Our team is comprised of seasoned financial, strategic, and operational professionals.

Paul Desmarais III is the Chairman and CEO of Sagard Holdings, the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Portag3 Ventures, and the Chairman and co-founder of Diagram. Within the investment portfolios of Portag3 Ventures and Sagard Holdings, he is the Chairman of Wealthsimple and Dialogue and a director of KOHO Financial and Peak Achievement Athletics.

Paul is also a Senior Vice President of Power Corporation of Canada. As a part of his responsibilities at the holdings, he sits on the boards of Personal Capital, Pargesa, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, and Imerys.

Prior to his current role, Paul worked at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division, Investment Strategy Group, and Special Situations Group; Imerys in supply chain management and strategy; and Great West Lifeco in risk management. Paul is a recipient of a B.A. in economics from Harvard College and holds an MBA from INSEAD in France.

Samuel Robinson is Managing Partner and President of Sagard Holdings, and is based in the United States. He also serves as Vice-President of Power Corporation of Canada and as a board member of various Sagard portfolio companies, including GP Strategies (NYSE: GPX). Prior to joining Sagard, Samuel spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs, starting as a financial institutions banker and later serving as chief administrative officer and head of strategy for the global Investment Banking Division, chief operating officer of the firm's emerging markets businesses and Asia-Pacific chief of staff, among other roles.

Samuel holds a M.A. and a M.Phil., both from Christ Church, Oxford, where he serves on the Development Board.

Adam Vigna is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Sagard Holdings, and is based in Toronto. He also serves as Vice-President of Power Corporation of Canada. Prior to this role, he was Managing Director at CPPIB. Adam was responsible for leading CPPIB's Global Principal Credit Investments Group (“PCI”) with approximately CAD 20 billion of AUM. Prior to joining CPPIB, Adam was Vice-President at Goldman Sachs in the Special Situations Group (“SSG”) in New York and Toronto. In 2006, he moved to Toronto from New York to become one of the three founding members of the Canadian Special Situations Group (“CSSG”). Before joining SSG, Adam worked in Goldman's Investment Banking Division in New York where he was a part of their Financial Institutions Group (“FIG”). Adam currently serves on the board of Peak Achievement Athletics and previously served on the boards of Antares Holding (Chair), Antares Capital, Teine Energy, Laricina Energy, Long Point Energy, and Blackhawk Mining (Observer).

Adam has led the entire SCP team for a number of years at a different investing organization.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Jonathan Tétrault is a Managing Partner of Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. He leads the corporate development activities of Sagard Holdings and is responsible for the value creation team supporting Sagard Holdings’ portfolio companies. Prior to this role, Jonathan served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group where he oversaw the operations and corporate development activities of the group globally. Prior to joining Cirque du Soleil, he was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised institutional investors, private equity firms, asset management firms and banks on a broad range of strategic and investment matters in more than 25 countries.

Jonathan holds an MBA from Oxford University, an LL.B. from the Université de Montréal, and a CEP from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. He is a member of the Barreau du Québec and serves on several boards, including the C.D. Howe Institute, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the One Drop International Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.

Adam Felesky is the Chief Executive Officer of Portag3 Ventures and is based in Toronto. He is the Founder and former CEO of Horizons Exchange Traded Funds, a director and founding investor of BetaShares Exchange Traded Funds in Australia and also led the launch of an ETF platform in Colombia.

Previously, Adam worked in JPMorgan Derivative's group in New York, where he co-led the coverage for many top tier corporate clients amongst the oil & gas and power & utility sectors. Adam began his career in investment banking at JPMorgan Canada and CIBC World Markets respectively.

Adam is a current member of the Fintech Advisory Committee for the Finance Minister of Ontario as well as the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). He also supports numerous charities and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Immigration Access Fund.

Adam is the recipient of a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering and a B.A. in Political Science from McMaster University.

Francois Lafortune is an entrepreneur and investor with fifteen years experience in building businesses in the financial technology sector. He is the co-founder and CEO of Diagram Ventures, a $85m venture builder that co-founds technology companies pursuing transformative innovation in the financial, insurance and healthcare sectors. Francois is also a Partner of Portag3 Ventures, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec, he sits on Minister of Finance Bill Morneau’s advisory committee on Open Banking; and he is a member of the AMF’s Technological Innovation advisory committee.

Prior to founding Diagram, he co-led the Canadian Business Technology practice at McKinsey & Company. Francois holds an engineering degree from McGill University and an MBA from Stanford GSB.

Marc-Antoine Allen is a Principal at Sagard Holdings and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Associate at CPPIB where he was responsible for underwriting and monitoring credit and equity investments in multiple sectors, and was involved in several private equity transactions including the acquisitions of Associated British Ports and Pacific National. Marc-Antoine holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University, from which he graduated in 2012 as Valedictorian of the Desautels Faculty of Management.

Cristina Battaglini is an Executive Assistant at Sagard Holdings, and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, Cristina worked for CPPIB and was responsible for managing investment committee protocols and organizing extensive travel and managing calendars for executives within “PCI”. Cristina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Paralegal Studies from Humber/Guelph in Ontario.

Josh Borys is a Principal at Sagard Holdings, and a member of the Sagard Credit Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Principal in the Principal Credit Investments group at CPPIB where he focused on investing in both primary and secondary opportunities across the capital structure, working closely with Adam, Mustafa and Bin. Josh has previously served on the Management Committee of LongPoint Minerals.

Josh holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, where he graduated with Distinction and was an Ivey Scholar.

