Gala Dinner Fireside Chat Featuring
Stephane Etroy
EVP and Head of Private Equity
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)
Stephane Etroy
Mr. Etroy has 16 years of experience in the private equity market. With CDPQ since September 2015, he began as Senior Vice-President and Co-Head of Direct Investments, in addition to Head of Europe Private Equity. Before joining the institution, he was an Investment Manager and later a Partner at Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP, in London. He began his career in investment banking and then private equity at Morgan Stanley in London. He has a Master of Science (M. Sc.) with a major in finance, from HEC Paris.
Charles R. Kaye
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Warburg Pincus
Charles R. Kaye
Mr. Kaye is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and co-chairman of the Partnership Fund for New York City and the International Advisory Board of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). He currently serves on the Board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, as an investment committee member of Sheridan Production Partners, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Janice Topp
Partner
HOOPP Capital Partners
Janice Topp
2017 Confirmed Speakers
Co-Chair
David Brown
Partner
Weirfoulds LLP
David Brown
David practises in the areas of Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance. He has been named by Best Lawyers® as one of the best lawyers in Canada in the practice area of Corporate Law. He handles all manner of M&A , Private Equity and Debt transactions with an emphasis on:
- private company sales and divestitures;
- middle-market company mergers and acquisitions; and
- the Canadian component of institutional fund purchases and divestitures.
David has also developed an active international practice representing finance firms in New York, Chicago, Frankfurt and London.
David has spoken extensively on the topics of Mergers and Acquisitions transactions and Private Equity investments. He also possesses an admiration for venture stage entrepreneurs and takes on a select number of venture stage engagements each year, providing structuring advice, mentoring and financing contacts to worthy emerging companies. David sits on the board and is an officer of a number of public, private and charitable endeavours.
Co-Chair
Richard Pay
Partner
PwC Canada
RICHARD PAY
RICHARD PAY is a Partner in the PwC Toronto Deals Group and leads PwC’s Private Equity Group. He has extensive professional experience (20+ years) focused on Mergers and Acquisition Advisory matters. Prior to that he obtained his chartered accounting designation in London, England. Richard works with many leading Private Equity and Pension Funds on large and complex deals. He also manages PwC’s relationships with a number of the leading Canadian Private Equity and Pension Funds. His experience covers a wide range of transactions including leading major due diligence engagements for both purchasers of, and lenders to, businesses which often involves coordinating significant multi-disciplinary teams and working within very tight timelines. Richard has led many complex carve out / divestiture sell side transactions. He has extensive experience of working on large and Canadian, cross border and international transactions. PwC’s Private Equity group has a long history working with many of the leading Canadian and Global Private Equity and Pension Funds through all aspects of the Fund and Investment lifecycle.
Yaron Ashkenazi
Founder & CEO
Awz HLS Investment Fund
Yaron Ashkenazi
“Yaron Ashkenazi is the Founder & CEO of Awz HLS Fund, the only VC in Canada investing in cutting-edge cyber security, intelligence, and security technologies from Israel, a global leader in these sectors. Mr. Ashkenazi has 30 years of experience in senior management in the fundraising and Israeli high-tech sectors with a comprehensive understanding of the global homeland security arena. He is a registered lawyer in Israel and served for 10 years in the Israel Security Agency (ISA) Dignitary Protection Division.”
David Austin
Partner
HOOPP Capital Partners
David Austin
David received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a BA (Law) and Masters (Law and Economics) from Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. David also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Justin Bateman
Managing Partner
BC Partners
Justin Bateman
Justin Bateman is a Managing Partner at BC Partners, an international private equity firm. He is based in BC Partners’ New York office. He initially joined BC Partners in London in 2000 and then left to attend INSEAD in 2002, re-joining BC Partners in London in 2003 and relocating to New York in 2008 when the firm opened its US investment office. Prior to BC Partners he was at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he spent three years in Transaction Services working on due diligence projects for both financial investors and corporate clients. He has an MBA from INSEAD, a degree in Economics from Cambridge University and is an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA). Portfolio company involvement: Teneo Global, Suddenlink, MultiPlan, Office Depot, Intelsat, Regency Entertainment, BDR Thermea, General Healthcare Group, Aviagen and most recently Cyxtera Technologies. Justin is a director of Cyxtera Technologies, Intelsat and Teneo Global.
Brent Belzberg
Founder and Senior Managing Partner
TorQuest
Brent Belzberg
Brent received a B.Comm. (Honours) from Queen’s University in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Toronto in 1976.
