At CFO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Toronto based CFO’ operating in the Financial Services space. If you think a CFO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected].
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Richard Smith
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of Acasta Enterprises
Richard has served as COO and CFO of AEI since its inception in 2015. Previously, Richard was the Executive Vice-President of Finance for Cosma International, an operating group of Magna International Inc. Cosma operates 73 manufacturing facilities and 21 product development and engineering centers in 18 countries worldwide, and designs, manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of metal body systems, components, assemblies and modules including complete vehicle frames, chassis systems and body-in-white systems to automotive original equipment manufacturers. Prior to joining Cosma, Richard was the Chief Financial Officer of Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust and previously the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of MI Developments Inc. (now Granite REIT). He holds a bachelor of commerce (honours) degree from the University of Ottawa, and a juris doctor degree and MBA from the University of Toronto.
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About Acasta Enterprises: Acasta Enterprises operates as a special purpose acquisition company.
Deborah Starkman
Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Secretary of GMP Capital
Deborah Starkman is the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of GMP. She is responsible for the firm’s global finance function, including all aspects of regulatory and external financial reporting, performance measurement, risk management, liquidity and capital management and tax reporting. Prior to her appointment in September 2012 as CFO, Ms. Starkman was Managing Director, Finance, Head of Regulatory Reporting and Risk Management. With over 20 years’ experience in the capital markets industry, she brings a deep level of knowledge and insight to her role. Prior to joining GMP, she was Managing Director, Product Finance at the brokerage arm of a major Canadian bank. Ms. Starkman is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. She is involved in a number of charities including serving as Treasurer of the Centennial Infant and Child Care Centre and past Treasurer for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
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About GMP Capital: GMP is an independent diversified financial services firm focused on delivering tailored solutions, expert advice and best-in-class.
Jeannette Wiltse
Operating Partner & CFO of Relay Ventures
Jeannette is Operating Partner and CFO at Relay Ventures, an early stage venture fund exclusively focused on mobile software. Jeannette manages fund reporting, finance and operations and also assists the investment teams in establishing governance and financial infrastructure for portfolio companies. Previously Jeannette spent ten years as Director of Finance and Administration for RBC Venture Partners, managing finance and operations for its direct investment portfolio and fund investment portfolio, with responsibility for financial and operational due diligence for fund investments. Prior to joining RBCVP, Jeannette served as Secretary-Treasurer of Euro Brokers Canada, Ltd., a global interdealer broker where she established finance, operations and governance infrastructure for the Canadian operation. Jeannette is a member of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association’s (CVCA) CFO Taskforce, and also serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship for women in the capital markets. Jeannette is a Certified General Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Jeannette is based in our Toronto office.
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About Relay Ventures: Relay Ventures specializes mainly in startup, seed and early stage investments and provides support throughout the lifecycle of a startup.
Heramb Ramachandran
Chief Financial Officer of XPV Water Partners
Heramb joined XPV Water Partners in 2016, bringing more than 10 years of experience in strategy, finance, and operations functions within global asset management and financial services firms. Heramb is responsible for the financial, tax and treasury operations of XPV and our funds. Prior to joining XPV, Heramb was Senior Director of Finance with Manulife Financial, where he was responsible for designing the back and middle office from start-up to full scale operation for Manulife’s newly launched third party private asset management business. Heramb worked as a fund controller at Brookfield Asset Management and started his career with KPMG in the Sydney and Toronto office. Heramb graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Honours Mathematics, and a Master of Accounting. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA). In his spare time, Heramb is an avid baseball enthusiast and sabermetrics hobbyist. Along with his wife, Heramb plans to visit every baseball stadium in North America.
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About XPV Water Partners: XPV is comprised of experienced water entrepreneurs, operators, and investment professionals dedicated to making a difference in water.
Winnie Leung
Chief Financial Officer of Moneris
Winnie Leung is the Chief Financial Officer for Moneris. Winnie is responsible for the overall financial strategy, management and reporting and Treasury operations of the company and her responsibilities include making investment and borrowing decisions on behalf of the corporation, providing financial analysis in support of various business goals, and assessing the financial impact of acquisition targets. Winnie joined Moneris in 2011 and has 20 years of senior finance management experience. Prior to Moneris, Winnie was an Audit Partner at KPMG LLP, servicing clients in the technology and communications sector. Winnie worked closely with both public and early-stage companies to help build and manage their businesses. Winnie founded the Inclusive Workplace Council at Moneris, and remains the executive sponsor.
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About Moneris: Moneris is Canada’s largest financial technology company that specializes in payment processing.
