Chris Clarke, CPA, CA, R.F.P., TEP, CFP®

Family Office Director & CEO, First Affiliated Holdings Inc., President, First Affiliated Securities Inc.

CHRIS CLARKE is the CEO, co-owner and founder of First Affiliated Holdings Inc., and owner of First Affiliated Securities Inc. Chris is also the founding Family Office Director. Holding her CA designation since 1987, Chris also obtained her CFP and later R.F.P. (Registered Financial Planner) designation, meeting the highest accreditation offered by the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners. She achieved the TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) with the worldwide Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and is certified as a Family Meeting Facilitator.

Chris spearheaded development of the independent Multi-Family Office (MFO) in Canada with an innovative approach towards integrated wealth, lifestyle and legacy management. Chris continues to innovate today leading the business operations at First Affiliated, modeling best practices, with our clients and team members, and building family legacies through wealth stewardship so both current and future generations thrive.

Chris is the driving force behind the expression and preservation of our company culture, mission and strategic direction. Our leadership and innovation were recognized when The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) voted First Affiliated one of the four top Family Offices worldwide. We were also proud recipients of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFÉ) Family Business of the Year Award – Georgian Bay Chapter. Chris is an active member of STEP and the Family Firm Institute (FFI), and entertains regular speaking engagements.

Chris is also the author of True Family Wealth: Love, Money & An Inspired Life. This book provides inspired perspectives that challenge beliefs about money and family. It also offers best business practices to transform families into effective teams working together to grow and preserve the family’s wealth so all family members thrive, now and in the future.

Damian Maxwell, MSc, CFP, CIM, HBCCS

Senior Investment Analyst and Portfolio Manager, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

Damian Maxwell is a Senior Investment Analyst & Portfolio Manager with First Affiliated. Damian is a lead architect of our client focused portfolio management process. In collaboration with the Family Office Director and Head Investment Strategist, Damian works closely with our client families. He is responsible for the overall financial management, research, strategy, and oversight of their portfolios and business assets.

Damian started his career as a successful entrepreneur in the Telecom sector before joining the financial sector as an Investment Advisor in 2009. Damian’s financial career evolved through roles in Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, and ultimately Wealth Management as a Portfolio Manager beginning in 2014. Damian held roles within a multifamily office, and a prominent Investment Counsellor.

Damian completed his Master of Science in Finance (MSc) degree after graduating with a double major degree which included an Honours degree in Business and Computer Science, and an Associate’s degree in Computer Programming. Damian obtained his Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation in 2015 and has been a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) since 2012.

Karl Mortveit

Head of Operations, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.
President, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

KARL MORTVEIT is the co-owner of First Affiliated and is responsible for the management of First Affiliated’s business and financial operations. Karl’s strong analytical and leadership skills are supported by his background in logistics, civil engineering and aviation as well as his long-term experience and commitment to First Affiliated over the past 30 years. He ensures our information systems are state of the art, and our data security is at the highest level. He works alongside our CEO overseeing corporate strategic initiatives.

Karl is responsible for the design, development, maintenance and upgrades of our back office systems, reporting technology and corporate infrastructure while constantly working to streamline process and increase efficiencies. Karl partners with the CEO of First Affiliated to ensure corporate compliance and licensing requirements are met. Karl also oversees the back office investment and reporting systems, ensuring our clients’ consolidated performance reports are accurate and timely.

W. Barton Rowe, CFA®

Head Investment Strategist, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.
Portfolio Manager, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

BARTON ROWE is a partner of First Affiliated. Barton graduated with an Honours Business degree from the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business. Upon graduating Barton earned the F.W.P. Jones Award in Finance recognizing his achievements as the top finance student.

Barton started his investment career with the Research group of Nesbitt Thomson, the leading investment research firm at that time. There, he worked as a research analyst and earned his Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He also completed the Canadian Securities Course and received the award of excellence from the Canadian Securities Institute. He then moved to privately owned Scott Capital Group where he was Director of Capital Management. Barton was in charge of researching companies for private equity and debt financing, and managing the portfolio of private and public investments.

