Queen's University Alternative Assets Fund (QUAAF) Round Table Podcast

We were super excited to Jon Aikman in this episode. Jon teaches both alternative assets and equities in the Master of Finance Program at Queens'. He's a favorite among many students and alumni. In this podcast, we do something a bit different and we have more of a high level discussion on the finance industry in general. We picked Jon's brain with a few questions about alternative investments, private equity and much more. Much of his insights was of great interest among both the investment and strategy team at QUAAF.

In this episode, we are super excited to host Curtis Land who is a jack-of-all-trades and has taken an unconventional route to work in the alternative investing space of mortgage investing. Curtis has many diverse passions such as producing for sports broadcasting for his hometown team the Vancouver Canucks on Sportsnet, he's a scratch golfer, all while managing this with his job in finance. Nick and Curtis also discuss Curtis' unconventional path into finance and how he achieved this and what it takes to break it into the industry by networking, making meaningful connections, and doing whatever it takes to get the chance and opportunity at a firm.

On the first podcast of season three, we have Sean Krowiak on the podcast to discuss mid-market M&A, how he transitioned from Big4 accounting at EY into finance.

Bilal Omokanye & Jason Powell – The C-Suite (QRT | 2.4) On this special episode of the QUAAF Round Table Podcast, QUAAF Chief of Staff, Chris de Sousa Costa, sits down with current QUAAF CEO, Bilal Omokanye, and current QUAAF CIO, Jason Powell. Bilal works as a Capability Manager for a major Canadian bank and is currently the 2023 cohort class president of the Master of Financial Innovation and Technology program at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. Bilal joined QUAAF in November of 2021 as an Operations Analyst and quickly ascended to a leadership role as the Chief of Staff for a full management term before taking the CEO role in May 2022. Before the MFIT program, Bilal graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.A. in Economics. Jason Powell is a 2023 candidate in the Full-time MBA program at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. Before the MBA, Jason completed his Bachelor of Commerce with a concentration in Finance at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. Jason has worked as a financial analyst at various Ottawa-based firms before joining Queen's and started his QUAAF journey as an Associate Director within the Investment Team before moving into the Chief Investment Officer role. In this episode, Bilal and Jason talk about their progression in QUAAF from analyst to C-Suite, their biggest achievements and learning opportunities, advice for incoming Smith graduate students interested in applying to QUAAF, and what they hope for the future of the fund.

On today's episode, QUAAF Chief of Staff, Chris de Sousa Costa, sits down with our featured guest, former QUAAF Portfolio Manager, Cassius Felicella, who currently works in corporate development for Rose Rocket, helping transportation service providers improve communications with systems, customers, and teams. Cassius is also the founder and host of the Homeroom Podcast, where he interviews start-up founders and shares their stories of entrepreneurship and the start-up journey. Cassius graduated from the Smith School of Business with a degree in Master of Business Administration in 2022. Prior to his MBA, Cassius studied History and Business at Queen's. On this episode, Chris and Cassius catch up on their time spent together in the Graduate Diploma in Business Program at Queen's, Cassius' journey in carving out his own path during his time in the MBA, the importance of storytelling and continuous learning, and not being afraid to reach out and establish meaningful connections. We hope you enjoy this third episode of season two of the QUAAF Round Table Podcast. Enjoy.

On today's episode, QUAAF Chief Data Officer, Elizabeth Kim, sits down with our featured guest, former QUAAF Chief Operating Officer, Abhinav Narayanan. Abhinav graduated from the Smith School of Business with a degree in Master of Management Analytics in 2021. Prior to his MMA degree, Abhinav completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Informatics from McMaster University. Abhinav is currently working as a Product Manager in Data & Analytics, for Geotab, the world's number one telematics provider, connecting commercial vehicles to the internet and providing web-based analytics to help customers better manage their fleets. On this episode, Elizabeth and Abhinav discuss the QUAAF experience - from business development, to creating the QUAAF mentorship program, to paying it forward for the next generation of QUAAF members. They also talk about who their favourite superheroes are and why – curious to know? Tune in to this second episode of season two of the QUAAF Round Table Podcast. Enjoy.

On today's episode, QUAAF Associate Thematic Portfolio Manager, Justin White, had an amazing discussion with our featured guest Brandon Toushan, who is a Business Analyst at a global consulting firm, and former Chief Data Officer of QUAAF. Brandon graduated from the Smith School of Business with a degree in Master's of Management Analytics in 2021. Prior to his MMA degree, Brandon studied Physics and mathematics at Queen's. On this episode, Justin and Brandon talk all things data analytics, coding, and what Brandon describes as Quantamentals, and how these can be applied with a financial lens. Brandon also talks about his experience with QUAAF and gives great advice on how to make the most out of ones time in the fund. We hope you enjoy this opening episode for season two of the QUAAF Round Table Podcast. Enjoy.