Karen Weaver
Chief Financial Officer of D+H
Karen Weaver is Chief Financial Officer at D+H, a leading financial technology provider trusted by nearly 8,000 financial institutions, governments and corporations across the globe. Karen is accountable for all financial matters across D+H and plays a pivotal role in further driving shareholder value and advancing the company’s strategy. She is also responsible for leading Investor Relations and manages Legal and Procurement across the globe. Karen has more than 30 years of financial management experience with large and mid-sized organizations in Canada and the United States. Prior to joining D+H, Karen spent more than 10 years at First Capital Reality as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that, she held several senior management roles, including Chief Financial Officer at Brookfield Properties – Canada, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer at Gentra Inc., and progressive management roles with KPMG in Oakland, New York and Seattle. Karen is a Certified Accountant and is licensed by the Washington State Board of Accountancy in the United States. She graduated Magnum Cum Laude with a Bachelor in Business Administration from the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, has completed the Directors Education Program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and is a certified director. Karen is also currently a member of the Board of Directors for MCAN Corporation and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ontario Science Centre.
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About D+H: D+H is committed to being the technology partner that financial services organizations trust and rely on to build deeper and more
Jeffrey Yim
CFO of Borrowell
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About Borrowell: Borrowell offers free credit scores, education, and weekly credit monitoring, as well as innovative financial digital tools.
Leen Li
Chief Financial Officer of Wealthsimple
She have over ten years of experience in accounting, finance, and process improvement in the software and investment banking industries. Improving efficiency and process automation is her passion at work. Her goals at Influitive are to ensure all employees have a worry-free working environment, provide the management team with financial and operational information, comply with government and stakeholder requirements, and satisfy external customers’ and suppliers’ requests. She enjoy practicing Ashtanga Yoga and gardening. She also have a soft spot for Australian Shiraz.
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About Wealthsimple: Wealthsimple offers financial tools to help investors grow and manage their money.
Guillaume Marion
Partner, CFO, Investor of Diagram Ventures
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About Breathe Life, Diagram Ventures, Sagard: Diagram is a venture builder that conceives and launches technology companies in the financial services, insurance, and health industries.
Kam Shah
Chief Financial Officer of ZD Ventures
Kam Shah is a senior financial executive with over 25 years of progressive leadership growth within world-class global business environments. Highly knowledgeable and familiar with all aspects of corporate finance, including audits, SEC/OSC reporting, forecasting, and business plan development. Skilled at communicating parameters of complex business transactions to both front line leaders and senior executives, utilizing advanced knowledge of GAAP and US and Canadian securities laws and corporate practices. Mr. Shah started his career as a senior manager with two of the largest accounting firms, Ernst & Young and Pricewaterhousecoopers and then moved to industry where he played several roles from an office manager to CEO, CFO of public companies.
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About ZD Ventures: ZD Ventures partners with entrepreneurs to achieve what others believe is impossible.
Stephen Zamin
CFO of Citadel Securities Canada of Citadel Securities
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About Citadel Securities: Citadel Securities is a global market maker across a broad array of fixed income and equity securities.
John McKenzie
CFO & CEO of TMX Group
John McKenzie is Chief Financial Officer, TMX Group. McKenzie joined TMX Group in 2000 as Director of Finance and Administration, and has previously held executive positions in Corporate Strategy and Development and Corporate Finance. In his prior roles, McKenzie led TMX Group’s financial and strategic planning efforts and managed various TMX acquisitions, including the Maple transaction, Montréal Exchange and Shorcan, as well as the resulting integration initiatives. In September 2013, McKenzie became Chief Operating Officer and CFO of The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited (CDS), Canada’s equity and fixed income clearing house and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMX Group. In July 2015, he was named President of CDS. In addition to his duties as TMX Group CFO, Mr. McKenzie will remain as CDS’s President until a successor is appointed. McKenzie is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University and an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has served a number of boards, and currently is a board member of the Canadian Capital Markets Association.
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About TMX Group: TMX Group companies provide listing venues, trading markets, clearing facilities, data products services to the global financial community.
Jonathan Simmons
Chief Financial Officer of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System
Jonathan Simmons became OMERS Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in January 2014. Jonathan brings more than 20 years of experience in financial services to this role. As Chief Financial Officer, Simmons’ duties include OMERS financial reporting, serving as the lead executive for the OMERS Administration Corporation Board’s Audit Committee, and preparation of the annual operating plan. He is also a member of the Transaction Approval Committee. Prior to joining OMERS, Jonathan was a Partner at PwC for more than a decade. He led PwC’s insurance practice, which comprised a team of over 200 auditors, actuaries, tax specialists, management consultants and deal experts. At PwC, Jonathan provided clients both in Canada and internationally with advice covering areas such as audit, financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, capital raising, regulatory advice and due diligence. Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Warwick (England) and a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. His contributions to the community extend to serving as a director for various non-profit organizations, including the Canadian Youth Business Foundation.
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About Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System: We manage a diversified global portfolio of stocks and bonds as well as real estate, infrastructure and private equity investments.
Karim Jamal
Founder & Chief Financial Officer of Foxquilt
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About Foxquilt: Foxquilt is an Insurance technology company focused on empowering small businesses and B2B networks to save on Small Business insurance.
Chris Hazelton
Chief Financial Officer of SustainCo
Hazelton is the Chief Financial Officer for SustainCo Inc. and its companies. Mr. Hazelton is a Certified General Accountant with over 15 years of experience working in a variety of industries. He has focused on public companies listed in Canada and the US; financial management; analysis and reporting; developing systems of internal controls and acting as a business partner with operational management and members of the board of directors. Prior to 2007, Mr. Hazelton worked in a series of public and private entities primarily in management roles in industries that included retail, steel, technology and corporate trust.
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About SustainCo: SustainCo is a diversified investment company focused on Impact Investing in areas of sustainability.
Jason Futko
Co-Founder, CFO of KoreConX
CFO at KoreConx.
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About KoreConX: Empowering Private Markets
Steve Fray
Chief Financial Officer of Goldmoney
Steve is Goldmoney’s Chief Financial Officer. Steve is an experienced fintech executive with over 20 years of experience in finance and auditing. As SVP of Finance, Steve oversees the global accounting, business support, financial planning and analysis, treasury, internal audit, and tax functions at Goldmoney. Steve joined Goldmoney in early 2017 as Director of Finance, and has worked closely with Goldmoney’s senior leadership since his arrival. Steve has over 20 years of experience building and leading finance teams in global companies with significant operating scale and complexity. Prior to joining Goldmoney, Steve was VP of Finance at Guestlogix, senior finance manager at Accounting General’s Department of Bermuda and numerous audit roles at KPMG. Steve holds several designations and professional affiliations namely a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from the University of Manchester, Certified Professional Accountant, Certified General Accountant, (CPA, CGA), Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, (FCCA-UK), Certified Public Accountant (CPA-USA), Certified Internal Auditor, (CIA-USA), Certified Fraud Examiner, (CFE-USA).
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About Goldmoney: Goldmoney is a financial services group that combines the unique attributes of gold with technology-driven innovation.
Adam Conyers
CFO of The Canadian Securities Exchange
Adam Conyers is the chief financial officer and senior Vice-President of CNSX Markets Inc.
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About The Canadian Securities Exchange: CSE is the only exchange in Canada providing trading and market information services for all domestically listed instruments.
Sandy Poklar
CFO & Trustee of Firm Capital Property Trust
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About Firm Capital American Realty Partners, Firm Capital Property Trust: Firm Capital Property Trust is focused on creating long-term value for unitholders through capital preservation and disciplined investing.
Daniel Lazzer
Chief Financial Officer of Harvest Portfolios Group
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About Harvest Portfolios Group: Harvest Portfolios is a Canadian Investment Fund Manager based in Oakville Ontario.
Gregory D. Tretiak
Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Power Financial Corporation
Mr. Tretiak was appointed Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Power Financial and Power Corporation in May 2012. He is a director of Power Financial’s subsidiary companies Great-West Lifeco and IGM Financial and a number of their subsidiaries. Mr. Tretiak joined Investors Group in 1988 and was Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of IGM Financial since 1999. In this role, he was responsible for all financial functions at IGM Financial and its subsidiaries: Investors Group, Mackenzie Financial and Investment Planning Counsel.
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About Power Financial Corporation: Power Financial Corporation is a diversified management and holding company.
Enio Lazzer
COO & CFO of Espresso Capital
Enio brings over 20 years experience in finance, capital markets, operations and technology. Prior roles include divisional CFO/COO and Managing Director of CIBC World Markets, where he also served as Head of Prime Brokerage and Trading Services, and Vice President & CFO of The Northern Trust Company, Canada, where he was part of an executive team that established the first foreign owned trust company in Canada, successfully growing it to over $40 billion of assets under management.
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About Espresso Capital: Espresso Capital offers lines of credit and term loans to enable entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Richard D’Archivio
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of CST Consultants
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About CST Consultants: CST help families keep their money safe and growing in a registered education savings plan (RESP).
Bart Kane
Portfolio CFO of The CFO Center Limited
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About The CFO Center Limited: The CFO Centre Group is now the Global No.1 provider of part-time FD and CFO services.