prior to her second World Championship appearance. In 157 career games with Team Canada, Cassie Campbell had 32 goals, 68 assists, 100 points, 66 penalty minutes. (Four of her career goals were short-handed and three were game winning goals).

Cassie Campbell's 100 points rank her 8th all-time with Team Canada’s National Women’s program: 157 games played ranks 5th all-time 32 goals ranks 9th all-time 68 assists ranks 6th all-time 66 penalty minutes ranks10th all-time From 1994 through 1998, Cassie Campbell played as a defenceman with Canada’s National Women’s Team, and was named to 1997 IIHF World Women’s Championship All-Star Team as a defenceman. Cassie Campbell switched to forward prior to the 1999 World Championship.

End

Speakers
and Moderators

Join us to hear from insightful
guests and speakers, including:

Candice Bangsund CFA

Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Global Asset Allocation and Private Markets Solutions

Candice Bangsund is Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Global Asset Allocation at Fiera Capital. She is a member of the Global Asset Allocation Committee, focusing on central banks and fundamental macro analysis, and actively participates in the development and communication of the firm’s asset allocation strategy. Candice also serves as the global spokesperson for Fiera Capital relating to all economic and investment matters and is co-lead Portfolio Manager on the Fiera Diversified Lending, Diversified Real Estate, and Diversified Real Asset Strategies. 

Her career in the investment industry spans over 15 years, including several years as an investment research analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments. While working at Franklin Templeton and on the Franklin Templeton Global Asset Allocation Committee, Candice gained extensive experience in conducting global macroeconomic analysis focusing on asset classes, regions, sectors, commodities, and currencies. She also conducted multi-manager fund research and analysis with a focus on Canadian and Global Equity asset classes.

Candice joined Fiera Capital in 2012 upon its acquisition of Calgary-based Canadian Wealth Management Group Inc, where she managed North American equity portfolios as well as the asset allocation decisions for private wealth clients. She joined the Fiera Capital Global Asset Allocation team in 2014. Candice obtained her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2009 and holds a degree in Finance from the University of Regina.

Cassie Campbell

Former Captain of the Canadian Women's Hockey team, Author

Cassie Campbell won 21 medals with Canada’s National Women’s teams, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals.

Two Olympic gold medals (2002- Salt Lake City and 2006 – Turin, Italy), and one Olympic silver medal (1998 – Nagano, Japan). A six-time World Champion gold medallist (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004), Cassie Campbell is the only captain, male or female, to lead Canada to two Olympic gold medals. When Cassie Campbell was dressed for Team Canada, her team had a 129-26-2 record.

Cassie Campbell was Captain of Canada’s National Women’s Team from 2001 to her retirement in 2006, which made her the longest serving captain in Canadian hockey history. Cassie Campbell was an alternate captain with Canada's National Women’s Team from 1997-2001, receiving this honor just prior to her second World Championship appearance. In 157 career games with Team Canada, Cassie Campbell had 32 goals, 68 assists, 100 points, 66 penalty minutes. (Four of her career goals were short-handed and three were game winning goals).

Cassie Campbell's 100 points rank her 8th all-time with Team Canada’s National Women’s program: 157 games played ranks 5th all-time 32 goals ranks 9th all-time 68 assists ranks 6th all-time 66 penalty minutes ranks10th all-time From 1994 through 1998, Cassie Campbell played as a defenceman with Canada’s National Women’s Team, and was named to 1997 IIHF World Women’s Championship All-Star Team as a defenceman. Cassie Campbell switched to forward prior to the 1999 World Championship.

Jeff Chan CFA, M.Sc.

Senior Portfolio Manager, ESG Investing, Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan

Jeff Chan is a Senior Portfolio Manager, ESG Investing at Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan. In this role, Jeff leads ESG efforts across private markets, in line with the plan’s 4 ESG pillars of integration, engagement, advocacy and investment. Prior to this role, Jeff was Director, ESG at a large Canadian asset management firm where he developed and led the implementation of the firm’s ESG strategy and roadmap, including policy and process creation. Jeff also played an integral role in ESG product development and ESG-related client servicing.

Jeff is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has completed a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences) from McMaster University. Jeff also holds the FSA Credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).