Josh Brandt is a Managing Director at Sagard Holdings, and a member of the Sagard Credit Partners team based in New York. Prior to joining Sagard, Josh was a Partner and Managing Director at Garrison Investment Group, where he most recently served as Head of Corporate Special Situations. He was responsible for all aspects of the investment process, including origination, due diligence, execution and portfolio management, in addition to corporate strategy across the firm. While at Garrison, Josh served on the boards of numerous firm portfolio companies and investment committees. Prior to joining Garrison in 2008, Josh worked at CastleHill Investment Management and Lehman Brothers. He is experienced in private credit, restructuring, special situation investing and private equity. Josh received a B.A. in English from Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Eugene Dayanghirang is a Principal at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Prior to this role, Eugene was an Associate at Riverside Partners, where he focused on private equity investments in healthcare and technology. Previously, he was a Strategy Associate at American Securities' Resources Group, where he conducted business and market due diligence on platform investments, and helped portfolio companies develop and execute their strategies. Eugene started his career with McKinsey & Company, serving clients in the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer goods industries.

Eugene holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Philosophy and Economics from Wesleyan University.

Brianna Fogel is a Senior Associate at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Prior to this role, she worked as an Investment Banking Associate in the Leveraged Finance group at Goldman Sachs, where she underwrote high-yield bonds and leveraged loans for corporate and sponsor transactions. She began her career in the Financial Sponsors Group at Goldman Sachs.

Brianna earned a BA in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Mustafa Humayun is a Partner at Sagard Holdings, and the Portfolio Manager of Sagard’s Private Credit business. He is also a member of the firm's investment committee and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Principal at Canada Pension Plan Investment board, leading multiple sector teams across North and South America. Before that, Mustafa was an Investment Professional in the Special Situations Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co in New York, where he invested across the capital structure across a number of different sectors. Mustafa currently serves on the board of Founders Advantage (Observer) and has previously served on the corporate and non-profit boards of Laricina Energy, Queen's University Investment Council, New York Needs You, Youth Empowering Parents and LongPoint Minerals.

Mr. Humayun has known Mr. Vigna for over a decade and has worked with him across three different organizations.

Bin Li is a Senior Associate of Sagard Holdings, and a member of the Sagard Credit Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to this role, Bin was an Associate at Canada Pension Plan Investment board where he worked with Adam, Mustafa and Josh. At CPPIB he was responsible for making credit investments in the healthcare, industrial, and energy verticals. In addition, Bin closed two platform private equity transactions (Wilton Re and Antares Capital) during his time at Canada Pension Plan Investment board.

Bin holds a Bachelor of Mathematics (Honors) from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ali Alagheband is a Partner at Sagard Holdings, and a member of the Sagard Healthcare Royalty Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Managing Director and a member of the investment committee at DRI Capital, a healthcare royalty monetization firm in Toronto. Ali has over 16 years of healthcare investing experience focused on public equities and royalty-based opportunities. Ali holds a B.A. in Physics (Honors) from Reed College, a B.Sc. in Engineering and Applied Science (Honors) from the California Institute of Technology, a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MBA from the University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business. Ali has known Mr. MacNaughtan for over 15 years and worked with him at DRI Capital for 7 years. He has known Mr. Manchanda and worked with him at DRI Capital for over a decade.

David MacNaughtan is a Partner at Sagard Holdings, and Head of the Sagard Healthcare Royalty Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Principal with CPP Investment Board, leading their intellectual property investment strategy under the direction of Adam Vigna. David has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with roles in operations, business development, and finance, including over 15 years of investment experience with royalty-based opportunities.

David holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Applied Science from Queen’s University and an MBA from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Business.

David has known Mr. Alagheband for over 15 years and worked with him at DRI Capital for 7 years. He has known Mr. Manchanda for over a decade, working with him at DRI Capital for two years.

Raja Manchanda is a Partner at Sagard Holdings, and a member of the Sagard Healthcare Royalty Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was a Vice President at DRI Capital, focused on sourcing royalty monetization investment opportunities from the academic and corporate sectors. Raja has over 13 years of healthcare investing experience focused on investment banking, public equities and royalty-based opportunities.

Raja holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, where he graduated with Distinction, and a Master of Finance from Queen’s University.

Raja has known Mr. MacNaughtan for over a decade and worked with him at DRI Capital for 2 years. He has known Mr. Alagheband and worked with him at DRI Capital for ten years.

William McIsaac is an Associate at Sagard Holdings and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, William was an Analyst at DRI Capital where he was responsible for making royalty and structured credit investments in the biopharmaceutical industry.

William holds a B.Sc and M.Sc in Neuroscience from Queen’s University and an MBA from Queen’s University, Smith School of Business.

Savneet Uppal is an Associate at Sagard Holdings and a member of the Sagard Healthcare Royalty Partners team based in Toronto. Prior to joining Sagard in April 2020, Savneet was a Senior Equity Research Associate at RBC Capital Markets covering both the healthcare (pharma, biotech, and specialty pharma) and cannabis sectors.

Savneet holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours Life Science) and an MBA (Finance), both from McMaster University.

Jake Bodanis is an Associate at Portag3 Ventures. Prior to joining Portag3, Jake worked in the Private Equity group at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSPIB), where he worked on leveraged buyouts and structured investment transactions in the financial services, technology, and retail sectors. Jake is the recipient of a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business (Dean’s Honour List)

Stephanie is a Partner and Head of Investments at Portag3 Ventures – a global fintech-focused VC investing in Seed, Series A and Series B companies. She is passionate about funding the next generation of financial services entrepreneurs and currently serves on the boards of Albert, Atomic Financial and Conquest Planning. Prior to Portag3, Stephanie led a team, which built and launched a leading digital advice platform in Canada, which now serves over a 1.5M Canadians. Prior to that, she was an early employee at a payments startup – working on mobile banking solutions and a management consultant at the BCG, focused on financial services.

