Reflections: An Evening with Past Presidents of UFSC Toronto

UFSC has served a special purpose from the very day the organization arrived in Toronto.  Some members came for professional development, others for community engagement.  Those in search of a rich and diverse network of finance professionals also found a fountain of knowledge and enrichment.

Through the years, UFSC has meant many things to many people, yet the organization's ability to deliver on its promise has always been a vested interest of leadership, where success is a function of the President's vision and the boards ability to execute on that vision.  Join us as we take this opportunity to see UFSC Toronto through the eyes of Past Presidents as they reflect on leadership, crisis and change.

GENERAL MEETING      Thursday, February 25, 2010

6:00-6:05    Welcome & Introduction 
                   Marlon Reid, President - UFSC Toronto 

6:05-7:15    Reflections, UFSC Past Presidents
     
7:15-7:30    Committee Updates

7:30-7:40    UFSC Toronto 2009 Outstanding Member  
                   Awards Presentation
 
7:40-7:45    Member Accolades
 
7:45-7:55    Other Business
 

8:00            TD Bank Financial Group
                   Networking Session
 

We would like to thank our general meeting and networking sponsor

Guest Biographies:

Paget Warner a veteran of bull and bear markets, has spent the past three decades analysing stocks and markets and has worked in both large and small corporate environments on large-cap to micro-cap equities. In his current position, he is President of Kingsmont Investment Management Inc., a junior Canadian Investment Advisor with  an enhanced value approach to investing.
 
Mr. Warner is a student of the market and enjoys both the practical and the theoretical underpinnings of market behaviour. Although his investment style may be described as VALUE, Mr. Warner is not averse to acknowledging that styles are cyclic in nature.
 
At Scotia Cassels, he managed the billion-dollar flagship Scotia Canadian Dividend Fund. He also co-managed the Scotia Canadian Blue Chip, Resource and Growth Funds.  Prior to Scotia Cassels, Mr. Warner held the position of Vice-President and Portfolio Manager at Cassels Blaikie, where he was responsible for all investments in the oil and gas, mining and financial services sectors.

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Mr. Warner holds a BA and MBA degrees from U of T. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) professional designation from the CFA Institute.
 
A believer in giving back to community, Mr. Warner works tirelessly to build community infrastructure and to engage others in the process. As the founding president of the Toronto chapter of the Urban Financial Services Coalition (formerly National Association of Urban Bankers), Mr. Warner provided the organisation with its first chapter outside the U.S.A. and an opportunity for minority professionals to network internationally. 
 
Mr. Warner is also the founder and current president of Brandon Street Community Development Foundation, a charitable organisation, dedicated to serving minority youth through corporate partnerships in mentoring, education and social enterprise.

Nicola Browne is a Senior Project Manager at TD Canada Trust in the Operations and Technology division.  In this role she is responsible for managing a portfolio of programs and projects that support and drive value for personal, small business & commercial customers.  Nicola has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, primarily in retail, wealth management, operations and project management.

Nicola has been an active member of the Urban Financial Service Coalition since 1998 through leading the membership committee and holding various board positions.  In 2005, Nicola was privileged to be elected as President.
Nicola holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. She attained the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation in 2007.

Originally from Jamaica, Zamal Whyte came to Canada in 1992 to pursue his undergraduate studies. He attended McMaster University where he graduated with both a BSc. (Chemistry) and BA (Economics). Always looking for opportunities to serve Zamal served as the president of the Afro-Caribbean Association (1994-95) as well as an elected member of the Student Representative Assembly (1995-96).
 
Zamal has had a long career with RBC Financial Group beginning in 1994 as a Customer Service Representative part-time throughout his studies and then on a full time basis, which began in June 1997 as the Assistant Manager, Personal Banking at a very productive branch unit on the Hamilton Mountain. After spending 3 years assisting clients with their credit and investment needs Zamal made a decision to pursue the investment side of the business. In making this decision he enrolled and successfully completed the Personal Financial Planning professional designation in 2004. He was then promoted to the position of Financial Planner, Investment Retirement Planning. In this position he has served in Oakville, Burlington and is currently in Hamilton where he has the investment responsibilities of three branches. 
 
Zamal currently serves his community in several ways including being an active member of the Burlington Lakeshore Rotary club, on the International Board of the Urban Financial Services Coalition, as well as he and his wife are leaders over the Young Adult Ministry at their church.  In 2007 Zamal served as the UFSC Toronto President.

Gavin Douglas is a Vice President with Marsh Canada Limited and has worked in the Financial Institutions Industry Practice since joining the company in 2003.

Gavin currently works on a variety of the Financial Institution and Professional Service based accounts in both a broking and client management role.  Gavin is responsible for the servicing of various small, midsize, large and international clients including Chartered Banks, Life Companies, Pension Plans, Mutual Fund companies and Professional firms.  He is regularly involved in the negotiation and placement of those coverages that are unique to the financial and professional services industry practice.

"There are several organizations in existence that serve our community. Few have a mandate specifically for minorities within the Financial Services community.  Even fewer have a mandate that is as fulsome as the UFSC and for this I am thankful to be a part of the organization.  It is my mandate to use my 15+ years of experience in the Financial Services industry coupled with my many years of local community involvement to contribute to the UFSC as I continue to learn from being a part of the UFSC."

Kurankye Sekyi-Otu has over 15 years of investment industry experience. Currently, Mr. Sekyi-Otu is President of Soho Financial Services Inc., a consulting company servicing the Canadian investment fund industry and the capital markets. Prior to forming Soho Financial, Mr. Sekyi-Otu was Executive Vice-President, Sales for frontierAlt Capital Corporation from the firm’s inception in 2003 through 2008. At frontierAlt, he established and was responsible for the development, sales and marketing for the firm’s retail investment funds. Prior to frontierAlt, he was Regional Vice-President, Sales for Mackenzie Financial responsible for sales among bank-owned dealers in the Greater Toronto Area. Previously, Mr. Sekyi-Otu was Director, Debt Capital Markets at CIBC World Markets where he was responsible for marketing fixed-income securities as well as equity and interest rate structured products through CIBC Wood Gundy investment advisors. Mr. Sekyi-Otu’s fixed-income experience also includes trading US-Pay strip and US Treasury bonds at CIBC World Markets. He earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from York University and holds the Canadian Investment Manager (CIM), Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (F.C.S.I) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations.