Board of Directors
Bruce Smith
Bruce Smith was appointed as the Canadian President and Chief Operating Officer of Element Financial Corporation in May 2011. Mr. Smith retired as COO in October 2015. Prior to joining Element, from 2006 to 2011, Mr. Smith served as the Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Vendor Finance at CIT Financial. Earlier in his career, he held several senior management positions at Newcourt Credit Group and also served as President and General Manager of Dell Financial Services in Canada. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University and has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario since 1985.
Paul Stoyan
Mr. Stoyan is the Chairman of Gardiner Roberts LLP, a Canadian business law firm. Mr. Stoyan practices business law with a special emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate governance. Mr. Stoyan presently serves on the board of directors of ECN Capital Corporation and Enghouse Systems Limited, both listed on the TSX and has previously served as a director of Open Text Corporation and Element Financial Corporation. Mr. Stoyan holds a bachelor of laws from the University of Toronto and a bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto, where Mr. Stoyan was the Gold Medalist. Mr. Stoyan has earned the professional independent director designation (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
Wes Neichenbauer
Mr. Neichenbauer currently serves as a Director, VP and CFO for Rowntree Enterprises Inc. and its associated companies, he has been with Rowntree since 2006. He has extensive experience in both the automotive and real estate sectors. Prior to joining Rowntree, Wes was with Applewood Holdings Inc. and was the CFO for Patriot Equities Corporation (TSX: PEQ), he has also worked in investment banking. Mr. Neichenbauer currently serves on the Board of WALKAWAY Insurance (2005 - Present). Mr. Neichenbauer holds an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA).
Lesley Gallinger
Lesley Gallinger is the President and CEO of Elexicon Energy. Based in Ajax, Elexicon is the 4th largest Municipal owned Local Distribution Company in Ontario. Elexicon Services 170,000 electricity customers in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Clarington, Belleville, Gravenhurst and surrounding communities.
Prior to joining Elexicon in 2019, Lesley was the Chief Strategy and Financial Officer for the Electrical Safety Authority. Earlier in her Career, Lesley served as CFO in other energy and pharmaceutical organizations. Lesley is active in industry and currently serves as a Director and Committee Chair for a number of energy organizations.
Lesley Gallinger has a B.A. from York University and an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business. She also holds a CPA (CMA), and CPA (Illinois). Lesley received both the Chartered Director and Audit Committee certifications from The Director's College (McMaster University).
Jim Nikopoulos
Mr. Nikopoulos is the Founder and CEO of MJ Holdings Corp., an investment company that has made numerous investments in early-stage companies across various industries. He was the Founder & CEO of Core Data Centers Inc., a data center and connectivity services company, prior to a sales exit transaction. Mr. Nikopoulos was previously the President of ECN Capital Corp. (TSX: ECN), where he co-led the transformation of ECN from a tradition finance company to an asset manager with over $31 billion assets. Jim currently serves as Vice-Chair of Triad Financial Services Inc., and as Vice-Chair of 3MotionAI. He earned an Honours BA degree from the University of Toronto and a Law (JD) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. In 2014, he was named one of Canada's Top 40 under 40 Lawyers by Lexpert.
Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson joined Westlake in 2005 as Director of Risk Management and was appointed Group President in 2008. His primary focus is the development and execution of business strategy for Westlake Financial and its six subsidiaries with emphasis on improving shareholder value and promoting the use of technology. Under his stewardship, Westlake's portfolio grew from USD$400 million in 2008 to over $15 billion currently, while maintaining above a 30% Return on Equity. Prior to joining Westlake, Mr. Anderson held positions at Bayview Acceptance, Wells Fargo and Triad Financial. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California and is a recipient of multiple industry awards.