Hall of Fame
The structured product industry in Canada has witnessed significant contributions from various professionals, and recognizing these individuals’ achievements is necessary. The SPi Canada Hall of Fame was established in 2021 to recognize members’ contributions to the profession and service of the structured product industry, demonstrating professionalism, sustained commitment, and significant career achievements.Hall of Fame 2023: VO-DIGNARD PROVOST
An-Lap Vo-Dignard and Ian Provost are the Founding Partners, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Managers of The Vo-Dignard Provost Group - National Bank Financial.
An-Lap has more than 20 years of experience in the wealth and portfolio management industry. He graduated from HEC Montreal (University of Montreal business school) in finance in 1996 and started his career at the Bank of Montreal. He then joined National Bank Financial in 1998 where he founded the VP Wealth Management Group, which now has in excess of $2 billion under management and is comprised of 15 finance professionals.
Ian started his career at National Bank in 1997 and joined National Bank Financial in 2001. His extensive expertise in portfolio management and risk management, combined with his knowledge of financial markets, permits him to excel at developing investment strategies tailored to the needs of a wide range of clients. In addition, he has an innate sense of determining the real risk tolerance of clients, which is an art. This allows him to determine an optimal tailor-made portfolio for his clients.
The VP Group won several awards over the years in the National Bank Financial recognition of excellence program, notably, the prestigious prize of Best team in Canada in 2012 and in 2020, and one that is especially dear to An-Lap and Ian, the Social Responsibility award. Incorporating ESG factors in their portfolio management is of utmost importance to the VP Group. All these efforts were recognized recently when the VP Group won the Wealth Professionals NEI Advisor of the Year Responsible Investments award in 2021.
The VP Group also likes to give back to the community by being actively involved with many charities in Montreal. Notably, there is the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, Papillon Foundation, Bruny Surin Foundation, The Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation, HEC Foundation and The Orchestre Metropolitain in addition to contributing to several other charitable causes.
Hall of Fame 2022: Deland KaManga
We are delighted to announce that Deland Kamanga has won the SPi Canada Hall of Fame Award in 2022, recognizing his substantial and long-standing contributions to the structured product industry. Joe Burris, Head of Americas, presented the award.
Deland’s career in the financial industry spans over three decades, having started at Nesbitt Thompson Lesley in 1990. He joined BMO Wealth Management in November 2021, where he leads as a dynamic senior leader. Before joining Wealth, Deland was Head of Global Markets within BMO Capital Markets, where he provided markets-based solutions to BMO’s corporate, institutional, and government clients. Deland’s passion for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the financial industry and the community is well-known.
In his words, Deland described BMO as having the best culture on the street, reflecting his belief in promoting an inclusive workplace. Deland’s commitment to DE&I started in his youth, and he is a champion of the cause in life and business. He believes that a more diverse organization with varied thought processes promotes faster growth and strengthens the business. Deland participates in several BMO employee groups and initiatives, including BMO Black Professionals Network Canada, which he founded as an executive sponsor. He received the 2021 Catalyst Champion Award for his trailblazing work on inclusivity in
the workplace.
Deland is a member of several boards, including the SickKids Board of Trustees and SickKids Foundation in Toronto, where he elevates discussions on topics of health, inclusion, and equity. He serves on the board of Women in Capital Markets as Treasurer, the Jackie Robinson Foundation as Director, and Co-Chair for Bank of Montreal BMO’s Employee Giving Campaign.
Deland’s induction into the SPi Canada Hall of Fame is well-deserved, recognizing his contributions to the structured product industry in Canada and his commitment to promoting DE&I in the workplace and the community. His achievements are an inspiration to the next generation of professionals in the structured product industry.
We celebrate Deland’s achievement and thank him for his contributions to the structured product industry in Canada.
