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The CFS Team

Gary Butler, Director

The Centre for Financial Services at Seneca College, Gary Butler has been instrumental in the strategic development of the Centre as an international, business facility, drawing in the top financial institutions from around Canada. Gary received his M.B.A. from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), and went on to serve in various senior level administrative management positions in companies such as Texaco Canada Inc., Xerox Canada Inc., Morris/Rose/Ledgett, Goodman and Carr and Cassels Brock & Blackwell. He later joined Seneca College in 1999 as a part-time Professor for the Faculty of Business, while still acting as Principal of his own Executive Search and Consulting Corporation. Gary has been quoted as saying that "the new Centre for Financial Services at Seneca College will be a landmark institution where Industry will look for innovative talent and financial expertise".

416.491.5050 ext. 2600
Gary.Butler@senecac.on.ca

Sam Albanese
Industry Director, Insurance and Financial Advisement

Sam has over thirty years experience in the Financial Services industry.  He started in 1974 with Montreal Life and went on to work with the ING Group of Companies for twelve years.

In 1990 he incorporated his own agency Albanese Financial Group Inc. and built it into a national distribution company with brokers from coast to coast.  The name was subsequently changed to AFG Canada Inc. to reflect its national presence.

In 2004 Sam sold AFG Canada Inc. and is now teaching and mentoring financial and estate planners.  He is consulting for the Centre for Financial Services at Seneca College and is spearheading the development of the Financial Services Practitioner Programme.  He also sits on the board of several companies and foundations.

Sam has four children and 3 grandchildren. He is married to Jessie and they live in Markham, Ontario.

416.491.5050 ext. 2048
Sam.Albanese@senecac.on.ca

Ruth Belcher
CFS Associate

Ruth Belcher is a privacy and financial services compliance expert, with more than 15 years combined policy and compliance experience.  She is currently on the faculty of the Seneca College Financial Services Compliance Administration Program (part of Faculty of Business).  Ruth participated in the launch of AccessPrivacy, Heenan Blaikie's privacy adviory group.  She previously held the position of Chief Privacy Officer and Director, Canadian Personal & Commerical bank Compliance for the Bank of Nova Scotia where she managed the global customer privacy compliance program involving more than 50 countries, and was responsible for developing and maintaining compliance programs responsive to the requirements of the Bank's principal regulators in Canada.  She also provided advice, training and assistance on financial services consumer protection compliance including due diligence activities, integration of acquisitions, product and documentation reviews and complaint management.

Ruth completed her M. Litt. in Politics at the University of Oxford, her M.A. in Political Science and her Hons. B.A. in Philosophy at the Univerisity of Western Ontario.  She is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Ethics & Privacy Committee as well, the CMA's Mobile Task Force.  She was formerly a member of the Advisory Committee to the Conference Board of Canada Council of Chief Privacy Officers as well as numerous Canadian Bankers Association working groups.  She speaks regularly on privacy issues and is an active participant at financial sector regulatory conferences.

416.491.5050 ext. 2296
Ruth.Belcher@senecac.on.ca

Garry Clement 
Industry Director, Money Services Business

Garry Clement started Whitecollar Consulting and Investigative Group in April 2009 following a period in IPSA International’s Toronto Office as Managing Director commencing in 2007. His responsibilities consisted of overseeing all of IPSA’s business activities and risk mitigation projects for the region. Prior to joining IPSA, Garry Clement established thirty years of policing experience with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a range of investigative matters and management roles, and four years as the Chief of Police for Cobourg. He retired from the RCMP holding the national position of Director, Proceeds of Crime.

Garry is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of money laundering, detection of suspicious activity and currency reporting. During his tenure in the RCMP, he worked in the areas of proceeds of crime and money laundering as an investigator, undercover operator and manager. Additionally, he served as a Liaison Officer in Hong Kong, where he worked with law enforcement in the Asia- Pacific area dealing with counterfeiting, fraud and money laundering.

416.491.5050 ext. 2015
Garry.Clement@senecac.on.ca

J.P. Gedeon
Industry Director, Institute for Municipal Excellence

J.P. Gedeon has a long track record of senior positions in the private, public, education, and not-for-profit sectors.  He is an expert in management systems, strategic planning, performance measurement, and organizational design.  In addition, he holds degrees and certifications in educational design, system/cultural transformation, leadership development, change management, and project management.  J.P. is an internationally recognized speaker and author.  As Industry Director, Munciapal & Not-for-Profit Excellence, J.P. leads a highly skilled team of veteran specialists in the governmental and not-for-profit sectors that provide expert consultation, support, and service to Canada's public sector organizations.

