POLLACK BRAUN BLATT ADVISORY GROUP - Key Persons
Hart's interest in financial services began during an internship at a large financial services firm in Florida in 1997. He was fortunate to be there for university on a tennis scholarship. During his internship, he worked for a commodities broker who cultivated a close relationship with the majority of clients and taught him the importance of getting to know each and every client on a personal level. This shifted into a summer internship back home with Jim Cristall, who is now a partner and continues to be a mentor.
After graduating, he obtained his Series 7 license and began working in Orlando at the same firm without any prior history with the local community, during the end of the technology bubble in 2000. He found somewhat of a niche in managing group retirement 401k plans and enjoyed working with the owners, executives and employees. Hart moved back home in 2003 to start a family with his wife, Nancy. While he continues to miss his former clients and colleagues in the U.S., it turned out to be the right decision as he now has four healthy and wonderful kids, Mitch, Shane, Talia, and Casey, who are growing up in a great city surrounded by friends and family.
Back in Winnipeg, Hart settled in with CIBC Wood Gundy to build a fulfilling practice where he is able to focus on big picture planning and investing for wonderful people who have become much more than clients over the years.
Hart tries to give back to the sport that provided him with so much, and joined Tennis Manitoba where he eventually became President and now sits on the board of Tennis Canada where he Chairs the Finance and Audit Committee. Hart also followed in his father's footsteps having spent five years on the board of the Shaarey Zedek synagogue. Hart hopes to one day follow in his mother's footsteps who was passionately involved with Cancer Care Manitoba, where she was a founder of the Guardian Angel Caring room.
Iurii is a financial professional with nine years of experience in investment banking in various companies and different business roles. His key competencies include providing support services and assisting clients in achieving their financial goals. Iurii is a highly organized and self-driven individual. He is registered with IIROC and has a solid educational foundation. In addition to his Master's degree in Finance, Iurii obtained the Financial Management Diploma at the University of Winnipeg and is a CFA level I candidate. Iurii is happy to be a member of a team where everybody is highly passionate about providing excellent financial services.
Iurii was born and raised in Ukraine. He and his wife Zina have two beautiful daughters Yuliya and Mariya. Iurii likes to spend his spare time outdoors: camping, hiking, or just taking his dog to a local park.
Jim was a founding member of The Cristall Pollack Braun Blatt Advisory Group and retired in July 2020 following a successful career that spanned 41 years. Over the years, Jim was not only a partner or advisor, but also a great friend, confidant, and mentor. It is Jim's strong work ethic and commitment to his clients which allowed him to build deep client relationships rooted in trust, and dedicated service. Today, it is these same cornerstones of Jim's career which have now passed along those same tenets to us, his fellow team members who now carry on with his legacy.
Jim had worked in the financial services industry since 1979, spending his career with CIBC Wood Gundy and its predecessor firms, such as Merrill Lynch Canada and Midland Walwyn Inc. Over his many years, Jim had served in a variety of leadership roles within the firm and the investment industry.
Jim grew up in Brandon, Manitoba with his parents and three siblings and many extended family members. Following high school, Jim earned a BA degree in Economics from the University of Manitoba. He is also a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI).
Jim has volunteered his time with a variety of non-profit organizations in Manitoba. His outside interests include golfing, travel and numerous outdoor sports activities. Jim and his wife, Nora, have two adult children, Jack and Madelaine.
"Thank you for making my career truly rewarding. I feel very confident with the advice, support and service that you will continue to receive from my former team and firmly believe they will continue to serve you well devoting the time and attention that you and your portfolio deserve."
Jason was born and raised in Winnipeg, and spent much of his early years surrounded by music and sports. He graduated from the University of Manitoba's Commerce Program with an honours degree in 1994, with majors in accounting and finance. Upon graduation, he entered the investment industry as an Investment Advisor with a large, bank-owned firm. Jason spent 17 years with the same firm, joining CIBC Wood Gundy in 2011 to form the Cristall Pollack Braun Group along with his good friends and colleagues.
Jason feels an enormous sense of gratitude for the strong client relationships he has developed over the years. He enjoys the relationships that are developed as he learns the details of his clients' lives. He enjoys hearing about how their kids or grandkids are doing. He enjoys talking about their passions, travels, or their latest round of golf. Most importantly, he enjoys seeing how a plan comes together to help a client fulfill the dreams and goals they set out many years ago.
Jason has been married for more than 25 years, and he and his wife, Carmen, have two children, Simon and Emma. Some of his free time is also dedicated to giving back to a community that has provided so much to his family, including sitting on numerous charitable organization boards over the years and coaching youth sports. His extracurricular passions include golf, cars and travel.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Johanne is proud to call it her home. She has an extensive career in finance and banking.
To further her knowledge in the Industry she completed the Investment Funds of Canada course in 2010 and received her Mutual Funds license.
Johanne joined CIBC Wood Gundy in 2016. She excels at providing exceptional service to clients, and has had relationships with many of them since 1990.
Johanne has experience, knowledge and a "go above and beyond" type of attitude which is very important for our clients.