In 1995 Barton joined forces with First Affiliated in providing wealth management services and is responsible for the research, strategy and oversight of portfolio and business assets for our client families. Bart is a practicing CFA, and a member of: Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, the Association for Investment Management & Research, and the Responsible Investment Association (RIA).

Brent Barrie, LL.B., CFA®, CIM®, CFP®

Head of Financial Planning, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.
Chief Compliance Officer & Portolio Manager, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

Brent Barrie is based out of Halifax and has a breadth of financial and business management experience earned over 27 years in the financial industry. A lawyer by training and graduate of Dalhousie Law School, Brent worked for six years with CIBC Trust where he managed the financial needs of clients across Atlantic Canada. For eleven years, Brent worked at SEAMARK Asset Management Ltd., including three years as Chief Executive Officer.

Brent currently leads First Affiliated’s financial planning work, as well as being an active member of its investment team and compliance group. He is a former director of the CFA Society Atlantic Canada and the Responsible Investment Association, an industry organization that promotes awareness of the impact of environment, social, and governance factors on the public markets in Canada.

Tina Di Vito, CPA, CA, CFP, TEP, FEA

Head, Family Office Services, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Tina Di Vito has extensive experience working with family enterprise clients and families of wealth taking a full-service approach to tax and estate planning, generational wealth transition and Family Office services.

Tina holds the CPA designation and the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation and in 2012 was awarded the distinction of FP Canada^TM Fellow. She also expanded her trust and estate planning knowledge and obtained the TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) designation. In 2014, she obtained the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation which focuses on advising and planning for complex, multi-generational families.

Prior to joining First Affiliated, Tina was the Canadian leader of family enterprise and family office services at MNP and Ernst Young. She also has years of experience working in head office leadership and strategic roles within the wealth management groups of two major Canadian banks.

Tina’s role at First Affiliated is to optimize the existing business and develop and execute an enhanced and sustainable growth strategy. In addition, Tina is responsible for overseeing the delivery and coordination of services to clients and will have direct oversight of her own clients.

Andrea Baker-Nash

Elder Client Liaison

Andrea Baker-Nash originally joined First Affiliated in 2006 after a progressive career in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior roles included Sales, Corporate Training, Communications, Recruitment, Employee Relations, Strategic Business Partner and Merger Integration.

While at First Affiliated, Andrea was responsible for the oversight and implementation of corporate contracts, communications, special projects and human resources. Andrea’s role evolved in recent years to provide on location support to our Elder clients, offering in home financial and administrative management while monitoring their well- being.

In 2024, Andrea formally retired from First Affiliated and founded Golden Heart Family Concierge. Andrea and Golden Heart Family Concierge have partnered with First Affiliated to continue to serve its Elder clients, helping them thrive through “Advocacy, Accompaniment and Administration”.

Andrea holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo.

Gabriella Ptasinski

Executive Assistant, Office of the CEO, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Gabriella (Gabby) Ptasinski works with First Affiliated as Executive Assistant (EA), Office of the CEO. Gabby has over 15 years of experience as an EA working both in the public and private sectors. As a professional EA, she brings a diverse range of administrative skills and experience.

In addition to her role as EA to the CEO, Gabby manages our reception function and works diligently to ensure all matters related to the CEO, the FA team, and our clients are addressed in a professional and timely manner.

Kerri Whaley

Compliance and Investment Administrator, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

Kerri Whaley is the Compliance and Investment Administrator at First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

Kerri is responsible for client investment account openings and order processing compliance. Kerri is also involved in organizing and maintaining Know Your Product (KYP) fund and manager research, scheduling annual reviews, and keeping abreast of ongoing regulatory requirements.

Kerri studied Business Economics at Brock University and had over 20 years in the Financial Services industry. She started her career in personal banking and most recently was the Senior Client Relationship Manager for an Independent Firm.  