Mathieu Desforges LL.B, MBA

Partner, Head of Private Credit, Fiera Comox

Mathieu Desforges is a Partner at Fiera Comox. In this role, he leads the Private Credit strategy in the U.S. & Europe. He is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee overseeing Fiera Comox’s three strategies: Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox in 2019, Mathieu spent seven years with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he was the Head of Junior and Opportunistic Credit. He launched the Junior and Opportunistic Credit strategy in 2013 and grew it to $3.3 billion. In this role, Mathieu was responsible for investing globally in debt instruments (subordinated debt, mezzanine, PIK and preferred equity) as well as in opportunistic credit and distressed debt. He ran direct investments, co-investments and fund investments. Mathieu was a Board member of three CDPQ investee companies: Hilco Global, an American financial services holding company; Avison Young, a full-service global commercial real estate firm; Edelweiss ARC, an investment and financial services company based in Mumbai. Mathieu was also a member of CDPQ’s Relationship Investing Investment Committee as well as Edelweiss ARC’s Distressed Debt Investment Committee.

Mathieu also spent 10 years at Lehman Brothers in London in the Investment Banking & Fixed Income groups, investing Lehman Brothers’ balance sheet and managing distressed debt & special situations across Europe. Mathieu started his career as a corporate lawyer in Montreal at Fasken and then in Paris at BBLP Moquet Borde. Mathieu holds an MBA from London Business School and a law degree (LL.B) from the Université de Montréal.

Sarah Gal B.Sc.

Principal, Agriculture, Fiera Comox

Sarah has over a decade of experience in the institutional and direct agriculture industry. Prior to Fiera Comox, Sarah held senior consulting roles at both Callan and Aon Hewitt. Most recently, Sarah was a Senior Vice President, Real Assets at Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, where she was responsible for the firm’s farmland investment research. In this role, she also worked with clients on real assets strategic planning, investment research, and asset class education.

In addition to her institutional experience in farmland, Sarah has direct agriculture experience having managed a large dairy heifer growing operation for a dairy and cropping farm in Wisconsin.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science, College of Agriculture with a concentration in Food Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Caroline Grandoit FSA, CFA, CERA

Global Head of Total Portfolio Solutions, Fiera Capital

Caroline Grandoit leads the Total Portfolio Solutions group which is our client-focused and goal-based portfolio management business. She is responsible for structuring, implementing and monitoring customized multi-asset mandates and pooled funds as well as risk targeted and immunized liability driven portfolios. Furthermore, she oversees the research and development supporting Fiera’s MACS model (multi-asset class solutions), our proprietary risk factor-based asset allocation tool, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She works closely with all segments of Fiera to offer the best solutioning capabilities to our global institutional and private clientele.

Ms. Grandoit joined the firm in 2017. Her career in the financial industry spans over 15 years working both in the United States and Canada, helping clients in her portfolio management, financial strategy and actuarial roles. She specializes in asset-liability modeling, portfolio projections and customized strategic asset allocation optimization.

Ms. Grandoit is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal where she studied Actuarial Mathematics and Finance. She is also a CFA charterholder (CFA), a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Certified Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA).

Bradley Mashinter

Partner & Head of Private Equity, Fiera Comox

Bradley Mashinter is a Partner at Fiera Comox. In this role, he leads the Private Equity strategy. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Investment Committee overseeing Fiera Comox’s three strategies: Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit.

Prior to Fiera Comox, Brad was a Managing Director at CPP Investments where he was a member of the firm-wide Global Leadership Team and Investment Committee member of CPPIB’s $125 billion global private equity portfolio. His career spans both private equity and private credit. Brad was one of the early leaders in CPPIB’s private debt group and was instrumental in building the Fund’s high performing global private credit franchise and was a member of its Investment Committee. He managed CPPIB’s investment in Antares Capital, the largest North American senior lender to middle-market private equity sponsors with over $50 billion in AUM and was the Head of the Antares Holdings Credit Committee.

Prior to CPP Investments, Brad was in the Direct Private Equity group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in Toronto and at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners in New York. Brad holds a BBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a CFA charterholder.

Alina Osorio BEng, P.Eng., MBA, CFA

President, Fiera Infrastructure

Alina Osorio is responsible for leading Fiera Infrastructure and overseeing the firm’s investment, asset management and finance teams.

Alina is a seasoned professional in the utility and infrastructure investment and financing sector. She has worked as an infrastructure investment professional and has been a key player in the sector for more than two decades.

Her many years of experience stem from her roles as an equity research analyst covering Canadian utility companies, an investment banker in the infrastructure sector , a principal investor, and finally, as a portfolio strategist for a major Canadian pension fund. She has extensive experience and a solid track record in her field.

