EXCELLENCE AWARDEE: The Avenue Living Asset Management Award for Portfolio/Discretionary Manager of the Year

John Soutsos, CIM, EPC

Derrick Li

Chief Operating Officer

Keith LaBossiere

Managing Partner, CEO

Keith serves as the CEO and managing partner of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP. While doing so, he continues to practise in labour and employment law. He has significant experience in police employment law and public sector labour relations. Keith provides advice and advocacy to his clients, both employer and employee, on a variety of labour and employment matters, including matters of discipline, termination, and interpretation of collective agreements, and is frequently involved in negotiating and/or litigating such matters. Keith also has experience in appearing as counsel on these matters in Labour Board proceedings, both provincial and federal; collective agreement grievance arbitrations; and the civil courts. In addition to his labour and employment law practice, Keith practises civil litigation.

Managing Partner, CEO

Keith LaBossiere

facebook.com/HoljevacFinancialGroup

@BuddyMortgages

Zach Zahradnik

Chief Operations Officer

As COO, Zach brings to TDS his strong leadership, business transformation, and risk management skills developed from over 20 years of experience gained in the financial services and IT consulting industries. Joining the firm in 2019, Zach is a change agent that is spearheading many new transformational business initiatives, while at the same time overseeing the day-to-day operational functions of a business. Zach earned his MBA from the University of Manitoba in 2011 and has been a board member and advisor to Lumo Interactive for over 10 years.

Chief Operations Officer

Zach Zahradnik

As the Chief Operating Officer, Derrick manages all operational and administrative functions at the firm and oversees the implementation of the firm’s strategy. Prior to joining Lawson Lundell, Derrick was an Executive of Coast Mountain Bus Company where he oversaw 260 staff in the areas of Finance and Corporate Services. In 2019, Derrick was recognized as one of the Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 winners. In 2014, he was recognized as one of the global Institute of Internal Auditors’ top 20 emerging leaders, based on professionalism, leadership, certifications, advocacy, community service and innovation.

Chief Operating Officer

Derrick Li

@TDSLaw

Portfolio Manager

frustrations endeared him to mature investors. Utilizing his knowledge of market history, ability to identify economic trends, and capacity to simplify complex financial topics allowed him to gain the trust of his clients. Over the course of time, John invested in developing his intellectual capital by taking many industry courses. A keen observer of human behaviour through market cycles, he developed an awareness of psychological biases that impact client decisions. His client base often incorporates three generations of the same family as his original clients aged and guided their children and grandchildren to seek his counsel. John has been an acknowledged leader within his firm, Investment Planning Counsel, and inspired the creation of new mutual funds, portfolio solutions, and, eventually, the creation of a Discretionary Portfolio Manager platform within IPC Securities Corporation. Med-Wealth Financial Services Med-Wealth is a boutique service offering for physicians and other medical professionals. Incorporating his unique insights into macro-trends, John has developed a unique US-based portfolio model that outperformed the S&P 500 index by 12 percent during the 2022 bear market. “It is more important to protect capital during market drawdowns than to lead the market during uptrends.” In John’s words, “The Canadian wealth-management industry has devolved into a cookie-cutter portfolio solutions service that dilutes investors’ ability to make material gains in their wealth.” Offering an innovative portfolio construction strategy, John employs a “high-quality” screen to identify candidates for his portfolio. Using a hedged-growth concept, the portfolio has the demonstrated capacity to outperform through a full market cycle by limiting drawdowns. His innovative portfolio design and outstanding performance has elevated his stature to join the elite among his industry peers in Discretionary Portfolio Management and has landed him two major industry awards in 2022 and 2023. To ensure continuity in his service, John’s son, Alexander Soutsos, BComm, MBA (Rotman School of Business) has been brought onto the team. Serving as an investment advisor, securities analyst, and marketing coordinator, Alexander will eventually join his father as a Discretionary Portfolio Manager. Along with Alexander, John’s team includes three administrators and his long-time business partner Gus Gianias, Investment Advisor.

Providing investment counsel in a manner that only a 37-year veteran of the financial industry can deliver. Armed with an economics major from York University in 1985, John launched his career with the ambition to deliver wealth-building advice to savers wishing to secure their future. His empathy and ability to listen to people’s needs, hopes, and