OSC announces new members of the Investor Advisory Panel

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) today announced three new members of its independent Investor Advisory Panel (IAP) following a public application process.

The IAP advises and comments on proposed rules, policies and investor protection initiatives, while considering the views of a broad range of investors through consultation with investors and organizations representing investors.

The new IAP members are:

Ilana Singer: Ms. Singer is Vice-President and Corporate Secretary of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), and a bilingual member of CIPF’s senior management team. She leads a team that focuses on claims, policy issues, communications and stakeholder outreach, and corporate secretarial matters. Ms. Singer is a Securities Expert for the World Bank, providing a global perspective on investor compensation schemes. Ms. Singer previously served as an adjunct instructor for the Investor Protection Seminar at Osgoode Hall Law School, Chair of the Securities Advisory Board of the Toronto Centre, and Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director at FAIR Canada.

Ms. Singer has been appointed for a two-year term effective September 1, 2022.

Parham Nasseri: Mr. Nasseri has over 15 years of regulatory and wealth management experience, which includes senior roles in regulatory analytics, digital transformation and loss valuation with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments.  He is a past Chair of the Canadian Advocacy Council of CFA Societies Canada and is a CFA Charterholder. Mr. Nasseri currently serves as Vice-President, Product & Regulatory Strategy at InvestorCOM.

Mr. Nasseri has been appointed for a two-year term effective November 1, 2022.

Deborah Leckman: Ms. Leckman is a member of the Board of Trustees of OPTrust, serves as an advisor to the Investor Protection Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School, and is a former Commissioner to the Ontario Securities Commission. A CFA Charterholder, Ms. Leckman is a senior investment professional with over 30 years experience in the retail wealth and pension fund industries, and has held executive roles in the private and public sectors.

Ms. Leckman has been appointed for two-year term effective January 1, 2023.

The IAP is an important voice for investors in the regulatory process, and new members were selected to ensure that the IAP continues to represent a broad range of relevant experience, skills, knowledge and perspectives.

The OSC would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing IAP members Serge Kalloghlian, whose term ended earlier this year, and Neil Gross and Daniel Brunet, whose terms will end later this year, for their valuable contributions to the IAP. 

Mr. Gross, who has served on the IAP since 2017 and was appointed Chair in 2018, will conclude his term on October 31, 2022.

“The IAP serves a crucial role representing investor perspectives on the OSC’s policy and rule-making initiatives and in helping us advance our investor protection mandate,” said Grant Vingoe, CEO of the OSC. “Neil has led the IAP with distinction, and we have benefited tremendously from his expertise, frankness and commitment to investors. We are excited to continue engaging with Neil in a number of ways following the end of his term on the IAP.”

The OSC is delighted to announce that Ms. Singer will assume the role of Chair of the IAP effective November 1, 2022.

Full biographical information on all IAP members, along with details on meetings, submissions and other activities, is available in the Investor Advisory Panel section of the OSC website.

The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices, to foster fair, efficient and competitive capital markets and confidence in the capital markets, to foster capital formation, and to contribute to the stability of the financial system and the reduction of systemic risk. Investors are urged to check the registration of any persons or company offering an investment opportunity and to review the OSC investor materials available at https://www.osc.ca

– 30 –