Contributors

Kevin McCreadie is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of AGF Management Limited. In the role of CEO, Kevin is responsible for the overall success of AGF, overseeing the firm’s mission, vision and strategic direction. He also leads AGF’s Executive Management Team and serves as its liaison with AGF’s Board of Directors. As CIO, Kevin provides direction and leadership to AGF’s investment management teams. In carrying out these responsibilities, he leverages The Office of the CIO, a structure put in place in August 2018 that encourages collaboration and active accountability across AGF’s investment management teams and broader organization, capitalizing on the firm’s depth of talent while driving forward the teamwork that is necessary for the long-term success of its investment management.

Kevin has more than 40 years of investment management experience, with extensive expertise in retail and institutional asset management, direct portfolio management, and more than a decade of combined experience as CIO for two major U.S. financial services firms. He previously served as President and CIO of PNC Capital Advisors, LLC, a division of PNC Financial Services Group, one of the largest diversified financial services organizations in the United States. In this role, he was responsible for leading the firm’s institutional business and overseeing more than $58 billion in AUM. Kevin began his career in 1982 at J.P. Morgan where he held progressively senior positions, ultimately becoming a U.S. large-cap equity manager. He went on to join Brown Investment Advisory where he served as Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager. His experience includes a focus on portfolio construction and enhancing investment processes as well as managing asset allocation and alternative strategies for clients.

Kevin is Co-Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Council for Women’s Advocacy. The Council is a by-business, for-business advocacy group that focuses on women business leaders, entrepreneurs and employees from across Canada to bring the voice and perspectives of women to national business policies helping to advance the gender equality agenda. He earned an MBA in Finance from the Wharton Graduate School of Business and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Andy Kochar is a principal member of AGF’s Fixed Income Team and serves as the firm’s head of global credit. Using a cross-asset framework, Andy is responsible for the research and allocation of credit risk across all of AGF’s fixed income portfolios.

He previously served as Associate Portfolio Manager for AGF’s credit-oriented portfolios from 2013 to 2018. Prior to that, for more than five years, Andy served as Investment Analyst, Credit Research at Acuity Investment Management, which was acquired by AGF in 2011.

Andy earned a B.A. in Economics (Cum Laude) from York University and he is a CFA® charterholder.

Ash Lawrence joined AGF as Head of AGF Private Capital, the firm’s private markets business, in February 2022. He is a seasoned private markets leader with a wide breadth of expertise in investments and portfolio management across sectors. Ash brings the right combination of strategic thinking, deep experience and strong relationships to drive the growth of AGF Private Capital, a key pillar of the firm’s growth strategy.

Ash has approximately 20 years of private markets experience, including 16 years with Brookfield Asset Management working on real estate investments and portfolio management in North America and Brazil. He most recently led the firm’s Canadian real estate business. Prior to that, he worked at a real estate company managing development strategies and the financing of municipal infrastructure projects. He also worked as an engineering consultant, developing infrastructure and transportation solutions for private and public sector clients.

Ash earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, from the University of Waterloo.

Bill DeRoche is Head of Quantitative Investing at AGF Investments LLC (formerly FFCM LLC)¹, a Boston-based investor advisory firm founded in 2009 and a subsidiary of AGF Management Limited. Bill is responsible for the overall leadership and management of AGF’s Quantitative Investment team and is a leader of AGF’s quantitative investment platform. AGF’s Quantitative Investment team is grounded in the belief that investment outcomes can be improved by assessing and targeting the factors that drive market returns.

Bill has long-tenured expertise employing quantitative factor-based strategies and alternative approaches to achieve a spectrum of investment objectives. Previously, Bill was a Vice-President at State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), serving as head of the firm’s U.S. Enhanced Equities team. His focus was on managing long-only and 130/30 U.S. strategies, as well as providing research on SSgA’s stock-ranking models and portfolio construction techniques. Prior to joining SSgA in 2003, Bill was a Quantitative Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Putnam Investments. Bill has been working in the investment management field since 1995. Prior to 1995, Bill was a Naval Aviator flying the Grumman A-6 Intruder as a member of Attack Squadron Eighty-Five aboard the USS America (CV-66).

Bill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He is a CFA® charterholder and holds FINRA licenses 7, 63 and 24.

David Stonehouse oversees AGF’s North American and Specialty Investments teams while maintaining direct portfolio management responsibilities for his current mandates.

With nearly three decades of experience managing both fixed income and balanced mandates, David employs a rigorous and disciplined investment process combining a top-down approach to duration and asset allocation with a bottom-up approach to security selection. David is a member of The Office of the CIO – a structure within AGF’s Investment Management team. This leadership structure encourages and further embeds collaboration and active accountability across the Investment Management team and the broader organization.

David received a B.Sc. in Applied Science from Queen’s University, an MBA in Finance and Accounting from McMaster University and is a CFA® charterholder.

Dillon Culhane is an Equity Analyst focusing on the Energy sector, particularly oil and gas companies, as well as developed markets Real Estate.