Johanne loves to travel with her son, Carter and her husband Tom, particularly to Minnesota where her husband resides.
When her husband is in Winnipeg they enjoy going out and listening to live music, seeing friends and staying home to spend quality family time together.
Johanne enjoys volunteering her time with many different charities, such as Hockey Helps the Homeless and Willow Place Shelter for abused Women and Children. She has also completed her Floral Design certification, as it is one of her biggest passions.
On our team, Johanne helps us with administrative duties and client management.
She looks forward to building lasting relationships with you.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor / Investment Advisor
Josh started his investment career at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba. It was there where an online investment account provided valuable experience and life lessons on the difference between speculating and investing. Josh gained valuable career experience becoming a trusted advisor as he received his CPA, CA designation at a global big four accounting firm. This designation provides Josh with a unique ability to manage risk and ensure taxes are minimized at every opportunity.
He decided to become an Investment Advisor because he is an entrepreneur who is deeply rooted in the community and passionate about finance. This combination has led him to a career that helps add value to the clients he works with. Josh believes that client service excellence should be at the heart of his practice. Josh is a client-centric advisor that asks tough questions, discovering opportunities and acting as the CFO for affluent families and individual personal finances.
Josh differentiates himself by his ability to see the big picture, identify what are the most important issues from a client's perspective and then create options and strategies to address these issues. This includes maximizing after-tax returns and keeping busy individuals, families and businesses organized. He believes regular communication and his ability to articulate complex financial terms in plain language are what sets him apart. His client service model is a complete financial solution, encompassing tax, financial planning, insurance, risk management and investments. His objective is to earn the complete trust and respect of all his clients.
Josh's passions away from finance include hockey, golf, squash and lake activities. He is also committed to the community by volunteering with the Manitoba Bison Golf Team Alumni Program, Allocations Committee of the Jewish Federation, The Finance Committee of the Jewish Federation, CIBC Miracle Day and many other local initiatives.
Kevin works with our clients to provide tailored and convenient banking solutions. He has been advising high net worth clientele since 2005, and has a personalized approach to helping our clients achieve their financial goals.
Nancy supports the Integrated Private Wealth Management offer and provides an exceptional private client experience by customizing tailored wealth management solutions, banking packages, and unique lending products.
She has held the Certified Financial Planner designation since 2004 and has been a Registered Retirement Consultant since 2010. Nancy has extensive experience in high net worth client management and advisory services and has been with CIBC since 1988.
Job Titles:
- Financial Associate
- Financial Associate, Client Associate
Sheila graduated from the two-year Business Administration program at Red River Community College in 1996. She majored in marketing and minored in accounting.
Sheila entered the financial industry in 1996 and worked at a regional financial firm as an administrative assistant. She obtained her Life and Accident and Sickness Insurance licenses in 1998 and moved on to join a major international firm in 2000 as assistant to the Estate Planning Specialist. In 2002, she became registered with CIRO and completed the Wealth Management Essentials course, and joined Jim Cristall's team as a Financial Associate. Sheila now works as a team administrator with the Cristall Pollack Braun Blatt Advisory Group. She finds it very rewarding to provide outstanding service to our clients with the resources, years of experience and knowledge our team offers.
Sheila was born and raised in Winnipeg and is an avid Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Winnipeg Jets fan. She and her husband, Darryl, both look forward to football season to cheer on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They have two children, Brooke and Alexander. Sheila and her family enjoy getting out to their cottage in Ponemah in the summer.
Simon is a student at the University of Manitoba and is currently studying economics. He joined the Pollack Braun Blatt Advisory Group in 2021 and assists with client communication and special projects. He enjoys working with clients within a dynamic team environment and aspires to become a financial advisor.
In his free time Simon enjoys golfing, traveling, and spending time with his friends.
Tanis was born and raised in Winnipeg and is proud to call it her home. She started her career at CIBC in 1991, where she enjoyed the client contact and lending aspects of her job. Her knowledge and work experience grew as she moved into different roles within CIBC. Tanis eventually heard her calling to the investment side of banking and jumped fences. That is when Tanis joined another national firm where she was employed for seven years. During that time, she completed the Canadian Securities Course, the Conduct and Practices Handbook Course and then became registered with IIROC.
Tanis came back to CIBC in 2003, when she joined The Jim Cristall Investment Team at CIBC Wood Gundy. It was absolutely the right choice for her. Since then, the team has expanded and is now known as The Pollack Braun Blatt Advisory Group, or as she likes to call it, her "work family."
Tanis' goal is to provide exceptional service to our clients. She is experienced, highly motivated and energetic. She strives to ensure that all tasks are successfully accomplished. Tanis works as a leader on the team, and she also works on many administrative items. She supports the team by bringing everyone together for meetings and assists in keeping the team focused on our goals and client service. Tanis also often takes the lead when organizing our client events.
Tanis loves to travel to any vacation spot with a beach. She also loves to cook, and her husband, Dylan, loves to clean - together they make the perfect pair in the kitchen and in life.