Workshop #1 Fraud Trends in Asset-Based Lending
Speaker: Carl Davies, Equifax
As Head of Fraud, ID and Compliance at Equifax Canada, Carl brings 20 years of experience in financial services, specializing in fraud mitigation, risk management and technology platforms. With a background in Consulting and Professional Services Leadership, his experience covers industry sectors across North America, the UK and Europe.
Prior to Equifax, Carl held leadership positions at Experian Canada, a technology start-up based in Toronto, and various consulting roles in the UK.
Workshop #2 Automotive E-Commerce Tools
Speaker: Vladimir Kovacevic, Inovatech
The upheaval of the last two years has accelerated a lot of previous consumer trends. Stores that preferred cash now want you to tap; everyone got used to using QR codes for menus at restaurants; local mom-and-pop shops started offering online ordering; and online-only car shopping with touch-free delivery suddenly became a thing. Digital auto marketplaces in Canada and the U.S. suddenly became a much more common way to find a car. As every aspect of shopping went digital, and Web 3.0 tools for shopping, ordering, and payment went mainstream, car buyers suddenly expected a friction-free experience through the entire journey. As we return to ‘normal’, these expectations won’t ease. (And normal - for now - includes a continuation of very tight inventory, rising interest rates, and the highest inflation a generation of car buyers have ever seen.)
The implications for lenders looking to meet consumer expectations and meet the challenges of the market are clear: anything that helps reduce friction is a potential advantage. Whether it means adopting cleaner, more modern UIs for consumers and dealers; or automating and streamlining workflows to reduce manual steps and accelerating the process. When the bakery and sporting goods store down the street are using the latest e-commerce software, you can’t risk being left behind.
Market: Consumer auto.
Outcomes: Learn what’s changed in the last 30 months, and what that means for consumer expectations in the car buying & financing experience.
Area: Technology (specifically user experience)
Vladimir Kovacevic is co-founder and managing partner of Inovatec Systems, a global provider of loan origination and loan management solutions for a wide range of lenders, including banks, credit unions, automobile and power sports financing providers, and other institutions. Under his stewardship, Inovatec has earned a reputation for successfully leveraging advanced technologies to help customers book loans faster and more efficiently than other providers in the market.
Vlad founded Inovatec in 2006 after spending several years working as an engineer at Eastman Kodak, and was responsible for managing the network infrastructure at the company’s Medford, Oregon facility. While at Kodak, he utilized advanced development and project management skills that he subsequently brought to Inovatec, forming the foundation of the company’s technical capabilities and service-oriented approach.
He resides with his family in the Vancouver, BC, area.
Workshop #3 What’s New in Law
Speakers: Michael Burke (Blakes, Cassels & Graydon LLP), Nicole Taylor-Smith (Miller Thomson) & François Joubert (Savoie Joubert LLP)
Michael Burke is a Partner in the Financial Services Group in the Toronto office of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. His practice primarily focuses on securitization and asset-based lending/leasing transactions and the development of wholesale and retail (consumer) lending/leasing programs. Michael is the longest serving Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s PPSL Committee, whose submissions have been responsible for virtually all major amendments that have been made to Ontario’s PPSA over the last two decades. Michael is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Lenders Association and the Board of Regents of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (ACCFL), is a member of the Legal Committee of the Canadian Finance & Leasing Association (CFLA) and, until 2021, was on the CFLA’s Board of Directors. For over a decade, Michael has been recognized by his peers and clients as one of Canada’s top securitization and lease/finance lawyers, including by Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, Best Lawyers, Lexpert and Who’s Who Legal. For his extensive work in these areas (including his publications and speaking engagements), he was inducted in 2016 as a Fellow of ACCFL. For 2020, he was named by Best Lawyers as its 2020 Equipment Finance Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Toronto, repeating the same honour that he had received for 2015 from Best Lawyers. Since 2016, Michael has been rated as a “stand-out lawyer by senior in-house counsel” by Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (formerly known as Acritas Stars: Independently Rated Lawyer). Michael was selected as one of CFLA’s “Members of the Year” in 2010 for developing the Leasing Law and Leasing Documentation materials for CFLA’s education program.
Nicole Taylor-Smith is an experienced insolvency, restructuring and litigation lawyer practicing in Calgary for over 20 years. Nicole brings a practical and pragmatic approach to her practice to achieve efficient and effective results for her clients. Nicole regularly represents financial institutions, secured lenders, equipment lessees, debtors and creditors, receivers and trustees and other stakeholders in commercial reorganizations, secured transactions, bankruptcy matters and court-appointed receiverships. Her experience spans a wide range of industries including banking and financial services, energy, hospitality,
and real estate development. Nicole is also an experienced litigation lawyer specializing in all aspects of debtor-creditor law, including the enforcement of creditor’s rights and remedies, commercial landlord-tenant matters, the enforcement of equipment leases, foreclosure actions and actions to recover land, construction lien actions, priority disputes, fraudulent preference actions and condominium disputes.
Nicole provides pragmatic advice and counsel in a number of areas:
Insolvency law: acting for debtors, creditors, and other stakeholders, including purchasers of distressed assets in proceedings under the Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Debtor-creditor litigation: representing clients regarding the enforcement of commercial leases and equipment leases, including foreclosure actions, builders’ lien actions, and priority disputes.
Nicole serves on the WiAF Committee of the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA). She is an active member of the Western Canada chapter of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), and the Turnaround Management Association. She is a frequent speaker on insolvency matters and priority issues.
François Joubert was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1987 after having graduated from the University of Montreal Law. François is one of the founding partners of the firm Savoie Joubert LLP. Over the years, his dedication and hard work have helped and expand Savoie Joubert’s clientele, while ensuring that all clients continue to benefit from personalized, first-rate service from our firm. François has the pleasure and the honour of serving the Canadian Financial Lease Association (CFLA), and he regularly gives conferences to its members and represents the moveable financing industry through the CFLA before various governmental bodies when legislative changes affect the industry.
His experience and availability to clients, along with his constant desire to satisfy clients, have been the keys to his success
François, who regularly pleads before the Quebec Courts, has participated in the outcomes of important decisions rendered by the Quebec Court of Appeal in recognizing the rights of the creditors holding real rights in securitized assets, whether financed or leased, in insurance claims. These decisions have had the effect of improving the leverage creditors/lessors have when dealing with insurers over the last few years.
Workshop #4 Measuring the Industry
Speakers: Robin Somerville (QEDinc) & Rob Grein (PMG)
Robin Somerville is President of QEDinc, which was established in 2006 as a partner corporation of The Centre for Spatial Economics. QEDinc’s mission is to provide clients with quantitative economic research to further their decision-making process and it does this by using econometric research and economic models to quantify the impacts of economic activity, events and policy initiatives.
Robin began his economics career at the Bank of Canada in 1986 and worked at DRI Canada (now part of Standard & Poor’s) before joining The Centre for Spatial Economics in 2002. He has been working with the CFLA to develop metrics on the size and growth of the Asset-based Finance industry since 2003.
Rob Grein - PMG
Rob Grein, President of PMG Intelligence, is an accomplished 25-year business leader with advanced skill sets in market research, data analysis, technology innovation, and strategy. Rob is a long-standing community Board volunteer and coach in recreational, competitive, and provincial levels of sport.
Professional goal: To advance informed decision-making at an organizational level through the creation of innovative data analysis methodologies and applied technology platforms.
Personal goal: To help, support, and develop young people in their life endeavours through education and sport.
Workshop #5 Looking Forward: Challenges and Opportunities for your EV Fleet
Speaker: Jason Kazmar, Element Fleet Management
Jason Kazmar is a resourceful energy and sustainability professional with a passion for emerging technology and new markets within transportation and energy. He has held a number of roles throughout, from executing performance improvement plans to strategic thought leadership. He strives to build effective professional relationships through active listening and taking a multi-perspective approach when engaging stakeholders. An electrical engineer by training, Jason is fascinated by new technologies and industry trends. This, coupled with a pragmatic business sense, allows him to achieve personal and professional objectives while developing a career that promotes a sustainable energy-efficient future.
Workshop #6 Navigating the Legislative Tax Storm
Speakers: Martine Lim (KPMG), Christian Thibault (KPMG) & Pej Saket (KPMG)
The Canadian tax landscape is becoming increasingly complex with new tax legislation proposals that may affect your organization. This session will navigate through the newly proposed provisions for both Corporate income tax and indirect tax with a focus on the impact on the finance and leasing industry.
Corporate Income Tax: we will review the legislative tax proposal, including the implications of the EIFEL rules, which could result in denied deducibility of interest and financing costs for tax purposes resulting in an increased tax cost for your organization. We will also review the proposed enhanced mandatory disclosure rules, including reportable uncertain tax provisions and reportable transactions, which could result in an increase in the likelihood of CRA audit.
Indirect Tax: we will review the new Luxury Tax and its application to your business, as well as key points out of the recent CIBC Federal Court of Appeal case that affects the ways in which contracts may impact your GST/HST liabilities. We will look at some of the differences between cost sharing and referral fees vs. brokerage fees and how each is treated for GST/HST purposes. Finally, we will take a look at how the mix between leasing and financing revenue in a business can change the GST/HST costs of the business and possible ways to mitigate that.
Martine Lim is a Partner with KPMG Financial Services (“FS”) Tax Practice and has been a member of KPMG FS Tax Practice since 2008, focusing on advising FS organizations on international corporate tax matters as well as providing corporate tax compliance and tax provision services.
Christian Thibault is a Partner in KPMG’s Indirect Tax Practice with over 20 years of experience. Christian specializes in providing clients in various sectors of the financial services industry with indirect tax advisory, compliance and structuring services.
Pej is an Executive Director with KPMG Financial Services Tax Practice. Pej has 11 years of experience in providing tax compliance/accounting, tax structuring as well as tax advisory services to a diverse set of clients in the financial services industry.
Workshop #7 Leveraging Vehicle History Data to Control Risk & Improve Valuation
Speakers: To be confirmed, CARFAX
Workshop #8 Redefining the automotive financing customer experience with technology
Speakers: Cheryl Woodburn (Provenir) & Paul Harder (CIBC)
Cheryl Woodburn serves as Country Manager for Canada at Provenir, a global leader in AI-powered risk decisioning software. Cheryl manages all operations as Provenir responds to the record-breaking growth the company is experiencing in North America. Cheryl has more than 25 years of experience in global software, analytics, data and technology markets. Prior to joining Provenir, Woodburn served as Vice President, Sales at Equifax. She also served in senior leadership roles at FICO and IBM, overseeing sales and customer success teams, sales enablement, and business operations. Cheryl received a Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Paul Harder has held a variety of roles in banking and retail lending, including Insurance, Mortgages, Unsecured Lending and Automotive Finance. He is currently the Vice President of Automotive Finance and Unsecured Lending at CIBC. Prior to entering banking, Paul held positions with the Canadian Federal Government in Canada and abroad. He holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa, an MA from Carleton University and BA from the University of Victoria.