James specializes in M&A and private equity transactions, including buyouts, venture capital, financings, restructurings and related corporate governance matters. He regularly advises private equity funds, their portfolio companies and management teams. James has extensive cross-border experience working with Canadian, United States, European and Asian investors and companies, works with clients in a broad range of industries including manufacturing, technology, energy, consumer products, agriculture and financial services. James joined Bennett Jones after seven years in New York and London, where he practised corporate law with a leading New York-based law firm.
James is a member of the Board of Directors of the I Can For Kids Foundation, a Calgary-based charitable organization whose mission is to end summer childhood hunger in the community, and the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth, Calgary chapter, part of a global community of middle-market M&A deal-makers and business leaders focused on driving growth.
James served as co-editor in chief of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review and was president of the University of Toronto Students' Law Society. James is admitted to practice in Alberta and New York.
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Jon Spencer
Past President
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Triwest Capital
Principal
Jon joined TriWest in 2007 and is a Principal in the investment group. Prior to joining TriWest, Jon worked as an Analyst at RBC Capital Markets in the Global Energy Group where he was involved in a number of public equity offerings and mergers and acquisition assignments.
From 2008 to 2010, Jon served as President for the Calgary Chapter of the Richard Ivey School of Business Alumni Association and was formerly a Director of a TSX-Venture listed Capital Pool Corporation.
Jon graduated with distinction from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, with an Honors degree in Business Administration.
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Ryan Tizzard
Director
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Scotiabank
Director
Under the bank's National Accounts group ($25MM+ credit need), Ryan manages an industry-diversified portfolio of large public and private commercial banking clients, while seeking to prudently grow the portfolio with new banking relationships. Whether for new or existing portfolio constituents, Ryan strives to engineer the most appropriate senior lending solution to each individual situation, on either a leveraged cash-flow or asset-secured basis. Seeks to further enhance financial support through the engagement of other internal product specialists, including Cash Management, Debt Capital Markets, Trade Finance, Leasing, Foreign Exchange, and Interest Rate Derivatives.
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Greg P. Shannon, Q.C.
Director
Gowling WLG
Partner
Greg P. Shannon, QC, is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Capital Markets, M&A and Private Equity groups, as well as the Tax and Private Client Services groups, based in the firm’s Calgary office. His practice encompasses corporate finance, M&A, tax and corporate governance.
Called to the bar in Alberta, British Columbia, the District of Columbia and California, Greg has worked in both Canada and the United States, and uses his significant cross-border experience to inform his practice. Greg’s areas of expertise include acting as counsel on corporate reorganizations, international transactions, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as advising clients on IPOs and RTOs on the TSX-V and on U.S. stock exchanges. He also acts for investment funds, limited partnerships, and venture and angel funds on private equity transactions. With extensive experience in corporate reorganizations, corporate tax matters, inbound/outbound deals, mortgage investment corporations, and flow-through share financings for oil & gas issuers and Clean Energy issuers, Greg also has a substantial tax practice. In addition, he advises both private and public companies on takeovers, governance issues and D&O insurance issues.
An active member of Calgary’s local business community, Greg was co-founder and chairman of the board of the Calgary Enterprise Forum Society, a non-profit organization that fosters the development, promotion and advancement of high-growth and emerging businesses in Southern Alberta, from 1999 to 2016. He is also director of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta Inc. and the Association for Corporate Growth’s Calgary chapter, as well as a member and designated Trust and Estate Practitioner
of STEP Canada.
Outside of his legal practice, Greg has written numerous articles and lectured at seminars on tax and estate planning, and various corporate finance topics. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors, Directors Education Program (DEP), and is a certified director (ICD.D). E
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Kelly Ford
Director
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Bennett Jones LLP Partner
Kelly R. Ford advises on private equity transactions, public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate and securities matters.
Kelly has experience advising strategic and financial buyers and sellers operating in principally the resource, energy services and technology sectors with respect to public and private merger and acquisition transactions, including unsolicited takeover bids, plans of arrangement and asset and share purchase transactions. Kelly also advises on all aspects of routine and transactional corporate and securities matters, including ongoing business planning and governance issues.
Prior to joining Bennett Jones, Kelly practised in Vancouver, British Columbia, at a major Canadian law firm and a boutique firm specializing in private equity and corporate and securities law.
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Tyler Malden
Energy - Oilfield Services at ATB Financial
Director
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David Stuart
Director
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RSM Canada
Director
David has more than eight years of corporate finance and capital markets experience supporting debt and equity transactions for various industries including technology, telecommunications, life sciences, renewable energy and consumer products. His experience includes negotiating and facilitating transaction closings for private equity, venture capital and financial institutions across North America.
