Event Profile

CAIA Canada West, AIMA Canada, and CFA Society Vancouver present: The 16th Annual Vancouver Alternative Investment Outlook Forum

Date(s):
March 5, 2025
Note:
All times listed are in local time
Venue:
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel
900 Canada Place Way
Vancouver, BC V6C3L5 
Fee(s):
This event has a fee
Description:

 
 
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER IF YOU ARE A CAIA/CFA/AIMA MEMBER
 
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS A NON- MEMBER 

CAIA/CFA/AIMA Members: $55.00
Non-Member Guests: $65.00
Table Purchase (seating 8): by request to smartin@cfavancouver.com
 
_______________________________________________________________ 
 
Jointly hosted by CAIA Canada West, CFA Society Vancouver and AIMA Canada, the Annual Alternative Investment Outlook Forum brings together leaders from across the industry to discuss the changing landscape and outlook of alternative investments.

This year, we welcome Hanif Mamdani for moderated conversation on today’s bond market followed by a panel discussion on liquidity demand and management in alternative investments from both the asset manager and investor perspectives.

The event will conclude with our celebrated networking reception.
 
Agenda:
2:00pm-2:30pm Registration & Refreshments
2:30pm-4:10pm Outlook Forum
4:10pm-5:30pm Networking Reception

Sessions

Fireside Chat with Hanif Mamdani
Navigating the Bond Market Today

Speaker:
Hanif Mamdani, Managing Director & Head of Alternative Investments, RBC Global Asset Management Inc

Interviewer:
Sara Mackasey, CFA, Director, Prime Brokerage, TD Securities


Panel Discussion
Demand for Liquidity and Implications for Alternative Investments and Portfolio Management
• Evolution of private and public alternatives driven by retail demand and liquidity needs
• Trends and outlook
• Implications for asset allocation decisions
• Liquidity management in alternative investments and investor portfolios

Panelists:
Ross Curry CFA, CPA, CMA
Senior Manager, Strategic Asset Allocation
BCI

Domenic Bellissimo, MBA, CFA
Vice President & Portfolio Manager
Dynamic Funds

Hugo Ovando Amaral, CAIA
Vice-President, Alternatives Sales of Americas Institutional Business
BlackRock

Moderator:
Dasha Zuck CFA, CIPM
Principal
Mercer Canada Ltd.

Location:
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel
900 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC V6C 3L5


 
Platinum Sponsor:
TD
https://www.tdsecurities.com/ca/en/global-markets

Networking Sponsor:
NBIN
https://info.nbin.ca/

Gold Sponsors:
RBC GAM PH&N Institutional
https://institutional.rbcgam.com/en/ca/

Manulife Investment Management
https://www.manulifeim.com/institutional/ca/en

PenderFund Capital Management Ltd.
https://www.penderfund.com/

 

Find it on Map

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel
Domenic Bellissimo
Organization: Dynamic Funds


Domenic joined Dynamic in 2005 and is a key member of the Core Fixed Income team. He is responsible for managing approximately $8 billion in assets primarily focused on North American corporate investments. Domenic has 25 years of industry experience and brings in-depth knowledge and a disciplined process to the analysis of North American corporate credits. He is the lead manager of the Dynamic Corporate Bond Strategies Fund and Class, Dynamic Short Term Bond Fund, and Dynamic Short Term Credit PLUS Fund, as well as co-manager of the Dynamic Advantage Bond Fund and Class and several balanced fund mandates. Prior to joining Dynamic, he was a senior analyst, public markets at OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) for three years and also worked in the Bank of Nova Scotia’s global risk management division for four years. Domenic has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and received his CFA designation in 2001.


Ross Curry
Organization: BCI


Ross joined BCI in 2016 and has 14 years of experience in the financial industry. In his current role, Ross leads BCI’s Investment Planning activities, which aim to achieve clients’ private market program allocations while respecting BCI’s liquidity framework. Ross holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria, including a semester on exchange at the School of Business and Economics at Maastricht University (the Netherlands). Ross is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and CFA Charterholder.


Sara Mackasey
Organization: TD Securities


Sara is a Director on the Prime Brokerage team at TD Securities where she is focused on Business Development and Capital Introduction. Prior to joining TD Securities in 2017, Sara worked at Barclays for eight years in various roles including Senior Relationship Management and Equity Research, covering Financial Institutions. Prior to Barclays, Sara worked at Dundee Securities in Equity Research. Sara began her career at Goodman Private Wealth. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a CFA Charterholder.


Hanif Mamdani
Organization: RBC Global Asset Management


Hanif is a Managing Director and Head of the RBC Alternative Investments team at RBC GAM Inc. with expertise in corporate finance, options valuation, credit analysis, and risk management. In this role, he is accountable for the investment strategy and performance of a high yield bond fund and a multi-strategy hedge fund. Hanif is also a member of the PH&N Asset Mix Committee and the RBC GAM Investment Strategy Committee. Prior to joining the firm in 1998, Hanif spent 10 years in the capital markets division at Salomon Brothers in New York, where he helped structure equity-linked financing for over 200 Canadian and U.S. corporate issuers. In his final four years with Salomon, he was head of a proprietary trading desk dealing in convertible bonds, equity derivatives, and preferred shares. Hanif began his career in the investment industry in 1988.


Hugo Ovando Amaral
Organization: BlackRock


Hugo Ovando A., Vice-President, is a member of the Alternatives Sales Team (AST) within BlackRock's Americas Institutional Business (AIB). In his current role, he is responsible for developing the Alternatives business within the Wealth ecosystem in the US Domestic/Offshore, Brazil and Uruguay covering US Wires, Asset Managers, RIAs, Independants, Family offices and Private Banks. Prior to his current role, he was an Alternatives Specialist for Chilean clients. Mr. Ovando began his career in 2016 in a Financial Services Boutique as a Corporate Finance Analyst, covering mid-market M&A in Chile and in the Latam region. Mr. Ovando joined BlackRock through the 2017 BlackRock Analyst Graduate Program. Mr. Ovando earned a BA degree in Economics and Business Administration from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.


Dasha Zuck
Organization: Mercer Canada Ltd.


Dasha is a Principal within Mercer’s Canadian Wealth practice based in Vancouver. Dasha’s main focus is on providing DC consulting and investment services to institutional clients across Western Canada, including plan design, governance, investment performance monitoring, member engagement and financial wellness. Dasha has over 15 years of industry experience with various investment firms and a consulting firm. Dasha is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement from the CFA Institute. Dasha has a bachelor’s degree from the Belarusian State University with specialty in World Economy and International Economic Relations.