As CEO of Samara, Michael is responsible for strategic decisions and establishing the firm's culture and client approach. He is passionate about bringing value to clients and enjoys being involved in their lives on a daily basis. He also sits on Samara's Investment Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining Samara, Michael spent more than two decades as a wealth manager at leading financial institutions, most recently at RBC Wealth Management, where he led an Executive and Chairman Council team for more than 12 years. As a native of Beauce and a third generation entrepreneur, Michael understood the importance of wealth management from a very early age. After completing his degree in business administration at Université Laval in Québec City, and following the sale of the family business, Michael created his own wealth management team at Merrill Lynch at the age of 26.

As a father of four children, Michael is a keen supporter of several charities, including the Québec-Jeunes and CHU Sainte-Justine hospital foundations.

As CIO, Catherine oversees the creation and execution of clients' investment strategies, including investment recommendations and decisions. She is also involved in researching, analyzing and monitoring private investments and third-party managers in all asset classes. She works closely with Samara's Investment team, strategic partners, research providers and the Investment Advisory Committee to monitor your portfolio on a daily basis.

Catherine started her career in the treasury department of a financial institution in Boston. For more than 20 years, she has been a part of Michael Grondin’s team which she joined as an investment analyst. Since then, she has held evolving roles that have led her to actively manage public investment portfolios for clients starting in 2010.

Over the last decade, she developed a particular interest in analysis and selection of real estate, infrastructure as well as other alternative investments, equipping her with excellent knowledge of all asset classes.

Catherine follows in her father’s footsteps who encouraged her to develop an interest for financial markets as early as the age of 6.  He would ask her to track and tell him the value of different stock market indices on a daily basis. This brought her to study finance and economics at McGill University and HEC Montreal where she got her Master’s degree.  Afterwards, she obtained the CFA designation.

Maxim knows that the trust our clients put in Samara and the safety of their assets is paramount and must be underpinned by strong governance. He works with the team to develop, implement, maintain and monitor policies and procedures to ensure the firm abides by the highest industry standards.

Maxim started his career as a quantitative analyst with an emerging Montreal investment manager in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis. He quickly took an interest in the operational aspect of the industry and was put in charge of operations and compliance for a mutual fund family before becoming CCO of the entire firm and helping to bring its operational structure up to institutional standards. His experience ranges from front to back office, giving him an understanding of the many aspects of the business and helping him interact with all stakeholders for a better integration of operations and compliance.

Maxim earned a Master of Science in Administration with a major in finance from HEC Montréal and holds the CFA designation. He studied for a semester at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany.

Annie is the Head of the Integrated Wealth Planning team and the family continuity services, and she is also the Executive Director of the Samara Family Foundation. She wields her considerable expertise to develop financial, tax and estate strategies and prepare integrated plans to meet our clients’ specific needs. 

She has many years of experience in financial planning and taxation, including a stint as TD Wealth Management’s vice-president of tax and estate planning before she joined Samara in 2021. She also contributes to Affaires Plus and Finance et investissement magazines, and co-wrote the book Ma retraite.

Annie has a bachelor's degree in finance from UQAM and a graduate degree in taxation from the Université de Sherbrooke. She is a certified financial planner from the Institut québécois de la planification financière (IQPF), a financial security advisor, a Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Association de planification financière et fiscale (APFF). 

Mathieu oversees the development and execution of your financial plan and investment strategy. He uses his experience and resources, as well as those of Samara, to help you achieve your goals. He also oversees the team's financial communications and all investment-related matters.

Mathieu discovered his passion for financial markets through a stock market simulation in high school. After various capital markets roles, his desire to help others naturally steered him toward wealth management.  

He is passionate about sports and leverages his desire to perform to help our clients achieve their financial goals. Mathieu has a B.Comm. in finance from McGill University and holds the CFA designation.

As CIO, Catherine oversees the creation and execution of clients' investment strategies, including investment recommendations and decisions. She is also involved in researching, analyzing and monitoring private investments and third-party managers in all asset classes. She works closely with Samara's Investment team, strategic partners, research providers and the Investment Advisory Committee to monitor your portfolio on a daily basis.