Rachele Mortveit

Family Office Manager, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Rachele Mortveit serves as Family Office Manager for a select group of clients at First Affiliated. Rachele is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration, Ivey Business School at Western University following an Honours Double Major degree in Management and Organizational Studies (BMOS) – Finance & Psychology. Rachele also holds a certificate in Advanced Professional Accounting from York University.

As Family Office Manager, Rachele is the primary liaison between her select group of clients and the First Affiliated team. She is responsible for coordinating the team to ensure all client service-related matters are completed in a proactive, efficient and timely manner. Rachele will also assist clients with their cash management, tax compliance and administrative service needs.

Alex Kimble

Family Office Coordinator, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Alex Kimble works with First Affiliated in the role of Family Office Coordinator. Prior to working at First Affiliated, Alex held management positions in retail and healthcare.

As Family Office Coordinator, Alex offers administrative support to the Family Office Managers with a specialty in client administrative liaison, bookkeeping and cash management. Alex is responsible for supporting the team’s efforts to ensure all client service-related matters are completed in a proactive, efficient and timely manner.

Anson Yasi, CIM

Portfolio Manager, First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc.

Anson Yasi is a Portfolio Manager with First Affiliated. Prior to joining First Affiliated, Anson was an Assistant Portfolio Manager with the Private Client business group working with Family Office clients at a Toronto based portfolio management firm.

In his role at First Affiliated, Anson works with our Head Investment Strategist and Senior Financial Analyst to prepare and update detailed client Investment Policy Statements and manage client portfolios for a select group of clients. Anson also assists in all aspects of portfolio research and uses best practices in statistical modeling for the delivery of optimal portfolio results.

Anson Graduated from York University with a BA in Economics. He is a member of the Responsible Investment Association. Anson obtained the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) in 2015, the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation in 2019, and obtained certification as a Responsible Investment Professional in 2022.

Nathalia Silva, CFA, CFP, CIM

Wealth Planning Specialist, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Nathalia Silva is our Wealth Planning Specialist focused on financial planning, while also serving as Family Office Manager at First Affiliated. Prior to joining First Affiliated Nathalia had over 10 years of experience in the financial industry, most recently as Portfolio Management Assistant at RBC PH&N Investment Counsel.

Nathalia is responsible for preparing client financial plans and for a select group of clients, coordinating the team to proactively implement client service matters associated with cash management, tax, estate and insurance strategies.

Nathalia holds a BA with a major in Financial Management and Post-graduate in Financial Planning. Nathalia earned her Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in 2015, Chartered Investment Management (CIM®) in 2016 and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) in 2018.

Shubhra Bhalla, CPA (Canada), CA (India)

Senior Tax and Financial Analyst, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Shubhra Bhalla works with First Affiliated as our Senior Tax and Financial Analyst. Shubhra brings many years of experience in private client services working most recently with PwC, specializing in tax and investment accounting for high-net-worth clients. Prior to her time at PwC, Shubhra acquired comprehensive experience with tax, accounting and management reporting through roles in a Family Office and the private sector.

Shubhra is focused on providing comprehensive tax and financial/accounting solutions for our clients and has a strong commitment to providing an exceptional client experience.

Laura Giffen

Reports & Reconciliation Manager, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Laura Giffen is the Reports & Reconciliation Manager at First Affiliated. Prior to joining FA, Laura co-managed her family’s business (established in 1939) by preserving its legacy while pivoting the company’s strategies for long-term growth and sustainability.

As Reports & Reconciliation Manager, Laura works with the Head Investment Strategist and Head of Operations. She is responsible for ensuring all client investment-related matters are reconciled and reported in a professional and timely manner while ensuring the day-to-day compliance protocols are met.

Laura is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration, Smith School of Business at Queens University and holds a BComm with majors in Entrepreneurship and Marketing and minor in Professional Communications. Laura earned her Canadian Securities Course (CSC) in 2020 and continues to pursue post-grad education in the field of compliance having successfully completed the Conduct & Practices Handbook Course (CPH) in 2021 and her Certificate in Investment Dealer Compliance in 2022.

