Industry moves: Manulife Wealth adds team from Richardson

Each week, we summarize notable moves across the financial industry.

• Danny Montesi has joined Manulife Wealth as a senior investment advisor, after four years with Richardson Wealth. He brings a team of five with him.
• Herman Chan has left Canada Life, to start his own advice-only wealth management firm serving medical professionals and real estate investors, Crimson Financial. Chan has 18 years of experience in the industry, including at Canada Life, where he was a regional account executive for advisor solutions, Freedom 55 Financial and RBC Insurance.
• Dan Rees will step down as CEO of goeasy at the end of the year due to a health matter, after joining the alternative lender from Scotiabank in March. Patrick Ens, currently president of easyfinancial, has been appointed CEO as of Jan. 1. Rees will serve as a special advisor to the CEO until June 30. Ens joined goeasy in 2024, after 17-year tenure with Capital One Canada. He’ll be goeasy’s third CEO in a year, after past president and CEO Jason Mullins stepped down in December 2024, while remaining a director.
• Chris Turchansky has been named ATB Financial’s next president and CEO, starting in January. Turchansky is currently group head of ATB Business and Wealth and has held other senior leadership roles, including chief experience officer and president of ATB Wealth. Current president and CEO Curtis Stange announced in October he would be retiring after 16 years with ATB, and seven as chief executive.
• Sandy Sharman, senior executive vice-president and group head at CIBC responsible for people, culture and brand, will retire at the end of 2026 after 20 years with the bank, becoming a special advisor on Jan. 1. Christina Kramer, senior EVP and chief administrative officer, will take on new accountabilities, including for enterprise real estate, brand, client experience and communications as of Jan. 1. Richard Jardim, currently EVP and CIO, will be appointed senior EVP, adding chief technology officer to his title as of Jan 1. He’s been with CIBC for 14 years and will be responsible for technology, data and AI. And Yvonne Dimitroff, currently an HR leader in the U.S. will be appointed EVP, chief human resources officer with responsibility across borders.
• Daniel Charron has been appointed vice-chair of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board, to serve a three-year term. Charron is currently vice-president of engagement, sustainability and public affairs at Fondaction, joining the Quebec-based, labour sponsored investment fund in March 2020.
• Tammy Brown has joined Bank of Montreal’s board of directors. Before retiring in October, Brown was a leader and partner at KPMG Canada.
• Duane Green, CEO, Americas at Aviva Investors, has been appointed to the board of the Portfolio Management Association of Canada. Two other directors have been re-appointed for three-year terms: Dona Eull-Schultz, current board chair and VP, investment counselor & regional head of Cardinal Capital Management Inc.; and Warren Rudick, vice-president & chief counsel, Canada and global chief counsel, distribution law, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management.

If you know of other people moves in the financial industry and/or would like us to consider your announcement, email Alisha Hiyate at alisha.h@newcom.ca.