Stephanie is a graduate of Queen’s University (B.Comm) and the University of Toronto Schools.

Hélène Falchier is a Partner at Portag3 Ventures based in Paris, France. Hélène joined Portag3 from CNP Assurances (“CNP”) where she served as CEO of its corporate venture program, Open CNP. Prior to Open CNP, Hélène was CNP’s Head of Private Equity, managing a portfolio of €7.5bn AUM with investments in Europe and the US. Before joining CNP, she served as the Head of Investments in real estate, private equity and stocks for Ecureuil Vie. Hélène is also the Chairman of the AFIC LPs club (French Association for Investors for Growth). Hélène holds a master’s degree in economics and an Executive MBA from HEC Paris.

Robert ("Bob") Hamlin is a Principal at Portag3 Ventures based in New York. Prior to joining Portag3 in 2019, Bob worked for the International Finance Corporation, the investment arm of the World Bank. At IFC, he was a member of the Young Professionals Program and an Associate with the Global Fintech Investment Group, one of the largest emerging market fintech investors globally with $450 million invested to date across 46 companies. Prior to joining IFC, he worked as an investment banker for Marlin & Associates, a boutique investment bank focused on the fintech sector, and began his career with the Investment Banking division of Goldman Sachs.

Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from Harvard (graduating cum laude) and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Advisory Board of The Resolution Project, a New York-based non-profit that funds and mentors young people pursuing social impact ventures in 80 countries.

Ben Harrison is a Partner and the Head of Partnerships & Policy at Portag3 Ventures.

Prior to joining in 2018, Ben spent over 15 years at Great-West Life/London Life/Canada Life in several strategy, product development and marketing roles across the organization, most recently as the Head of Innovation for Canada. He has been an active and valued participant in the Portag3 ecosystem since the fund’s inception helping to establish a number of portfolio partnerships with Great-West and acting as an advisor to several of the portfolio companies.

Ben is a graduate of the Business Administration program (BBA) from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a past Chair of the GWL/LL/CL United Way campaign.

Nick Hungerford is a Partner at Portag3 Ventures and is based in Singapore. Nick is the founder of Nutmeg, Europe's leading online investment management service and led the company from an idea through development and $100M of funding. Nick is a digital ambassador for the UK Department of International Trade, a member of the European Power 50 and recipient of Spears Entrepreneur of the year award.

He previously worked at Barclays in areas of product, trading and wealth management and was a Divisional Director at Brewin Dolphin PLC. Nick is a non-executive Director of Innovate Finance, the association representing the UK’s global FinTech community and an advisor to and investor in a number of technology-led startups.

Nick obtained an Undergraduate degree from Exeter University in the UK and holds an MBA from Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the Securities Institute and a member of the Global Entrepreneur Program. Nick is a volunteer teacher at a number of UK universities in the subjects of behaviour finance and entrepreneurship.

Sinath Kim is a Principal, Partnerships team at Portag3 Ventures and is based in Toronto. Prior to joining Portag3, she was responsible for identifying and facilitating fintech partnerships, delivering insights on fintech trends, and leading the implementation of the partnerships framework as Director, Innovation Engagement at CIBC. Sinath also has in-depth knowledge and experience in risk and compliance through her time at BMO Financial Group. Sinath has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario.

Ivan Koparan is an Analyst at Portag3 Ventures. Prior to joining Portag3, Ivan interned at iGan Partners as an investment analyst, where he helped evaluate early-stage Canadian MedTech and B2B SaaS companies. Prior to that, he interned at the Ontario Ministry of Health where he worked with the Health Capital team assisting in the capital planning process for Hospitals in Ontario.

Ivan received his Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Waterloo, where he focused on applied economics. He also received his Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Waterloo.

Ricky Lai is a Principle at Portag3 Ventures and is based in Toronto. Prior to joining Portag3, Ricky worked at a Canadian startup focused on simplifying responsible consumer lending in the US. Ricky also spent time as an Associate at Mithril360, the analytics and portfolio management affiliate of Mithril Capital Management. Prior to that, Ricky was a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions advisory practice for KPMG Canada, where he focused on strategic and financial investments in software and healthcare companies.

Ricky received a BSc and a MAcc from the University of Waterloo, specializing in Biotechnology and Accounting. Ricky is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CA).

Andre Masse is an Associate at Portag3 Ventures. Prior to joining Portag3, Andre worked as an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group in Montreal, where he helped develop digital strategy in the Retail sector and worked in the Technology and Telecommunications practice on pricing & promo analysis. Prior to that, he interned in Sales & Trading with National Bank of Canada’s Structured Products team and in Statistics at SOM Surveys & Studies.

Andre is the recipient of a B.B.A. in Finance from HEC Montreal (Honour Roll).

Chris O’Neill is a Partner at Portag3 Ventures, based in San Francisco. He is a purpose-driven technology leader with over 20 years of experience, including general management of some of the world’s most beloved brands, strategy, product development, go-to-market, marketing, and business operations.

