HNW Business Owner Planning Specialist
Robyn Solnik, LL.B, TEP
Vice President, Business Owner Specialist,Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
As a Business Owner Specialist, High Net Worth Planning Services, Robyn, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a business owner.
Prior to joining RBC, Robyn acquired her expertise in estates, trusts and succession planning in both private practice and with a major trust company, practicing law in Toronto for 8 years with an emphasis on trusts, estates, succession, planning for incapacity and charities law, and as a will and estate consultant for a well-known Canadian trust company. In 2001, Robyn joined RBC, assisting clients with their overall tax and estate planning, and in 2011, assumed her present position, specializing solely in assisting business owners with their succession, tax, retirement and estate planning.
Robyn obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall in 1991, and she was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1993. She has completed her in-depth tax courses, levels 1 and 2, as well as the Advanced Tax Issues for the Owner Managed Business Course and the Corporate Reorganizations Course. She has co-authored two books, “Drafting Wills in Ontario: A Lawyer’s Practical Guide” and “Drafting Wills in Canada: A Lawyer’s Practical Guide”.
In addition, Robyn was an instructor at the Estate and Trust Bar Admission Course at the Law Society of Upper Canada.She is an active member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has obtained the STEP Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising.
Prashant Patel, ASA, CFP, TEP
Vice President, Business Owner Specialist, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
As a Business Owner Specialist, High Net Worth Planning Services, Prashant, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a business owner.
His guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom he frequently interacts.
His expertise includes tax and estate planning for business owners, executives, retirees, sports professionals and individuals with U.S. issues. He also assists individuals facing significant financial events (sale of business, financial windfall, retirement, job loss, moving to Canada, leaving Canada, etc.)
Prior to joining RBC in 1999, Prashant honed his expertise by working as a Canadian and U.S. tax specialist for two of the big four accounting firms in downtown Toronto.
Prashant is a Certified Financial Planner, Associate of the Society of Actuaries and member of both the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and Canadian
Tax Foundation.
Abby Kassar, CPA, CA, CFP, TEP, FEA
Vice President, Business Owner Specialist, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
As a Business Owner Specialist, High Net Worth Planning Services, Abby, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a business owner.
Her guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom she frequently interacts.
Prior to joining High Net Worth Planning Services, Abby provided tax, retirement, estate and financial planning advice to RBC advisors and their clients. She has written articles on various topics including charitable donations, executive compensation, tax planning and retirement planning.
Prior to joining RBC, Abby worked in a medium sized accounting firm assisting business executives and high net worth clients with their tax planning and estate planning. She worked closely with owner-manager shareholders to assess and recommend the best tax planning strategies, the best corporate structure and the most suitable succession plan.
Abby is a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor in Economics and Commerce from the University of Toronto. She completed the In-Depth tax courses I and II and the In- Depth Tax Issues for the Owner-Managed Business as well as the Canadian Securities Course. She is also a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has obtained the STEP Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising. Abby is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Lastly, Abby is a certified Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA), which allows her to address the complex needs of family enterprise clients.
Financial Planning Specialist
Mary Ellen Isenor, CPA, CA
Vice-President & Financial Planning Specialist,Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Mary is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). She has received her Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie and a Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University. Mary has completed and tutored the CICA In-Depth Tax Course.
Prior to joining RBC in 2008, Mary was employed as a Senior Manager, Tax where she specialized in tax planning for individuals and their owner-managed entities. During her career Mary has been employed by two of the large international public accounting firms and has a broad range of experience in mergers and acquisitions, business succession, estate and trust planning and overall tax minimization.
Mary’s role is to work with and support your advisor in preparing and presenting comprehensive Compass Financial Plans for clients.
Ryan Leung, CPA, CA, CFP, TEP, FEA, CLU
Vice President and Financial Planning Specialist, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Ryan is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). He has completed the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada’s In-Depth Tax Course and holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University with a major in Accounting. He is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, Family Enterprise Canada, and The Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (Canada).
In his previous role as a tax manager at one of the global major accounting firms, Ryan specialized in providing tax planning services to high-net-worth families, private businesses, estates, trusts and partnerships. His work focused on tax minimization strategies and reorganizations.
Ryan’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 planning concerns you may have.
Will & Estate Consultant
Joanne obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria, Canada. She was called to the Ontario Bar and is a member of good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management, Joanne has had a rich and varied career working in both large and small firms in private practice as well as working for a number of years as in-house counsel for a large international technology company. In the last few years in private practice, Joanne specialized in the areas of will and estate planning, estate administration, trust planning, and family business succession planning.
As a Wills and Estate Consultant, Joanne provides comprehensive estate planning services to clients.
Insurance Specialists
Christopher O’Toole, BA, CLU, CHS
Estate Planning Specialist, RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc.
I don’t accept ‘good enough’ and love a challenge – so I partner with clients to provide creative solutions that help them meet their evolving estate planning and insurance needs.
