Careers

20 Years of Industry Experience

Benoit’s career in wealth management began in 1996 and he has had the privilege of working for three financial institutions delivering investment solutions since the beginning. In 2000, Benoît became a registered portfolio manager working exclusively for private clients with a focus on generating growth of both capital and income. In addition to his extensive experience in wealth management, Benoit has taught courses in derivatives, international finance and fixed income investments at the Ottawa University’s Telfer School of Management.

At Exponent Investment Management, Benoit is responsible for the portfolio management and research efforts. Benoit is a member of the CFA institute and the CFA Society of Ottawa along with being a Certified Financial Planner in good standing.

In his spare time Benoit enjoys coaching his children’s amateur team sports in addition to playing tennis, golf and downhill skiiing. In addition, Benoit enjoys giving back to his local community by way of donating his time to speaking engagements and lending his expertise and experience to community groups.

36 Years of Industry Experience

Graham’s career in Financial Services began with the Institutional Pension Services function of Royal Trust in 1981. Prior to joining Exponent, Graham was the Chief Investment Officer for the Canadian operations for the European Financial Group (EFG Wealth Mgmt Canada), one of Switzerland’s top tier private banks. Over the years, Graham has also held a senior executive position at Guardian Capital Advisors LP as well as Regional Director and Investment Counselor at Royal Trust Investment Counsel managing private wealth and chairing various strategy and policy committees.

Today, Graham’s role at Exponent includes direct portfolio management, investment analysis, asset oversight, allocation and portfolio engineering. Graham is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Ottawa.

Outside of the office, Graham enjoys cottage life, the martial art of Tae Kwon Do where he practiced as a Black Belt for 22 years, serving on the Board of FM-CFS Canada as immediate Past Chair and teaching when called upon for Humber College in their Pension Benefits Program (Finance).

13 Years of Industry Experience

Mr. Hall has over 10 years of experience with one of the largest Canadian financial institutions helping private clients with their banking, credit and investment management strategies. Mathew Hall obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter and the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Ottawa Society.  Mr. Hall provides customized, in depth investment advice, insurance strategies and financial planning for clients and their families.  Areas of expertise include planning for business owners, individuals with disabilities, ex-pats, inter-generational wealth transfers, retirees and those approaching retirement, and charitable bequests.

19 Years of Industry Experience

Stephan Desbiens joined Exponent as a partner after 16 years of working with retail and institutional investors, mainly with 2 of Canada’s largest banks. Having successfully served private and corporate clients as an Investment Advisor, he recognized the need for truly dedicated portfolio management. “Exponent Investment Management is an evolution of my service offering. Clients need to feel comfortable with their finances and know that a team of dedicated professionals are always monitoring their portfolio”.

Listening and understanding are the foundation for your portfolio team to establish your needs and to help you with solutions that are comfortable for you first. After sitting down with you along with a Portfolio Manager, we will deliver a personal proposal which will clearly outline what we can do for you.

Outside of work, Stephan enjoys time with his kids and is involved in the community through sports and volunteering with various youth and charitable entities.

21 Years of Industry Experience

Marlene’s career in the financial services industry started over twenty years ago. Her vast experience includes successful stops in the life insurance, mutual fund and banking sectors before having the privilege of working in the private investment management department.

Marlene’s strength is working with private individuals and helping them solve some of their more complex financial issues. Her knowledge in areas such as succession planning in Quebec and Ontario, taxes, insurance as well as investment management services enables Marlene to cater to her clientele which largely comprises of widows, retirees, farmers, professionals and business owners.

Eliott's experience, since 2007, working with couples and individuals investing for and entering retirement has given him an insightful understanding of the issues facing retirees and the importance of an expert retirement plan to ensure success throughout retirement.

As a Certified Financial Planner, Eliott's commitment is to develop long-term relationships with his clients, implementing sound retirement strategies to maximize income and minimize risks, giving clients confidence and peace of mind about achieving their retirement plans. He takes time to listen, with the intention of getting to know his clients better to accurately understand their objectives so he can provide guidance and solutions in a well-constructed, written financial plan.

Eliott understands that each retirement situation is unique and uses his expertise and detailed process to create a personalized approach to retirement income planning. Many factors are unique to each retirement situation, and his thorough financial planning process combined with a balanced approach to investing will lead to long-term success and help his clients achieve all their financial dreams.

Credentials

Bachelor of Education 2003
Bachelor of Arts 2001
Life License Qualifying Program
Life and Accident & Sickness Insurance Licenses
Canadian Investment Funds Course
CFP Core Curriculum courses
Certified Financial Planner 2016

Gerret entered the investment industry in 1985 and has earned a wealth of experience being an integral part of many senior Investment Adviser teams over the years. Well-versed in all aspects of investment management, Gerret’s particular interest is option trading geared towards generating both regular income and capital gains.

He graduated from St. Michael’s College School in Toronto and obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Western University (graduating on the Dean’s Honour List) and a Master of  Business Administration (Finance) from the University of British Columbia. He has completed a comprehensive list of industry courses, receiving numerous designations, and is a CFA^® charterholder. Gerret is a Partner and Associate  Portfolio Manager at Exponent Investment Management.

Gerret spends his spare time with his family and their dogs (an Alaskan malamute and a Shetland sheepdog), gardening, and playing hockey several times a week year round. A jigsaw puzzle aficionado, he is currently working on his largest puzzle yet, a 32,000 piece Ravensburger New York City skyline.