Catherine started her career in the treasury department of a financial institution in Boston. For more than 20 years, she has been a part of Michael Grondin’s team which she joined as an investment analyst. Since then, she has held evolving roles that have led her to actively manage public investment portfolios for clients starting in 2010.

Over the last decade, she developed a particular interest in analysis and selection of real estate, infrastructure as well as other alternative investments, equipping her with excellent knowledge of all asset classes.

Catherine follows in her father’s footsteps who encouraged her to develop an interest for financial markets as early as the age of 6.  He would ask her to track and tell him the value of different stock market indices on a daily basis. This brought her to study finance and economics at McGill University and HEC Montreal where she got her Master’s degree.  Afterwards, she obtained the CFA designation.

Mark is responsible for implementing, rebalancing and monitoring portfolio management activities in client accounts. He works closely with the Investment team to ensure portfolios are in line with clients’ objectives and risk tolerance. He adds value to clients through his attention to detail, extensive investment experience and knowledge of individual client needs.  

Prior to joining RBC Dominion Securities in 2003, Mark was a Portfolio Manager, Estates & Trusts for RBC Global Asset Management and also worked in the audit group for the Royal Bank of Canada.  

Mark has a B.Comm. from Concordia University and holds the CFA designation.

Patrick is responsible for supervising Samara’s day-to-day operations and making sure they run smoothly. He works with the team to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information communicated to Samara’s teams and clients.

Patrick has over 25 years of experience in the investment business and understands that efficient operations are critical to all aspects of the business.

Patrick started as a financial analyst for a Canadian broker but quickly moved into portfolio management, focusing first on the institutional portfolios of small Canadian companies and eventually transitioning to a role where he led a team managing assets of nearly $5 billion for institutional and private wealth clients. After 21 years as an analyst and portfolio manager, Patrick accepted a position managing the operations of Fiera Capital's Canadian division and joined the division’s management committee.

Patrick has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a master’s degree (M.Sc.) in finance from Université de Sherbrooke. He has been a CFA charterholder since 1998.

Maxim knows that the trust our clients put in Samara and the safety of their assets is paramount and must be underpinned by strong governance. He works with the team to develop, implement, maintain and monitor policies and procedures to ensure the firm abides by the highest industry standards.

Maxim started his career as a quantitative analyst with an emerging Montreal investment manager in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis. He quickly took an interest in the operational aspect of the industry and was put in charge of operations and compliance for a mutual fund family before becoming CCO of the entire firm and helping to bring its operational structure up to institutional standards. His experience ranges from front to back office, giving him an understanding of the many aspects of the business and helping him interact with all stakeholders for a better integration of operations and compliance.

Maxim earned a Master of Science in Administration with a major in finance from HEC Montréal and holds the CFA designation. He studied for a semester at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany.

As CEO of Samara, Michael is responsible for strategic decisions and establishing the firm's culture and client approach. He is passionate about bringing value to clients and enjoys being involved in their lives on a daily basis. He also sits on Samara's Investment Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining Samara, Michael spent more than two decades as a wealth manager at leading financial institutions, most recently at RBC Wealth Management, where he led an Executive and Chairman Council team for more than 12 years. As a native of Beauce and a third generation entrepreneur, Michael understood the importance of wealth management from a very early age. After completing his degree in business administration at Université Laval in Québec City, and following the sale of the family business, Michael created his own wealth management team at Merrill Lynch at the age of 26.

As a father of four children, Michael is a keen supporter of several charities, including the Québec-Jeunes and CHU Sainte-Justine hospital foundations.

Jean-François Courville has spent most of his 30-year career as a financial services and financial technology executive, leading several major Canadian and global businesses. He is currently Managing Partner of Purpose Advisor Solutions, a digital platform provider for independent portfolio managers and financial advisors.  

Previously, he held positions as CEO of Wealthsimple for Advisors and Head of Wealthsimple’s B2B business, Chief Operating Officer of RBC Wealth Management, President and Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Asset Management and President and CEO of State Street Canada.

Jean-François is very active in the community, including as Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, former Director and Past Chair of the Board of Habitat for Humanity Toronto and as a director with several artistic and academic organizations. He is also a founding member and director of Toronto-based cycling philanthropy club Les Domestiques.

He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and International Business from McGill University in Montreal, and holds the CFA designation.