Before joining Fiera Infrastructure, she was CEO of Aquila Infrastructure, where she oversaw the creation of the firm and its growth to more than $225 million in assets under management. Prior to that, she was CEO of the Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership (“MEAP”), North America’s first unlisted infrastructure fund, which invested in Canada and the United States. Under her leadership, MEAP pursued and assessed numerous opportunities, completed five acquisitions and one divestment. Alina went on to lead the infrastructure program at OPTrust, with a capital allocation of $2.5 billion. In this role, she was responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing investment strategies and acquisitions, and managing an infrastructure portfolio in excess of $1 billion.

Alina holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

Martin Saulnier BBA

Senior Vice President and Fund Manager, Fiera Real Estate

Martin Saulnier joined the Real Estate Financing Team in July 2016.

Mr. Saulnier has more than 20 years of experience in real estate financing. He has notably held a manager position at a private investment firm, where he was involved in all aspects of the company’s operations, including partnerships, investment and financing analysis and project implementation. Mr. Saulnier also worked several years in the banking industry, in commercial real estate financing. He specializes in construction financing for large-scale residential, commercial, office, industrial and institutional projects. He is able to create financing structures that meet the needs of real estate developers, and has maintained strong business relations in the industry.

Martin Saulnier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BBA) from HEC Montréal.

William Secnik

Senior Vice President and Fund Manager, Fiera Real Estate

William Secnik is a senior member of the Fiera Real Estate (“FRE”) management team and the Fund Manager of the Fiera Real Estate CORE Fund (“Fund”), an opened-ended, pooled, Canadian real estate fund. William focuses on the overall strategy and performance of the Fund by maintaining a well-diversified portfolio that achieves higher-than-average returns.

William has been in the industry since 1996 and has deep experience in all facets of real estate including investments, asset management, valuations, financing, and value enhancement initiatives. Previously, he was a fund manager of a $1.9 billion real estate fund. In that capacity, William led the fund’s strategy, interfaced with institutional clients, and executed over $620 million of transactions. William was also a key investment team member at two TSX-listed firms where he focused on growing a mixed-use real estate portfolio.

In his spare time, William enjoys the outdoors with his family and participates in charitable and community activities.

Andrew J. Shannon MBA, CFA

Managing Director, Infrastructure Private Debt, Fiera Private Debt

Prior to joining Fiera Private Debt in July 2019, Andrew Shannon had worked at Integrated Asset Management Corp. with the Private Debt Group since 2009. His responsibilities included origination, financial analysis, due diligence, documentation and loan portfolio management.

Mr. Shannon came to Integrated Asset Management from DBRS where he was Senior Energy Analyst. He formerly played professional lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League.

Mr. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Virginia, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wehle School of Business at Canisius College and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Theresa Shutt CFA, MBA, MA

Senior Vice President, Corporate Private Debt, Fiera Private Debt

Theresa Shutt is Senior Vice President for Corporate Private Debt at Fiera Private Debt. Prior to joining the company in July 2019, she was the Chief Investment Officer of Private Debt with Integrated Asset Management.

Ms. Shutt is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operation of the Corporate Debt Financing Team. In this role, she provides leadership in support of business development, investment approval, fund strategy and portfolio management. With over 20 years of experience in corporate lending and capital markets, she contributes to the success of the business by growing AUM through strategic capital deployment and the development of innovative private debt strategies.

Prior to Fiera Private Debt, Ms. Shutt was a Managing Director with BMO Corporate Finance where she developed customized financing solutions for mid-market Canadian Companies. Previous to this role, she held a variety of roles at RBC and Scotiabank structuring fixed income and equity derivatives for corporations and asset managers. She began her career working as an economist for the Conference Board of Canada.

Theresa Shutt holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics (Honours) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts (MA) in Economics from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. Ms. Shutt is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Rosalie Vendette

Manager, Quinn & Partners

As an expert in responsible investment, Rosalie advises market leaders in retail and institutional investment management, including banks, insurers and pension plans. She assists them in planning and deploying strategies that effectively take into consideration environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

Rosalie works hand in hand with experts and industry associations to drive industry change. She was heavily involved in developing the Canadian Transition Finance Taxonomy as well as the recent Canadian Pensions Dashboard for Responsible Investing. She is also active in developing Finance Montreal’s sustainable finance strategic plan and in the adoption of a new ISO standard on sustainable finance.

Rosalie often speaks at industry events and offers her insight to media and news outlets. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge with the many students at McGill and Sherbrooke university faculties where she teaches sustainable finance and responsible investment.

