Insurance
Colin Ardill, FEA
Vice-President & Estate Planning Specialist, RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc.
You’re the biggest beneficiary.
Colin Ardill stays humble. Even so, he’s not shy about being a man on a mission: to overturn 150 years of misunderstanding about life insurance, one day at a time.
Most Canadians see only one dimension to life insurance: that it’s of no use to the living. But Colin sees it in three dimensions. There is the death benefit that everyone can see – but life insurance also provides tax-exempt growth, and it allows the holder to spend more money in retirement than they otherwise could. Says Colin: “The person buying the policy is going to be the biggest beneficiary.”
Colin has been in the estate planning business for over 15 years. His core purpose – the heart of everything he does – is to leave everyone he meets better off.
Premier Banking
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.
Business Owner Specialist
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.
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.
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 Specialists
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
Alleen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from York University and her law degree from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law in 2008. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2009.
Prior to joining RBC, Alleen practiced in the areas of Estate Planning and Administration, Corporate/Commercial law and Real Estate law in a mid-sized law firm. Alleen advised her clients on a breadth of legal issues, including key considerations in setting up legal business structures, succession planning and estate planning.
Alleen fosters a multidisciplinary approach to each client’s unique needs, drawing on various advisors’ expertise and offering her own to identify issues for further consideration and review, together with information and guidance which are both sensible and practical.
Royal Trust
As a Senior Will and Estate Advisor for the Greater Toronto Area, Lesley Donsky brings an approach to estate planning that centers on understanding and addressing the unique needs of each client, working collaboratively with both the client and their trusted advisors to develop a comprehensive and effective estate plan.
Whether clients hope to protect a disabled heir, incorporate succession planning for their business, address the unique concerns arising from second spouses and blended families, minimize family conflicts, or deal with beneficiaries or assets that are situated outside of Canada, Lesley can help craft a tailored estate plan that meets their individual needs.
Lesley is a graduate of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law with a Juris Doctor degree and holds a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), the Estate Planning Council of Canada and the Junior Trust and Estate Practitioners Group (JTEP), as well as a full member of STEP Canada.
In 2022, Lesley was nominated and shortlisted for the Young Practitioner of the Year Award through the STEP Client Awards, which recognizes excellence among practitioners who demonstrate great promise in the industry.
Before joining RBC Royal Trust, Lesley worked at two of Toronto’s top will and estate planners and estate litigation firms. In addition to her law degree, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from Western University, where she was awarded the Gold Medal in Criminology for her academic achievement.
The combination of Lesley’s professional experience and commitment to providing practical solutions make her an invaluable resource for both clients and their financial advisors.