O’Neill orchestrated the successful turnaround of Evernote as Chairman and CEO. Prior to Evernote, he served in several key leadership roles at Google, including business operations at Google [X] and leading Google Canada. He briefly worked in product marketing for HSBC, and began his career as a strategy management consultant at Oliver Wyman (formerly Mercer Management Consulting). O’Neill advises and invests in high-growth technology companies. As an angel investor, he focuses on exceptional Canadian entrepreneurs building enduring companies like: Ritual.co, Relay (Kik), Milq/Layer6 (TD Bank), Whirlscape, Helpful (Shopify).

He serves on the board member of Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and is a former board member of Tim Hortons (NYSE: THI), Shop.org, and the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA). He is currently a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a Charter Member of the C100, and a former member of the Canadian Council for Chief Executives (CCCE).

O’Neill graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A in Economics (with distinction) and holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He was born in Toronto, grew up in Acton and Goderich, Ontario, and currently lives in Northern California with his wife, Christina, two children, Jack, and Molly.

Suong Tran is an Executive Assistant at Portag3 Ventures and is based in Toronto. Prior to joining Portag3, Suong worked in the startup industry for over 4 years and she was the Office Manager and Executive Assistant at Nymi supporting C-level executives.

Suong holds a Honours Bachelors of Arts degree in History from the University of Waterloo.

Nancy is the Office Manager at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining the Diagram team, Nancy worked as the Operations Coordinator for TAXI Montreal Advertising Agency. Her high standards for excellence and passion for customer service derive from over 15 years of sales, management and customer service experience in the retail industry.

Celine is the Executive Assistant to the CEO and partners at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, she was a Senior Administrative Assistant at BMO Capital Markets. She also has many years of management, sales and customer service experience from Laurentian Bank, Royal Bank of Canada and Arthur Murray. Celine holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Finance from Concordia University's John Molson School of Business.

Pierre comes to Diagram with over 30 years of experience in the software and technology industries, both as an operator and as a venture capitalist. His motto is, "Make a difference, and play to win".

Pierre’s latest venture, nGUVU, was acquired by Genesys in March 2020. Prior to founding nGUVU, Pierre was the Executive Chairman of Planora (acquired by JDA Software), and Managing Partner at JLA Ventures (now Relay Ventures). He also held leadership roles in Europe and in North America with Descartes Systems Group, Treasury Services (acquired by Oracle) and Dun & Bradstreet Software. Pierre holds a bachelor’s degree from HEC Montreal.

He also sponsors a scholarship program at HEC Montreal, is a mentor to several entrepreneurs and an active angel investor.

Amélie Foz-Couture is the Vice President of Innovation at Diagram Ventures. Before joining Diagram, she was Senior Director of Product Management at SSENSE, a fast growing Montreal-based e-tailer, where she owned the eCommerce platform. Prior to this, Amélie was a Principal with Digital Ventures, a corporate investment and incubation firm based in Manhattan Beach, California.

At DV she led innovation, in-market testing, building and scaling of disruptive ventures in the fintech, healthcare, and consumer spaces. She managed multi-disciplinary teams across product, engineering, UX/UI, human-centered design, business, and growth marketing. Before working in the technology space, she spent four years with the Boston Consulting Group. Amélie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.

Chantale is the Junior Controller at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Chantale worked as a Composite Accounting Representative at CN. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Major in Accountancy from John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Hamnett Hill has spent much of his 25+ year career creating, growing, and investing in businesses that make consumers lives easier through technology. He has founded and grown businesses in telecom, consumer software, enterprise software, security, and other industries, many of which have resulted in successful exits for founders, shareholders, and employees.

Hamnett co-founded TotalNet, one of Canada’s largest early Internet Service Providers (ISP); Zero-Knowledge Systems a high-profile pioneer in online privacy and security; Radialpoint – North America and Europe’s largest Telco & Cableco consumer SaaS provider, and most recently Smooch.io the leading B2C omnichannel messaging software provider. He has also mentored many entrepreneurs, and invested in dozens of technology and food businesses – helping several of them achieve successful business outcomes.

He is an investor in Blockstream, AppDirect, and LandR, to name a few. Hamnett also invested in and is a Director of Goodfood Market (FOOD:TSX), and Xpertsea. Exits of companies he has invested in, founded, or run, now reach into the several hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition to his business and investing activities, he is also a Director of the Humanitarian University – a company the prepares first responders for humanitarian missions around the world.

Anis is a Senior Analyst at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Anis interned in Corporate Development at Osisko Gold Royalties, where he worked on transactions in the mining sector. Prior to that, he interned at Magnum Capital, a search fund, where he focused on sourcing and due diligence. Anis earned a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the Desautels Faculty of Management.

Antoine Landriault Arbour is a Senior Associate at Diagram, where he develops investment theses for the launch of new ventures, creates proofs of concept, assembles founding teams, and advises portfolio companies on strategy. Prior to his current role, Antoine worked at RBC Capital Markets in investment banking, where he focused on M&A and capital raising mandates across the Technology, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy sectors. Prior to that, he founded an entrepreneurship summer program for high school students in Ghana and worked for an EdTech startup in Hong Kong. Antoine is the recipient of a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from Concordia University (Dean’s Honour List).

Guillaume is Partner, CFO at Diagram. Prior to Diagram, he was working in London, United Kingdom in the investment banking division of HSBC in its Financial Institutions Group. Prior to HSBC, Guillaume was based in Berlin, Germany as part of Rocket Internet, the world’s largest incubator of technology startups, where he was CFO of a fintech portfolio company. Previously, he spent five years at PSP Investments in Canada in its direct private equity group and in its internal hedge fund. He started his career at Genuity Capital Markets in its mergers and acquisitions team. Guillaume sits on the Board of Directors of the Montreal Economic Institute, a leading Canadian think tank, where he is also a member of the Investment Committee, and the Board of Directors of the Opéra de Montréal. Guillaume is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst. He holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from HEC Montreal and a Masters in Finance from London Business School.