For 10 years, Rosalie Vendette headed responsible investment at Desjardins Group and served as an ESG group expert. She has also collaborated with the Quebec network of PRI signatories.

In 2019, Rosalie launched her own consulting service, DecodESG, aimed at helping organizations master ESG.

Sarah Butcher MBA

Head, Private Markets Distribution Canada

Sarah Butcher is Head of Private Markets Distribution within the Canadian Institutional Distribution team. She is responsible for generating new business opportunities amongst Canadian institutional investors for Fiera Capital’s private credit strategies. Sarah also has a leadership role in supporting Fiera Capital’s global growth across its private markets business.

Sarah’s career in the institutional asset management industry spanned nearly two decades before joining Fiera Capital in 2022. Before joining the firm, she was a Dealing Representative assisting global investment management firms cultivate new relationships with institutional investors and their consultants in Canada. Prior experiences include roles within the Institutional Client Group at Neuberger Berman and BlackRock. 

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Finance from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University. 

Frederick Chenel CFA

Head of Canadian Institutional Distribution, Fiera Capital

Frederick Chenel is responsible for Fiera Capital’s Canadian Institutional business namely investors interactions and team management. Frederick joined Fiera Capital in 2010. He has since held roles with progressively increased responsibilities; most recently, Head of Consultant Relations and Business Development, Institutional Markets. Frederick has more than 15 years of industry experience. Prior experiences include Practice Leader and Research Analyst positions at a leading Canadian investment consulting firm.

Frederick graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), majoring in Finance. He later obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Frederick was also President of CFA Montreal from to 2017 to 2019.

Stéphanie Lachance LL.B, ICD.D

Head of Sustainable Investment, Fiera Comox

Stéphanie Lachance is a recognized sustainable investment expert and experienced corporate director. Stéphanie is Head of Sustainable Investment at Fiera Comox.  In her role, she namely leads Fiera Comox’s sustainability strategy and plays a key role in the organization’s investment strategy in ensuring that environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are integrated in investment decisions across all investment strategies.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Stéphanie spent 15 years at PSP Investments where she was most recently Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment.  She played a central role in the development of PSP Investments’ responsible investment strategy and led the Responsible Investment group of PSP Investments.

Lawyer with a strong background in corporate governance, responsible investment, securities law and regulations, Stéphanie was providing legal advice to public issuers, stock exchanges and securities regulators prior to joining PSP Investments.  She namely held senior positions at Québecor Media, Autorité des marchés financiers, Toronto Stock Exchange and Montréal Exchange.

Stéphanie holds a Law Degree (LL.B.) from the Université de Montréal and is a member of the Quebec Bar. She is a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D). She serves on the board ofTSX Trust,, is a member of the Investment Committee of the Canadian Medical Protective Association, is a member of the Independent Review Committee on Standard Setting in Canada, and she also serves on the board of Food Banks of Quebec.

Stéphanie is an instructor at the Institute of Corporate Directors for the sustainability module. She is also the co-author of ‘The Origins of ESG in Pensions: Strategies and Outcomes’, published by Wharton University Pension Research Council in 2021.

Claude Lockhead

Senior Advisor, Institutional Markets

Claude is a member of the Institutional Markets team and acts as Senior Advisor. In this role, Claude leverages his expertise in working with institutional clients across Canada to best understand and assist them in achieving their investment objectives while furthering Fiera Capital’s position as a well-recognized solutions provider.

Claude has a long tenured career and joined the firm in 2022. Prior to Fiera Capital, he has spent his entire career at a major consulting firm, where he gained extensive credibility in the pension industry. In his most recent role as an Executive Partner, Claude was responsible for a portfolio of major clients, primarily in pension fund financing and investment management. He also led their Canadian Retirement and Investment Management practices.

Claude has a Bachelor of Actuarial Science degree from Laval University and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA). Claude also serves on the Quebec Regional Council of the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM) and on the Canadian Investment Committee and Programs Committee of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

Michael Quigley CFA, CAIA

Executive Vice President and Global Head of Distribution, Fiera Capital

Michael Quigley leads Fiera Capital’s Global Institutional Distribution activities across all investment platforms.

