Executive moves this week

Each week, Investment Executive summarizes notable management shifts across the financial and wealth management industry.

• On Monday, Wellington-Altus Financial Inc. promoted its two top executives. Shaun Hauser, the firm’s co-founder and president, was appointed CEO of Wellington-Altus Financial, while assuming Hauser’s old position as president of Wellington-Altus Private Wealth was Jordy Chilcott — who was also named president of Wellington-Altus Insurance. As a founder, Hauser has been at the firm since it opened its doors 2017, while Chilcott moved from Sun Life Global Investments in fall 2020 to become Wellington-Altus’ EVP of wealth strategy and enablement.
• Raymond James Investment Counsel Ltd. has named Harvey Sliwowicz as vice-president of business development. The portfolio management firm’s president, David Tasker, noted in a LinkedIn post that Sliwowicz (who was most recently vice-president of sector solutions for State Street Corporation in Canada) has worked in the custody and wealth management space for more than 30 years. In his new role, Sliwowicz will “introduce new strategic solutions for independently minded advisors and portfolio managers,” Tasker said.
• Forstrong Global Asset Management Inc. announced earlier this week that, due to its acquisition of 100% of Calgary-based Shaunessy Investment Counsel Inc.’s (SIC) outstanding shares, SIC’s president James Garcelon has joined Forstrong in the same role. Terry Shaunessy, founder of SIC in 2001, will be on Forstrong’s investment committee. A release noted that the two firms together “will continue to offer its distinct global investment expertise to financial professionals, institutions, and individual investors.”
• Manulife Canada has chosen Ash Desai as its new head of group benefits. Desai comes from Shoppers Drug Mart, where he was most recently executive vice-president of pharmacy and health care. The firm said in an announcement, “His experience and in-depth knowledge of the evolving Canadian health care ecosystem […] make him well-suited for the direction we’re evolving our GB business in,” adding that the company is at a crucial point in its digital growth plan for Canada.
• On Wednesday the Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) appointed Suzanne Akers as chief risk officer, effective April 19. She most recently served as co-head of Franklin Templeton’s investment risk management group, a company she joined in 2002 and where she held multiple leadership positions.

If you know of other people moves in the financial industry and/or would like us to consider your announcement, email Katie Keir at katie@newcom.ca.

Katie Keir

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Katie is special projects editor for Advisor.ca and has worked with the team since 2010. In 2012, she was named Best New Journalist by the Canadian Business Media Awards. Reach her at katie@newcom.ca.