Private Wealth

Ted Ecclestone leads Fiera Capital’s Canadian Private Wealth team. He joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management, where he was responsible for managing investment portfolios on behalf of private and institutional clients. Mr. Ecclestone joined CGOV in 2006 and has over 20 years of investment experience.

Mr. Ecclestone began his career in 1995 at CIBC Trust and then joined TAL Private Management Ltd. as a Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining CGOV, he was Vice President with Rockwater Capital Corp. where he was responsible for designing, building and managing the high net worth division.

Mr. Ecclestone earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. He holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation from the CFA Institute and the CIM (Canadian Investment Manager) designation from the Canadian Securities Institute.

Louis Bourassa joined Fiera Capital as Vice President, Private Wealth in November 2005 and is currently Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. He also led the Private Wealth team from late 2016 to mid-2018. Mr. Bourassa has been in the investment industry since 1984. As the founder and subsequently as managing director of CIBC Financial Planning from 1991 to 1999, he joined forces with TAL Global Asset Management to build one of the most respected firms serving high net worth individuals in Canada. Mr. Bourassa also led the Private Wealth division of Montrusco until 2005.

Mr. Bourassa was a member of the Canadian Olympic rowing team that competed in Montréal in 1976 and has always made time for the community, including the CHU St-Justine and Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospitals, as well as Run for the Cure. He graduated from the École des HEC de Montréal with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1982.

Jean-Guy Desjardins is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Fiera Capital Corporation, an independent investment management firm that he created in 2003. The firm has since continued its expansion by way of several acquisitions across North America, Europe and Asia.

After working as a financial analyst and portfolio manager for a life insurance company, Mr. Desjardins co-founded TAL Global Asset Management in 1972 and was its principal shareholder until its purchase by a financial institution in 2001.

Mr. Desjardins is a member of the Board of Directors of the Société de Services Financiers Fonds FMOQ, HEC Montréal, DJM Capital Inc. and the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research. 

Mr. Desjardins also supports a variety of community and social programs, in particular as a member of the Council of Governors of Centraide of Greater Montréal. Additionally, he sits on the Investment Committee of the Canadian Centre for Architecture and on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Mr. Desjardins graduated from Collège Mont-Saint-Louis in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1969, he earned his L.Sc.Comm. (Finance) from HEC Montréal. Mr. Desjardins is also a CFA Charterholder. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2014 and, in 2015, received the CFA Institute Award for Excellence, the highest and most prestigious distinction bestowed by the CFA Institute.

Sébastien Fournier joined Fiera Capital in April 2014 as Assistant Vice President, Private Wealth and is currently Vice President, Investment Counsellor. Mr. Fournier began his career in the investment management industry in January 2008 when he became an equity analyst at AFC Capital, a Montreal-based hedge fund manager.

During his four years at AFC Capital, Mr. Fournier interacted with numerous managers of publicly-traded companies in which the firm invested. In 2010, Mr. Fournier was promoted to Assistant Portfolio Manager. In March 2012 he joined a Multi-Family Office based in Montreal as Investment Manager, where he was in charge of selecting the best equity and private investment managers. Mr. Fournier also established multiple business relationships with various partners around the world.

Mr. Fournier has a Master's (M.Sc.) in Finance from the University of Sherbrooke and is a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM).

Andrea Lavergne joined Fiera Capital Corporation in January 2019 as Vice President, Private Wealth. Mrs. Lavergne started her career in 1995 at Lopresti, Gabbay & Associates Inc. where she conducted analysis and management of US small cap and EAFE portfolios on behalf of institutional and private wealth clients.

In 1998, Mrs. Lavergne joined C.F.G. Heward Investment Management Ltd. as Vice President, Portfolio Manager. She actively managed Canadian equity and global balanced portfolios on behalf of institutional and private clients with full discretion and was a member of the Global Investment Management Committee.

Mrs. Lavergne has worked at firms such as Fonorola, Matrox Graphics Inc. and SNC Lavalin, and was also a lecturer and course creator at the Goodman Institute of Investment Management at Concordia University in their Master of Business Administration program.

Mrs. Lavergne holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Commerce with a major in finance from Concordia University in Montreal.

Mrs. Lavergne stays active in her community through volunteer positions for various non-for-profit and community organizations.

Rodrigue Lussier joined Fiera Capital in 2010 as Associate Chief Investment Officer, Private Wealth, where his responsibilities included the establishment and review of clients’ investment policy statements. He now oversees the management of Private Wealth client portfolios.

Mr. Lussier’s career in the investment industry spans over 25 years. He started his career as an Asset Consultant and Actuary at Towers Perrin. In 1994, Mr. Lussier joined TAL Global Asset Management as Vice President, Investment Management and moved on to Chief Investment Officer of TAL Private Management Ltd. He also held management positions at a major public institutional investor before joining Fiera Capital.

Mr. Lussier has a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science from Université Laval, Québec and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Mr. Lussier is involved in his community. He is a Board member of Arthritis Research Canada where he acts as the Finance chair as well as a Board member of ENSEMBLE for the respect of diversity. He is also a past President of CFA Montreal.

François Veillet joined Fiera Capital in August 2009 as Vice President, Private Wealth; currently he is Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. He has been in the investment management industry since 1984. Mr. Veillet 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, and was responsible for money market and fixed income operations. In 2003, he was appointed Head of Debt Capital Markets for the Quebec region, coordinating operations involving currencies, derivatives, money market and fixed income, and the issuance of corporate and government debt.

Mr. Veillet is dedicated to his community. He has served as a member of the Montréal Heart Institute Foundation Board and Executive Committee since 1994. He is also 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 HEC Montreal with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.

Don Cranston joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management. Currently, he is Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. Mr. Cranston was one of the founders of CGOV and chaired the CGOV Asset Management Board; he was also responsible for managing investment portfolios on behalf of private and institutional clients. Mr. Cranston has over 25 years of investment industry experience.

Mr. Cranston earned his undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees from Queen's University. Following his education at Queen's, Mr. Cranston worked at Andersen Consulting as a Management Consultant. He also worked at Burns Fry Limited and Coleford Investment Management Ltd.

Mr. Cranston is the Past-Chairman of the Portfolio Management Association of Canada. He is currently on the Boards of The Fiera Capital Foundation and The Friends of Fort York. He is a member of the Investment Committee of the Anglican Foundation of Canada and is Honorary Colonel of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment).

Paul de la Roche joined Fiera Capital in 2013 as Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. Mr. de la Roche is a trusted adviser to a select number of private clients, providing wealth management and investment counselling to help them achieve their goals and simplify their lives.

Mr. de la Roche began his career in financial services in 2000 after graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Economics. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM), a member of the CFA Society Toronto and a registered portfolio manager.

Jim Green joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management, where he was responsible for managing portfolios for private and institutional clients.  Currently, he is an Investment Counsellor for Private Wealth.

Mr. Green has more than 40 years of experience in the investment services industry; prior to joining CGOV in 2002, he was a Partner and Vice President at TAL Private Management Ltd.

Mr. Green graduated from York University and holds the CIM (Canadian Investment Manager) and PFP (Professional Financial Planner) designations from the Canadian Securities Institute. He has been a member of the CFA Institute and the Toronto CFA Society since 1993.

He served as a Director and member of the Finance Committee of the Family Service Association of Toronto and also served a 4-year term as a board member for The CGOV Foundation.

Iain Green joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management, where he was responsible for managing portfolios for private and institutional clients. Currently, he is Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. Mr. Green joined CGOV in 2014 and has 20 years of experience in the investment industry, which included 13 years at RBC Dominion Securities.

Mr. Green earned his undergraduate degree from Queen’s University and holds the CIM (Chartered Investment Manager) and FCSI (Fellow of the CSI) designations from the Canadian Securities Institute.

Mr. Green’s volunteer work includes coaching youth hockey and also assisting health related organizations with their fundraising and management.

J. Andrew Mitchell joined Fiera Capital as Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor in May 2019. He is responsible for business development and client servicing of high net worth private clients as well as Indigenous clients.

Mr. Mitchell has more than 25 years of experience in the financial sector across various roles. Prior to joining Fiera Capital, he was a Vice President and Partner at Ridgewood Capital Asset Management where he was part of a team responsible for managing approximately $1 billion in assets for a wide variety of high net worth clients, foundations, institutions and Indigenous communities. He began his career in 1993 with the predecessor firm to BMO Nesbitt Burns before moving to asset management with Fidelity Investments. From there he spent the next 15 years in progressively senior sales and client management roles, including running his own financial consulting business.

Mr. Mitchell has a B.A. in Statistics from the University of Western Ontario as well as the CFA designation.

Joshua Mosko joined Fiera Capital in 2018 and is currently Vice President, Investment Counsellor.

Mr. Mosko is a registered Portfolio Manager and has over 7 years of experience in the investment industry, which includes previous investment counselling and wealth management roles at Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. and Altus Securities Inc.

Mr. Mosko received an Honours Business Administration degree, with distinction, from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. He also received a Master of Business Administration degree, with distinction and Dean’s List Honours, from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto. Mr. Mosko has earned his Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation. Prior to his experience in the investment industry, Mr. Mosko also spent a number of years with Mercer Canada Ltd. as a Management Consultant.

Sheila Norman joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management, where she was responsible for managing portfolios for private and institutional clients. Currently, she is Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor.

Ms. Norman joined CGOV in 2006 and has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry, which includes previous employment at McLean Budden Ltd and Sun Life Securities. She earned her undergraduate degree from Queen's University in 1991 and holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation from the CFA Institute. She has completed the National Aboriginal Trustee Training Program through Lethbridge College and the Not-for-Profit Governance Essentials Program with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Ms. Norman serves as President and board Member for The Fiera Capital Foundation.

