Au-delà de la finance!
I have been part of the wonderful team at GFM Groupe Financier since it was created in 1996. At GFM Groupe Financier, we aim to be the leading independent financial services firm in Eastern Canada by focusing on our expertise and know-how, our attentiveness and understanding of our clients’ needs, and quality of life in business.
The firm’s values—integrity, proficiency, collaboration, and family—inform our interactions with clients and colleagues. Our clients are front and centre in our activities, and we implement solutions in line with their financial situation, their needs, and their goals. GFM has a Sustainable Development Policy to wich all each members subcribe.
In this regard, it’s important that our clients be able to invest in companies that uphold values of social responsibility and sustainability. As a Financial Planner (IQPF) and member of the Ordre des Administrateurs Agréés du Québec (Adm.A,), I want my clients to succeed and I believe that responsible investment contributes positively to financial performance as well as enhancing civic engagement.
I do my part by getting involved on a volunteer basis with various community organizations that are close to my heart: Cité de l’Or mining museum, Val-d’Or Hospital foundation, our regional sports and recreation organization, Val-d’Or Chamber of Commerce, the City of Val-d’Or’s 75th anniversary, the Val-d’Or Foreurs hockey team, and, more recently, a wine fair to benefit the local centre for advanced studies. I also contribute to my community’s vitality by providing financial support to youth outreach initiatives and projects to promote physical activity.
Daniel Massé and GFM Groupe Financier: Au-delà de la finance!
I bring my clients peace of mind by taking them through the financial planning process to establish the lifestyle they want to have in retirement. I work with the client to implement a strategy that will allow them to reach their financial goals.
Responsibility. Sustainability. Good governance. These are not just words but the backbone of my practice. With 35 years of experience, I have been building portfolios that have focused on responsible investing practices for most of my career.
Whether you are just starting your career or in full swing of retirement, Kristel feels that it is very important for everyone to have access to financial advice and expertise. With over 15 years of financial industry experience and over five years of Financial Planning experience, she has extensive knowledge of all aspects of a client’s financial well-being. She focuses a great deal of energy on effective financial planning and is also fully licensed to endorse mutual funds and provide need-based Life and Health Insurance solutions. She specializes in socially responsible investment products. She continues to strive to provide all of her clients with every facet of financial planning to help them obtain their individual financial freedom.
My career began over 30 years ago on the bond desk of a major dealer, and over time, I eventually made my way to pension services at another firm. Almost 20 years ago, I joined TD Asset Management and eventually led a team of Investment Specialists. In 2003 and 2004, TD gave me leave to serve with the Canadian Army in Afghanistan (I was a Major in the active Army Reserve, and finished with 42 years of service in Canada and many parts of the world). After service in Afghanistan, I came back to TD and made my way back to the role of Investment Advisor, which I thoroughly enjoy!
In addition to my various financial designations, I hold a degree in Latin American Studies with a concentration in Developmental Economics (B.A.) from University of Toronto, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Commercial Law – litigation, which I earned in England. I have also graduated from U of T with programmes in Business, Human Resources Management, and Alternate Dispute Resolution, and from the United Nations OCHA programme conducted in Buenos Aires by the UN. My ongoing involvement in the University of Toronto has included serving on Governing Council, where I was the Vice-Chair of the University Affairs Board, and Chaired the Boundless Campaign for Woodsworth College. I also served for many years in the role of Board Member and Treasurer for Academics Without Borders, St. John Ambulance Council For Ontario and have been involved in the governance of many other organizations.
Coro Strandberg is a thought leader and advisor on embedding sustainability into the marketplace. She specializes in corporate sustainability, sustainability governance, social finance, banking and insurance and socially responsible investment. She has 25-years experience in this work from her days as director and Chair of Vancity Credit Union, which created the first SRI fund in Canada shortly before Coro joined the Board. She was a founding trustee of Ethical Funds Inc., Canada’s most comprehensive family of socially responsible mutual funds.
Clients hire Coro for advice on sustainable and impact investment strategies and social finance and social insurance business models. Community Foundations of Canada, for example, hired Coro to help them launch their responsible investment education and engagement program for community foundations. She authored much of the original Canadian research on impact investing, socially responsible investment, and sustainability governance which she posts on her website along with her other social finance publications.
Coro was a member of Canada’s National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established by the G8. Currently she is an advisory panel member to the Office of the Auditor General’s Sustainable Development Commissioner and on the board of BC Lotteries Corporation.
Coro was recognized as the top CSR consultant by Canada’s Clean50 in 2015 for her impact.
Catherine has over 20 years of experience in the investment funds industry and as VP, Product Management, ESG Funds at RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM), leads the execution of product-related initiatives. She works closely with various teams at RBC GAM to drive the adoption of responsible investment within the Individual Investor business through education and communication.
Catherine has a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa. She holds the Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) designation as well as the Responsible Investment Professional Certification (RIPC).
Hallwood Sustainability is a boutique independent consultancy that partners with Canadian and global organizations across sectors and stages of maturity to bring clarity, confidence, and momentum to their sustainability journeys. Whether you’re advancing disclosure, activating a new strategy, or building internal capacity, we’ll meet you where you are— and help you lead with purpose, and deliver with impact.