Most recently, Dillon was an Equity Research Associate Analyst covering the Energy sector at RBC Capital Markets. Prior to that, he was a Senior Associate at Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Dillon earned a B.Comm. from Queen's University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant as well as a CFA® charterholder.

Greg Valliere joined AGF Investments (AGF) in February 2019 as Chief U.S. Policy Strategist. In this role, he is responsible for providing insight into how U.S. politics are shaping global markets.

He brings a unique perspective to AGF with more than four decades of experience analyzing policy and politics providing regular commentary and insight into Washington for financial services and investment management clients globally, including specialized coverage of the Federal Reserve, economic policy and politics. Greg began partnering with AGF in 2017 advising investment management teams on policy and the impact on global markets, providing daily market commentary for financial advisors and participating in numerous client events and roadshows.

Greg has more than 40 years of experience following Washington issues for institutional and retail investors. He is widely quoted in U.S. media and specializes in coverage of the Federal Reserve, tax and spending issues, and politics. Greg is based in Washington, D.C.

Jean-Sébastien Nadeau is a member of the AGF Fixed Income team and is responsible for providing fundamental and credit research support. He also supports the team’s Portfolio Managers in managing AGF’s various Fixed Income mandates. He has a strong background in developing quantitative models for both corporates and sovereigns with specific expertise in the Technology, Media and Telecommunication as well as the Consumer Cyclical sector.

Prior to joining AGF, Jean-Sébastien was a lead analyst at the Bank of Canada, with a focus on banks in North America, Europe and Asia as well as Government-related entities (GREs).

He holds a BBA (major in Finance) and MBA (Finance) from Université Laval, has an FRM designation and is a CFA® charterholder.

Lazar Naiker is an Equity Analyst focused on the Industrials sector.

He is a seasoned investment professional with prior experience in the resources sector and equity portfolio management. Prior to joining AGF, Lazar held roles in banking and asset management, gaining experience in sell-side equity research, fund management and account management.

He attended the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, earning a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce.

Martin Grosskopf manages AGF’s sustainable investing strategies and provides input on sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues across the AGF investment teams. He is a thought leader and a frequent public speaker on ESG and Green Finance issues. He serves as Vice-Chair of the CSA Group technical committee on Green and Transition Finance and is a past member of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA)’s Board of Directors.

Martin has more than 30 years of experience in financial and environmental analysis. He previously served as Director, Sustainability Research and Portfolio Manager with Acuity Investment Management Inc., which was acquired by AGF Management Limited in 2011. Before joining the financial industry, Martin worked in a diverse range of industries in the areas of environmental management, assessment and mitigation. He was a project manager with CSA International from 1997 to 2000 and, prior to that, served as an environmental scientist with Acres International Limited.

Martin obtained a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an MES from York University, and earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

Regina Chi has lead responsibility for AGF’s Emerging Markets strategies. She looks for quality companies with fundamental catalysts and long-term sustainable competitive advantages at attractive valuations. Regina is a member of the AGF Asset Allocation Committee, a group of senior investment professionals that meet quarterly to discuss, analyze and assess the macroeconomic environment and capital markets to determine optimal asset allocations. She also serves as co-Chair of AGF’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which develops, creates organizational awareness around and promotes DEI best practices across the firm.

Regina brings more than 25 years of international equity experience to this role. Prior to joining AGF, Regina was a partner at a boutique U.S. investment firm, where she served as portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets and International Value disciplines. She was also head of portfolio management and research as they related to Emerging Markets, Global, International and International Small Cap strategies. Prior to this role, she held senior investment management roles at several large and boutique investment firms in the U.S.

Regina is a CFA® charterholder. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University. She is also a member of 100 Women in Finance, an organization working to strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage.

Richard Fisher is responsible for fundamental research of Financials (Global banks) and the Transport and Transportation Infrastructure sub-sectors. He works closely with AGF’s portfolio managers, providing qualitative and quantitative analysis and recommendations. His support of the team includes company visits and the documentation of research results.

Prior to joining the Equity Analyst team, Richard held several positions within the retail sales division of AGF. Most recently he was Regional Vice-President, having steadily assumed more responsibility since joining AGF in 1996.

Richard earned a B.A. (Honours) from York University and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Waterloo.

Stephen Bonnyman is Director of Equity Research and Portfolio Manager of AGF’s Global Real Asset portfolios. Working closely with the AGF research teams, Steve focuses on identifying companies with advantaged business models, solid balance sheets, favourable cost structures, attractive valuations or unrecognized growth. Steve is a member of the AGF Asset Allocation Committee (AAC), which is comprised of senior portfolio managers who are responsible for various regions and asset classes. The AAC meets regularly to discuss, analyze and assess the macro-economic environment and capital markets in order to determine optimal asset allocation recommendations.

He joined AGF in 2013 with more than 20 years of buy- and sell-side experience covering the global materials industry, including five years of institutional money management. Prior to joining AGF, Steve was Managing Director and Mining Analyst at a major financial institution, responsible for global company research coverage and equity market analysis. Prior to that, he was an analyst and portfolio manager at two leading asset management firms.