Cheryl Brandon
Partner, Investment Management
Waterton Global Resource Management
Cheryl Brandon
Cheryl Brandon is a Partner at Waterton Global Resource Management, a Private Equity firm focused primarily on investing in the metals & mining sector. She has over 15 years of experience evaluating and financing resource companies’ with a focus on deal origination, deal structuring and transaction execution.
Cheryl currently oversees all investment initiatives at Waterton and serves on the Investment Committee and the Valuation Committee for the Funds. During her tenure, Cheryl has been involved in structuring more than 50 transactions involving junior, mid-tier and senior mining companies.
Prior to joining Waterton in 2009, Cheryl co-managed a resource strategy at a Canadian hedge fund focused on investing in the mining and oil and gas sector. In 2007, she became a Chartered Financial Analyst Charter Holder and member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts.
In addition, Cheryl serves on the board of the CVCA, the principal private capital association for Canada and on the board of the Women in Private Equity Association.
Adam Breslin
Partner
Penfund
Adam Breslin
Adam is a partner at Penfund, a leading provider of junior capital to middle market companies throughout North America. Penfund is owned by its management team and is currently investing its most recently established fund, Penfund Capital Fund V. Penfund manages funds sourced from pension funds, insurance companies, banks, family offices and high-net-worth individuals and has invested more than C$3 billion in over 225 companies since its establishment in 1979. Assets and capital under management exceed C$1.2 billion.
Adam has more than 20 years of experience as a strategy consultant, investor and entrepreneur. He began his career as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, where he provided strategic and operational consulting to Fortune 1000 companies. He later joined Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., where he was an equity analyst covering the media and publishing sectors. He then served as CEO of Excentia, a venture-capital backed e-learning and corporate training company that he co-founded. Immediately prior to joining Penfund, Adam was an investment professional at Imperial Capital, a mid-market oriented private equity fund.
Adam has a B.A. from McGill University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School.
Tori Buffery
Partner
Morningside Capital Management
Tori Buffery
While at CPPIB, she gained extensive experience in private equity, investing $5.3 billion in the asset class including $1 billion in principal secondaries. Her experience spans North America, Europe and Asia in the mid, large and mega markets. In addition to investment execution, Tori was active in sourcing new opportunities and closely monitoring investments through her role as LP advisor board member. Tori also served as a member of the Institutional Limited Partners Association’s Education Committee.
Prior to joining CPPIB, Tori worked at BMO Capital Markets. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Business and Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Mary Chang
Executive Director, Private Markets
Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO)
Mary Chang
Mary is an investment professional with over 15 years of experience in corporate finance, private equity and infrastructure investing. Mary is currently an Executive Director with Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO), responsible for the infrastructure and real estate portfolios. Prior to IMCO, Mary was an Executive Director leading the Private Markets investment activities for the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB). Ms. Chang has broad private markets experience across multiple asset classes and currently sits on a number of portfolio company boards and LPAC committees of Fund commitments. She was previously a Director at OMERS Private Equity and Principal consultant with Mercer.
Cody Church
Senior Managing Director and Co-Founder
TriWest Capital Partners
Cody Church
Prior to joining EXOR, Cody was a member of the Leveraged Finance Group of Credit Suisse First Boston where he worked with financial buyers in areas of acquisition and divestiture, high-yield bonds, IPOs and re-financings.
Cody graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Economics from Harvard University. Cody was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2010.
Matthew Cockburn
Partner
Torys LLP
Matthew Cockburn
Mark Cormier
Director, Private Equity
Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)
Mark Cormier
Andy Evans
Managing Director
ARC Financial
Andy Evan
Andy Evans is a Managing Director of ARC Financial Corp in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to joining ARC in 2004, he worked for 14 years in the Oil and Gas industry as a petroleum geologist in both the U.S. and Canada. Andy currently co-leads the exploration and production investing team at ARC. His responsibilities include deal origination, structuring and execution, portfolio monitoring and exit. He is also active in ARC’s investor relations.
Andy is a graduate of Dartmouth College and also received a Ph.D. in geology and an M.B.A, both from Stanford University. Andy currently represents ARC on the boards of Burgess Creek Exploration Inc. and Sitka Exploration Ltd. He is a Certified Petroleum Geologist and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
Craig Ferguson
Managing Director
Manulife Capital
Craig Ferguson
Charles Fogden
Senior Vice President
AON Risk Solutions
Charles Fogden
Charles Fogden is a Senior Vice President in the Toronto office of Aon. He leads Aon’s specialized expertise and broad resources in Canada in the area of mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Fogden has over 35 years of experience strategic acquirers, private equity and pension funds, advising on risk, emerging risk and cost of risk for a wide variety of industry verticals. Aon is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. The mergers and acquisitions practice provides cyber, insurance, pensions and employee benefits transaction advisory to support enhanced pricing and strategic decision making on deal-related issues.
