Team

Susannah is a Chartered Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and Certified Financial Planner. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo, specializing in Chartered Accountancy.

Prior to joining RBC, Susannah provided comprehensive financial planning guidance and advice to executives, business owners, professionals and high net worth families. Susannah uses a holistic approach to helping clients address all areas of their financial planning.

Susannah’s role is to work with and support your Investment Advisor in preparing and presenting comprehensive Compass Financial Plans.

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.

Kelly received her law degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1993 and was called to the bar in 1995.

She practised in the areas of litigation, family law and estate planning at a law firm until joining a major trust company in 1996, where she worked in a variety of roles involving estate administration and planning. Kelly joined RBC Dominion Securities in 2003.

Kelly received her Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation in 1998 and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) as well as the Law Society of Upper Canada. She has completed Parts I and II of the CICA in-depth tax course.

Kelly’s significant practical experience in the estate planning and administration field, coupled with her financial planning expertise, allows her to offer guidance on both the tax and personal implications of your estate plan.

Sara specializes in international estate planning, art collection and digital legacy planning for UHNW families in developing their wealth and legacy plans. Her guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom she frequently interacts.

Sara has two decades of professional experience in complex estate and trust administration and planning; business succession; cross-border tax planning (STEP Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates); family governance (STEP Advanced Certificate on family enterprise advising); art collection management and art estates planning (“Art as Global Business” Certificate, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art and European Institute of Sustainability, “Art Disruption,” NFTs and tokenization of Art, legal and tax planning); as well as, Digital Assets Inventory and estate management. She is a graduate of Masters in US Law at George Mason University and was called to the California State Bar in 2021. Sara achieved her Ph.D. in International Management (Behavioural Finance and Law) at the International School of Management in France, as well as completed the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, National Committee on Accreditation at UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Sara is an active member of the following groups and institutions:

American Bar Association (ABA) in Chicago, US
California Lawyers Association CLA Trust and Estate, and IP Chapters in Los Angeles, US
Beverley Hills Bar Association in Los Angeles, US
International Bar Association (IBA) in London, UK; Technology Law Committee, Art, Cultural and Heritage Committee, IP and Entertainment Committee
Fellow of the European Law Institute in Vienna, Austria; Model Rules on Succession of Digital assets SIG; Access to Digital Assets SIG, and Model Rules on Algorithmic Contracts SIG
STEP Canada; the STEP Cross-Border Estates SIG
The Institute of Art and Law in London, UK
Art Lawyers Association (ALA) in London, UK
Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) in New York City, US
Alumnus of the of Harvard Law School, HarvardX, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Third Space Life Charity in the Okanagan
She lectures the fall/winter seminars on International Business Law, Business Succession, Trust, International Arbitration and
M&A at ISEG, MBA course in Paris, France. She is also a visiting lecturer of Blockchain and NFTs at UCLA Law school. Sara is fluent in Italian and English and has working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Sara 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.

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. Mark has also completed and taught at the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Course. 

Complimentary Business Owner Planning 

As a valued client, you are entitled to complimentary business owner consultations with a highly qualified Business Owner Specialist. 

As your Business Owner Specialist, Mark will work closely with your advisor to identify strategies and solutions that are customized to meet your personal and business planning objectives. Tax, business risk, succession, and retirement strategies, some that are particular to the business owner/manager, will be identified, which you would then discuss with your lawyer and accountant. 

Cecilia Xiao brings more than 10 years of extensive financial planning and wealth management experience to RBC Wealth Management, Private Banking. As a Private Banker, Cecilia Xiao provides comprehensive wealth management and financial planning strategies to high-net-worth business owners, executives, professionals, and their families.

Based in Toronto, Cecilia works with a select number of clients in Greater Toronto Region to address their often-complex banking, credit and wealth management needs through customized banking and financial solutions. Her goal is to deliver unparalleled service while building lasting relationships based on a thorough understanding of each client's unique needs and goals.

When necessary, she collaborates with specialists across RBC to provide clients with a complete range of complementing services. Ranging from investment management to estate and legacy planning, and from domestic and international trust services to sophisticated credit, Cecilia Xiao can propose targeted strategies to help clients achieve their short- and long-term goals.

After earning a Master of International Business Degree from Smith School of Business at Queen's University, Cecilia has continued to deepen her knowledge and experience with key industry designations such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Personal Financial Planner (PFP®). Cecilia is a member and mentor of CFA Toronto Society and Women in Capital Market. To support the community, she volunteers for RBC Race for kids and Junior Achievement Canada. Cecilia was born and raised in China and is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Away from the office, Cecilia enjoys Golfing, Skiing, Wine Tasting, Fashion and Travel.

RBC Private Insurance offers customized protection on high-value homes, vehicles, watercrafts, collections, and more.

As a Private Client Insurance Specialist, Melissa will conduct a Personal Risk Assessment to provide holistic advice. She will work closely with you to customize your High Net Worth coverage to your unique needs and lifestyle.

Prior to joining RBC Private Insurance, Melissa worked with the RBC Insurance retail division for over a decade. Her main focus was to offer a superior client experience whilst matching her client needs with protection of assets. This led her to winning many accolades including the coveted RBC Insurance President’s Club medal.

Melissa holds the prestigious Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP)Designation which is the benchmark of insurance professionalism from the Insurance Institute of Canada.