MEET THE TEAM

Russ Goyenko
President & CEO

Russ Goyenko is an Associate Professor of Finance at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. He also held faculty appointments at the University of Toronto, Notre Dame University, and most recently a visiting position at the Yale School of Management. His industry experience includes consultant appointments with KPMG’s risk management group, private asset management companies, and equity options market making firms. Russ has more than 20 years of quantitative research experience in financial markets and his research has been published in the most prestigious finance peer-reviewed journals. In summer of 2020 Russ founded AI in Finance initiative: Financial Innovations and Risk Management Labs – a research tank bridging the gap between financial economics and computer science. Its objective is to develop fundamental and practical applications of ML/AI in Asset Management and finance in general. In October 2024, together with McGill and FIAM, Russ launched an inaugural, the first in the world, Asset Management Hackathon across all Canadian Universities as a new way of student portfolio management competition when the newest technology and big data are involved. The purpose of this hackathon is to demonstrate the potential of AI in applications for portfolio management practices.

Vadim di Pietro
CCO and Advising Representative

Vadim di Pietro is Chief Investment Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and registered Advising Representative for Desautels Capital Management. Desautels Capital Management is Canada’s first university-owned, student-run registered investment management firm. Vadim joined the Desautels Faculty of Management in 2009. Prior to Desautels, Vadim was an investment strategist at J.P. Morgan in London from 2007 to 2009. He holds a B.Eng. from McGill University, a Master’s in Mathematical Finance from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management. Vadim is also a CFA charter holder. 

Wenyu Jiao
Quantitative Analyst

Wenyu Jiao is a quantitative analyst with a strong academic background in finance, mathematics, and data science. Currently a Ph.D. student in Finance at McGill University, Wenyu’s research interests focus on financial markets, quantitative modeling, and leveraging data-driven methods for financial decision-making.

With a Master’s degree in Financial Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University, Wenyu brings advanced expertise in time series analysis, stochastic processes, machine learning, and derivatives pricing. Her undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Economics from NYU further reinforce a multidisciplinary approach to tackling complex financial challenges.

ADVISORY BOARD

Vasco Ceccon

Vasco Ceccon is President of Vasco design international inc. which he founded in 1969. His professional expertise lies in consulting and ideation in graphic design and marketing communication. His extensive experience in the industry allows him to rapidly grasp business challenges and to develop innovative communication tools for clients. His actions earned him the CITATION award by Design Canada, for his contribution to the advancement of graphic design in Canada. He also received numerous medals, including the Governor General of Canada, the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec and the Unesco.

Jean Marc Leger

Jean-Marc is an economist who founded Leger in 1986 with his father, Marcel Léger.

Under his leadership, the company has become the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics company, with more than 600 employees in its eight offices in Canada (Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver) and the United States (New York). In recent years, the company has made a major technological shift with more than a dozen acquisitions (including Ressac, a digital agency), the creation of the Leger Analytics (LEA) division and the development of the largest proprietary panel in Canada, Leger Opinion (LEO).

Jean-Marc also founded WIN (the Worldwide Independent Network), which includes the largest independent survey and market research firms in 75 countries. He was the president of WIN from 2010 to 2016.

Jean-Marc was successively chairman of the Université du Québec à Montréal’s (UQAM) Board of Directors, the Publicité-Club de Montréal and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM). Currently, he is a board member for TVA, HEC Montréal’s Pôle D, the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), and the community organization Capsana.

Jean-Marc is recognized as Canada’s leading expert on consumer behavior and millennials. He is also the author of the best-selling book The Quebec Code, and producer of the Quebec Code series on Télé-Québec and the Quebec Code podcast on TVA+. He is a regular contributor to The Canadian Press, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Devoir, the National Post, TVA and The Atlantic.

Jean-Marc has advised numerous prime ministers and business leaders in Quebec, Canada and abroad, notably in France, Gabon and Morocco.

Claude Perron

Claude Perron is President and Founder of FIAM and President Emeritus of Gestion Cristallin, a company specializing in arbitrage strategies for fixed-income securities, convertible bonds and market events, mainly mergers and acquisitions.

His professional career has been concentrated in three sectors – academic: head of the administration department/faculty at Université du Québec à Montréal, co-founder of CIREM (now CIREM-HEC), corporate: CN Express (CEO) Dominion Textile (Sr. VP Development) and capital markets: Co-Head of Institutional Sales at Marleau Lemire Securities (Dundee), Senior VP. Investment Banking at Midland / Merrill Lynch and for 25 years at Gestion Cristallin. A well-known figure in the Quebec asset management community, he is actively involved in Cristallin’s business development and strategic initiatives.

The creation of FIAM is a natural extension of Claude’s legacy, encompassing over 15 years of orchestrating noteworthy events. His impact has been keenly felt as the Vice-Chairman of AIMA Canada, where he led the organization of its flagship event fondly known as the Méchoui. Additionally, Claude’s commitment reverberates in FIAM’s mission at the crossroads of data science, AI/ML technology, and finance, particularly in the dynamic realm of asset management.

Julien Farre

Julien Farre is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Kimmik Capital, a European credit asset manager. He was a Senior Analyst, Managing Director, and Partner at Angelo Gordon Europe, from 2012 to 2023.

Julien joined Angelo Gordon in 2012 as a Director in the European Distressed and Special situations team. He was promoted to Managing Director in 2014 and Partner in 2016.

He spearheaded major transactions for the firm and held positions on the Boards of Saur, Fransbonhomme, Deoleo, Technicolor Creative Studios, and Vantiva.

Prior to joining Angelo Gordon, Julien was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the Bank Loans Distressed Investing team.

Julien previously worked at Bain & Co as an associate and at Credit Suisse First Boston as an analyst.

Julien holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and an M.B.A from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.