David is responsible for supporting local and cross-border transactions and leading M&A and capital advisory transactions in the private and public sectors. He focuses on providing advisory services for buy and sell-side mandates, specializing in transaction structuring and closing support. He directly manages the team’s pool of experienced analysts and managers, and leverages the firms full financial service offerings and experience where required.
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Charles Bougie
Treasurer / Executive Director
Kluane Partners
Managing Director
Charles co-founded Kluane Partners in 2014 and leads Kluane’s Capital Advisory and Financial services practice. Charles made a career of investing institutional capital (Novacap, EDC Equity, BMO Capital Partners, Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund) in privately owned companies in a variety of industries across Canada, the United States and Europe. Charles originated, structured and closed over 40 transactions ranging from private equity leverage buyouts, management buyouts, venture capital, growth capital financings, mezzanine to a variety of debt financings. He also played an instrumental role at a successful start-up venture named Daiya Foods (raising capital and leading operations) and was a consultant at a firm named USC Consulting Group which specializes in process improvement and operational excellence serving fortune 500 client.
Charles holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Concordia University and a Masters in Business Administration from Ivey Business School. Charles is a member of the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA), is the Executive Director and Treasurer of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Calgary Chapter, and is a former board member of the Alberta Bicycle Association. On weekends Charles is known to be an outdoor enthusiast, typically spending time skiing or cycling.
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Duncan Adams
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Triwest
Vice President
Duncan Adams joined TriWest in 2013 and is a Vice President at TriWest in the investment group. Prior to joining TriWest, Duncan worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Canaccord Genuity. He was a generalist within the mergers and acquisition, restructuring, and corporate finance group and was responsible for performing financial, valuation, and industry analysis. Duncan played a key role in supporting mergers, acquisitions and restructuring transactions, as well as debt and equity financings across a number of industries.
Duncan graduated with distinction from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, with an Honors degree in Business Administration. He concurrently received his Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (with distinction) from the University of Western Ontario.
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Greg McIlwain
Director
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McMillan LLP
Business Law and M&A
Greg’s practice focuses on complex transactions including international and domestic mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, joint ventures and tax structuring strategies. He has significant expertise in the oil and gas industry, particularly midstream, downstream, petrochemical and services. Greg also has expertise in diversified industries, including food and beverage, insurance and transportation.
Greg is passionate about helping clients overcome complex legal challenges in order to achieve their objectives. He prides himself on taking the time to understand his clients’ businesses and needs and on working tirelessly in order to provide practical legal solutions tailored to their individual situations.
Greg was recognized as a leading lawyer in Canada under the age of 40 in Lexpert’s Rising Stars 2016 competition and as a Leading Lawyer to Watch, Corporate Mid-Market, by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in 2017. He received his J.D. from the University of Toronto in 2003. Prior to attending law school, he completed his bachelor of commerce at the Queen's School of Business, where he graduated with first class honours. Greg was called to the Ontario bar in 2004 and the Alberta bar in 2014.
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Thomas Syvret
Director
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Ernst & Young LLP
Associate Partner, Transaction Advisory Services
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Bryan Arthur
Director
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DHR International Managing Partner
Bryan Arthur serves as the Managing Partner for Calgary, Vancouver, and Western Canada, with DHR International and is a member of the Private Equity, Energy, Industrial, Agriculture, Financial Service, Higher Education, and Advanced Technology practice groups. Bryan has significant experience leading executive search assignments throughout various industries across North America. In addition, Bryan is a member of the North America Executive Committee, co-leads the global Energy practice, and leads DHR’s global Agriculture practice.
Bryan has dedicated his career to helping companies solve complex talent and hiring challenges across multiple sectors and international locations. Bryan previously served as Managing Partner of BluEra until the firm was acquired by DHR International in September 2016. A graduate of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Bryan’s previous experience includes leading search engagements with an Alberta-based executive search firm and with a leading international recruiting firm before helping to build BluEra. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation, and holds an Advanced Certificate in Executive Search Consulting from Cornell University.
In addition to ACG, Bryan is currently on the Board of Directors of Vertigo Theatre, Kids Cancer Care of Southern Alberta. Bryan is a past Director of the Human Resources Association of Calgary (HRAC), past Chair of Champions Career Centre, and past Chair of the Sponsorship Committee as a United Way Cabinet member
