Leadership - Aviso’s Executive Committee
William (Bill) Packham
President and CEO
Under Bill’s leadership since its launch in 2018, Aviso has emerged as a leading wealth services provider to the Canadian financial industry. Bill’s commitment to building a more diverse, healthier wealth management ecosystem benefitting all Canadians, and his experience building market leaders, make him a natural fit to lead the organization. Bill provides strategic insight into the challenges and opportunities for independent financial organizations, along with a clear vision for how Aviso can help its partners thrive in a fast-changing business environment.
Prior to his current role, Bill was CEO of Qtrade Financial Group and Executive Managing Director, Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance, Desjardins Group. Bill has also served as President, CEO and/or Chair as well as Director of various independent investment dealers and asset management companies, including Merrill Lynch Canada, Midland Walwyn Capital, and Rockwater Capital. Throughout his career, Bill has established a strong record of delivering sustained revenue and earnings growth for shareholders.
Bill is a board member of SIMA, the Securities and Investment Management Association (formerly the Investment Funds Institute of Canada) and has previously held director roles with other industry bodies, including The Canadian Securities Institute, Canadian Investment Protection Fund, The Investment Industry Association of Canada, and Investment Dealers Association of Canada (became IIROC), where he was Chair from 2001 to 2002.
Bill earned a Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and is a CPA.
John H. Bai
SVP, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer
John is responsible for Aviso's finance and risk teams. His mandate includes Finance, Treasury, Internal Audit, Risk Management, Procurement, and Capital Markets.
Previously, John was the CFO and Chief Transformation Officer at City National Bank in New York and the CEO of one of Canada’s largest direct trading businesses. He also held various executive roles at RBC and was an institutional portfolio manager at Fiera Capital Corp. John sits on the Ontario Pension Board and the Foundation Board of the Georgian Bay General Hospital.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and is a CPA, CFA and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Sherri Evans
SVP, Head of Service, Operations, Compliance & Talent
Sherri leads Aviso’s Operations, Service Centre, Compliance, and Partner & Client Onboarding teams and is responsible for Aviso’s People & Culture strategy. She is driving a transformation agenda within the firm’s operational hub, with a focus on process improvement, operational efficiency and productivity gains.
Additionally, based on the principle that employee experience drives client experience, Sherri ensures the organization invests strategically in talent and leadership development, and making Aviso an attractive place to build a career. Under Sherri’s leadership, Aviso quickly achieved “Great Place to Work” certification.
Sherri draws on an extensive background in corporate strategy, change management, productivity improvement, and employee experience. Previously, she served as VP People & Strategy at NEI Investments. Her prior experience includes progressively senior roles with Assante Wealth Management, with a major Canadian retailer, and with leading technology firms.
Sherri holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University, and a Diploma in HR Management from George Brown College. She is a past board member and co-chair of Gambling Research Exchange Ontario.
Wanda Frisk
SVP, Head of Credit Union Wealth Management
Wanda is responsible for developing and delivering comprehensive advice-based wealth management services and platforms that support credit unions in improving the financial health of Canadians. She is focused on building advisors’ capabilities and driving advice while transforming advisor and investor experiences.
Wanda draws on 25 years of leadership experience, most recently with Aviso and Qtrade Financial Group, working with credit unions. Previously, she held progressively senior leadership roles with CIBC, focusing on asset management, wealth management and retail banking.
Wanda holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and holds the ICD.D designation as a board director. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. Wanda currently sits on a number of industry advisory committees, including CIRO’s Pacific Regional Council and FP Canada’s President’s Roundtable. She has been a long-time volunteer supporting organizations devoted to children and health, including the foundations of BC Children’s, Surrey Memorial and Peace Arch hospitals, as well as BC Cancer Agency, The Centre for Child Development, and Semiahmoo Family Place.
George Ho
SVP, Chief Digital & Technology Officer
George oversees Aviso’s strategic technology roadmap and guides the digitization of Aviso’s products, processes and services as Aviso transforms to become a technology-enabled organization that delivers exceptional client experiences.
