About Us
Staff Directory

Fred Pinto, CFA

Chief Executive Officer & Director

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Fred Pinto is CEO of CFA Society Toronto, the largest Society of charterholders globally. Fred is responsible for CFA Society Toronto's overall strategic direction and management. Core to this mandate is continuing to deliver outstanding member value, promoting high ethical standards in the investment industry and increasing the visibility of the charter with multiple key stakeholders. He sits on the Board of Directors of CFA Society Toronto.

Prior to assuming this role, Fred was Head of Asset Management for Aviso Wealth and its wholly owned asset management subsidiary NEI Investments, a leading Canadian firm in establishing an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program and fully integrating it within its investment process.

Fred was also the Head of Wealth and Asset Management for Qtrade Financial Group, a predecessor company of Aviso's and a leading wealth management services firm providing business-to-business services to the Canadian credit union marketplace and to a number of Canada's leading financial services organizations.

Before joining Qtrade Financial Group in 2011, he held a series of progressively more senior sales and management roles at Russell Investments Canada Limited across the firm's retail and institutional business lines.

Fred is a CFA Charterholder and is a Past Chair of the Board of CFA Society Toronto. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Oakville Community Foundation and is a Vice Chair of its Investment Committee. He is also part of the Investment Committee for the Appleby College Foundation. In addition, he is a member of the Research Advisory Council for the Institute of Sustainable Finance.

Fred holds a BA (Honours) from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and recently completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and received his ICD.D designation.

Norma Summers

Chief Operating Officer

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Norma Summers is Chief Operating Officer at CFA Society Toronto. She is responsible for overall leadership, guidance and direction of daily operational activities at the Society’s management office including oversight on technology resources, tactical marketing, reputation management, and providing direction, strategy and support for society’s governance, nominations, finance and audit portfolios.

Working to develop long-term and short-term strategies, goals, policies/procedures, program/service evaluation, Norma supports the board chair in development initiatives including by-law interpretation and development and board development. Norma has 15+ years of experience in association and not-for-profit management.  

Valerie Weddell

Director, Operations 

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Valerie is primarily responsible for organizational effectiveness through contribution to the development and implementation of organizational strategies, policies and practices. She plays a critical role in overall operations including technology, policy and procedure development, and projects in support of operational initiatives for the Society. Val has over 18 years of experience in a variety of roles in the non-profit sector.

Alexandra Pegg

Manager, Information Technology

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Alexandra is responsible for managing CFA Society Toronto’s technology infrastructure and all technology related projects. Her responsibilities include administration and maintenance of the society’s membership database and website, help desk functionality and performing data analysis. Alexandra serves as the main point of contact on all IT-related matters and liaises with outsourced vendors for hardware and software issues.  Alexandra has over 16 years of experience in project management, help-desk, training and network administration.  She earned her B.A. and B.Ed. from York University as well as a Diploma in Network Administration.

Leslie Venturino

Volunteer Relations Manager

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Leslie Venturino is CFA Society Toronto’s Volunteer Relations Manager. Leslie’s goal is to enhance volunteer experiences and to strengthen volunteer structures, and systems to support overall strategic objectives.  Leslie is responsible for the management of CFA Society Toronto’s Volunteer Relations’ programs, projects, and initiatives, including implementation, stewardship, and evaluation processes.   She has 20+ years of diverse experience in the non-profit sector.  

Aaron Ly

Corporate Relations Manager

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Aaron is responsible for developing and implementing strategies for corporate engagement and the stewardship of the Society’s sponsors and partners. He works to identify and secure cross-industry prospect opportunities with organizations that share a common interest with our members. Aaron also works to foster opportunities with various stakeholders to support the Society’s overall operations, Career Centre services, and our professional development program. With experience in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors, Aaron has a strong understanding of effective stakeholder engagement and corporate partnerships.

Esther Flier

Marketing & Communications Manager

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Esther is responsible for the overall marketing and communication plans for both internal and external stakeholders. She works to develop, implement, and measure the success of marketing and communications efforts. Esther works with all member services to effectively market professional development along with other member activities and offerings. 

Dawn Wong

Member Services Manager

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Dawn is responsible for the Society's signature and ad hoc events which are primarily large scale, high-profile, and/or non-sector specific in nature that appeals to our broad membership.  Her portfolio of events includes the Annual Forecast Dinner, Annual CFA Charter Recognition, Annual Meeting and various Bootcamps and award events.  Dawn also supports several tailored programs that are designed for our volunteer community, new members, member recruitment, media partners, as well as the local CFA Societies Canada Ethics Challenge and CFA Institute Research Challenge.  She also oversees cross-pollination of affiliate activities with external groups to enhance professional development and/or networking opportunities for our mutual audience.

Terry McGlynn

Member Services Associate

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Terry is the staff liaison for the Society's programming committees to plan and execute a broad range of events with the goal to support the evolving professional development needs of our members.  Each programming committee is structured to plan events within a defined scope for specific end-users within the industry.  The programming committees are: Corporate Finance, Industry Relations & Corporate Governance, Institutional Asset Management, Private Wealth Management, and Professional Development.  Terry is also responsible for conducting workshops for Society volunteers that will enable them to proficiently plan events. 

Deborah Kim

Member Services Associate

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Deborah is responsible for supporting day-to-day customer service and administration of a diverse range of Society member services and benefits.  She is the staff liaison for the Mentorship Committee (to develop mentorship programs and resources) and the Member Communications Committee (to connect members with Society activities and other areas of interests though various communication channels, including The Analyst and social media).  In addition, Deborah develops tailored programs, such as newcomer events and provides support for Society events, Career Centre services, and the Toronto Financial Analyst Toastmasters Club.  Her portfolio also includes the administration of the Society's member lounge usage, member discount program, IIROC accreditation for select programs, on-demand resources/directories, and is a member of the Society's Financial Literacy & Awareness for Youth initiative task force.

Karin Koo

Office Administrator

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Karin is the first line of contact for our members and anyone connecting with CFA Society Toronto.  She is also responsible for facilitating and coordinating office operations to ensure organizational effectiveness and efficiency within the office.  She has 5+ years of administrative and 15+ years of customer service experience.

Andrea Olarte

Member & Candidate Coordinator

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Andrea is responsible for facilitating and coordinating office operations and procedures with a goal to ensure organizational effectiveness and efficiency within the office. She manages the member database and provides direct assistance to members by serving as a regular point of contact. Andrea also oversees the Society’s membership and university relations programs. She is the Society’s liaison for the local level competition of the CFA Institute Research Challenge and CFA Societies Canada Ethics Challenge. Furthermore, Andrea works with the Society’s programming department to execute events relating to the Awards and University Relations Committee, new members and membership recruitment events. Andrea has over 10 years of experience in a variety of roles in both, the private and non-profit sectors. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a diploma in Event Management.