RBC Business Partners

As a Private Banker since 2005, Vera Kurkdjian brings over 15 years of financial services experience and extensive expertise to her role. She provides comprehensive banking, complex credit and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth entrepreneurs, executives and professionals, along with their families and their businesses, throughout the greater Montreal area.

As a trusted advisor to her clients, Ms. Kurkdjian facilitates access to customized solutions including tax and retirement planning, complex credit structures and sophisticated levels of banking and cash management needs. When needed, she will partner with a broad range of specialists across RBC to deliver investment management, Will and estate planning, commercial banking, business succession planning and trust structures to meet both the domestic and international needs of her clients. In recognition of her dedication and outstanding service and advice delivery to her clients, she has been named a member of the RBC Wealth Management, Private Banking Executive Council since 2012.

Ms. Kurkdjian holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University, majoring in accounting, and the designation of Financial Planner through the Institut Québecois de Planification Financière.

Committed to educating young people on financial literacy and the importance of sound money management, Ms. Kurkdjian takes time outside of work to help mentor young people starting their adult lives and careers. In her spare time she enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with her family.

Michel Bétournay, Financial Planner, obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (major in accounting) from HEC Montréal in 1991, and earned the Financial Planner designation from the Quebec Institute of Financial Planners (IQPF) in 2002.

Michel joined RBC Financial Group in 1993, and has fourteen years’ experience as a Financial Planner, twelve of which were spent with the Compass Financial Planning team.

Michel’s role is to work with and support your advisor in preparing and presenting comprehensive Compass Financial Plans for clients.

As a Premier Banking Advisor for the Montreal market, Suvra Das works as a single point of contact, providing personal banking and credit solutions for select clients of Wealth Management Canada and their families. Partnering with Investment Advisors and Counsellors across the region of Montreal, he provides personalized service and tailored advice to help clients save time and effectively manage their day to day banking needs.

With more than 13 years of experience in both personal and business financial services with RBC, Suvra is respected among his clients, industry peers, and has been well recognized in the organization for his contribution. Born in Asia and residing in greater Montreal area for the last 22 years, Suvra is committed to giving back to his community, and contributes to raising funds yearly at the ISKCON Montreal temple for the purpose of the distribution of free vegetarian meals.

He currently resides in the Montreal West Island area with his wife and young son. He is passionate about the electric vehicle industry. Suvra fluently speaks; French, English, Bengali and Hindi.

As an Estate Planning Specialist, Daniel Duchesne gives advisors and their clients something they weren’t expecting. A different discussion about life insurance – one in which they are completely comfortable.

As Daniel puts it, “So many clients say: ‘Why has no one had this discussion with me before?’ The image they had of life insurance is transformed. They say, ‘Wow – I didn’t know insurance could do that.’”

Daniel has an innate ability to put those around him at ease – by simplifying complex matters. His goal is to have two happy clients, the advisor and their client.

Everything he and his team do is for one single reason – to help clients preserve and enhance personal and corporate wealth. They are always asking themselves: “If the client was our parent, would we recommend the same thing?”

Ana's reputation is built on the outstanding level of service she provides. Motivated by a strong desire to help clients achieve their wealth goals, her focus as an Estate Planning Specialist is to build trust and loyalty first rather than only helping with a snapshot of their financial situations.

Driven to make an impact, Ana emphasizes building strong relationships and spends time making sure people are heard while addressing their concerns. She identifies and recommends the right solutions to meet both current and future lifestyle needs while minimizing risk to their existing wealth.

Ana joined the financial services industry in 2006 after receiving her degree from Concordia University in Mathematics and Statistics (BA). It was there that her analytical side and attention to detail flourished and shone. Ana is passionate about sports and a devoted fan of her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.

Nader holds a Master’s degree in taxation (LL.M. Tax.) from HEC Montreal and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Moncton (NB). He is also a Financial Planner (F. Pl.), duly registered under the Institut Québécois de Planification Financière (IQPF).

Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management, Nader worked at a major accounting firms and other firms within the financial services industry, providing sophisticated tax and wealth management planning to high net worth individuals and corporate clients.

Nader’s areas of expertise include personal and corporate tax planning, taxation of life insurance, wealth preservation, and financial planning. As a Financial Planning Specialist at RBC Family Office Services, Nader works jointly with your advisor to prepare and present your comprehensive Compass Financial Plan.

As the Will and Estate Advisor for the Quebec region, Sabrina Silvano provides estate settlement strategies and solutions for clients and their families.

Sabrina works collaboratively with clients, their families and their trusted professionals in order to develop personalized multi-generational estate plans incorporating wills, testamentary and inter vivos trusts, and Protection Mandates. Through this process, she helps families ensure the protection of their patrimony and facilitates its smooth transfer to the next generation.

Sabrina is a highly leveraged resource to the Quebec region team providing insights and advice related to the ever changing laws on estate and trust structures. Her technical expertise complements her skill in managing the complexities of family dynamics. She brings a compassionate, expert perspective that is welcomed by families who may be struggling with the difficult decisions that often accompany estate planning, whether it’s protecting an heir with a disability, providing for children from a previous union, minimizing family conflict or dealing with beneficiaries or assets that are situated outside of Canada.

Fully bilingual, Sabrina holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in North American Common Law from the University of Montreal and is a member of the Quebec Bar and gained her TEP designation in 2018.