Meet the Extended Team

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.

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.

Andrew loves the insurance business. It’s not the products, it’s the opportunity to learn about you, your family and your life as a whole and how insurance may help you to reach your most cherished goals. That accounts for Andrew’s core purpose: to focus on people and provide the optimal solution for their unique circumstances.

Fundamentally, Andrew is an educator. He says, “If I hadn’t chosen the insurance business I would probably be a teacher. As an Estate Planning Specialist, my role is to educate clients on which situations these products are for, and how you make them work.” It is not about the sale. It’s about helping people discover an insurance solution that works for them, if any. It’s always about people, not product.

Andrew has been an Estate Planning Specialist since 1993. He lives in Toronto with his wife, daughter and their dog. An amateur boxer until 1992, he was the Ontario middleweight champion. Now he’s an avid squash player and fisherman.

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.

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.