Julien is an Associate, Special Projects at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Julien worked in the Financial Services practice at Kaiser Associates in London, UK and Washington DC where he led strategic consulting engagements for Fortune 500 companies. Julien is the recipient of a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Middlebury College (Magna Cum Laude).

Thara Nandakumar is a Staff Accountant at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, she has completed internships at Bombardier and KPMG. Thara attended John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Accountancy.

Philippe is a Senior Associate at Diagram. Prior to joining Diagram, Philippe worked as a venture capital and growth equity associate at Goldman Sachs where he invested in private technology startups operating across industry verticals, including digital health, fintech, mobility, real estate, education technology, e-commerce, and enterprise software. Philippe previously worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Philippe is the recipient of a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University where he graduated as Valedictorian.

Dan is a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor. He sold his first company in 2006 to a Fortune 500 company. He then went on to start and exit five other technology companies.

His latest venture is PasswordBox, which was acquired by Intel Security in 2014. Dan is also an active investor in many promising technology start-ups.

Ben is a Finance Analyst at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Ben interned at PSP investments in their Private Equity Group where he worked on fund and syndicated investments ranging from large buyouts to venture capital. He previously worked at Langleven, an investment firm focused on transactions in the sports and wellness verticals. Ben spent the first summer of his MBA interning at SAP on their Industry Value Advisory group, building business cases to help Canadian enterprise customers realize the benefit of adopting SAP products. Ben has an MBA and a Bachelors of Commerce in Finance both from Concordia University and he has passed all three levels of the CFA program.

Hemanth is an Associate at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Hemanth led a research project at the World Economic Forum exploring the impact of emerging technologies on the global financial services industry. Hemanth also previously worked at Monitor Deloitte, focused on growth strategy projects for banking, insurance, and wealth management clients. Hemanth received his BBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University (Dean's Honour List).

Alexandre is an Innovation Lead at Diagram Ventures. Prior to joining Diagram, Alexandre worked as a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on Digital Transformation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Industrial goods and Retail clients. During his tenure at BCG he also spent time at BCG Gamma working as a Sr. Data Scientist, as well as Digital Ventures as a Sr. Venture Architect. Alex holds a B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal, where he worked on several research projects, including nanotechnologies and prosthetics.

Jeremy is the Director, Finance & Administration of Diagram. Jeremy has a strong passion for technology and investment entities with experience in SaaS business models, payment processing, and financial reporting. He is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Major in Accountancy from John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Arianne is a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Diagram Ventures, and is based in Montreal. Prior to joining Diagram, Arianne previously worked as a Recruitment Consultant at Fuze HR Solutions, a national staffing agency; and as a Recruitment Coordinator at RBC Royal Bank of Canada. Arianne holds a Bachelor’s Degree with a Specialization in Psychology from Concordia University.

Julie Zhu is a Senior Associate, Investments at Diagram based in Montreal. Prior to Diagram, Julie worked in New York City as a private equity associate at Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, where she evaluated investments across the healthcare, education, consumer, and industrials verticals. Before MSCP, Julie started her career as an analyst in the global healthcare investment banking group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College. In her spare time, Julie dabbles in acting classes and volunteers with children.

Bérangère Barbe is a Partner at Sagard NewGen. As a member of the investment team, she plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance. Prior to joining Sagard, Bérangère was a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she spent nine years, Bérangère began working in the Audit Department before moving on to the Transaction Services Department, where she performed buyer and seller due diligence, and was involved in various acquisition projects for large corporations in France and abroad. Bérangère is a chartered accountant with DECF and DESCF degrees and holds an MBA from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC).

Rik Battey is a Partner at Sagard Europe. He plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance. Rik is also responsible for investor relations in joint collaboration with Mariane Le Bourdiec, General Secretary of Sagard Europe. Prior to joining Sagard, Rik was a Director in the Transaction Services Department at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he spent 11 years. There, he worked on a long series of complex international transactions, many of them large LBO deals in Europe. He holds a BSc in European Business Studies from Swansea University (United Kingdom) and is a UK Chartered Accountant.

Maxime Baudry is a Partner at Sagard Europe. As a member of the investment team, he plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance. Maxime started his career at McKinsey & Company in 2008, first as an Analyst, then as an Associate and Engagement Manager at the Paris office. He primarily served clients in the consumer goods and telecommunications industries, dealing mainly with marketing and strategy issues. Prior to joining McKinsey, his first job experience was in private equity at Goldman Sachs in London. He holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School, Paris, under the Grande École program.

Nasser is an Associate at Sagard Europe. As a member of the investment team, he plays an active role in executing investment transactions as well as monitoring portfolio companies. Nasser started his career in 2017 as an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London, then in Paris. He has been involved in several transactions for corporates and private equity funds, notably in the healthcare, automotive, and building materials sectors. Nasser holds a Master of Finance and Strategy from IEP Paris and graduated from ESTP Cachan in the Civil Engineering program.

Adrien is an Associate at Sagard Europe. As a member of the investment team, he plays an active role in executing investment transactions as well as monitoring portfolio companies. Adrien started his career in 2015 at Citigroup as an Investment Banking Analyst in Paris before joining Messier Maris & Associés, a French M&A boutique, as an Associate. He has been involved in several M&A and capital markets transactions for French corporates and private equity funds, notably in the automotive, payment services and retail sectors. Adrien holds an MSc. in Management from ESSEC Business School, Paris, under the Grande École program.

