Chair
Kenneth Frankel, Organization of American States
Mr. Frankel is the Legal Advisor to the Secretary General and Director of Legal Services at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. Mr. Frankel advises the Secretary General, committees and special missions (including electoral observation missions) of the General Secretariat, the political bodies, and other specialized Inter-American entities. Prior to joining the OAS in 2008, Mr. Frankel was Chair of the Latin American Practice Group at Torys (New York and Toronto), Interim General Counsel at Dresser-Rand, General Counsel at Alcatel Canada, Chief International Counsel at Alcatel Spain, Chief Counsel at Alcatel Poland, and Chief Counsel, Latin America (wireless) at Alcatel Germany. Following law school, Mr. Frankel clerked for Federal District Court Judge Eugene P. Spellman in Miami, Florida. Mr. Frankel advised the World Bank on corporate and arbitration law reform in Bolivia and coordinated pro bono the first programs for the USAID/American Bar Association on legal reform in Honduras and Guatemala. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Frankel worked in Mexico as a historian with Professor John Womack, Jr. (Harvard University) as a Reynolds Fellow, and in Mexico and Central America as a public affairs writer as a Dartmouth Public Affairs Fellow. Mr. Frankel formerly served on the Board Directors of the Canadian Foundation of the Americas (FOCAL), and on the Board of Advisors of the Latin American Advisor, (Inter-American Dialogue). Mr. Frankel has been a frequent contributor to newspapers in North America and on Canadian television. Mr. Frankel received his A.B. cum laude and with high distinction in Latin American Studies from Dartmouth College, and his JD from Northeastern University.
Vice-Chair
Jonathan Hausman, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan
Mr. Hausman is Vice President of Alternative Investments and Fixed Income Emerging Markets at the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan. Mr. Hausman is responsible for Teachers’ hedge fund portfolio and emerging markets fixed income assets. He joined Teachers’ in 2004 and was most recently Director, Emerging Markets. Previously, he held positions managing sovereign risk and advising government clients at Goldman Sachs in its New York, London and Hong Kong offices. Mr. Hausman holds a BA from McGill University, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and an MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Treasurer
Robert Almeida, Portland Holdings Inc
Robert Almeida is a senior member with the Portland Holdings Inc. group of companies, an owner, operator and investor in businesses globally and across several sectors. As Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager at Portland Investment Counsel Inc., Robert serves as co-portfolio manager for approximately $800 million of mutual fund assets, including the Manulife Advantage Fund. Robert is one of the founding Managing Partners of Portland Private Equity which manages emerging market private equity funds for institutional and high net worth investors globally. AIC Global Holdings Inc. owns a portfolio of investments, primarily in the Caribbean region, including National Commercial Bank, the largest bank in Jamaica, and Columbus International Inc, a leading provider of wholesale and retail broadband services in Latin America and the Caribbean. Robert is Executive Director. A University of Toronto graduate and a Chartered Accountant, Robert volunteers his time in an advisory capacity for the Ministry of Government Services in Ontario and helping in his local church parish.
Secretary
Kip Daechsel, Heenan Blaikie LLP, Partner
Mr. Daechsel is a partner at Heenan Blaikie LLP in Toronto. Mr. Daechsel is active in several practice areas within the Business Law group, including Securities, Financial Services, Infrastructure & Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Intergovernmental Relations and International Business Law. He is a member of both the Quebec and Ontario bars. Mr. Daechsel received a B.A., Queen’s University, 1978, LL.B. at Laval University, 1982 and LL.B. from Queen’s University, 1981. He is Lead counsel to an American Fortune 500 corporation in the acquisition of the Canadian subsidiary of a Dutch corporation, Special counsel to a national transportation company in the sale of a significant part of its operations to an American corporation, Lead counsel to a publishing and printing company in multiple acquisitions and sales and Counsel to a Canadian trust company in the sale of a division to a Canadian bank. His professional affiliations include Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario, Cámara de Comercio de Canadá en México, Camera di Commercio Italiana di Toronto, Canadian Bar Association and Club canadien de Toronto. He is fluent in French, Spanish and provide services to clients in Italian as well.
Directors
Nick Chamie, RBC Capital Markets Head, Emerging Markets Research
Nick Chamie is a Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Markets Research at RBC Capital Markets, responsible for investment strategy research in emerging market currencies, local rates and external debt for the past 15 years. He and his team were ranked #4 globally for best emerging markets research in the 2009 Euromoney poll. In addition to his time in research, Mr. Chamie was also a principal emerging markets debt trader for RBC for three years (2002-2004). His previous roles within RBC included terms as a strategist in G-7 markets and an international economist. Prior to joining RBC, Mr. Chamie worked in the National Forecasting group of the Conference Board of Canada, and carried out econometric research publishing several reports in the Special Studies division of the Bank of Canada. Nick holds a Master’s degree in Economics and is a CFA charterholder since 1997. Mr. Chamie is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of the Americas.
