Who we are

Scott brings his 33 plus years of financial services experience to the clients he meets, including 18 years in public practice (six years as a Partner) with a local CA firm. He has worked with clients in the areas of tax, estate and business strategy including family business succession planning.

Prior to joining RBC Family Office Services, Scott provided services for four years to RBC clients as a Commercial Account Manager, focused on owner- managed business and agriculture clients, and four years as a Private Banker, assisting high net worth clients with personal banking, credit and financial planning needs.

Scott is member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, and the Financial Planners Standard Council. He is a Canadian Association of Family Enterprises trained family business facilitator, a Family Business Advisor and graduate of the University of Guelph with an animal science and agriculture business degree. He is also a member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisers and holds a CAFA designation, (Certified Agriculture Farm Advisor).

Scott will work with your advisors to prepare and present a comprehensive Compass Financial Plan specific to you.

Grant attended Concordia University in Montreal where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1992. He holds three financial planning designations, a Specialist designation from the Trust Institute, and is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Grant has completed the in-depth tax program with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (Levels I, II and III).

Grant has over 25 years of progressive experience in various roles within the financial services field. In addition to his work with RBC Wealth Management, he is currently teaching Tax and Estate Planning courses for the Institut Québecois de Planification Financière to support the continuing education requirements of financial planners in the province of Quebec. Grant has also provided support to the Financial Planners Standards Council of Canada as a subject matter expert and has taught financial planning courses at George Brown College in Toronto.

After completing a Master of Arts degree in English at the University of Waterloo, Alessandra obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law in 2000. She was called to the Ontario bar in February of 2002, and commenced her career as a tax lawyer with the Toronto office of
a prominent national law firm, completing Levels I and II of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ In-Depth Tax Course.

Over her years in private practice, Alessandra served a variety of business clients and their owners ranging from technology start-ups to established manufacturing, property development and retail businesses, advising on tax and estate-planning, including wills and trusts.

Alessandra is now pleased to offer her years of advisory experience to provide Will and Estate Planning services to RBC’s valued clients.

Complimentary Will & Estate planning consultation

In appreciation of your valued business relationship with us, your advisor is pleased to offer you a complimentary Will & Estate Planning consultation with Alessandra, a Will & Estate Consultant.

Alessandra works closely with your advisor to provide you with information on structuring your estate in an efficient and tax effective manner. Following your meeting, Alessandra will provide you with a report outlining various estate planning issues for you to explore in further detail with your own lawyer or accountant.

To schedule a meeting with Alessandra Prioreschi, please contact your advisor.

For over 30 years, Steve has helped families and business owners develop a framework using integrated wealth planning solutions. Clients and their advisors trust Steve’s ability and expertise to develop a solution based on client-centred needs and a values-based approach.

Steve examines insurance planning differently and recognizes that each client situation is unique. His approach is to plan first and then educate clients about their options, so they can make an informed choice best suited to their goals and objectives. Whether it be protection needed during income-earning/business-building years, the preservation of capital or ability to transfer accumulated wealth, Steve is there to help implement a solution that addresses your personal and corporate needs in a tax-efficient manner.

Evaluating the various insurance offerings from Canada’s top-ranked insurance providers, Steve will work together with your professional advisors to ensure you receive high-quality, cost-effective insurance solutions.

As a Senior Trust Advisor, Susan Macdonald serves clients throughout Western Ontario and is located in the Hamilton office. With a career focused on client relationships, she is dedicated to her clients and provides a personalized service tailored to their specific needs. She provides a wealth of knowledge relating to trusts and their administration. Susan has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as Member, Trust Institute (MTI) and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designations.

Susan works with individuals, families and businesses to provide 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, Susan can help.

With more than 20 years of industry experience, Susan 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. Susan 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.

Wes Cutting started working with RBC more than nine years ago, taking a role in the National Office of RBC's Credit Advisory Group immediately after graduating with an Honours Finance Degree from Brock University in St. Catharines. Since joining RBC, Wes had been steadily promoted through various roles and departments within the bank, with increasing responsibilities at each juncture. Before joining the Private Banking team, Wes was an award-winning Commercial Account Manager in the Niagara Region and has since relocated back to Guelph, where he was born and raised.

As your dedicated Private Banker, Wes will take the time to discover what is important to you and your family, as well as your personal financial and wealth goals. Along with his team, which includes a Private Banking Advisor, and a Manager of Credit Structure, he will create a strategy and make recommendations on a plan of action that is right for each unique client situation. He also has access throughout the RBC network to call on a team of renowned specialists, in Canada and key markets worldwide. This team enables him to provide a complete range of services - including delivering comprehensive, integrated financial solutions to ensure clients' meet their goals through investments, business banking, estate planning, and Trusts, both domestic & international.

When not working with clients, Wes enjoys spending his time on the golf course, playing numerous other sports with his friends and colleagues, while spending as much time as he can with his dog, Zoe, who is a purebred Poodle with lots of energy. He is also very active in the kitchen, enjoying any opportunity to cook for family and friends.

Andrea Heard brings over 19 years of experience in the financial industry to her role as Private Banker. For the last 13 years, she has been a Financial Planner with RBC Royal Bank and brings strong relationship management skills to her high-net-worth clients in Waterloo and Southwestern Ontario.

As your dedicated Private Banker, Ms. Heard will take the time to discover what is important to you and your family, as well as your personal financial goals. Along with her team, who include a Private Banking Associate and a Manager, Credit Structures, she will create a strategy and make recommendations on a plan of action that is right for each client situation. She also has access through the RBC network to call on a further team of specialists, in Canada and in key markets worldwide. This team enables her to provide a complete range of services – including delivering comprehensive, integrated financial solutions to help meet clients’ goals through investments, business banking, estate planning, and domestic and international trusts.

Ms. Heard graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University and soon after earned her designation as a Personal Financial Planner (PFP). As a long-time resident of the Waterloo Region, she enjoys volunteering in her community and attending local fundraising events. Most recently she joined the committee of a local organization that recognizes people in the community doing amazing things.

When not working, she enjoys spending her time with her husband and two sons. In her leisure time, she is often is found reading, biking, golfing or entertaining family and friends.