Leadership Team

Michael Smith

President & Chief Compliance Officer

Michael’s career has spanned more than 25 years in financial services with a focus on retail and institutional wealth management. He has worked for both Canadian and U.S. firms and is licensed with FINRA in the U.S. and the CSA in Canada.

Michael has held leadership roles with both independent broker-dealers and Canadian chartered banks. He also has extensive experience in compliance, operations, sales, trading and anti-money laundering. He holds an Honors BA from the University of Western Ontario.

Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson

Chief Operating Officer

Mark has almost 40 years of financial services experience in operations, retail, credit, compliance and customer service. He is a proven leader with a long track record of successfully managing and developing large groups of employees. Mark also excels at overseeing the design and implementation of new wealth products and platforms for both clients and introducing brokers.

Mark has extensive experience working within both branch and head office structures and is a subject matter expert in all areas of operations. He previously held senior management positions at Nesbitt Burns, Merrill Lynch, Penson Financial Services, and PEAK Financial Group.

Zamir Bashardost

Chief Compliance Officer

Zamir has over 17 years of experience in the financial services industry with a focus on compliance. He has worked for both Canadian and U.S. firms and is licensed with FINRA in the U.S. and the CSA in Canada.

Zamir has previously held leadership roles where he oversaw compliance for Managed Accounts and Sub-Advisor/Unified Managed Accounts and ensured regulatory compliance for our FINRA registered institutional broker-dealer. Zamir is a graduate of Ryerson University and holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation.

Frederic Paquette

Bruno Blouin

Chief Financial Officer

Bruno has over two decades of experience in the financial services industry. He manages a team of more than 20 professionals operating across a wide range of accountabilities, including statutory financial statements, financial performance, accounts payable, budgeting, and strategic analysis. He is also involved in due diligence and the management of IT projects.

Prior to joining iA Private Wealth, Bruno held progressively senior roles at several major financial institutions, including Desjardins Securities and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Bruno is a graduate of Université Laval and holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered General Accountant (CGA) designations.

Kate Dickie

Investment Advisor Representative & Business Development Associate

Kate joined the firm in 2022 and is responsible for managing client accounts and supporting advisors. She also leads the firm’s market research, client communications, business marketing, and event planning.

An integral member of the management team, Kate has broad experience helping advisors support their clients in navigating the complexities of building and preserving wealth across borders. In her advisory role as in-house investment advisor representative, Kate supports clients from across the U.S., leveraging her cross-border knowledge. Kate earned an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and holds dual licensing as an Investment Advisor in both the U.S. and Canada, having completed the Canadian Securities courses and obtained FINRA licensing.