Kevin Clark, The Bank of Nova Scotia
Mr. Clark is Senior Vice President, Global Transaction Banking and joined The Bank of Nova Scotia’s Investment Banking Division in Toronto in 1985 after graduating with an MBA from The Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario. In 1988, he transferred to the Corporate Banking Division in New York, and spent the next seven years in progressive appointments in Corporate Banking. In 1995, Mr. Clark was transferred to London, England where he assumed responsibility for Western Europe and the Acquisition & Leveraged Finance Unit. In 2002, he returned to the U.S. to oversee the northeast United States based again in New York. In 2004, Mr. Clark returned to Toronto as Senior Vice President, Corporate and Commercial Banking, for the International Banking Division’s Corporate and Commercial business line, covering all of the Division’s markets which principally included the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Asia Pacific markets in which the Bank has a presence. In 2010 Mr. Clark assumed global responsibility for the Bank’s Global Transaction Banking Sales Management business, leading the enterprize-wide responsibility for distribution of the Bank’s trade finance and cash management products. With this responsibility Mr. Clark remains a member of the Bank’s Senior Credit Committee.
Edgar J. Dosman, Schulich School of Business, York University
Edgar J. Dosman is currently a Senior Research Fellow at York University in Toronto. Professor of International Relations and Founding Executive Director of FOCAL (Canadian Foundation of the Americas) in Ottawa, he has specialized in Western Hemisphere political and commercial affairs and strengthening Canadian-Latin American relations. The Government of Brazil awarded him the Order of Brazil for his contribution to Brazilian-Canadian relations, and he has taught in Latin America as Visiting Professor as well as the Schulich School of Business. Consultant, analyst and writer, his most recent book is The Life and Times of Raul Prebisch 1901-1986, named by The Economist as one of the top ten books in 2009.
Kelvin Dushnisky, Barrick Gold Corp.
Kelvin Dushnisky assumed the responsibilities of Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs at Barrick Gold Corp. in June 2010. He has overall responsibility for the Government Relations, Legal, Permitting, Corporate Social Responsibility and Communications functions. Having extensive international experience with project approvals, development agreements and public affairs, Mr. Dushnisky joined Barrick in April 2002 as Director, Regulatory Affairs, and was promoted to Vice President, Regulatory Affairs in January 2003, to Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs in September 2005 and to Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs in November 2007. Prior to Barrick, he was a Managing Director at Altara Securities Inc. (now part of Manulife Financial). He also served as the Vice Chair, General Counsel and a founding Director of EuroZinc Mining Corporation, a Vice President of Sutton Resources Ltd. (acquired by Barrick) and a Vice President of Rescan Consultants Inc. Mr. Dushnisky holds a B.Sc. (Hon.) degree from the University of Manitoba and M.Sc. and LL.B. degrees from the University of British Columbia. He is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and a Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Mining Association of Canada and the Institute of the Americas.
Michael Harvey, Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat, Privy Council Office (Director ex-officio)
Michael Harvey has closely followed Latin American affairs for more than 20 years. He has been Head of the Political Section of Canada’s embassies in Brasilia, Bogota and Caracas. He also worked in Colombia as a Political Advisor for the Organization of American States (Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia) and the United Nations (Department of Political Affairs and United Nations Development Program). He served at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York as part of Canada’s Security Council team (1999 to 2000). Michael is currently seconded to the Privy Council Office (Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat) by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He holds degrees in Civil Law (McGill, 1994) and Political Science (Ottawa, 1991) and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1995 after articling in a major Montreal law firm. He is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Alison Lacy, Torys LLP
Alison Lacy’s practice focuses on project financing, project development, energy-related transactions and secured lending. She has been involved in a variety of transactions in Canada in the electricity sector, in Mexico, Uruguay and Colombia in the resource and electricity sectors, and in India and China in the electricity sectors. Alison is fluent in Spanish and has also worked in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. Alison has spoken in Brazil and China on issues to consider, in making international investments. As a member of a Canadian delegation of judges, professors and lawyers, Alison lectured on international law at the National College of Judges in Beijing, China in June 1999. In January 1998, Alison joined the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial Premiers on a Team Canada trade mission to Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Recognitions : Legal Media Group/Euromoney’s IFLR1000 The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms 2008, 2009 and 2010—Leading lawyer in project finance, a Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Project Finance Lawyers 2009—Leading lawyer in project finance Real Time News’ LawDay 2009—Leading lawyer in energy/corporate law and borrowers in a wide variety of secured transactions.
John Price, Managing Director of Americas Market Intelligence
John Price has practiced market intelligence in emerging markets, most notably Latin America, for the last twenty years. He founded InfoMex in 1992 in Mexico City, which later became InfoAmericas with offices in Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Miami. In 2007, he sold InfoAmericas to Kroll Associates and founded their Market Intelligence practice. More recently, John launched Americas Market Intelligence, LLC with offices in Miami and Mexico and a global affiliation with GIA, the world’s leading competitive intelligence provider with 25 global offices. He has published more than 100 articles on these and other subjects and speaks to business audiences around the world about the challenges of competing in emerging markets. In 2007, Mr. Price co-authored and co-edited the book “Can Latin America compete?” published by Palgrave. In 1999, John founded Tendencias, an online market intelligence newsletter whose opt-in readership eventually grew to over 15,000 readers and remains in circulation. John is an adjunct professor of international marketing at Florida International University and serves on multiple organizational boards.