Antoine Ernoult-Dairaine is a Partner at Sagard Europe where he is responsible for originating and executing a wide range of investments and tracking their performance. Antoine began his career at CCF’s M&A Department in Milan, then relocated to Paris. In 1997, he joined the Salomon Brothers M&A Department in London, before moving on in 2000 to Goldman Sachs’ M&A Department in London, then in Paris. He holds an MBA from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP).

Agnès Huyghues Despointes is a Partner at Sagard NewGen. As a member of the investment team, she plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance. Agnès began her career at KPMG in the Transaction Services division, then joined the M&A department of Deutsche Bank as an analyst. She was involved in a large number of deals on behalf of private equity funds and corporate clients. She holds an MBA from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) Paris.

Charlotte Kitabgi is an Investment Director at Sagard Europe. Prior to joining Sagard Europe, Charlotte was a Senior Associate at Bridgepoint where she worked primarily on the acquisition and performance monitoring of Médipôle Partenaires, Balt Extrusion and Calypso. She began as an Analyst in the Large Cap Mergers & Acquisitions team at Rothschild in 2011. She is a graduate of Columbia University (New York), Sciences Po (Paris) and the University of Paris-Dauphine.

Mariane Le Bourdiec is a Managing Director at Sagard Europe. She is in charge of the firm’s finances, risk management, administration and also manages investor relations in joint collaboration with Rik Battey, a Sagard Partner. Mariane began her career with Andersen in Paris, where over 15 years she held a variety of positions, including Audit Director and Deputy Corporate Secretary for Andersen France. During this period, she led a number of international projects to reorganise the group’s infrastructure, and was responsible for the operational management of the administrative and financial departments at Andersen France. She holds an MBA from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP).

Guillaume Lefebvre is a Partner at Sagard NewGen. As a member of the investment team, he plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance for Sagard NewGen. Prior to Sagard, Guillaume worked as a Director at Keensight Capital in Paris, where he was involved in investments in small and medium-sized companies in IT/Tech and Healthcare. He has also worked as an Analyst, then as an Associate at Argos Wityu, where he was involved in investments across various sectors including Healthcare and Energy. He began his career in private equity within the Merchant Banking division of Rothschild & Co (FAPI). Guillaume is a graduate of ESCP Business School and Sorbonne University, and holds master degrees in finance and economics.

Jocelyn Lefebvre is the Founding Partner of Sagard Europe. He began his career in 1980 at Arthur Andersen in Montreal and later in Europe. In 1986, he joined the Canadian manufacturing group MIL, holding a number of senior executive positions while also serving as CEO of Vickers Inc., one of the group’s main subsidiaries. In 1992, he became the Power Corporation of Canada’s representative in Europe and took part in the financial and business restructuring of Pargesa, a holding company that currently owns interests in Imerys, Adidas, LafargeHolcim, SGS, Pernod Ricard, Umicore, GEA, Ontex and Parques Reunidos. Jocelyn sits on the boards of Pargesa (Switzerland), Groupe Bruxelles Lambert – GBL (Belgium), Parjointco N.V. (the Netherlands) and Stokomani (France).

Saïk Paugam is a Partner at Sagard Europe. He plays an active role in originating and executing deals, as well as in tracking investment performance and managing divestments. Saïk began his career at Morgan Stanley, working first as an Analyst and then as an Associate in the M&A Department. He participated in a number of divestments by large French companies, particularly as part of transactions involving private equity funds and manufacturing corporations. He holds an MBA from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris.

Augustin Perrin is an Associate at Sagard Europe. He started his career in 2017 at Morgan Stanley as an Investment Banking Analyst in Paris. He has been involved in several M&A and capital markets transactions for French corporates and private equity funds, notably in the telco, healthcare, real estate and business services sectors. He graduated from HEC Paris with an MSc. in Management (Programme Grande École).

Jérôme Triebel is a Director at Sagard Europe. Jérôme started his career at McKinsey & Company in 2012, first as an Analyst, then as Associate and Junior Engagement Manager in the Paris office. He primarily served clients in the telecoms and manufacturing sectors, advising them on growth strategy and operational optimisation issues. He holds an MBA from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) Paris under the Grande École programme, a masters in history and an undergraduate degree in econometrics from the University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne.

Melissa Gasser is a Principal at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Prior to this role, she worked as a Senior Analyst in the Financial Services group at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where she provided in-depth research and investment analysis to the Global and Canadian equity portfolio managers and additional support to the Private Equity and Fixed Income teams.

Melissa earned a BComm in Finance and Economics from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Jeff Johnson is a Partner at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Jeff is active across Sagard's public and private investments and is a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to this role, he was a Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst at Evercore Asset Management, where he invested across a range of sectors. Before that, Jeff was a Portfolio Manager and Analyst at Citigroup Asset Management where he was responsible for consumer and healthcare investments. He began his career at strategy consulting firm Braxton Associates.

Jeff serves on the board of Peak Achievement Athletics and previously served on the board of Vein Clinics of America.

Jeff holds an MBA in Finance, with Distinction, from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA in History, Cum Laude, from Dartmouth College.

Brendan Callaghan is a Senior Sales Principal at Portag3 Ventures, and is based in Toronto. There, he is responsible for helping our portfolio companies build their inside sales capabilities and be helping develop/coach sales teams to be more scalable.