416-491-5050 ext. 6039
jp.gedeon@senecac.on.ca

Samky Mak
Industry Director, Risk Management

Samky Mak is Industry Director, Risk Management, Centre for Financial Services. Samky received his Double Major Bachelor of Science Degree in Management & Economics from University College, Cardiff, United Kingdom and an MBA (major in Finance) from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is also an Associate Member of the Certified Fraud Examiner Association.

Samky brings with him experience in operation management & corporate training from Pepsi International. He also worked in the financial services industry.

Samky has worked on projects with industry association such as the Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association (CLHIA). He is a Project Manager for a Joint Applied Research Project between Seneca College and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC). He has provided training for numerous financial services institutions and regulators in the financial industry. He has also developed and delivered Ethics training for 225 senior managers of City of Toronto.

Samky currently teaches the Financial Compliance Administration Ontario Graduate Certificate and the Bachelor of Applied Business Degree - Financial Services Management Programs.

416.491.5050 ext. 6872
Samky.Mak@senecac.on.ca

Lori Pinder
CFS Support Coordinator

Lori Pinder joined the Centre for Financial Services team in 2007, and brought with her significant administrative and operational experience developed in the financial services sector in the course of working with senior leaders in the fast-paced banking, securities and insurance industry.  Prior to joining the Centre Lori held a number of administrative positions in services and health organizations.

Most recently, Lori has participated in the deveolpment and organization of the Centre's Financial Services Practitioner program. She has worked with marketing staff, instructors, product and service suppliers and key stakeholders/companies in the insurance, securities and banking industry to ensure that program not only meets industry standards and requirements but attracts new talent into the area.

Lori currently provides executive administrative support to the Centre's Director, along with providing support to other key senior industry experts within the Centre. She is also an intergural part of Seneca's Faculty of Business team.

416.491.5050 ext. 2015
Lori.Pinder@senecac.on.ca

Terry Pruner
Industry Director, Leadership and Innovation

Terry Pruner is the Industry Director for Leadership and part time Professor. He is also the President and Principal Consultant for CRM Connections Inc. Terry has worked in the customer leadership industry for most of his career and during that time has served as Executive Director of the "Customer Relationship Management Association of Canada", President of The Call Centre Consultants Association, (in Ontario), Past Community Director for the Customer Contact Strategy Forum and presently serves as a member of the Canada Call Centre Council.  Terry engineered customer relationship management strategies for many of North Americas most recognizable Banking, Telecom, Automotive, Retail and other fortune 500 companies and government organizations.

416.491.5050 ext. 6381
Terry.Pruner@senecac.on.ca

Rohan Singh
Associate, Financial Services

Rohan Singh has been a financial services executive in the Canadian life insurance and mutual fund industries for over 30 years. He has held several senior management positions with responsibility for insurance and investment product development, marketing, multi-channel distribution management, strategic business unit management, and corporate strategic planning. Most recently, he was President and Director of ING Wealth Management Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary by ING Canada.

Rohan joined the Centre for Financial Services in the spring of 2008 and has been actively involved in raising awareness of Seneca’s Financial Services Practitioner program in the financial services industry. In addition, he teaches courses in marketing, life insurance, investment funds, and retirement planning in the Faculty of Business.

Rohan holds a B.Sc and Executive MBA from the University of Toronto. He has completed the Officers, Partners and Directors’ course of the Investment Funds institute of Canada, and holds the FLMI (Fellow of the Life Management Institute) and EPC (Elder Planning).

416-491-5050 ext. 6941
Rohan.Singh@senecac.on.ca

John Watson
Associate, Insurance Programs

After graduation from the University of Guelph , John entered the life insurance/financial services industry, where he has spent the last thirty-five plus years in corporate and field management leadership roles.
John became associated with the Centre for Financial Services in 2006 as a teacher and consultant for other courses the centre provides to the financial services industry.

416.491.5050 ext. 6943
John.Watson@senecac.on.ca


Visiting Executive in Residence

Case Ootes

In 2005 Mr. Ootes was appointed as one of two Executives in Residence to the Seneca College Centre for Financial Services (and Centre for Excellence), as a resource to students and staff.

Case Ootes is the elected municipal Councillor for Ward 29, Toronto-Danforth, an area that is home to approximately 46,000 people.

Mr. Ootes graduated from York University with a Masters in Business Administration and had a distinguished management career with Imperial Oil, serving as Corporate Credit Manager and Manager of Accounting Services.

Mr. Ootes entered municipal politics as an East York Councillor in 1988. He was elected to Metro Council in 1994 and to the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1997. He was appointed as the first Deputy Mayor of Toronto and held this position for six years. Currently Mr. Ootes is a member of City's Economic Development Committee and the Toronto and East York Community Council. Mr. Ootes has, and continues to sit on many agencies, boards, and commissions.

416-491-5050 ext. 6960
Case.Ootes@senecac.on.ca