Portfolio and Client Management
Gerald R. Connor
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Connor has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland since founding the firm, together with three partners, in 1997. He is responsible for the firm’s overall investment policy, its operations and its strategic direction. He also has responsibility for managing a significant base of clients to which he brings over 40 years of investment experience. Prior to Cumberland, Mr. Connor was a founding partner of Connor, Clark & Company, Connor Clark & Lunn, and 20/20 Investment Management, which collectively managed over $16 billion for high-net-worth clients, pension plans and mutual funds. Before that, he managed discretionary funds at Baker Weeks of Canada and headed the Canadian operations of Francis I. DuPont and Co. Mr. Connor was a director of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Foundation in Toronto for 14 years, and director of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for 2 years.
Alexandra von Schroeter MBA, CFA
Head of Strategic New Business and Portfolio Manager
Ms. von Schroeter leads Cumberland’s strategic business and client portfolio management initiatives as well as marketing and communications for the firm. In addition, since 1999 when she joined Cumberland, Ms. von Schroeter has been managing investment portfolios for a significant base of affluent individuals and families. Prior to Cumberland, Ms. von Schroeter held senior positions at CIBC World Markets and Wood Gundy in Toronto and New York, and Bank of Montreal in Toronto. She brings over 24 years of experience in the investment industry, in capital markets and wealth management, and is affiliated with INSEAD, Europe’s leading international business school, as a trustee for the INSEAD Alumni Fund and the Canadian Foundation for INSEAD. Ms. von Schroeter is a director and a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
John S. Budd FCA
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Budd has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 2000. He is responsible for managing investment portfolios, on a discretionary basis, for a clientele of affluent individuals, holding companies, trusts, estates and charitable foundations, located in Canada, Bermuda, and Europe. Prior to Cumberland, Mr. Budd was a senior tax partner with Deloitte & Touche, where he served as the national leader of Estate Planning, and spearheaded the development of a national program to help family business owners with strategic planning and succession. He has published numerous articles on investment, tax, and financial planning matters and co-authored The Canadian Guide to Will & Estate Planning in 2001. In 1991, Mr. Budd was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in recognition of his contribution to the CA profession. Mr. Budd is a director and shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
Greg Cassidy BAS, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Cassidy has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 1998. His focus is on the management of investment portfolios for a significant base of clients, and on new business development. Prior to Cumberland, he was a Portfolio Manager at CIBC Trust. Mr. Cassidy brings over 22 years of experience in the investment industry, with extensive experience working with high net worth individuals and families, their trusts and holding companies. He is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
Gino Ciavarella CIM
Portfolio Manager
Having joined Cumberland in 2004, Mr. Ciavarella is a seasoned financial industry professional with more than 18 years experience. Prior to Cumberland, Mr. Ciavarella held senior positions with several of Canada’s leading investment dealers and investment management firms. Today, Mr. Ciavarella brings his long experience, solid investment knowledge and a highly responsive client management style to serving our clients’ interests. Mr. Ciavarella is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
Scott Luik CFA
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Luik has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 2003, with a focus on the management of investment portfolios, on a discretionary basis, for a significant base of clients, and on business development. Prior to Cumberland, Mr. Luik was an Investment Counselor and Portfolio Manager with AGF Private Investment Management, and a Portfolio Manager with TD Trust. He began his investment career at TD Asset Management in 1995. Mr. Luik is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
Christie Matwee MSc, MBA, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Ms. Matwee is a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland, responsible for overseeing the management of discretionary investment portfolios for clients, along with new business development. Prior to Cumberland, Ms. Matwee was Vice President, Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley in New York where she provided M&A and financing advice to healthcare companies. Prior to that, she worked in Venture Capital and Private Equity at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. She also worked in the equity research group at Merrill Lynch Canada.
Erin O’Brien MSc., CFA
Portfolio Manager
Ms. O’Brien has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 2004. She is responsible for managing investment portfolios on a discretionary basis for a clientele of affluent individuals, holding companies, trusts, estates and charitable foundations, in Canada and abroad. Prior to Cumberland, Ms. O’Brien was Vice President, Private Capital Management at Laketon Investment Management, Sales and Marketing Manager at HSBC Securities and Equity Analyst at Canaccord Capital. An active community member, Ms. O’Brien is a board member of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society, and a former director of the Hope for Children Foundation, has served as a Board Member of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and has been a Financial Allocations Committee Panel Member for the United Way. Ms. O’Brien is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company
Bruce Omand MBA, CIM
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Omand has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 2002. His responsibilities include portfolio management and business development. Mr. Omand manages portfolios for senior executives, entrepreneurs, medical professionals and retirees in Canada as well as overseas, drawing on over 30 years of experience in investment management and research, sales and management. Prior to Cumberland, he was Director of US Equity Sales for ABN Amro, Vice-President of US Equity Sales for Lehman Brothers in London and a senior institutional equity sales specialist for Wood Gundy (now CIBC World Markets), and Vice-President and Chief Representative for Wood Gundy in Tokyo. Mr. Omand is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.
Barbara Stewart CFA
Portfolio Manager
Mrs. Stewart has been advising high net worth families for over 15 years, maintaining a highly professional approach to building investment strategies that reflect individual client objectives. Her responsibilities include portfolio management and new business development. Prior to Cumberland, Mrs. Stewart worked as an investment counselor for high net worth clients at a private, Toronto based investment firm, and before that on the institutional foreign currency-trading desk for BMO Nesbitt Burns. She is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company. Mrs. Stewart has conducted significant research in the area of women and finance, she writes and is frequently quoted in the media – see www.barbarastewart.ca. She also creates educational events that give her the opportunity to lecture on a topic she is passionate about—financial literacy.
Jeff Turk B Econ, FCSI, CFP
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Turk has been a Portfolio Manager at Cumberland since 2000. His responsibilities include portfolio management and business development. Prior to Cumberland, Mr. Turk helped set up the Investment Specialist Group at CIBC Financial Planning Inc. Prior to that, he worked in the money market, bond and derivatives markets trading rooms for TD Securities in Toronto and Vancouver. Overall, he brings close to 30 years of investment industry experience. Mr. Turk is a shareholder of Cumberland Partners Limited, the firm’s parent company.