Before joining Portag3, Brendan has had a career working with some of Toronto’s most notable start up’s Honeycomb Worldwide, Varicent Software, Field ID, and Leonardo. Brendan’s last role before joining Portag3 was as the Global Sales leader for OrangeHRM where he was responsible for all aspects of sales for the company.

Brendan is accustomed to starting a sales team from scratch or taking over an existing team and bringing in process and accountability within the sales organization. Brendan is also a former Co-President of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals and an admitted Sales Geek.

Brendan graduated with a BA in Honours Business studies at the University of Huddersfield.

Kris Hansen has over 20 years of experience in providing technology solutions for the financial services industry. Throughout his career, he has led teams in architecture design, executed successful core banking transformation projects, and designed and developed commercial software. Recognized as a visionary in the industry, Kris has helped organizations develop innovative solutions that tackle today’s issues while strengthening them for the challenges ahead.

Kris Hansen describes himself as “a recovering banking chief architect” and has been advising banks and financial services startups on topics related to financial services transformation and innovation. He began his career as a system administrator and software developer, started one of the first internet provider companies in Canada and built a successful software services company in the Hawaiian Islands. He is the former chief architect at ATB Financial and former head of solution architect at the Royal Bank of Canada.

Kris was the managing director and CEO for Axxiome North America, a Swiss-headquartered global financial software, advisory and integration company and the CEO of Digital Payment Partners LLC, a US-based financial services technology innovation company. As a senior principal, financial services at global enterprise software company SAP he connected fintech innovation to banks using an enterprise cloud platform.

Kris has received a Master of Business Administration and an undergraduate degree in applied studies from Athabasca University.

Joseph Lau is the Chief Information Security Officer at Portag3 Ventures. Prior to this role, Joseph was the Head of Critical Infrastructure Partnerships at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security where he oversaw the declassification and transfer of cyber defence technology from government to large financial services enterprises in Canada and helped to manage a team of cyber security advisors who supported the telecommunications, finance, energy and transportation sectors. Before the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Joseph spent time in Doha Qatar with Global Risk Advisors where he was the Director of Cyber Security. His prior experience includes a long history of service as part of Canada's Communications Security Establishment where he spent fifteen years in progressive roles at the intersection of technology and security.

Jonathan Metrick is the Chief Growth Officer at Portag3 Ventures, and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, Jonathan was the CMO of Policygenius, America’s leading insuretech marketplace.

Previously, Jonathan led marketing at Hult International Business School in London, building out their global marketing teams, and has marketing experience across entertainment (Live Nation), luxury goods (Tiffany & Co) and retail (Diesel). Jonathan began his marketing career at Procter & Gamble in Toronto. He is also the board chair for the Canadian Climate Challenge.

Jonathan holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction from Queen’s University.

Marie-Claude Ally is an Executive Assistant at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Prior to Sagard, she cumulated over 20 years of experience with senior management at Cirque du Soleil and CAE Inc. with a focus in the areas of finance and operations.

Joanie Bérard is a Director of Fund Accounting at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Prior to joining Sagard, Joanie spent 7 years at PSP, where she was most recently Director in their Investment Finance team. She was also with Deloitte, where she earned her CA/CPA designations.

She is a graduate of HEC Montreal.

Maximilian Cervelli is a Fund Accountant at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Prior to Sagard, Max worked in Deloitte's audit and assurance practice focusing on integrated audits for Financial Service entities.

Max earned a BS in Accounting at The College of New Jersey and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Cassandra D’Ambrosio is a Fund Accountant at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Before joining in 2019, she worked in audit for several years, beginning her career at PwC and then switching to PSB Boisjoli where she became a manager in the audit and assurance department. Cassandra has worked in diversified activity sectors including mutual funds trusts and pension plans. She is currently a lecturer at the McGill School of Continuing Studies teaching various audit and assurance topics for the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting program.

Cassandra obtained a Bachelor Degree in Commerce as well as a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University and is a CPA auditor, CA.

Victoria Destison is an Executive Assistant, Office of the CEO at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Prior to Sagard, Victoria worked for Power Corporation of Canada as an Executive Assistant. She built her experience in communications, special events, and public relations by working at management positions in companies such as MSL Group and Guerlain Canada.

Victoria earned a Bachelor in Fashion Marketing at the Université du Québec in Montreal.

Djiffa Dogbé is Legal Counsel at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. He also serves as Legal Counsel of Portag3 Ventures LP. Before joining in 2018, Djiffa was an Associate in the Corporate / M&A practice group at Stikeman Elliott LLP where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and project finance, with a particular focus on cross-border transactions.

Djiffa holds law degrees in Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Common Law (LL.B.) from McGill University, and is a member of the Quebec.

David Fraser is the Director of Corporate Finance at Sagard Holdings. Before joining in 2019, David Fraser was at Brookfield Asset Management where he designed, planned, and launched private fund products across the global asset management business. Previously, David was at PwC where he audited numerous asset managers and investment funds. David earned his HBA from Ivey Business School at Western University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Sacha Haque is the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Secretary of Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Before joining in 2017, she served as Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Secretary of Power Corporation and Power Financial. Sacha has fourteen years of experience in the legal field, including over nine years with the Power group. Prior to Power, Sacha was an Associate in Corporate / M&A at Dentons LLP, a global law firm.