Yield to Maturity: Wisdom as an intangible asset. QUAAF Spotlight Sessions Podcast | Season 1 Finale Tune in to this very special edition to hear reflections on their unique experiences as students and leaders of QUAAF, while shedding light on approaching the post-graduate transition, why the experience is being recognized in the industry, and where they see QUAAF going in the future. Featuring special guest - former CIO and current executive member on the QUAAF Board of Directors - Rees Barnett (MFin'15), in a roundtable-style discussion with three recently graduated QUAAF 2021 executives: CEO Robert Davis (MMAI'21), CIO Brenna Cunnington (MFin'21), and CRO Adham Riad (MBA'22).

Our theme this week is Dream Team – how the stars can align, and the destinies of people can intertwine. We are joined today by two QUAAF alumni, and MFIN class of 2019 co-presidents Romel & Yacine. Romel was born and raised in Montreal, and became a financial advisor at National Bank after graduating from a BBA in Finance from HEC Montreal. After passing the first two CFA levels, Romel decided that he wanted to dive deeper in the world of investment analysis and left his job to focus on personal research, analysis, and his investment portfolio. Romel joined the Smith MFin program where, in addition to school, he participated in and won multiple case competitions, and became involved in QUAAF, becoming the Director of Portfolio management. Post-graduation, Romel joined a leading private equity firm and has since moved to his current role at Scotiabank in Equity Research covering the REITs. Yacine grew up in Montreal after moving from Morocco at the age of 10. During high school, Yacine dabbled in electronic music and dreamed of having a career as a DJ and music producer, and even got a record deal, but ultimately decided finance was a more suitable path. Yacine attended Concordia University's finance program, passed the first two CFA levels, and sought out a graduate program to take his knowledge and skills to the next level. During his time in the Smith MFin program, Yacine was a finalist in the CFA research challenge and graduated top of the program. Yacine then joined Fiera Capital's Canadian equities team for a 10 month internship and has since moved to his current role at Scotiabank in Equity Research covering the technology sector. To assist in navigating the episode, some highlighted areas of discussion are: 3:20 – Background and schooling 3:42 – When did you know finance was it? 8:03 – What made you want to pursue grad school and the MFin 13:52 – Which markets were you investing in? [Opinion] 17:54 – Comment on The Intelligent Investor 19:37 – How did you two meet? 21:51 – Joint campaign 24:44 – What was the most impactful experience in the program? 34:07 – Life in equity research 38:04 – What do you see changing in the finance industry? [Opinion] 40:10 – What variables do you see evolving that may put current roles at risk if they don't change? [Opinion] 41:35 – How do commissions work in Capital Markets? 43:23 – How does this impact your overall market approach? 46:58 – How did QUAAF help your career? 50:21 – What advice do have for people wanting to be an analyst? 56:15 – Investment strategies [Opinion] 1:02:31 – Any final thoughts / plans down the road 1:06:00 – Fan Favorite – Rapid Fire Questions [Just for Fun] 1.14.32 – Outtakes, including recommendations on poutine spots [Just for Fun]

