Our Team

As an Investment Counsellor, Manny provides portfolio management services and brings over 20 years of diverse experience to our high-net-worth clients in the CI Assante
Private Client program. In consultation with our team, he determines an appropriate asset allocation to best meet the objectives of every client. He also provides ongoing reviews of client portfolios and works closely with our Wealth Planning team to ensure that our investment plans continue to meet client needs.
Prior to joining our team in 2021, Manny was advising
high-net-worth families at CI Private Wealth (formerly Stonegate Private Counsel). Before that, he held corporate finance roles at CI Financial, Dynamic Funds and Scotiabank.
Manny has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Western University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)® designation.

As a Regional Wealth Planner, Debbie Simkins facilitates the delivery of wealth planning reports. Using a needs-based approach, Debbie works with our clients to not only gather pertinent financial information, but more importantly, to identify issues and to help our clients articulate and document their goals in order to build a plan that meets their complex needs. Working with the support of the wealth planning team, Debbie delivers a strategy that addresses retirement planning, cash flow management, risk management, business planning and estate planning.

Debbie became part of CI Assante Private Client in 2008. Her experience in wealth planning and financial services spans over 20 years. Before joining us, she was a director in the capital markets group of HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. Debbie has a Business Administration diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology and holds her Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) designation

As Regional Vice-President, Wealth Planning, Dilmini works closely with our high-net-worth clients to identify issues and provide complex, tactical wealth planning support that complements their wealth plans.

Dilmini has a particular focus on estate planning and wealth transfer strategies for business owners, professionals, and other affluent individuals and families. Dilmini joined CI Assante Private Client in 2019 after working as an estate lawyer in private practice. During her time in private practice, Dilmini assisted clients with establishing and implementing individualized estate plans and represented clients in estate litigation matters. As a litigator, she appeared before all levels of court in Ontario while representing beneficiaries, estate trustees, and guardians of property and personal care.

Dilmini is a lawyer and member of the Law Society of Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B), Master of Laws degree in Taxation Law (LL.M), and has designations as a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and Master Financial Advisor in Philanthropy (MFA-P™).

As Regional Vice-President, Wealth Planning, Salman works closely with  our  high  net  worth  clients  to  identify  issues  and  provide  complex, tactical wealth planning support that complements their wealth  plans.  Salman  has  a  particular  focus  on  tax  and  financial  planning  strategies  for  business  owners,  professionals,  and  other  affluent individuals and families. 

Salman  joined  CI  Assante  Private  Client  in  2017  after  working  as  a senior tax manager at Crowe Soberman LLP. He was part of the Crowe Soberman’s tax team providing tax planning and compliance services to high net worth individuals, owner-managed businesses, multinational     manufacturers,     construction     and     investment     companies.  Salman  has  experience  advising  clients  on  matters  relating  to  estate  and  succession  planning,  performing  tax  due-diligences with respect to acquisitions of potential targets as well as  tax  implications  resulting  from  cross  border  transactions.  His  overall professional experience in wealth planning exceeds 10 years. 

Salman is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Master of Taxation (MTax) degree from University of Waterloo. He is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants Association of Ontario (CPA) and the Canadian Tax Foundation. In addition, he has  completed  the  CICA’s  In-Depth  Tax  Courses  in  International  Taxation and the Owner-managed Business. 

Alfred Lam joined the Investment Consulting team at CI Global Asset Management (CI GAM) in 2004 and is actively involved in manager selection and oversight, product development, asset allocation and currency management of CI GAM’s managed solutions. He leads a team of investment experts who monitor the portfolio managers and the funds’ portfolios to ensure they are adhering to their mandates and performing within expectations and oversees approximately 32 billion of assets invested in customized managed portfolio solutions* for our clients. Alfred previously held the role of Senior Manager of the Investment Management Team at CIBC Securities. He has an MBA from York University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Alfred is a member of the CFA Institute and the Toronto CFA Society.  

* With access to a wealth of tools and resources, Assante advisors and their clients are supported by the expertise of an investment management team and wealth planning group available through our sister company, CI Global Asset Management, and CI Assante Private Client, a division of CI Private Counsel LP. 

Richard is Vice-President, Investment Strategy at CI Assante Wealth Management and oversees our firm’s investment product shelf. He chairs Assante's Investment Committee and performs due diligence on new product offerings, acting as the liaison with product issuers, promoters and underwriters. Richard also co-ordinates the approval of specialty investment transactions with Assante's Compliance team and trading desk. He also represents CI Assante Wealth Management in the media with regular spots on CP24 and ROB TV. Prior to joining Assante in 2000, Richard was the trading floor economist and fixed income analyst at TD Securities. During his six years at TD Securities, he specialized in the areas of economic analysis of the U.S. and Canadian economies, corporate and government debt, and studies of both the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada. Prior to his tenure at TD Securities, Richard spent five years trading both Foreign Exchange and Money Market securities for Ontario Hydro. Richard has been a CFA charterholder since 1994. He received both his B.A. and M.A. in economics from the University of Waterloo.