With over 20 years’ of progressively senior experience in the wealth management and regulatory sectors, George is an accomplished and dynamic information technology and technology operations leader with an impressive record of leading large-scale digital transformations, developing innovative technology roadmaps and forging robust partnerships. Before joining Aviso, he held senior IT executive roles leading wealth management technology at Industrial Alliance, including for iA Clarington Investments, iA Securities (now iA Private Wealth), and Investia Financial Services (including FundEx). Most recently, he headed the Information Technology team at RioCan, one of Canada’s largest real estate investment trusts.
George earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and has completed the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course from the Canadian Securities Institute. He has extensive credentials in information technology and cybersecurity.
Yasmin Lalani
SVP, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Governance Officer
Yasmin oversees Aviso’s cross-enterprise legal activities and policies, corporate and board governance, privacy and ethics matters, and corporate sustainability.
With over 20 years’ experience in the wealth management industry, Yasmin has a deep background as a business advisor, working with boards to harness their strategic potential. Previously, she was SVP, Chief Counsel and Head of Risk for Credential Financial, where she served as Corporate Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer.
Yasmin holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Governance Professionals of Canada.
Mark Nicholson
SVP, Client Experience, Marketing & Communications
Mark drives a company-wide focus on enabling high-value, personalized, reliable, proactive and easy-to-use client experiences. His responsibilities include brand, marketing, digital user experience, client experience, communications, and artificial intelligence across all of Aviso’s lines of business.
Mark’s career spans over 20 years dedicated to marketing, branding, and customer and digital experience. Prior to joining Aviso, he was a senior leader with three retail digital banks, including Tangerine and ING DIRECT. He developed and launched brands, client experience strategies and new products and services that earned industry awards for customer satisfaction and innovation.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from Brock University and he earned graduate credentials in design thinking and digital marketing. Mark has also completed the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course from the Canadian Securities Institute.
Stacey Petersen
SVP, Head of Direct Investing
Stacey leads Aviso’s online brokerage and automated (robo) advice businesses, driving the strategy and execution of innovative solutions that empower Canadians to achieve their financial goals. With extensive experience in all aspects of financial services, she has demonstrated leadership and acumen in digital transformation, operational excellence, and client-focused strategies.
Before joining Aviso, Stacey held progressively senior roles at RBC, implementing innovative strategies that delivered measurable results across major infrastructure enhancements, client experience improvements, and digital delivery initiatives.
Stacey holds a Global Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science from Bishop’s University. She completed the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course from the Canadian Securities Institute, and earned a Personal Financial Planning diploma. A committed community advocate, Stacey serves on the Board of Trustees for the Bill 7 Award, supporting 2SLGBTQI+ students pursuing post-secondary education.
Tim Prescott
SVP, Head of Asset Management
Tim leads Aviso’s asset management division, including NEI Investments and Aviso’s Managed Assets Program. He drives the investment and product strategy, including the product development roadmap, across all business lines to support the growth of Aviso.
Before joining Aviso, Tim headed the wealth distribution business for Canada Life, executing the wealth strategy, overseeing platform technology implementation, and leading sales teams in support of 4,000 advisors. Previous experience includes retail and institutional sales roles at Mackenzie Investments and Fidelity Investments, and a decade-long tenure at TD in increasingly senior management roles in wealth management and retail and commercial banking.
Tim earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, with a major in Environment and Resource Management, and has completed the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course from the Canadian Securities Institute. He is a long-serving member of SIMA, the Securities and Investment Management Association (formerly the Investment Funds Institute of Canada) serving on various steering committees, in addition to past non-profit advisory and board positions.
Kevin Vanderheyden
SVP, Head of Correspondent & Institutional
Kevin is responsible for the Correspondent and Institutional business line, Aviso Correspondent Partners. Aviso Correspondent Partners provides custody, trading, clearing, and settlement services to help portfolio managers and investment dealers meet their clients’ needs and grow their business. Under Kevin’s leadership, Aviso Correspondent Partners has tripled its assets under administration since April 2018, becoming a top-three correspondent and institutional provider in Canada.
With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Kevin brings significant trading, correspondent, wealth management and executive experience to Aviso. He held key senior positions at Credential Financial, TD and other major financial institutions.
Kevin holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation and is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute.
