Private Wealth Team

• Louis Bourassa, MBA

  Senior Vice President, Private Wealth

  Louis Bourassa joined Fiera as Vice President of Private Wealth in November 2005. He has been in the investment business since 1984. As the founder and subsequently as managing director of CIBC Financial Planning from 1991 to 1999, he pooled his efforts with TAL to build one of the most respected practices serving high net worth individuals in Canada. Mr. Bourassa also led the Private Wealth division of Montrusco until 2005. He was a member of the Canadian Olympic rowing team that competed in Montréal in 1976 and always made time for the community including St-Justine and Maisonneuve‑Rosemont hospitals, and Run for the Cure. Mr. Bourassa graduated from the École des HEC de Montréal with a Master of Business Administration degree in 1982.

• W. Brian Carter, CFA

  Vice President, Private Wealth

  Mr. Carter joined Sceptre in 2007 as a Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for providing investment management services to Sceptre’s high-net-worth clients in Ontario.

  Prior to joining Sceptre, Mr. Carter was a Vice-President and Portfolio Manager of Legg Mason Canada’s Private Client Group. Mr. Carter brings 40 years of experience in the investment industry, including financial analysis, corporate finance, and investment management of mutual funds, pension funds and private client portfolios.

• Don Conner, MBA

  Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Wealth

  Don Conner joined Fiera in 2006 following its acquisition of YMG, where he worked as a portfolio manager servicing high net worth clients. Mr. Conner has worked in the investment industry since 1974. His career has included two years as an analyst at the Bank of Canada and nine years in the Scotiabank Investment Department. At Scotiabank, he gained broad-based career experience in equity, bond and pension fund management issues in increasingly more senior roles. In 1986, he joined Hodgson, Roberton, Laing, an investment consulting firm, where he was responsible for equity strategy, private wealth management and institutional client services. He is actively involved in his church, serving on several of its committees. Mr. Conner obtained a Master of Finance degree from York University in 1977.

• Jean-Guy Desjardins, L.Sc. Comm., CFA

  Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

  Jean-Guy Desjardins, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Fiera Capital Corporation, began his career at Sun Life Insurance Company as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager. In 1972, Mr. Desjardins co-founded TAL Global Asset Management, and was its principal shareholder until its purchase by a financial institution. Mr. Desjardins then acquired, in 2003, a portion of the assets under management and professionals of Elantis Investment Management, to create Fiera Capital. The firm continued its expansion with the acquisition of Senecal Investment Counsel in 2005, YMG Capital Management in 2006, Sceptre Investment Counsel in 2010, and Natcan Investment Management, a subsidiary of the National Bank of Canada, in 2012. Fiera Capital Corporation is an independent, publicly-listed investment management firm, and one of Canada’s leading investment managers.

  Mr. Desjardins is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Société de services financiers Fonds FMOQ Inc., HEC Montréal, DJM Capital Inc., Centria Inc., Fiera Axium Infrastructure Inc., where he is also a member of the Investment Committee, and he serves as Chairman of Board of Fiera Properties Limited. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Bank of Canada for five years, and was elected lead director in 2007. Mr. Desjardins also acted as Chairman of the special committee comprised of the Bank of Canada’s independent directors responsible for the recruitment of the current Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mr. Mark Carney.

  Mr. Desjardins is a member of the Council of Governors of Centraide of Greater Montréal, a member of the Investment Committee of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and a member of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors of Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

  Mr. Desjardins graduated from Collège Mont-Saint-Louis in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1969, he earned his Master degree in commerce (Finance) from the École des Hautes Études commerciales – Université de Montréal. Mr. Desjardins is also a CFA Charterholder.

• Merri Jones

  Executive Vice President, Private Wealth

  Merri Jones, the current Executive Vice President, Private Wealth, of Fiera, has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Fiera, Ms. Jones was an independent consultant for the Canadian investment industry. Prior to that, Ms. Jones was the President and Chief Executive Officer at AGF Private Investment Management. Her experience also includes terms as President and Chief Executive Officer at TAL Private Management Ltd. and as President and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC Trust. Ms. Jones has held a number of directorships, including on the boards of Doherty & Associates Ltd., CIBC Trust and the Investment Counsellors of Canada.

• Neil Nisker

  Executive Vice Chairman

  From 1972 to 1996, Neil helped to build Brown Baldwin Nisker (now known as HSBC Securities) into one of the premier institutional brokerages in Canada. In 1990, Neil was selected by Sir John Templeton to be one of three managers of Best Investments International Inc., a global equity mutual fund which was owned by Sir John. Neil continued to serve in this capacity until 1999.

  From 1997 to 1999 Neil was Chairman of Nisker Associates, Inc., Strategic Wealth Management, a registered investment counseling firm which was purchased by YMG and subsequently by Fiera Capital, which is now Fiera Sceptre.

  Neil’s extensive charitable activities include the following duties: Co-Chair of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Annual Campaign; Co-Chair of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Campaign; Vice Chair of the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and Chair of its Investment Committee, Chairman of The Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, and Past Chair of its Investment Committee.

• Glen C. Rattray

  Vice President, Private Wealth

  Mr. Rattray joined Sceptre in 2007 as Vice-President and Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for providing investment management services to Sceptre’s high-net-worth clients in Western Canada.

  He began his investment career in 1985. Prior to joining Sceptre, he held positions with Prudential-Bache Securities Canada, I.G. Investment Management and Legg Mason Canada.

• François Veillet, MBA

  Vice President, Private Wealth

  François Veillet joined Fiera Capital in August 2009 as Vice President, Private Wealth. He has been in the investment business since 1984. He worked as an institutional representative in Fixed Income at Geoffrion Leclerc, the National Bank and Nesbitt Thomson. He joined CIBC World Markets in 1993 as Managing Director responsible for money market and fixed income operations. In 2003, he was appointed Head of Capital Markets for the Quebec region. He coordinated operations involving currencies, derivatives, money market, and fixed income, and the issuance of corporate and government debt.

  Mr. Veillet is dedicated to the community. He has served as a member of the Montréal Heart Institute Foundation Board and Executive Committee since 1994. He is also President and co-founder of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, which, since 1996, has organized wilderness therapy expeditions for teenagers with cancer. Mr. Veillet graduated from the École des HEC de Montréal with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 1982.