Our Team of Experts
Geneviève
Blouin
CFA,CMT, BBA
PRESIDENT & FOUNDER
Geneviève is the President and Founder of Altervest and she brings over 26 years of experience in the financial sector. Prior to founding Altervest in 2010, Geneviève worked for some of the largest financial institutions and pension funds in Canada, such as la Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ), TAL Private Wealth, and Pictet Canada. When she was fresh out of university, she got a young entrepreneur's loan and started her financial career as an independent futures contract trader on the floor of the Montreal Stock Exchange.
Geneviève graduated from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and she also holds a CFA and CMT charter. In 2012, she founded the Emerging Managers' Board (EMB: https://emergingmanagers.ca/), a non-profit organization that promotes Canadian emerging managers.
ESG investing is a key part of Geneviève’s core personal values.
Maria
Castaneda
B. Accounting (BAcc)
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Maria, a dedicated professional, plays a pivotal role in the operational and compliance aspects of our firm. As the right hand to the Chief Compliance Officer, her commitment to maintaining regulatory standards is unwavering.
Over the course of a decade, Maria accumulated valuable experience in the accounting sector. Notably, she assumed a position of responsibility as the head of the accounting department at Gonzalez Pizano SAS, a prominent multi-family developer in Bogota. Maria's commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond her professional endeavors. She has generously volunteered her expertise as the treasurer for "l'association de défense des droits humains," a non-profit organization dedicated to defending human rights.
With a solid foundation in accounting, Maria earned her Bachelor's degree from Los Libertadores University in Bogota, Colombia. Her educational background laid the groundwork for a successful career in finance and compliance.
Alexandre
Legault Frenette
M.Sc, CAIA, CIM
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Alexandre is the Portfolio Manager for the High Quality/Value mandates, which include the Asymmetry portfolio (concentrated global equities mandate), the Opportunity portfolio (revenue generation and dividend growth mandate), and the Stability portfolio (fixed income mandate). Prior to joining Altervest, Alexandre worked in various sectors of the financial, industrial, and economic development worlds within organizations such as the Business Development Bank of Canada, Bombardier, the political cabinet of the Quebec Ministry of Economic Development, and Deutsche Bank in London.
Alexandre is a CAIA charter holder and a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM). He holds a Master’s degree in Finance from HEC Montreal and an undergraduate degree in International Business and History from the Open University and Regent's University London (formerly the European Business School), in London, England. He lived close to 3 years in China and speaks Mandarin.
Alexandre is a firm believer in the alignment of interest with clients and invests 100% alongside his clients in the strategies he manages.
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Thomas
Barry
CIM, BBA
ASSOCIATE PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Thomas is an Associate Portfolio Manager for the North American Equities strategy at Altervest.
Prior to his current role, he was part of the Quebec Private Equity team at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, conducting investments in publicly listed companies. He also worked as a portfolio manager for a private single-family office with hundreds of millions in assets under management. Thomas made investments in public markets and implemented derivatives strategies.
He is also the co-founder and President of Barry Capital Inc, an independent research consulting firm in the investment management sector. Thomas holds a bachelor degree in finance from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Thomas strives to establish personalized customer service. He believes that one must focus on understanding clients' need first to best serve them. He is known to build strong lasting relationships with his clients.
Chris
Bourbeau,
CIM
FINANCIAL ANALYST
Chis is part of the ESG investment team. He is in charge of identifying attractive investment opportunities for Altervest's canadian equites ESG strategy. Power Engineer by formation, he works as as specialty operations and commissions of large canadian oil sans projects.
He graduated with a power engineer degree at Portage College and completed his Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) exams.
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Nicolas
Prokipetz
CFA, M.S Fin. , B. Actuarial Sc.
SENIOR ANALYST NORTH AMERICAN EQUITIES
Nicolas is senior analyst for the North American Opportunity equity strategy at Altervest. He is also in charge of a Montreal-based $250M single-family office investment management team. His role includes contribution and expertise in the U.S. and Canadian equities portfolios, private placements, and options strategies.
Previously, he worked at Mercer Canada as an Associate Investment Consultant for pension funds where he conducted portfolio manager searches and strategic allocation reviews. His 14 years of experience in the financial sector also include a Senior Analyst Position at Fiera Capital and as an Actuary Analyst at Towers Watson.