A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES IN A SINGLE PORTFOLIO

 

Our Asset Allocation Team offers extensive expertise in securities, industries and asset classes all around the world. And while they may employ different investment strategies based on their specific objectives and areas of focus, they share a common goal of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns.

ASSET ALLOCATION STRATEGIES

 

Our Asset Allocation Strategies can be single portfolio solutions that help investors achieve many goals—and many are available in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, segregated funds, private pools, and institutional mandates.

ASSET ALLOCATION TEAM

Jack Hall, CFA

Jack Hall, CFA

VP, Portfolio Manager & Co-Lead – Small Cap Equities

Jack Hall, Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Co-Lead – Small Cap Equities, joined CI GAM in 2012 and brings over 10 years of industry experience. Prior to joining CI GAM, Jack completed Wilfrid Laurier University co-op terms before joining the company full-time. Jack has a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds the CFA designation. He is also a CFA society member and a Lipper and TopGun Award winner.



Aubrey Hearn, CFA

Aubrey Hearn, CFA

Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Lead – US & Small Cap Equities

Aubrey Hearn, Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Lead – US & Small Cap Equities, is the Portfolio manager and Lead of US and Small cap equities. He has over 20 years of experience in the industry. Aubrey started as a research analyst at Sentry Investments in 2005 and progressively worked his way up to Head of Equities in 2019.  He was later named lead of US and small cap equities at CI GAM in 2022.  Aubrey graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Memorial University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He has won numerous Lipper, Fundata and Morningstar awards in both the small cap and the US equities categories.  In 2015, he was named Investment Executive’s Mutual Fund Manager of the Year*, which recognizes exceptional and consistent fund outperformance over 10 years.

 

*Associated with CI Global Investments Asia Limited, a firm registered with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong and an affiliate of CI Global Asset Management.



Geof Marshall, CFA

Geof Marshall, CFA

SVP, Head of Fixed Income & Lead – Private Markets

Geof Marshall, SVP, Head of Fixed Income & Lead – Private Markets, joined CI GAM in 2006 and leads the fixed income team and private markets group. Geof is also the lead manager on CI GAM’s income strategies and co-manages the private markets and income & growth funds as well as a number of multi-asset fixed income portfolios. He brings over 25 years of valued industry experience to his role at CI GAM, especially in asset allocation and analyzing, managing, and trading corporate bonds, leveraged loans, and private credit. Prior to CI GAM, Geof was a portfolio manager at Manulife Financial. Geof is a CFA charterholder with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. He is also a member of the CFA Society Toronto and chairs the Investment Committee at the Royal Ontario Museum where he also serves on the Board of Governors.



Kevin McSweeney, MBA, CFA

Kevin McSweeney, MBA, CFA

Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Lead – Canadian Equities

Kevin McSweeney is Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Lead – Canadian Equities with CI Global Asset Management.  He began his professional financial services career in 2000 as a Financial Economist with Finance Canada.  Following this he spent time at Scotiabank, including time in Corporate Credit Risk Management.  He has been with CI Investments in a variety of progressively senior roles since August 2008.  Kevin began at CI with the high yield bond team as an investment analyst, progressing to portfolio manager.  In 2016, he joined the equity team as an infrastructure and real estate specialist portfolio manager.  He currently manages or co-manages multi-billion dollar asset pools in a variety of strategies including balanced, income and dividends, infrastructure and real assets, and canadian and global equities.  He was named as lead of Canadian equities for CI GAM in 2022.

A native of Halifax, Kevin has a BA from St. Mary’s University, an MBA from Dalhousie University and a variety of professional designations, including Futures and Options licensing and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.  He has received a variety of professional honours, including Brendan Wood’s “Top Gun” award as voted by Canadian banking professionals, and a Lipper Award for best infrastructure fund in Canada for each of the last three years.  He lives in Toronto with his wife and four children.



John Shaw, CFA

John Shaw, CFA

SVP, Portfolio Manager – Fixed Income

John Shaw, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager – Fixed Income, began his career in 1990 and leads the fixed income group’s investment grade and preferred share team.  John manages and co-manages numerous award-winning fixed income, balanced, income and growth, and dividend strategies.  He brings over 30 years of valued global industry experience to his role at CI GAM, especially in asset allocation as well as portfolio management, analysis, and trading of corporate bonds and preferred shares.  Prior to joining CI Global Asset Management in 2004, he worked at Canada Life Assurance for 13 years, including 3 years in London, England, working in the US and UK investment grade market.

John holds the Charter Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Management (FRM) designation and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University.  He is also a member of the CFA Society Toronto and Canadian Bond Investors Association.



Robert Swanson, MBA, CFA

Robert Swanson, MBA, CFA

SVP, Co-Head of Equities – Portfolio Management

Robert Swanson, Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Equities – Portfolio Management at CI Global Asset Management (CI GAM), is a seasoned finance professional with over 40 years in investment management. Robert plays a pivotal role in managing the firm's equity portfolio management team in addition to driving its international equity strategies.

Before joining CI GAM in 2011, Robert was a lead portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments. His tenure at Fidelity Investments showcased his abilities to manage large-scale funds and navigate complex financial systems.

In terms of education, Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from Northwestern University. His academic credentials also include the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, further demonstrating his knowledge and commitment to financial analysis and ethics.



Matthew Strauss, CFA

Matthew Strauss, CFA

SVP, Portfolio Manager & Lead – Global Equities

Matthew has more than 20 years of investment experience, specializing in emerging market assets including equities, fixed income and currencies. He joined CI Global Asset Management in 2011 to oversee the emerging market equity mandates. Matthew is also responsible for providing macroeconomic, country and sector strategies and allocations. He has extensive international experience, having worked as Chief Strategist at the largest retail bank in Africa and as Senior Fixed Income and Currency Strategist at RBC Capital Markets. Matthew holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a Bachelor of Commerce degree and an MA in Economics from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.