Michael Flood
Managing Director & Head of Private Equity
Northleaf Capital Partners
Michael Flood
Michael is a Managing Director and the Head of Private Equity at Northleaf Capital Partners, an independent global private markets manager, with more than $9 billion in private equity, infrastructure and private credit commitments under management on behalf of public, corporate and multi-employer pension plans, endowments, foundations, financial institutions and family offices. Northleaf’s 100-person team is located in Toronto, Montreal, London, Chicago and Menlo Park. Michael is a member of Northleaf’s Management Committee and Investment Committee and oversees the origination, evaluation and monitoring of Northleaf’s private equity investments globally. He is also involved in Northleaf’s investor relations and business development activities. In addition, Michael serves on the advisory boards of several partnerships within Northleaf’s private equity portfolio.
Prior to joining Northleaf’s predecessor, TD Capital Private Equity Investors, in 2001, Michael worked at Harrowston Inc., a publicly traded buyout group, and previously with Royal Bank Capital Partners, the private equity division of the Royal Bank of Canada. Michael received an M.B.A. from Ivey Business School, Western University, an M.Sc. from Indiana University and a B.A. from Queen’s University.
Brett House
Deputy Chief Economist
Scotiabank
Brett House
Prior to joining Scotiabank in October 2016, Brett was Chief Economist at Alignvest Investment Management in Toronto and Global Strategist at Woodbine Capital Advisors, a New York-based global macro fund. Earlier in his career, Brett served as Principal Advisor in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General and as an Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He cut his teeth in financial markets at Goldman Sachs International in London and at the World Bank in Washington, DC.
Brett is a Rhodes Scholar with degrees in economics from the University of Oxford and Queen’s University at Kingston. In addition, he has taught at Oxford University, McGill University, and the University of Cape Town, and has held research roles at Columbia University and Massey College at the University of Toronto.
Brett sits on the investment committees of Pearson College and the Canadian Rhodes Scholars’ Foundation. He received the 2014 Québec Notable Award in Finance and the 2015 Good Citizen Award from his hometown of Lincoln, Ontario.
Walter Jackson
Managing Director, Head of Direct Lending
Onex Credit Partners
Walter Jackson
Walter has 32 years of experience in the leveraged loan, high yield and mezzanine markets. Prior to joining Onex Credit, Walter was Senior Credit Officer and Chief Operations Officer of the Private Credit Group in the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. Previously he held positions at Credit Suisse, Scotiabank and Ernst & Whinney.
Tom Kerr
Managing Director and Global Head of Secondaries
Hamilton Lane
Tom Kerr
Tom is a Managing Director and the Global Head of Secondaries at Hamilton Lane. He is responsible for direction and oversight of the firm’s Secondary Investment platform and is a member of the Secondary Investment Committee. In this capacity, Tom is active in secondary deal sourcing and execution. In addition, Tom is a member of the firm’s Portfolio Strategic Group, which is responsible for directing the firm’s strategic investment approach. Tom began his career at Hamilton Lane in 1999 and most recently was a member of the Fund Investment Team, where he was responsible for due diligence of primary fund investment opportunities. Prior to this, Tom was responsible for the coordination and management of the firm’s client relationship activities. Prior to joining Hamilton Lane, Tom spent two years at BISYS Plan Services, where he was responsible for the investment activities of institutional defined benefit plans. Tom received an M.B.A. from Saint Joseph’s University and a B.S. in Finance from Rider University.
Scott Kleinman
Lead Partner, Private Equity
Apollo Global Management
Scott Kleinman
Erik Levy
Managing Partner
Acasta Enterprises
Erik Levy
Mark McArdle
Chief Technology Officer
eSentire Inc.
Mark McArdle
Mark McArdle is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years experience with top technology brands, such as PGP Inc. and most recently McAfee’s Senior VP for its consumer product development division. Mark defines new, leading edge products for eSentire and himself holds six patents in Internet security. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo and completed the Ivey Executive Program in 2005.
Alistair Mitchell
President
Generation Ventures
Alistair Mitchell
Alistair Mitchell leads Generation Ventures, the venture arm of a family office based in Toronto, Canada. Responsible for the firm’s LP funding partnerships with VCs in Toronto, Montreal, and Silicon Valley, Alistair and his team also pursue direct investments in early growth stage companies – last year, closing eight tech deals in three countries, Canada, USA, and the UK.