For Chris, trust is everything. He recognizes that trust can only be established once it has been built and requires him to excel personally and professionally. He’s made a career of building strong relationships by ensuring he never takes anything for granted and always delivers on his promises. Chris provides first-class service by consistently bringing product knowledge, informed support, and most importantly, new ideas to address your unique needs.
Having joined the financial industry in 2001, Chris spent many years working for one of Canada’s most prominent life insurance companies. Seeking to improve and maintain his professional knowledge, Chris has earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS®), and Elder Planning Counselor (EPC®) designations.
Barrington Grey, CFP, CLU, FEA
Vice-President & Estate Planning Specialist, RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc.
After four years with a leading life insurer, Barrington joined RBC in 1993 to help RBC advisors introduce their clients to a new strategy to build and protect their wealth: tax-exempt insurance. Since then, clients, along with their tax and legal advisors, have come to rely on his expertise and advice as a recognized specialist on insurance-based wealth enhancement and protection.
Barrington is an accredited Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter and Family Enterprise Advisor. He is also a member of CALU, the Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting which mandates interests specific to advanced financial planning issues related to estate planning and corporate-owned life insurance, to name a few.
Always willing to contribute to the insurance community, Barrington is regularly called upon as a featured speaker at national conferences held by life insurers and affiliated industry associations.
Premier Banking Advisor
As a Premier Banking Advisor, Chandna Kamal provides banking and credit solutions to select high net worth individuals and their families. Partnering with Investment Advisors and Counsellors across the Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Newmarket regions, personalized service and tailored advice to help clients efficiently and effectively manage their day-to day banking needs.
With over 6 years of experience in financial services. Chandna is respected by her clients and industry peers. Prior to her current role, she worked as an Assistant Branch Manager at an RBC branch.
Chandna is committed to giving back to her community. Chandna volunteers with the Women's Shelter and Canadian Cancer Society. She is very passionate helping the less fortunate here at home as well as in other countries.
Chandna was born in India and raised in Toronto, where she currently resides in the Toronto area with her husband and her daughter. She loves spending time with her family and friends, travelling and listening to music.
As a Premier Banking Advisor, Varsha Parray provides banking and credit solutions to select high net worth individuals and their families. Acting as a single point of contact, she partners with Investment Advisors and Counsellors across the Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Newmarket and Aurora regions, and provides personalized service and tailored advice to efficiently and effectively manage their day-to-day banking needs.
With 10 years of experience in financial services with RBC, Varsha is respected by her clients and industry peers, and has received top performer recognition.
Varsha is committed to giving back to her community, and volunteered and participated in the RBC Race for the Kids.
Born in Trinidad in the West Indies and raised in Toronto from the age of 7, Varsha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree from York University and a Human Resource Management Certificate from Seneca College.
She currently resides in the Toronto area with her husband and two children and when she isn’t hard at work for her clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family and friends, reading and developing her green thumb.
Senior Trust Advisor
As a Senior Trust Advisor, Karen Snowdon-Steacy is responsible for managing a complex book of accounts, and services clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Karen 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, Karen can help. Karen also has specialized and experience in advising on philanthropic and charitable giving strategies for clients who wish to leave a lasting legacy.
A graduate of Victoria University at the University of Toronto specializing in history and political science, Karen has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). Karen is a full member of STEP.
With 30 years of experience, Karen is well known within the local estate and trust industry and delivers well-balanced advice by staying abreast of product, industry, investment, tax and legislative developments. With a career focused on building client relationships, she is dedicated to providing assistance in the preservation, management and transfer of wealth between generations by providing solutions to implement clients’ estate, trust and philanthropic plans.
Philanthropic Advisor
Jennifer Button, MSA
Head, Philanthropic Advisory Services, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Jennifer joined RBC Wealth Management Services after having worked for over 15 years in progressively more senior roles within the not-for-profit and charitable sector connecting high net worth individual and corporate donors to causes that they care about. With a strong understanding of the philanthropic landscape, Jennifer is pleased to be able to work with RBC Wealth Management advisors to create and develop strategic philanthropic plans as part of your overall financial plans.
Jennifer’s guidance will support clients and advisors to align the charitable intentions of clients and the client’s family for the short, medium and long term with their financial plans. She works amongst RBC Wealth Management Services team of Financial Planning Specialists, Financial Planning Consultants, Business Owner Specialists and Will & Estate Consultants.
Prior to joining RBC in 2017, Jennifer’s work experience across the not- for-profit sector includes: education, amateur sport, healthcare and international development and she brings with her a solid understanding of what charities across Canada can offer for engagement with donors.
Based in Toronto, Jennifer is a member of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, is the President of the University of Toronto’s athletic alumni association, represented Canada on the 2000 Olympic swim team, and holds her master’s degree in sport business administration.