Industry moves this week

Each week, Advisor’s Edge summarizes notable moves across the financial industry.

• Martin Gagnon, executive vice-president of wealth management, and co-president and co-chief executive officer of National Bank Financial, will retire on April 1. Taking his place temporarily will be Denis Girouard, who’s worked at the bank for 33 years and is currently executive vice-president and co-head of financial markets. Read more.
• Stephan Bourbonnais will lead the wealth management division of iA Financial Group. Bourbonnais — who joined the firm as president of iA Private Wealth in 2021 and who will remain in that role in the interim until a replacement is chosen — is replacing Sean O’Brien as iA Financial Group’s executive vice-president, wealth management. O’Brien became the firm’s executive vice-president, group benefits and retirement solutions, on Jan. 1. Read more.
• Fiera Capital Corp. founder Jean-Guy Desjardins is returning to the post of CEO after stepping aside only one year ago. He’s taking over the job from Jean-Philippe Lemay, with a statement from board leader David Shaw noting that today’s “complex macroeconomic challenges” meant the company needed Desjardins’ guidance. Read more.
• Jennifer Publicover is embracing her role as the new executive vice-president and CEO of major bank-owned insurer RBC Insurance. She has succeeded Neil Skelding, who will retire on Jan. 31 after 20 years with the bank (18 of which were spent as president and CEO of the insurance arm) and more than 30 in the financial industry. Publicover, who is the first female CEO of the company, is new to insurance but has experience with institutional and wealth management. She joined RBC in 2018 as vice-president of strategic initiatives, and was most recently senior vice-president of wealth management products and strategy for several years.
• Following her retirement from CIBC on Feb. 1, Laura Dottori-Attanasio plans to join Toronto-based Element Fleet Management Corp. on Feb. 15 as president. She will then assume the CEO role once current leader Jay Forbes retires on May 10, with Forbes remaining available as a strategic advisor for two years.
• Andrew Lo is now the president and CEO of Knowledge First Financial Inc. and the Knowledge First Foundation. Lo has decades of experience in digital and financial services, a release said, with his most recent role being president of Toronto-based point-of-sale financing provider Financeit. He replaces Carrie Russell, who resigned as of May 30, 2022 and who was succeeded on an interim basis by Paul G. Renaud, longtime board member and former president and CEO of Omers Private Equity.
• Richard Graham, senior wealth advisor and portfolio manager, has moved to Raymond James Ltd. in Vancouver alongside senior wealth associate Tara MacFarlane. Both have been in the industry for decades and are coming from Scotia Wealth Management, with a release noting that Graham focuses on multi-generational wealth. The pair said they were drawn by the “unique culture” at Raymond James, the release added.
• Henry Auyeung, president of life insurer Foresters Financial’s Canadian division, will retire in August of this year. Matt Berman, president of Foresters Financial U.S., will lead for the U.S. and Canadian divisions starting March 1, with Auyeung supporting him throughout the transition.
• At Los Angeles-based Capital Group, a management shift is taking place: as Tim Armour, chairman and CEO, and Rob Lovelace, vice-chair and president, step down in October, other leaders within the company will take on new senior roles. Effective Oct. 24, Mike Gitlin will be president and CEO of Capital Group and chair of the management committee; Martin Romo will be chairman of Capital Group and CIO; and Jody Jonsson will be vice-chair of Capital Group alongside other responsibilities.
• The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has named three new members to its consumer advisory panel: Chris Robinson, professor emeritus of finance and senior scholar at York University; Udia Umoette, co-founder and advisor with Loystar Solutions; and Todd White, owner and operator at Brookside Retirement Living and former credit union board member. Two outgoing members are Kristian Bonn and Anisha Chopra, both original members of the panel.

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.