Michael has a deep understanding of the institutional business environment and an extensive knowledge of both traditional and alternative asset classes. He brings more than 30 years of investment management industry experience having achieved great success with asset management firms of varying sizes in Canada, the United States and Europe, and has developed and established a very strong network with pension plans, foundations, endowments and investment consultants. Under his leadership our teams of professionals focus on advancing the evolution of distribution practices while continuing to enhance the depth, value and sophistication of investor interactions. Michael is a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee and the Managing Partner of our Boston Office.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Sherbrooke and is a holder of the CFA and CAIA designations.

Image for Candice Bangsund

Candice Bangsund CFA

Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Global Asset Allocation and Private Markets Solutions

Candice Bangsund is Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Global Asset Allocation at Fiera Capital. She is a member of the Global Asset Allocation Committee, focusing on central banks and fundamental macro analysis, and actively participates in the development and communication of the firm’s asset allocation strategy. Candice also serves as the global spokesperson for Fiera Capital relating to all economic and investment matters and is co-lead Portfolio Manager on the Fiera Diversified Lending, Diversified Real Estate, and Diversified Real Asset Strategies. 

Her career in the investment industry spans over 15 years, including several years as an investment research analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments. While working at Franklin Templeton and on the Franklin Templeton Global Asset Allocation Committee, Candice gained extensive experience in conducting global macroeconomic analysis focusing on asset classes, regions, sectors, commodities, and currencies. She also conducted multi-manager fund research and analysis with a focus on Canadian and Global Equity asset classes.

Candice joined Fiera Capital in 2012 upon its acquisition of Calgary-based Canadian Wealth Management Group Inc, where she managed North American equity portfolios as well as the asset allocation decisions for private wealth clients. She joined the Fiera Capital Global Asset Allocation team in 2014. Candice obtained her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2009 and holds a degree in Finance from the University of Regina.

Image for Cassie Campbell

Cassie Campbell

Former Captain of the Canadian Women's Hockey team, Author

Cassie Campbell won 21 medals with Canada’s National Women’s teams, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals.

Two Olympic gold medals (2002- Salt Lake City and 2006 – Turin, Italy), and one Olympic silver medal (1998 – Nagano, Japan). A six-time World Champion gold medallist (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004), Cassie Campbell is the only captain, male or female, to lead Canada to two Olympic gold medals. When Cassie Campbell was dressed for Team Canada, her team had a 129-26-2 record.

Cassie Campbell was Captain of Canada’s National Women’s Team from 2001 to her retirement in 2006, which made her the longest serving captain in Canadian hockey history. Cassie Campbell was an alternate captain with Canada's National Women’s Team from 1997-2001, receiving this honor just prior to her second World Championship appearance. In 157 career games with Team Canada, Cassie Campbell had 32 goals, 68 assists, 100 points, 66 penalty minutes. (Four of her career goals were short-handed and three were game winning goals).

Cassie Campbell's 100 points rank her 8th all-time with Team Canada’s National Women’s program: 157 games played ranks 5th all-time 32 goals ranks 9th all-time 68 assists ranks 6th all-time 66 penalty minutes ranks10th all-time From 1994 through 1998, Cassie Campbell played as a defenceman with Canada’s National Women’s Team, and was named to 1997 IIHF World Women’s Championship All-Star Team as a defenceman. Cassie Campbell switched to forward prior to the 1999 World Championship.

Image for Jeff Chan

Jeff Chan CFA, M.Sc.

Senior Portfolio Manager, ESG Investing, Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan

Jeff Chan is a Senior Portfolio Manager, ESG Investing at Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan. In this role, Jeff leads ESG efforts across private markets, in line with the plan’s 4 ESG pillars of integration, engagement, advocacy and investment. Prior to this role, Jeff was Director, ESG at a large Canadian asset management firm where he developed and led the implementation of the firm’s ESG strategy and roadmap, including policy and process creation. Jeff also played an integral role in ESG product development and ESG-related client servicing.

Jeff is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has completed a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences) from McMaster University. Jeff also holds the FSA Credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).

Image for Mathieu Desforges

Mathieu Desforges LL.B, MBA

Partner, Head of Private Credit, Fiera Comox

Mathieu Desforges is a Partner at Fiera Comox. In this role, he leads the Private Credit strategy in the U.S. & Europe. He is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee overseeing Fiera Comox’s three strategies: Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox in 2019, Mathieu spent seven years with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he was the Head of Junior and Opportunistic Credit. He launched the Junior and Opportunistic Credit strategy in 2013 and grew it to $3.3 billion. In this role, Mathieu was responsible for investing globally in debt instruments (subordinated debt, mezzanine, PIK and preferred equity) as well as in opportunistic credit and distressed debt. He ran direct investments, co-investments and fund investments. Mathieu was a Board member of three CDPQ investee companies: Hilco Global, an American financial services holding company; Avison Young, a full-service global commercial real estate firm; Edelweiss ARC, an investment and financial services company based in Mumbai. Mathieu was also a member of CDPQ’s Relationship Investing Investment Committee as well as Edelweiss ARC’s Distressed Debt Investment Committee.