Ali Pervez, CFA

Ali Pervez, CFA

VP, Portfolio Manager & Research Lead – Equities

Ali Pervez, Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Research Lead – Equities, brings over 10 years of industry experience to his role at CI GAM. Ali joined CI GAM in 2016 and is responsible for managing Canadian and global equity portfolios and is the research lead for consumer staples and discretionary. Before joining CI GAM, Ali was the Assistant Vice-President at Barclays Capital, responsible for equity research focused on canadian telecom, media and technology. Before that, he was an associate analyst at National Bank, responsible for equity research, focused on Canadian consumer. Ali holds the CFA designation, the FSA credential, and Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.



Bunty Mahairhu, CFA

Bunty Mahairhu, CFA

VP, Portfolio Manager & Research Lead – Equities

Bunty Mahairhu, Vice-President, Portfolio Manager & Research Lead – Equities, joined CI GAM in 2016 and brings over 15 years of valuable industry experience to his role and team. At CI GAM, Bunty is the Portfolio Manager for global dividend, global financials, Canadian dividend, and Canadian value strategies. He is also the research lead, global financials. Before arriving at CI GAM, Bunty was a senior associate portfolio manager at one of Canada’s largest pension funds. Bunty holds a CFA designation and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.



Bryan Brown, CFA, CA

Bryan Brown, CFA, CA

VP, Portfolio Manager – Equities

Bryan Brown, Vice-President, Portfolio Manager – Equities, is a member of the Canadian equity team as lead manager of Canadian growth strategies, which includes the CI Canadian All Cap Equity Income Fund, CI Canadian Equity Fund, and CI Canadian Equity Income Private Trust mandates. He brings over 18 years of experience to his role, is committed to identifying leading growth companies throughout different cycles, and is a member of the technology research team with a focus on Canada. Prior to joining CI GAM in 2013, Bryan was an equity research analyst at Macquarie Capital Markets Canada. Before that, he was a senior staff accountant at Ernst & Young LLP. Bryan is a CPA, CA, and CFA charterholder and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a User Advisory Council (UAC) member of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board and has completed the Options Licensing Course. In addition, having completed the Derivatives Fundamental and Futures Licensing courses, Bryan is a registered Commodity Trading Manager.



Marc-André Lewis, PhD

Marc-André Lewis, PhD

EVP, Chief Investment Officer

As Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Lewis leads a team of more than 100 investment professionals at CI Global Asset Management and oversees the continued development of the firm’s integrated global investment platform.

Mr. Lewis has over 20 years of global investing experience and has held senior leadership positions at several organizations, including two of the world’s largest institutional investors. His diverse experience spans asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management, public and private markets, and fundamental and quantitative strategies.

Prior to joining CI GAM in September 2021, Mr. Lewis was Head of Portfolio Construction at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. His responsibilities included strategic asset allocation, quantitative research and alternative indexing activities, as well as sitting on the executive and tactical asset allocation committees for its Strategy and Planning Department.

Prior to ADIA, Mr. Lewis was Senior Vice-President and Deputy Chief Risk Officer at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he led a team that analyzed and  monitored the risks of both public and private investments in the CDPQ portfolio. He was also a member of the CDPQ asset allocation committee.

Mr. Lewis’s previous positions also included Senior Vice-President, Risk Management – Fixed Income and Overlay Strategies at CDPQ and Senior Vice-President, Fixed Income at Natcan Investment Management, where he oversaw a team managing $16 billion in Canadian and global fixed-income assets.

He holds a PhD in theoretical physics from Pierre and Marie Curie University (now Sorbonne University), and an M.Sc. in theoretical physics and a B.Sc. in mathematics and physics from Université de Montréal.



Lorne Gavsie, MBA

Lorne Gavsie, MBA

SVP, Head of Macroeconomic & FX Strategy

Lorne Gavsie is Senior Vice-President and Head of Macroeconomic & FX Strategy at CI Global Asset Management. In his role, he is responsible for leading a dedicated macroeconomic and FX effort, harnessing the global expertise and knowledge across CI GAM, producing insights to be leveraged for investment purposes and providing our clients with timely and valuable insights. He is also responsible for CI GAM’s currency overlay and hedging strategies. Lorne brings over 25 years of experience in the industry, specializing in currencies, trading and global markets.

Prior to joining CI GAM in 2015, Lorne held various roles with major Canadian banks including Managing Director, FX Europe based in London, England and Global Head, E-FX based in Toronto.

Lorne holds an MBA from the London School of Economics & Politics, HEC Paris and NYU Stern (collectively known as TRIUM) and is a member of the Bank of Canada’s Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee (CFEC).



Fernanda Fenton, MBA, CFA

Fernanda Fenton, MBA, CFA

VP, Portfolio Manager – Fixed Income

Fernanda Fenton, Vice President, Portfolio Manager – Fixed Income, brings over 11 years of investment management experience, with over 15 years in the financial services industry, to her role. At CI GAM, Fernanda is a portfolio manager specializing in global interest rates and emerging markets fixed income. Before CI GAM, Fernanda was an associate portfolio manager at another Canadian asset manager. Prior to that, she spent six years in Latin America debt capital markets and investment banking at Credit Suisse in New York. Fernanda is a CFA charterholder, holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México in Mexico City.



ASSET ALLOCATION INSIGHTS

 

Thought leaders and portfolio managers from across the Asset Allocation Team offer insights into the trends, events, policies and politics that are creating investment risks—and opportunities—around the world.

Articles

Articles

Fund Commentaries

Fund Commentaries

Videos

Videos

Podcasts

Podcasts