Sacha holds Civil Law (LL.L) and Common Law (LL.B) degrees from the University of Ottawa, and is a member of the bar in Ontario and Quebec. She is Chair of the Marianopolis College Millenium Foundation and also serves on the boards of the McGill University Health Centre and Royal Victoria Hospital Foundations. She has previously served as a Director or Chair of a number of not-for-profit governance, community and fundraising initiatives.

Leslie Hill is a Principal, Investor Relations at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Prior to this role, she was a Director at Optima Fund Management, an alternative asset manager, where she managed the firm’s U.S. long/short equity portfolios. As a voting investment committee member, she also facilitated the firm’s investment dialogue with its diversified client base. Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government, cum laude, from Harvard College.

Amer Javed is the Vice-President of Finance at Sagard Holdings. Prior to joining Sagard, Amer served as the Vice-President of Finance at Tangerine Bank (formerly ING Bank of Canada) and as the Chief Financial Officer of Tangerine Investment Management Inc. and Tangerine Investment Funds Limited. Amer brings deep expertise in designing, building and implementing effective, efficient and scalable Finance department work-flow procedures, controls, policies and systems. Amer is an alumni of KPMG and graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor of commerce degree with a specialization in accounting and a major in economics.

Stephan Klee is a Partner and the Chief Financial Officer at Sagard Holdings and is based in New York. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for SoFi’s Banking Division, which was created through the merger of Zenbanx Holding and SoFi, two of the world’s leading Financial Technology companies. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff and Chief Financial Officer of ING Bank in both the United States as well as Canada. Stephan currently serves on the Board of Coastal Bancorp (Nasdaq: CCB) and is the chairman of their Audit and Compensation Committees.

Stephan holds a Bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Applied Sciences Osnabruck and earned his Masters of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business. He is also an AMP graduate from the Harvard Business School. Stephan is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Gwenaëlle Legendre is the HR Leader for Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal.

Prior to this role, she worked at PSP Investments where she supported different groups on all their Human Resources needs as Director, Business Partner HR in Montreal and New York. Gwenaëlle has an in-depth knowledge and experience in Talent, Development & Compensation. Before that, she held different HR roles in large global organizations such as Imperial Tobacco, ADP and Bombardier Aerospace.

Gwenaëlle holds a Master degree in Counseling and Orientation from Laval University.

Antoinette Marrone is Director of Paralegal Services at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. She also serves as Director of Paralegal Services of Portag3 Ventures. Antoinette is a senior paralegal with extensive experience in corporate, commercial and securities law, and some experience in investment fund management. Before joining in 2019, Antoinette spent over 20 years in the legal field as a paralegal or as head of the paralegal department for various groups, including at a national law firm, as well as the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Dollarama and Bombardier. She has on several occasions helped build and restructure paralegal departments. She has also served on committees promoting and mentoring paralegals and the paralegal profession.

Antoinette is a member of Canadian Association of Paralegals and of the International Practice Management Association.

Carley Sambrook is an Analyst, Office of the CEO at Sagard Holdings based in Montreal. Prior to joining Sagard, Carley worked in financial forecasting, planning, and buying at Saks Fifth Avenue and corporate sales at Michael Kors in New York City.

Carley holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Romance Languages from Washington & Lee University.

Jim Schmiedel is a Corporate Controller at Sagard Holdings, and is based in New York. Prior to this role, he served as Corporate Controller at Aetos Capital Real Estate.

He earned a BS in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting from American University in Washington, DC.

Rosanna Spinale is an Executive Assistant at Sagard Holdings and is based in Montreal. Prior to this role, Rosanna worked at Power Corporation of Canada as a legal assistant in the legal department. Prior to Power, Rosanna worked as a legal assistant at large law firms such as Stikeman Elliott LLP and Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP, to name a few.

Rosanna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science as well as a Certificate in Paralegal Studies from O’Sullivan College in Montreal.

Junaid Subhan is Senior Legal Counsel at Sagard Holdings. Before joining in 2019, Junaid served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Corporate Secretary at CoPower Inc., a fintech start-up. Prior to CoPower, Junaid advised on a variety of corporate and securities law matters, including public and private offerings, M&A, corporate governance and securities regulatory compliance for a wide range of market participants at the Toronto offices of Stikeman Elliott LLP. Junaid began his career in the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital group of a prominent New York-based law firm. Junaid is called to the bars of Ontario and New York and holds degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University and an undergraduate degree in science and finance from McGill University. Junaid was honoured as the “Young Lawyer of the Year 2016” by the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers.

Ahmed Syed is an Associate, Investor Relations at Sagard Holdings and is based in Toronto. Prior to this role, he was an Associate at CIBC Capital Markets where he supported the Equity Derivatives Trading desk, assisting with Structured Notes origination and related Treasury functions.

Ahmed Syed holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management (Honors, Co-op) from the University of Waterloo.

Martin van den Hoeven is a Senior Controller at Portag3 Ventures. Martin has more than 20 years of experience in asset management and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at a real estate fund manager as well as Head of Finance at an alternative investment manager in the institutional Fund of Hedge Funds space. Martin’s previous work experience includes working as a manager at Citco Fund Services both in Canada and Europe, as well as key internal control roles in corporate finance. Martin is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CA) and holds his Bachelor's degree from Concordia University in Montreal.

Karel Vuong is an Associate, Office of the CEO at Sagard Holdings based in Toronto. Prior to joining Sagard, he served as the General Manager and first employee at Diagram where he established a new $30M fintech-focused fund and venture builder. Karel began his career as a software developer and product manager in Toronto, Waterloo, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Karel studied Computer Science at the University of Toronto - Trinity College.