William (Bill) J. Kelly, CAIA is the CEO and board member of the CAIA Association since taking this leadership role in 2014. Previously, Bill was the CEO of Boston Partners, and CFO and COO of The Boston Company Asset Management, a predecessor institutional asset manager. In addition to his current role, Bill is also the Chairman and lead independent director for the Boston Partners Trust Company and serves as an independent director for a registered investment company, where he is a designated Audit Committee Financial Expert in accordance with SEC rules. He is also currently an Advisory Board Member of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute which strives to bring the highest levels of professionalism and governance to independent fund directors around the world. Bill began his career as an accountant with PwC where he earned his CPA (inactive).

FIAM is a fantastic collaboration between leading associations driving impact to the Quebec asset management ecosystem. Montreal, in particular, has been a world leader in education and implementation for AI and machine learning, two technologies that are already re-writing the future. As AIMA’s members are amongst the leading global asset managers, investors and service providers integrating this innovation, there is natural alignment with FIAM’s mission as AIMA seeks to elevate education and operational sound practices for these technologies across the industry. I’m honoured to be an ambassador to shine a light on the fantastic academic and practical work being led in this space from Quebec locally while connecting it with other leaders globally.

FIAM is a fantastic collaboration between leading associations driving impact to the Quebec asset management ecosystem. Montreal, in particular, has been a world leader in education and implementation for AI and machine learning, two technologies that are already re-writing the future. As AIMA’s members are amongst the leading global asset managers, investors and service providers integrating this innovation, there is natural alignment with FIAM’s mission as AIMA seeks to elevate education and operational sound practices for these technologies across the industry. I’m honoured to be an ambassador to shine a light on the fantastic academic and practical work being led in this space from Quebec locally while connecting it with other leaders globally.

Welcoming Francis Sabourin as a FIAM Ambassador

When Claude Perron invited me to join FIAM’s Ambassador Club, I took time to reflect on FIAM’s mission.

FIAM isn’t just another industry association—it’s a unique platform dedicated to making AI and data science a strategic pillar for the future of asset management in Quebec. Central to this mission is developing a new generation of talent in the ‘New Finance’—Big Data and AI/ML applied to investment management, an initiative that requires staying connected to global insights.”

I accepted for the following reason

• To be part of a strategic movement shaping our industry
• To access exclusive knowledge and insights
• To expand my network and influence
• To help build a strong bridge between academia and the investment community

At this stage in my career, I’m excited to contribute to this transformation.

Francis holds a degree in Economics and Finance from McGill University and has over 25 years of experience in wealth management. As Senior Portfolio Manager and Senior Investment Advisor at Richardson Wealth, he is known for developing the *Vision – Planning – Guidance * framework an innovative approach to help clients achieve their goals.

Francis held advisory roles at firms including Merrill Lynch Canada. A respected voice in the financial community he regularly contributes to financial media outlets such as Finance et Investissement, Wealth Professional, and La Presse, and is a sought-after speaker on emerging trends and strategies in wealth management and intergenerational wealth transfer including.

He is also deeply engaged in philanthropy, supporting amateur athletics in Quebec and contributing to organizations such as the Fondation des Jeux du Québec and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

In addition, he hosts a monthly CAASA podcast exploring trends in alternative investments, underscoring his commitment to innovation and professional development in the investment industry

Julie is a vice president and an institutional portfolio manager at RBC GAM Inc. Prior to joining the firm in 2020, Julie spent eight years on the institutional team at BlackRock, where she had multiple client-facing responsibilities, including most recently, the role of systematic active equity product strategist. Previously, she was director, Global Consultant Relations. In this role, she headed the Canadian business for developing and maintaining relationships with investment consultants. Before that, Julie worked at Mercer for over a decade, initially responsible for manager research across a variety of alternative asset classes, and then transitioning to a client service role for their delegated business. Julie began her career in the investment industry in 1998.

FIAM welcomes a new ambassador: Cordell L. Tanny, who brings a strong focus on technology applied to finance and asset management, thanks to more than 25 years of experience in financial services, specializing in quantitative finance.

Cordell is currently the President and co-founder of Trend Prophets, a quantitative finance and AI solutions firm. He is also the Managing Director of DigitalHub Insights, an educational resource dedicated to introducing AI into investment management. Prior to his current position, he worked as a quantitative analyst and portfolio manager for a leading Canadian institution, overseeing a $2 billion multi-asset retail investment program. Cordell is a CFA Charterholder, a certified Financial Risk Manager, and holds the Financial Data Professional charter.

Welcome to the initiative, Cordell!

The richness and growth of the FIAM ecosystem are based on the relevance of its mission and the quality and added value of its initiatives and events. With this in mind, we invite professionals who share our vision and values to contribute to our mission.

Does our initiative speak to you? Contact us to discuss your potential role as a FIAM ambassador, according to your interests and availability.

We are delighted to announce the addition of Pierre-Philippe Ste-Marie in the select group of FIAM Ambassadors. In this role, he will cultivate the partnership between FIAM and Bodhi Research, thereby enriching discussions around data science and AI/ML within the finance/asset management industry.

Pierre-Philippe brings a highly relevant profile for our mission, combining more than 25 years of experience in the asset management industry and deep technological knowledge thanks to his academic journey, including a Master of Science in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University. Over the course of his career, he worked with fixed income and cross asset absolute returns teams. Prior to joining Bodhi Research as a Visiting Researcher, Pierre‐Philippe was CIO fixed income then Co-CIO of an asset manager until March 2022. He is also known as the founder of Razorbill Advisors, a Montreal‐based investment management firm focused on fixed income, absolute return, total return and relative‐value strategies.

Welcome in the initiative, Pierre-Philippe!

François Melançon holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM) certifications from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), Certificate in Derivatives Market Strategies (CDMS), and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). He has a master’s degree in Economics from the Université de Montréal and is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI).

For the past thirty-five years, François has had the opportunity to work at various levels in the field of fixed-income securities, derivatives and asset management. He began his career as an analyst at Deragon Langlois in 1986 and then in 1990 at Levesque Beaubien, where he held several positions in equity, fixed income and derivatives management. In 1998, he became a partner/manager at Scheer Rowlett & Associates, a young investment management firm. In 2001, with the collaboration of the financial group Connor, Clark & ​​Lunn, he took charge of bond management at Baker Gilmore, once again as a partner/manager.

Passionate about his work, François Melançon sought to expose himself to all facets of the company’s responsibilities during his 20 years of collaboration. In 2019-2020, he participated in the reorganization of the investment sector at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ as interim investment manager, and then became part of the team that overhauled the investment policy and investment management.

Today, François is also an external member of the investment committee of the Industrial Alliance Pension Plan, a member of the risk committee at McGill St-Laurent and CWP Énergie, a commodities logistics firm, and an advisor/partner at ByDealers, an art auctioneer.