Steve has a B.Sc. in Geology from McMaster University and an MBA from Dalhousie University. He is a CFA® charterholder.

As Vice-President and Portfolio Manager, Stephen Duench is a key contributor to AGF’s quantitative investment platform. AGF’s Quantitative Investing team is grounded in the belief that investment outcomes can be improved by assessing and targeting the factors that drive market returns. Stephen is the lead Portfolio Manager of the AGFiQ Canadian Dividend Income Fund and AGFiQ North American Dividend Income Fund and is central to the creation and support of AGF’s portfolio management tools, analysis and applications across both Canadian and global mandates.

He began his career with AGF as part of the Highstreet* Investment Management team, involved in the management of both public equity and fixed income institutional and high-net worth portfolios. Stephen now serves as co-head of Highstreet Private Client, leading the firm’s strategy around investment management and allocation across multiple asset classes.

Stephen earned an Honours degree in Financial Mathematics from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CFA® charterholder.

Steve Way leads portfolio management responsibilities for global equity and global dividend mandates at AGF. As the architect of the Economic Value Added (EVA)-based investment process used for these industry-leading mandates, he is supported by a team that uses its collective experience to locate opportunities unrecognized by the market. Steve is a member of The Office of the CIO – a structure within AGF’s Investment Management team. This leadership structure encourages and further embeds collaboration and active accountability across the Investment Management team and the broader organization. He is also a member of the AGF Asset Allocation Committee (AAC), which consists of senior portfolio managers who are responsible for various regions and asset classes. The AAC meets regularly to discuss, analyze and assess the macro-economic environment and capital markets in order to determine optimal asset allocation recommendations.

Steve’s industry experience began when he joined AGF in 1987. In 1991, he established AGF’s wholly owned subsidiary AGF International Advisors Company Limited in Dublin, Ireland and ran the operations as Managing Director until 1994.

Steve holds a B.A. in Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of CFA® Society Toronto.

With more than 15 years of experience managing a wide array of fixed-income portfolios, Tom is a key contributor to the team's analysis of the global macroeconomic landscape, with specific emphasis on currencies. He is responsible for developing currency strategy and providing counsel on the implications of currency moves on fixed income. He also serves as a portfolio manager of AGF Total Return Bond Fund/Class, AGF Emerging Markets Bond Fund and AGF Global Opportunities Bond ETF.

Tom previously served as a Vice-President and Portfolio Manager on AGF's Fixed Income team with lead management responsibility for AGF Emerging Markets Bond Fund.

Tom earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of CFA® Society Toronto.

Tony Genua has been Portfolio Manager of AGF's U.S. growth strategies since he joined the firm in 2005. Throughout his career in portfolio management, Tony has remained committed to his proven investment strategy that identifies leading growth companies in every cycle. Tony is also a member of the AGF Asset Allocation Committee (AAC), which is comprised of senior portfolio managers who are responsible for various regions and asset classes. The AAC meets regularly to discuss, analyze and assess the macro-economic environment and capital markets in order to determine optimal asset allocation recommendations.

Tony's portfolio management experience includes retail mutual fund investments, sub-advisory platforms and institutional portfolios. Tony's direct experience as a portfolio manager is complemented by the three years he spent as a market strategist on Wall Street.

Tony earned his BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

With more than two decades of experience managing a wide array of fixed income portfolios, Tristan is a leader in AGF's Fixed Income Team's analysis of the global macroeconomic landscape, with specific emphasis on global sovereign debt, including hard and local currency Emerging Market debt.

Tristan serves as a lead portfolio manager of AGF’s Global fixed income mandates – AGF Emerging Markets Bond Fund, AGF Global Opportunities Bond ETF and AGF Total Return Bond Fund/Class – as well as AGF Strategic Income Fund.

Tristan earned an Honours B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of CFA® Society Toronto.

Wai Tong is responsible for investment research focused on the Industrials sectors. Since joining AGF in 2006, Wai has been working closely with the equity portfolio management team, contributing both top-down and bottom-up equity analysis. His contribution to the generation of ideas for the portfolios includes financial modeling and meetings with the management of companies considered for the portfolios.

Wai's career in global capital markets includes three years in equity research with BMO Nesbitt Burns, where he focused on telecom equipment and industrial equipment market segments. Prior to that, Wai spent two years in investment banking with the media and telecom group of Bank of America Securities. Prior to joining the investment industry, Wai worked as an engineer for IBM Corp. and Nortel Networks.

Wai earned a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. He is a CFA® charterholder and a licensed professional engineer.

Wyeth Wright is an equity analyst, focusing on the Financials and Emerging Markets Real Estate sectors. He previously covered the Telecommunications, Utilities and Global Real Estate sectors.

Wyeth previously worked within the Portfolio Specialist Group at AGF, where he was responsible for monitoring key market developments and providing timely updates to AGF’s Sales team.

He earned a B.A. in Economics from Queen’s University (with honours) and is working towards his CFA® designation.