Jeremy Yumul graduated from the Smith School of Business Master of Finance program in 2018 and is currently working as a Senior Investment Analyst at Scotiabank's Equity Investments Group where he helps manage the banks's pension investments in public equities and private equity. He's been with the group for three years. He currently covers the technology, materials, and healthcare sectors. Prior to this role, he's spent time as an Equity Analyst on the sell-side in the Philippines. He was also former CIO of QUAAF. A fun fact about Jeremy outside of finance: his favourite authors are David Mitchell, Italo Calvino, and Nick Joaquin. In addition to eloquently sprinkling poetry quotes into our podcast session, a couple interesting quotes Jeremy timely leveraged during our discussion include: - "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives; our thoughts become actions, actions become habits, habits become your life." - "History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme." To assist in navigating the episode, some highlighted areas of discussion are: 3.25 – Jeremy's journey from the beginning 11.14 – MFin experience 12.20 – Staying involved as a TA 14.00 – Quaaf experience 16.19 – Quaaf as a means of helping people gain capital markets experience 18.15 – Failed stock pitch stories 23.27 – How did Jeremy get noticed and potential chances taken along the way 26.12 – Life in sell side research 28.52 – Transition into Buy Side 30.00 – General Buy-Side/Sell-Side trends and how these might change in the long-term [Opinion] 32.45 – Future of sell-side research [Opinion] 35.30 – How he embraces the process and he looks at disappointing pitching experiences [Experience] (Guest host: Zubair) 37.42 – Opportunities that might emerge in the next 10 years that might not exist today [Opinion] 40.17 – Working from home during the pandemic [Experience] 43.19 – Workplace changes that might persist past the pandemic [Opinion] 45.00 – Personal investing philosophy and approach [Opinion] 53.59 – Personal approach to valuing negative cash flow companies [Opinion] 58.05 – Personal justification on “FOMO” stocks [Opinion] 1.05.47 – Discussion on multiples vs DCF [Opinion] 1.07.49 – Mistakes that one doesn't quite make that are very valuable lessons [Opinion] 1.12.21 – Favorite investors, writers, media pundits, and other people outside of finance that he looks up to 1.15.29 – Greatest professional achievement thus far 1.16.15 – Final thoughts 1.18.04 – Why does he keep giving back to the community of Smith & Quaaf (Guest host: Zubair) 1.20.54 – Fan Favorite – Rapid Fire Questions [Just for Fun] 1.25.55 – Outtakes and jokes on Quaaf pitches [Just for Fun]

Sean Sungho Choi is a BCom graduate from Rotman Commerce at the St. George Campus (Downtown Toronto) of University of Toronto and earned his MBA from SKK GSB (Sungkyunkwan Graduate School of Business) sponsored by Samsung Group with an exchange program to Columbia Business School. Sean Sungho Choi also holds an MFin from Smith School of Business at Queen's University jointly offered by Renmin University of China and once spearheaded the QUAAF (Queen's University Alternative Assets Fund) Beijing team as the Director of Portfolio Management. Sean Sungho Choi currently works as the Vice President at Samsung Securities which is the leading Korean financial investment company that provides a wide range of financial services from brokerage, wealth management and investment advisory services to corporate finance and trading.Sean Sungho Choi was most recently with Invest in Denmark under Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark as the Investment Manager based in Seoul, where he was responsible for identifying and assisting Korean companies with potential interests in Denmark. Prior to joining Invest in Denmark, Sean Sungho Choi worked in the M&A Team under CFO at Fortune Global 500 firm LGE electronics. Thus he has extensive M&A experience both in the financial advisory and corporate perspective.

Will Wang grew up in Beijing, China and went to the United States for university where he studied Accounting at Penn State and upon graduation and got a job at Deloitte doing audit in Philadelphia. After one year at Deloitte, he was unable to obtain the H1B work visa and subsequently moved back to China. That's when Will decided to move to Canada and join the Queen's full time MBA program. The MBA program provided a great opportunity to explore a different career path. Will focused on learning more about the finance industry and eventually got a job at Scotia Investment Banking. Will spent about 3 years at Scotia, mainly covering TMT and Healthcare companies and was involved in a few M&A, debt and equity financing deals. He then became very interested in Private Equity and luckily found a job at his current firm, Clearspring Capital Partners. Clearspring is one of Canada's leading private equity firms, with a focus on helping mid-market companies grow to be leaders in their industries. Will has been at Clearspring for two years now where his job includes both evaluating new investment opportunities and managing existing portfolio companies. Will have had a great experience so far and he is happy to say that he made a good decision coming to Canada.

William McIsaac is an Associate at Sagard Holdings and is based in Toronto where he is responsible for intellectual property and structured credit investments in the life sciences sector. Prior to this role, William was an Analyst at DRI Capital where he was responsible for making royalty and structured credit investments in the biopharmaceutical industry. Will transitioned into investments from scientific research after finishing his MBA at Queen's.

Pooja Sharma has around 10 years of experience in various fields of financial research. She is currently working as an Equity Research Associate at Echelon Wealth Partners, assisting Head of Research, Rob Goff, with his coverage of small-cap Tech and special situation companies. Prior to this, she worked at Genpact LLC India for 5 years where she was responsible for quantitative and qualitative industry research for financial institutions like BMO and GE Capital. She started her career with Amba Research, India, which was then acquired by Moody's Analytics, where she worked for a top investment bank, creating financial models for the companies in the Oil and Gas industry. She graduated from Smith School of Business (Queen's University) with a degree in Master of Finance, holds an Engineering Degree from the University of Rajasthan, and has cleared CFA level 2.