Mathieu also spent 10 years at Lehman Brothers in London in the Investment Banking & Fixed Income groups, investing Lehman Brothers’ balance sheet and managing distressed debt & special situations across Europe. Mathieu started his career as a corporate lawyer in Montreal at Fasken and then in Paris at BBLP Moquet Borde. Mathieu holds an MBA from London Business School and a law degree (LL.B) from the Université de Montréal.

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Sarah Gal B.Sc.

Principal, Agriculture, Fiera Comox

Sarah has over a decade of experience in the institutional and direct agriculture industry. Prior to Fiera Comox, Sarah held senior consulting roles at both Callan and Aon Hewitt. Most recently, Sarah was a Senior Vice President, Real Assets at Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, where she was responsible for the firm’s farmland investment research. In this role, she also worked with clients on real assets strategic planning, investment research, and asset class education.

In addition to her institutional experience in farmland, Sarah has direct agriculture experience having managed a large dairy heifer growing operation for a dairy and cropping farm in Wisconsin.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science, College of Agriculture with a concentration in Food Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Caroline Grandoit FSA, CFA, CERA

Global Head of Total Portfolio Solutions, Fiera Capital

Caroline Grandoit leads the Total Portfolio Solutions group which is our client-focused and goal-based portfolio management business. She is responsible for structuring, implementing and monitoring customized multi-asset mandates and pooled funds as well as risk targeted and immunized liability driven portfolios. Furthermore, she oversees the research and development supporting Fiera’s MACS model (multi-asset class solutions), our proprietary risk factor-based asset allocation tool, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She works closely with all segments of Fiera to offer the best solutioning capabilities to our global institutional and private clientele.

Ms. Grandoit joined the firm in 2017. Her career in the financial industry spans over 15 years working both in the United States and Canada, helping clients in her portfolio management, financial strategy and actuarial roles. She specializes in asset-liability modeling, portfolio projections and customized strategic asset allocation optimization.

Ms. Grandoit is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal where she studied Actuarial Mathematics and Finance. She is also a CFA charterholder (CFA), a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Certified Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA).

Image for Bradley Mashinter

Bradley Mashinter

Partner & Head of Private Equity, Fiera Comox

Bradley Mashinter is a Partner at Fiera Comox. In this role, he leads the Private Equity strategy. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Investment Committee overseeing Fiera Comox’s three strategies: Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit.

Prior to Fiera Comox, Brad was a Managing Director at CPP Investments where he was a member of the firm-wide Global Leadership Team and Investment Committee member of CPPIB’s $125 billion global private equity portfolio. His career spans both private equity and private credit. Brad was one of the early leaders in CPPIB’s private debt group and was instrumental in building the Fund’s high performing global private credit franchise and was a member of its Investment Committee. He managed CPPIB’s investment in Antares Capital, the largest North American senior lender to middle-market private equity sponsors with over $50 billion in AUM and was the Head of the Antares Holdings Credit Committee.

Prior to CPP Investments, Brad was in the Direct Private Equity group at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in Toronto and at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners in New York. Brad holds a BBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a CFA charterholder.

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Alina Osorio BEng, P.Eng., MBA, CFA

President, Fiera Infrastructure

Alina Osorio is responsible for leading Fiera Infrastructure and overseeing the firm’s investment, asset management and finance teams.

Alina is a seasoned professional in the utility and infrastructure investment and financing sector. She has worked as an infrastructure investment professional and has been a key player in the sector for more than two decades.

Her many years of experience stem from her roles as an equity research analyst covering Canadian utility companies, an investment banker in the infrastructure sector , a principal investor, and finally, as a portfolio strategist for a major Canadian pension fund. She has extensive experience and a solid track record in her field.

Before joining Fiera Infrastructure, she was CEO of Aquila Infrastructure, where she oversaw the creation of the firm and its growth to more than $225 million in assets under management. Prior to that, she was CEO of the Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership (“MEAP”), North America’s first unlisted infrastructure fund, which invested in Canada and the United States. Under her leadership, MEAP pursued and assessed numerous opportunities, completed five acquisitions and one divestment. Alina went on to lead the infrastructure program at OPTrust, with a capital allocation of $2.5 billion. In this role, she was responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing investment strategies and acquisitions, and managing an infrastructure portfolio in excess of $1 billion.

Alina holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

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Martin Saulnier BBA

Senior Vice President and Fund Manager, Fiera Real Estate

Martin Saulnier joined the Real Estate Financing Team in July 2016.

Mr. Saulnier has more than 20 years of experience in real estate financing. He has notably held a manager position at a private investment firm, where he was involved in all aspects of the company’s operations, including partnerships, investment and financing analysis and project implementation. Mr. Saulnier also worked several years in the banking industry, in commercial real estate financing. He specializes in construction financing for large-scale residential, commercial, office, industrial and institutional projects. He is able to create financing structures that meet the needs of real estate developers, and has maintained strong business relations in the industry.

Martin Saulnier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BBA) from HEC Montréal.

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William Secnik

Senior Vice President and Fund Manager, Fiera Real Estate

William Secnik is a senior member of the Fiera Real Estate (“FRE”) management team and the Fund Manager of the Fiera Real Estate CORE Fund (“Fund”), an opened-ended, pooled, Canadian real estate fund. William focuses on the overall strategy and performance of the Fund by maintaining a well-diversified portfolio that achieves higher-than-average returns.

William has been in the industry since 1996 and has deep experience in all facets of real estate including investments, asset management, valuations, financing, and value enhancement initiatives. Previously, he was a fund manager of a $1.9 billion real estate fund. In that capacity, William led the fund’s strategy, interfaced with institutional clients, and executed over $620 million of transactions. William was also a key investment team member at two TSX-listed firms where he focused on growing a mixed-use real estate portfolio.

In his spare time, William enjoys the outdoors with his family and participates in charitable and community activities.

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Andrew J. Shannon MBA, CFA

Managing Director, Infrastructure Private Debt, Fiera Private Debt

Prior to joining Fiera Private Debt in July 2019, Andrew Shannon had worked at Integrated Asset Management Corp. with the Private Debt Group since 2009. His responsibilities included origination, financial analysis, due diligence, documentation and loan portfolio management.

Mr. Shannon came to Integrated Asset Management from DBRS where he was Senior Energy Analyst. He formerly played professional lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League.

Mr. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Virginia, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wehle School of Business at Canisius College and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

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Theresa Shutt CFA, MBA, MA

Senior Vice President, Corporate Private Debt, Fiera Private Debt

Theresa Shutt is Senior Vice President for Corporate Private Debt at Fiera Private Debt. Prior to joining the company in July 2019, she was the Chief Investment Officer of Private Debt with Integrated Asset Management.

Ms. Shutt is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operation of the Corporate Debt Financing Team. In this role, she provides leadership in support of business development, investment approval, fund strategy and portfolio management. With over 20 years of experience in corporate lending and capital markets, she contributes to the success of the business by growing AUM through strategic capital deployment and the development of innovative private debt strategies.

Prior to Fiera Private Debt, Ms. Shutt was a Managing Director with BMO Corporate Finance where she developed customized financing solutions for mid-market Canadian Companies. Previous to this role, she held a variety of roles at RBC and Scotiabank structuring fixed income and equity derivatives for corporations and asset managers. She began her career working as an economist for the Conference Board of Canada.

Theresa Shutt holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics (Honours) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts (MA) in Economics from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. Ms. Shutt is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

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Rosalie Vendette

Manager, Quinn & Partners

As an expert in responsible investment, Rosalie advises market leaders in retail and institutional investment management, including banks, insurers and pension plans. She assists them in planning and deploying strategies that effectively take into consideration environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

Rosalie works hand in hand with experts and industry associations to drive industry change. She was heavily involved in developing the Canadian Transition Finance Taxonomy as well as the recent Canadian Pensions Dashboard for Responsible Investing. She is also active in developing Finance Montreal’s sustainable finance strategic plan and in the adoption of a new ISO standard on sustainable finance.

Rosalie often speaks at industry events and offers her insight to media and news outlets. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge with the many students at McGill and Sherbrooke university faculties where she teaches sustainable finance and responsible investment.

For 10 years, Rosalie Vendette headed responsible investment at Desjardins Group and served as an ESG group expert. She has also collaborated with the Quebec network of PRI signatories.

In 2019, Rosalie launched her own consulting service, DecodESG, aimed at helping organizations master ESG.