Guillermo E. Rishchynski, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (Director ex-officio)
Guillermo E. Rishchynski was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in August 2011. He was Ambassador to the United Mexican States from September 2007. Ambassador Rishchynski joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1982 after a career in the private sector in marketing and project management in Africa and Latin America. He has served at the Canadian Consulates General in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, the Canadian Consulate in Melbourne, Australia, the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In 1999, he was appointed Canadian Ambassador to Colombia, serving for three years in Bogota before returning to Canada. He served as Vice-President for the Americas at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Canada. In 2005 to 2007, he served as Canadian Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil. At headquarters in Ottawa, he has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Director, Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean and as Director of the Team Canada Task Force. He was the Inspector General of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Ambassador completed studies at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where he obtained an Honours B.A. in Political Science in 1975. He has also undertaken Graduate Studies at the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Johane Seguin, EDC, Chief Representative
Johane Séguin is EDC’s Chief Representative for Mexico. She is leading a dedicated team of EDC representatives based in Mexico City and Monterrey. Ms. Séguin joined EDC in 1996. She has worked as a financing manager for more than 8 years where she concluded financing transactions in several countries such as Mexico, Algeria, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, Jamaica, Philippines, Romania, Tunisia and Venezuela. Based in Ottawa, she also provided support to the International Business Development Group, where she has accumulated a vast experience with the Latin American group and the Africa & Middle East group. Throughout her career at EDC, Ms. Séguin demonstrated her abilities in leadership, project management, result and customer service orientation, as well as in influencing and negotiation. Ms. Séguin holds an MBA degree in Finance from the Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in International Business and Economics from Concordia University.
Noam Silberstein, Director, National Bank Financial
Noam is a Director in Corporate and Investment Banking at National Bank Financial. He is part of the Diversified Group at NBF and responsible for financings and M&A advisory in the Agri-Business sector. Noam has 8 years of investment banking experience and most recently covered the Agri-Business sector at Wellington West prior to the firm’s acquisition by National Bank. Prior to that he worked at two boutique investment dealers covering Diversified Industries. Noam has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and received the CFA designation in 2006. He speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese and is a member of the executive committee of the Toronto CFA Society’s Mentorship Program.
David Simsilevich, Avante Capital
David is Partner at Avante Capital where he works in project finance, raising equity capital for real estate and private infrastructure developments in Latin America. He is particularly focused in Brazil and Colombia, where he currently works with international private equity groups and financial institutions investing in low‐income housing developments and infrastructure projects (solid waste disposal, transportation, and power generation).Prior to Avante Capital, David worked at Canec International, a French company with offices in Paris and Toronto. He managed cross‐border mergers and acquisitions and joint‐venture partnerships of European companies expanding in North America.David has provided strategic advice to companies in the Americas and Europe. He is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, English and French. He is Industrial Engineer from Los Andes University (Bogota, Colombia) and MBA from McGill University. David was born in Argentina; he has also lived in Bogota, Tel‐ Aviv, Montreal and Toronto.
Craig Walter, KPMG
Craig is an Associate Partner in KPMG Canada’s Transactions and Restructuring practice where he advises clients investing in infrastructure and power & utilities projects. He joined KPMG in 2004 in Paris, France and joined the Canadian practice in 2005. Prior to joining KPMG, Craig lived and worked in Chile for five years, including two years leading the corporate development team at VTR GlobalCom, Chile’s largest cable operator. Craig has over 15 years of M&A experience in advisory, corporate, and private equity environments. He is a fluent Spanish speaker and has led transaction teams throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. He holds a BCom from Queen’s University and an MBA from the Sauder School if Business at the University of British Columbia.
Raziel Zisman, Fogler, Rubinoff LLP
Raziel Zisman’s practice area encompasses corporate finance, securities, mergers & acquisitions and general corporate matters, with a focus on the mining, natural resources and renewable energy areas. Following graduation from Osgoode Hall Law School, Raziel clerked for Madame Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé at the Supreme Court of Canada during the 2000-2001 term. After his time at the Supreme Court, Raziel practiced in the Toronto offices of a leading American law firm mostly in cross-border financing, mergers & acquisitions and other corporate work, gaining experience in the mining, energy, forestry and transportation sectors. Most recently he worked at a major Canadian law firm focusing in the mining and renewable energy sectors. He studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School, LL.B., 1999, Securities Law LL.M., 2003, Admitted to Ontario Bar, 2000 and Admitted to New York Bar, 2001. He holds a M.E.S., York University, 1983, an M.A., 1981, York University in Economics and a B.A., 1977, University of Sussex Economics (Development Studies). Raziel grew up in Latin America and is fluent in English and Spanish. He also speaks Russian and French.