Chip Pitfield joined Fiera Capital in 2018 following its acquisition of CGOV Asset Management, where he was responsible for managing and developing new private client relationships. Currently, he is Vice President, Private Wealth. Mr. Pitfield joined CGOV in 2013 and has 36 years of financial industry experience, primarily as an investment banker and equity capital markets professional.

Mr. Pitfield is a graduate of Huron College, University of Western Ontario. He is Chair, ALUS Canada (www.alus.ca); Vice-Chair of Delta Waterfowl Foundation (www.deltawaterfowl.org); Director at Skylark Child, Youth and Family Services; and Past-Chair of Oolagen Community Services, which has since merged with Skylark.

Brian Swales joined Fiera Capital in September 2015 as Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor. He has more than 25 years of experience in the investment management industry serving high net worth families across numerous roles. Mr. Swales joined Merrill Lynch in 1994 as a research analyst and was promoted to VP at age 26, entrusted to run the firm’s Managed Assets Group serving the firm’s high net worth clients. He then became National Sales Director, overseeing sales, marketing and product portfolio management of Merrill Lynch’s asset management services in Canada. Mr. Swales spent 10 years building Brandes Investment Partners in Canada. At TD’s Wealth Management group, he ran TD’s high net worth integrated platform in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), advising UHNW families, E&Fs and trusts.         

Mr. Swales graduated from Western University (UWO) in Business Administration (1990), completed his MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business graduating with Honours – Ivey Scholar, and is a Certified Investment Manager (CIM) and a Partner, Director & Senior Officer (PDO).

Mr. Swales is actively involved in his community; coaching various youth sports teams for the last 10 years including hockey, soccer and baseball. He also volunteers with and is involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations, including Volunteer Readers Programme (VRP), Pathways to Education and Out of The Cold. Mr. Swales is a past Director at Devil’s Glen Country Club where he served for 5 years. He is currently  a Board Member at Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ontario where he sits on the Governance and Nominating Board Committee.

John Q Adams joined Fiera Capital in February 2015 as Vice President, Marketing. Currently, he is Vice President, Private Wealth, and is responsible for leading the business development initiatives in Calgary. Mr. Adams has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, gaining significant expertise in areas of strategic planning, business development, marketing, sales and wealth management.

Having started his career at Royal Trust in 1988, he progressively took on more senior positions at Royal Bank, TE Financial and Scotia Bank. Most recently, Mr. Adams was a senior member of the team that obtained a Canadian Schedule 1 Chartered Bank license for a new start-up, Bridgewater Bank in 2005, where he successfully led the initial marketing and product development team.

Mr. Adams is a graduate of the University of Calgary (B.A. History 1985) where he also obtained his Marketing Certificate (1998). He is actively involved in the local business community both personally and professionally, most recently joining the board of Glenbow. Mr. Adams is the Vice-Chair of Valour Canada, is involved in the Calgary Chamber and supports several non-profits.

Claudio Gagliardi joined Fiera Capital in 2012 following its acquisition of Canadian Wealth Management (CWM). Currently, as Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor, he is responsible for counselling private clients. Mr. Gagliardi has over 25 years of investment management industry experience, having started his career with Royal Trust as an Investment Advisor in 1995. Prior to joining CWM in 2011,  Mr. Gagliardi spent three years at T.E. Investment Counsel, where he led the Calgary private client office while counselling high net worth families.

Mr. Gagliardi previously served as a board member for the Calgary CFA Society for 5 years, including a term as President (2006-2007). He obtained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 1998, obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2001, and is a graduate of the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business (B.Comm., 1995).

Mr. Gagliardi is dedicated to his community. He has been coaching various youth sports teams for over 10 years and is a member of the Calgary Flames Ambassadors, supporting the Calgary Flames Foundation for Life. He has been volunteering with UNICEF for almost 20 years and is a regular Canadian Blood Services donor.

Harvey McKernon joined Fiera Capital in 2012 following its acquisition of Canadian Wealth Management (CWM), which he joined in 2009 as Senior Vice President. Currently, as Senior Vice President, Investment Counsellor and Head of Private Wealth Alberta, he is responsible for discretionary investment management and counselling private clients on wealth preservation, estate transfer and succession. He also leads the Calgary office and oversees business development for Private Wealth across Alberta. Mr. McKernon has over 25 years of industry experience, having started his career in 1994 as a Financial Advisor at Manulife Securities in Calgary then moving on to Franklin Templeton as Vice President and Private Wealth Counsellor.

Mr. McKernon stays active in his community and serves on two non-profit boards, Pheasants Forever and the World Professional Chuckwagon Association. Mr. McKernon is a graduate of the University of Calgary (B.A., 1993). He obtained his Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation in 2004 and became a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) in 2010.