Prior to Generation Ventures, Alistair made a number of seed stage tech investments for the Investment Accelerator Fund at MaRS, one of Canada’s leading venture platforms for early stage companies. Alistair Mitchell’s career in venture capital is backed by 20 years of operational experience, in both venture and corporate, public and private sectors.
During BlackBerry’s hyper growth years, Alistair led BlackBerry’s instant messaging and multimedia businesses – owning senior executive responsibility for all supporting teams across product management, software engineering, and platform monetization. As an entrepreneur pre-BlackBerry, Alistair co-founded Puretracks, a pioneering digital music service that he lead and ultimately sold to Bell Canada, Canada’s largest telco.
Early career stops included music and documentary production with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and speechwriting with the Bank of Montreal. Alistair holds an MBA from Rotman, University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Music from McGill University.
Tawfiq Popatia
Managing Director
Onex
Tawfiq Popatia
Tawfiq is responsible for Onex Partners’ origination and due diligence efforts in automation, aerospace and transportation-focused industries. Since joining Onex, Tawfiq has led Onex Partners’ investments in Advanced Integration Technology (AIT) and BBAM and its related investments in FLY Leasing and Meridian Aviation.
Tawfiq currently serves on the boards of AIT, BBAM and Celestica (NYSE:CLS) and previously served on the board of Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:SPR). He is a former Employer Trustee of the International Association of Machinists National Pension Fund.
Prior to joining Onex, Tawfiq worked at Hellman & Friedman LLC, a San Francisco- based private equity firm. Previously, Tawfiq worked in the Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring, General Industrials and Financial Sponsors groups at Morgan Stanley & Co. and Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific.
Tawfiq graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B. Sc. and B. Comm. (with honours).
Yann Robard
Managing Partner
Whitehorse Liquidity Partner
Yann Robard
During his 13 years at CPPIB, Yann had several roles and positions, all focused in private equity, namely in its funds, secondaries and co-investments activities. Yann joined at CPPIB’s inception of its private equity activity. In 2007, Yann was provided the mandate to establish a principal secondary program within CPPIB. By 2015, the program had invested over $7 billion, built a team of 15 professionals in Toronto and London and become a globally recognized market leader in the secondary market.
Prior to joining CPPIB, Yann spent time with Paul Capital, CIBC and JP Morgan. Yann holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University and is a CFA charterholder.
David Ross
Managing Director & Head of Private Credit
Northleaf Capital Partners
David Ross
David is a Managing Director and the Head of Private Credit at Northleaf Capital Partners, an independent global private markets manager, with more than $9 billion in private equity, infrastructure and private credit commitments under management on behalf of public, corporate and multi-employer pension plans, endowments, foundations, financial institutions and family offices. Northleaf’s 100-person team is located in Toronto, Montreal, London, Chicago and Menlo Park. David is a member of Northleaf’s Management Committee and Investment Committee and oversees the origination, evaluation and monitoring of Northleaf’s private credit investments globally. He is also involved in Northleaf’s investor relations and business development activities.
Prior to joining Northleaf in 2016, David was at Sankaty Advisors (now Bain Capital Credit), a leading global credit specialist, as a Managing Director, Global Head of Sourcing and a member of Sankaty’s Opportunistic Credit and Private Credit team. Previously, David served as the Co-Head of Sankaty’s London office from 2009 to 2013. David began his career with Credit Suisse First Boston in Investment Banking. David received a B.A. from Harvard College.
Jane Rowe
Senior Managing Director and Head of Private Capital
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP)
Jane Rowe
Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’ in October 2010, she was Executive Vice-President, Special Accounts Management and Retail Credit Risk at Scotiabank. Previously, she held senior roles at Scotia Merchant Capital Corporation, the bank’s Canadian private equity fund, was President and CEO of RoyNat Capital Inc., Scotiabank’s wholly owned mid-market merchant bank, and was President and CEO of Scotia Mortgage Corporation.
Shea Small
Partner
McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Shea Small
Gero Wittemann
Managing Director
CVC Capital Partners
Gero Wittemann
Gero Wittemann, Managing Director, joined CVC in 2004 in Frankfurt. Gero is a member of the CVC North America team and is based in New York. Prior to joining CVC, he was with Aventis GmbH, Drueker & Co. Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG and 3i Group Plc. Gero graduated from WHU Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He also attended the Olin Graduate School of Business at Washington University and HEC Lausanne.