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Sarah Butcher MBA

Head, Private Markets Distribution Canada

Sarah Butcher is Head of Private Markets Distribution within the Canadian Institutional Distribution team. She is responsible for generating new business opportunities amongst Canadian institutional investors for Fiera Capital’s private credit strategies. Sarah also has a leadership role in supporting Fiera Capital’s global growth across its private markets business.

Sarah’s career in the institutional asset management industry spanned nearly two decades before joining Fiera Capital in 2022. Before joining the firm, she was a Dealing Representative assisting global investment management firms cultivate new relationships with institutional investors and their consultants in Canada. Prior experiences include roles within the Institutional Client Group at Neuberger Berman and BlackRock. 

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Finance from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University. 

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Frederick Chenel CFA

Head of Canadian Institutional Distribution, Fiera Capital

Frederick Chenel is responsible for Fiera Capital’s Canadian Institutional business namely investors interactions and team management. Frederick joined Fiera Capital in 2010. He has since held roles with progressively increased responsibilities; most recently, Head of Consultant Relations and Business Development, Institutional Markets. Frederick has more than 15 years of industry experience. Prior experiences include Practice Leader and Research Analyst positions at a leading Canadian investment consulting firm.

Frederick graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), majoring in Finance. He later obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Frederick was also President of CFA Montreal from to 2017 to 2019.

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Stéphanie Lachance LL.B, ICD.D

Head of Sustainable Investment, Fiera Comox

Stéphanie Lachance is a recognized sustainable investment expert and experienced corporate director. Stéphanie is Head of Sustainable Investment at Fiera Comox.  In her role, she namely leads Fiera Comox’s sustainability strategy and plays a key role in the organization’s investment strategy in ensuring that environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are integrated in investment decisions across all investment strategies.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Stéphanie spent 15 years at PSP Investments where she was most recently Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment.  She played a central role in the development of PSP Investments’ responsible investment strategy and led the Responsible Investment group of PSP Investments.

Lawyer with a strong background in corporate governance, responsible investment, securities law and regulations, Stéphanie was providing legal advice to public issuers, stock exchanges and securities regulators prior to joining PSP Investments.  She namely held senior positions at Québecor Media, Autorité des marchés financiers, Toronto Stock Exchange and Montréal Exchange.

Stéphanie holds a Law Degree (LL.B.) from the Université de Montréal and is a member of the Quebec Bar. She is a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D). She serves on the board ofTSX Trust,, is a member of the Investment Committee of the Canadian Medical Protective Association, is a member of the Independent Review Committee on Standard Setting in Canada, and she also serves on the board of Food Banks of Quebec.

Stéphanie is an instructor at the Institute of Corporate Directors for the sustainability module. She is also the co-author of ‘The Origins of ESG in Pensions: Strategies and Outcomes’, published by Wharton University Pension Research Council in 2021.

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Claude Lockhead

Senior Advisor, Institutional Markets

Claude is a member of the Institutional Markets team and acts as Senior Advisor. In this role, Claude leverages his expertise in working with institutional clients across Canada to best understand and assist them in achieving their investment objectives while furthering Fiera Capital’s position as a well-recognized solutions provider.

Claude has a long tenured career and joined the firm in 2022. Prior to Fiera Capital, he has spent his entire career at a major consulting firm, where he gained extensive credibility in the pension industry. In his most recent role as an Executive Partner, Claude was responsible for a portfolio of major clients, primarily in pension fund financing and investment management. He also led their Canadian Retirement and Investment Management practices.

Claude has a Bachelor of Actuarial Science degree from Laval University and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA). Claude also serves on the Quebec Regional Council of the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM) and on the Canadian Investment Committee and Programs Committee of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

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Michael Quigley CFA, CAIA

Executive Vice President and Global Head of Distribution, Fiera Capital

Michael Quigley leads Fiera Capital’s Global Institutional Distribution activities across all investment platforms.

Michael has a deep understanding of the institutional business environment and an extensive knowledge of both traditional and alternative asset classes. He brings more than 30 years of investment management industry experience having achieved great success with asset management firms of varying sizes in Canada, the United States and Europe, and has developed and established a very strong network with pension plans, foundations, endowments and investment consultants. Under his leadership our teams of professionals focus on advancing the evolution of distribution practices while continuing to enhance the depth, value and sophistication of investor interactions. Michael is a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee and the Managing Partner of our Boston Office.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Sherbrooke and is a holder of the CFA and CAIA designations.

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