Our partners

Ryan is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) 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 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. 

Specialized financial planning 

At RBC, we recognize that with greater financial resources, comes greater financial complexity. To help you properly coordinate your financial matters and optimize the unique opportunities available to you, we are pleased to offer you our highest level of financial planning. Personally prepared by Ryan Leung, a Financial Planning Specialist, your comprehensive Financial Plan will provide recommendations specific to your situation. Your plan will consider strategies to maximize your cash flow, reduce taxes, ensure your retirement lifestyle, protect your financial security, transfer wealth to your next generation tax-efficiently and make the most of your philanthropic legacy. In appreciation of your business, your advisor is pleased to offer this service to you on a complimentary basis. 

Marlena is a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) graduate from Concordia University, and a Certified Financial Planner® professional. She also holds a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) in Canada and is fluently trilingual (English, French and Polish).

Marlena has over 20 years of extensive wealth management experience ranging from being a key note conference speaker, to also being a national TV, print and radio media spokesperson, and managing an RBC branch. She also spent many years in financial advisory roles where she provided technical research, support and wrote articles on complex tax, trusts, estates and retirement matters. Most recently, Marlena has been providing holistic comprehensive wealth planning services to high net and ultra-high net worth business owners, professionals, physicians, and retirees.

Marlena’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.

 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. 

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.

As a Business Owner Specialist, High Net Worth Planning Services, Bobby, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a business owner.

Bobby has over 15 years of experience working with owners of privately held businesses to help them develop business succession, tax and estate planning solutions tailored to their goals and objectives. Prior to joining High Net Worth Planning Services, Bobby provided tax, retirement, estate and financial planning advice to RBC advisors and their clients. He has written articles on various topics including determining the value of a business, farm succession planning, tax planning and retirement planning.

Prior to joining RBC, Bobby was a Vice President at a boutique business valuation firm in Toronto where he worked with business owners to help them determine the value of their business for divestitures, litigation, tax and estate planning purposes. He also worked with owners to help them identify the value drivers of their business.

Bobby is a Chartered Business Valuator, a Chartered Professional Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto. He has also completed all three levels of the CPA In-Depth Tax Course.

Defining Wealth, Your Way

What does wealth mean to you? The word "wealth" evokes different sentiment for everyone. I work with your advisor to learn what wealth means to you. I take the time to understand your story. My personalized process involves asking the necessary questions, analyzing your situation, and applying my expertise. These steps ensure your personal financial objectives always guide my recommendations. Appreciating how you want to create, preserve, and transfer your wealth allows me to design solutions that define wealth – your way.

My commitment to ongoing education ensures my skills and expertise are among the most regarded in the industry. I hold the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations. In addition, I am currently pursuing the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation.

Envision, Create & Preserve - Wealth Planning Designed For You

Adam began his career in the financial industry in 2009 and has worked for several major Canadian insurers. Experienced in both personal and corporate insurance planning, he has the knowledge to tailor wealth solutions that maximize the financial and tax advantages of insurance products.

Adam's philosophy stems from dedication to his own family. He believes that the cost to safeguard yourself, your loved ones and legacy is insignificant when faced with the alternative - inaction. Having the ability to apply innovative solutions, he will help to protect what is most valuable to you. Pursuing ongoing education ensures that his expertise aligns with the industry's most recognized designations. He holds the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU) and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designations as well as an Honours B.A in Political Science.

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.

Ariel graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Business Administration in 1992, and from the Faculty of Law in 1994 where he served on the editorial board of the Law Review.

He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996. Prior to joining RBC, Ariel spent 5 years teaching Real Estate Law and Estate Law at La Cité Collégiale in Ottawa. For the previous 12 years, Ariel held several positions at a major trust company, culminating in the role of Trust Manager.

Ariel is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (Canadian chapter). His significant practical experience in estate planning and administration allows him to offer valuable guidance during the creation of your estate plan.

As a 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 help craft a comprehensive, effective estate plan that meets their particular 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. Called to the bar in 2016, she is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Junior Trust and Estate Practitioners (JTEP), the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), as well as a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Prior to obtaining her law degree, Lesley 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.

Before joining RBC Royal Trust, Lesley worked under one of Toronto’s top will and estate planners and completed her articling term at one of Toronto’s top estate litigation firms.

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.

The combination of her professional experience and her commitment to provide practical solutions makes Lesley an invaluable resource for both clients and their financial advisors.

Mark specializes in tax, estate and retirement planning for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families. He also assists individuals facing significant life events (i.e., sale of a business, financial windfall, retirement, death in the family, immigration to or emigration from Canada, marriage or divorce, etc.). 

Prior to joining RBC, Mark worked at a boutique wealth management firm where he focused on Canadian tax, U.S. tax and comprehensive wealth planning to business owners, executives, retirees and professional athletes. He also spent over a decade in public accounting practice rendering tax planning, research and dispute resolution services. 

Mark is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He holds Master of Accounting and Bachelor of Mathematics degrees from the University of Waterloo. 

Wealth Planning Consultation 

Mark works closely with your RBC advisor to identify strategies and solutions on structuring your affairs in a manner that addresses your overall wealth planning needs, which you would then discuss and implement with your accountant or lawyer. 

Jag specializes in trust and estate planning for business owners, high-net-worth individuals and their families as part of a holistic approach to their wealth planning journey. 

With over 18 years of legal private practice experience, Jag spent 12 years specializing as a trust and estate planning and estate administration lawyer, most recently as a partner at Miller Thomson LLP in the Private Client Services group. She regularly advised clients on sophisticated and complex estate planning matters related to blended family planning, business succession planning, and cross-border planning while incorporating appropriate tax minimization strategies. 

In addition to having her Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) she has most recently obtained her Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation with Family Enterprise Canada which has allowed Jag to broaden her estate planning practice to family legacy building and governance for high-net-worth families. 

As an active member of the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario) and STEP, Jag frequently writes and speaks on various topics related to trust and estate planning, as well as administration. She has been ranked as a Lexpert – leading lawyer in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in the area of Estate and Personal Tax Planning for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023). 

Wealth Planning Consultation 

Jag works closely with your RBC advisor to identify strategies and solutions on structing your affairs in a manner that addresses your overall wealth planning needs, which you would then discuss and implement with your accountant and lawyer.