Our Specialists
Melissa obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University in 1999 and earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria in 2007. She was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 2008.
Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management, Melissa practiced law in Vancouver and specialized in estate planning and estate administration as well as small business corporate and commercial matters. Melissa assisted clients with a range of estate planning matters including drafting Wills, Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements as well as matters related to the administration of an estate, including applications for Letters Probate and Letters of Administration. Melissa also assisted clients with matters relating to a variety of corporate transactions including incorporations, corporate reorganizations, corporate financing, share and asset purchase and sale transactions as well as the drafting of various corporate commercial documents including shareholder agreements and partnership agreements.
Melissa is a member of the Canadian Bar Association Wills and Trusts Section (Vancouver).
Melissa’s role with RBC Wealth Management is to work with you and your advisor to review and/or structure your Will, estate and trust matters to ensure that your plan is organized in an effective and tax-efficient manner.
Yat-Sze Lo, CPA, CA, CFP
Vice President and Financial Planning Specialist, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Coming from one of the major global accounting firms, Yat-Sze brings a broad range of experience to her role as Vice President, Financial Planning Specialist.
In her previous role, she spent many years working with private companies, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and partnerships. Her work included tax minimization through appropriate tax planning (corporate and personal, including estate planning) as well as corporate restructuring.
Yat-Sze is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). She completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of British Columbia and has completed all three levels of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ In-Depth Tax Course. She has also completed the Advanced Tax Course for Owner-Managed Businesses.
As a Financial Planning Specialist, Yat-Sze’s role is to work with and support your advisor in preparing and presenting your Compass Financial Plan and to identify and assess any related financial and tax planning concerns you might have.
As a Senior Trust Advisor, Catharine Turner serves clients throughout British Columbia in the Vancouver office. Catharine is well known within the Estate and Trust industry in the British Columbia region. She has held many client facing roles focused on business development as well as servicing complex accounts of domestic and international high net worth families during her roles as an Estate and Trust Advisor, Senior Advisor and Private Banker.
A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Catharine has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and the Financial Management Advisor (FMA) designations.
Catharine works with individuals, families, and businesses providing customized estate, trust and incapacity solutions. Whether it is helping someone to settle an estate, establishing a trust to ensure the successful transfer of family assets, or arranging to assist with the administration and responsibilities for a Power of Attorney, Catharine can help.
With more than 30 years of industry experience, Catharine brings to each client the necessary skill set to provide both the technical expertise as well as the genuine understanding of the emotional complexities that underlie these issues. Catharine understands that no two clients are the same and so, together with her RBC Royal Trust partners, she can find the solution that’s right for you.
Aileen Battye, LL.B, TEP
Vice President, High Net Worth Planning Services, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Aileen obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 2000 and graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 2003. She was called to the Bar in British Columbia and Ontario in 2004. She has achieved her TEP designation from STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), has completed the In-depth Tax Issues for the Owner-managed Business course and all three levels of the In-depth Tax course through the CPA. In 2009, Aileen joined RBC, assisting clients with their overall tax and estate planning, and in 2014, assumed her present position, specializing in assisting high-net-worth clients with their succession, tax, retirement and estate planning. Prior to joining RBC, Aileen practiced law in Vancouver and Toronto, specializing in estate and trust planning, and tax litigation. Aileen is a committed community volunteer, currently serving as Treasurer of STEP Canada and as a board member of the Canadian Dupuytren Society. She is a former Trustee of the YMCA of Greater Vancouver Foundation (serving for 9 years) as well as other local not-for-profits in BC. She is also a member of STEP Canada, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, as well as the Canadian Tax Foundation.