Tara Mathanda, CPA, CA, MAcc

Manager of Wealth Planning, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Tara Mathanda is the Manager of Wealth Planning at First Affiliated. Prior to working at First Affiliated, Tara had a wealth of tax experience gained over 10 years in the private client sector. Tara worked for seven years with Deloitte LLP where she managed the tax compliance and consulting of high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients in the greater Toronto area. For four years, Tara worked within the Income Tax Rulings Directorate at the Canada Revenue Agency where she assisted corporate and individual taxpayers in interpreting tax legislation. In addition, she was responsible for publishing technical interpretations as well as income tax rulings.

In her role at First Affiliated, Tara overseas the wealth planning team delivering best in class financial, tax, estate and risk management solutions ensuring strategies are being optimized and implemented effectively for clients.

Tara graduated from University of Waterloo with a Masters in Accounting. She obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2013.

Sabine Abt

Senior Family Office Manager, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Sabine Abt is a Senior Family Office Manager at First Affiliated. Prior to joining us in 2005, Sabine worked in Public and Corporate Affairs for over ten years at a major aerospace firm. Sabine is trilingual in English, French, and German.

As Senior Family Office Manager, Sabine is the primary liaison between her select group of clients and the First Affiliated team. Sabine is responsible for coordinating the team to ensure all client service-related matters are completed in a proactive, efficient and timely manner. Sabine will also assist clients with their cash management, tax compliance and administrative service needs. In addition, Sabine is instrumental in the design of our workspaces.

Teri Bowers, CPA

Corporate Controller, First Affiliated Holdings Inc.

Teri Bowers is corporate controller with First Affiliated. Prior to working with First Affiliated, Teri was Director of Finance for a local charitable organization, responsible for the care and welfare of individuals with developmental disabilities. For 12 years, she worked with all levels of government to manage a variety of funding streams and reporting requirements.

Teri plays a critical role working with the Head of Operations to manage the financial systems at the First Affiliated group of companies. Teri also provides tremendous support to the wealth planning team supporting them with investment accounting, bookkeeping, payroll compliance and GST/HST services for clients who have investment corporations or operating companies.

Teri graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She received her Certified General Accountants designation in 2000 after many years of part-time studies and full-time parenting. Teri has provided accounting services in a variety of sectors including construction, manufacturing, and healthcare as owner of Bowers Business Services since 2016.

Dave Driscoll, CFA

Investment Research

David is founder and President of Coeus Research Associates providing strategic and tactical research and advice since 2015. David partnered with First Affiliated Family Office Group Inc. in April 2022 to provide senior investment research advice to the FA investment team. Dave leads the due diligence investigation of current and prospective investment managers and sits on the investment committee overseeing the performance of client investments.

David has over 25 years of financial markets experience and prior to founding Coeus, David was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at a prominent Institutional Investment firm where he was responsible for international equity research and portfolio management. He has also worked as a consultant in some of Canada’s largest pension consulting firms.

David has extensive research experience in Canada, the U.S., and international securities markets. He is a Graduate of Saint Mary’s University and has been a member of the Atlantic Canada CFA Society since 2001.

Brad Kozell

Information Technology & Security Management

Brad  is the founder and President of Assured Computer Services. Brad has worked in partnership with First Affiliated for over 20 years, managing all aspects of technology and security. In partnership with our Head of Operations and CEO, Brad plays a critical role ensuring our systems are leading edge and the ever-challenging threats of cyber security are held at bay.

Brad provides leadership and expertise at the strategic level of network design and administration. He oversees server, hardware, and software management to keep our business running smoothly and in compliance with our regulatory and risk management requirements. Brad also provides unwavering IT support for the entire FA team.

Brad graduated from Sheridan College in Microcomputer Management and has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry.