About Us

The Team

John D. Zechner | Chief Investment Officer

John Zechner is the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of J Zechner Associates. Founded in 1993, the company has grown steadily and today manages over $2 billion in assets, primarily in North American equity, balanced and fixed income mandates.

John entered the investment field in 1983 and worked in a variety of progressively more senior roles until he formed J Zechner Associates to manage investments for some of Canada’s most well-known mutual fund companies as well many private investors and institutions. John has both a BA (1979) and an MA (1980) in economics from the University of Western Ontario, as well as his CFA (1984) designation. John appears regularly on Business News Network Television.

Jacqueline Ricci | Equity Portfolio Manager

Jacqueline began her investment career in 1987 at Mercantile and General Reinsurance Co. with responsibilities for equity research, trading and portfolio performance evaluation. She joined the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board in 1993 as Senior Analyst for the active equity portfolio of $2 billion. In 1994, she joined Gluskin Sheff & Associates as Senior Investment Analyst and eventually as Co-Portfolio Manager of the $600 million Canadian equity portfolios. Jacqueline joined J Zechner Associates in 1997 as a Vice President and Director and is responsible for stock selection and portfolio mix. Jacqueline obtained her HBA (1987) from the University of Western Ontario and her CFA (1991) designation.

Jeff Herold | Lead Fixed Income Portfolio Manager

Jeff Herold is Vice President and Director at J Zechner Associates where he has been the lead fixed income manager for 14 years. He joined J Zechner Associates as a Partner in 1997. His responsibilities have included all fixed income portfolio management as well as asset mix strategy for balanced portfolios. Jeff has his B.Comm (1977) from the University of Toronto and his CFA (1982) designation.

Jeff has been managing institutional, pension and mutual fund investments since 1978. His experience in fixed income markets spans several cycles and underlies his multi-strategy approach to managing fixed income portfolios. Jeff also brings a client’s perspective, having served as the Chair of Trinity College’s Investment Committee overseeing its endowment and pension funds.

Maria Berlettano | Fixed Income Portfolio Manager

Maria is a Vice President & Director at J Zechner Associates. She joined the firm in 2001 to manage credit research and security selection for the fixed income team. Her primary responsibilities include detailed credit analysis of new and existing debt issuers across industry sectors. Maria also participates in duration, sector allocation and yield curve decisions for clients’ portfolios. Maria entered the investment industry in 1987 at Canadian Bond Rating Service (CBRS) as a credit analyst. While at CBRS, she held several consecutive positions of responsibility, including Managing Director, Financial Services and Structured Finance Group. She later joined National Bank Financial in the capacity of Senior Equity Analyst, Banks and Non-Bank Financial Services. Prior to joining J Zechner Associates, Maria was Principal Analyst, Financial Services at Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Insight where she was responsible for global coverage of the commercial banking sector. Maria has a B.Comm (1987) with Distinction from Concordia University and received the Financial Executives Institute Medallion Award. She also has her CFA (1991) designation.

Jill MacRae | Equity Portfolio Manager

Jill joined J Zechner Associates in 1995 and became a partner in 1997. She is part of the Equity team with the primary responsibility of fundamental company analysis and security selection. Jill has a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto. She received her M.B.A. in 1990 and her Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1991. Jill is a former director of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts – now the Toronto CFA Society – where she was responsible for membership education and communications.

Jill began her investment career in 1986 at D.A.C. Davis Investment Counsel – now Davis/Rea. Prior to joining J Zechner Associates she held equity analysis and portfolio management positions with Crown Life Investment Management and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.

David Cohen | President

David joined J Zechner Associates in January 1997 and has primary responsibility for business development and client relationships. David also sits on the Asset Mix Team along with three other partners .He was appointed President in 2000. David has a BSc in Business Administration (1983) and an MBA (1984) from USIU in San Diego, California.

David began his investment career in 1984 with Deak Perera. He joined Metropolitan Life as a Pension Marketing Representative in 1986 and then moved to North American Life in 1988 where he continued to provide marketing and client services to larger group pension clients. In 1992, David was named Vice President, Marketing of North American’s investment subsidiary, Elliott & Page Limited, where he was responsible for institutional business development and client servicing.

Dax Letham | Portfolio Analyst

Dax Letham has been a Trader and Analyst at J Zechner Associates since 2003. Dax’s responsibilities include trading equity, bond and money market securities, as well as providing investment strategies and recommendations to the Portfolio Managers and their teams. Dax currently sits on the Equity, Fixed Income and Hedged-Fund Investment Teams, as well as the Asset Allocation Committee.

Prior to working at J Zechner Associates, Dax was an Investment Analyst at SEI Investments where he helped manage over one billion in Fixed Income assets. Dax also worked as an Accountant at RBC Dominion Securities in the Treasury Department.

Dax is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA) and has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

The Firm

J Zechner Associates was founded in 1993 and enjoys stable ownership. Since then, we have built an entrepreneurial organisation focused on serving the investment management needs of institutional clients, mutual funds, as well as high-net worth individuals and families.

Our firm manages over $2 billion in assets from our offices in Toronto. We emphasise a team approach to investment management coupled with strong economic research and fundamental analysis in the three main areas of our focus: Balanced, Specialty Equity and Specialty Fixed Income portfolio management. We aim to provide strong, long-term results through consistent strategies.

At J Zechner Associates, our clients have the advantage of being served by a team of talented, experienced professionals. Each professional brings their own expertise and talent to a structure that emphasizes a team approach to money management while respecting each individual’s skill and experience.

J Zechner Associates is 100% owned by its partners, all of whom are actively working for the firm. Every one of our principals has a stake in our performance, growth and client servicing. We have built a strong, family-like team – a company culture that carries over to our relationships with our clients.

Awards

Year	Organization	Award	Fund/Manager
2012	BarclayHedge	5th Highest 3yr Return Equity Long - March 2012	J Zechner Special Equity
2011	BarclayHedge	4th Highest 3yr Return Equity Long - September 2011	J Zechner Special Equity
2011	Thompson-Reuters	Lipper Award Best Fund over 3 yrs - Canadian Neutral Balanced	John Zechner NexGen Canadian Balanced Growth Fund
2010	BarclayHedge	Highest 1yr Return Equity Long	J Zechner Special Equity
2010	API	Performance Achievement Award Highest 3yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity
2010	API	Performance Achievement Award Highest 3yr Return Balanced, Pooled	J Zechner Balanced
2010	Brendan Wood Int'l	Portfolio Management TopGun Voted by 400 analysts	Jacqueline Ricci
2008	API	Performance Achievement Award 2nd Highest 5yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity Fund
2007	API	Performance Achievement Award 3rd Highest 1yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity Fund
2007	API	Performance Achievement Award 2nd Highest 5yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity Fund
2007	API	Performance Achievement Award 2nd Highest 1yr Return Balanced, Pooled	J Zechner Balanced Fund
2006	API	Performance Achievement Award 2nd Highest 1yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity Fund
2006	API	Performance Achievement Award 3rd Highest 3yr Return Canadian Small Cap, Pooled	J Zechner Special Equity Fund
2006	API	Performance Achievement Award 3rd Highest 1yr Return Canadian Equities, Pooled	J Zechner Canadian Equity Fund