AXIS AUTO FINANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Niell
Ms. O'Neill is a partner in, Co-chair of the Corporate Group and member of the Executive Committee of Gardiner Roberts LLP, a Canadian business law firm. Ms. O'Neill practices business law with a special emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and corporate finance. Ms. O'Neill is the immediate past chair of the Canadian Bar Association Business Law Section and has also served on the Business Law Advisory Council to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (Ontario). Ms. O'Neill holds a Bachelor of Laws from Western University and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Schulich School of Business. Ms. O'Neill has earned the professional independent director designation (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Canadian President and Chief Operating Officer of Element Financial Corporation
Bruce Smith was appointed as the Canadian President and Chief Operating Officer of Element Financial Corporation in May 2011. Mr. Smith retired as COO in October 2015. Prior to joining Element, from 2006 to 2011, Mr. Smith served as the Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Vendor Finance at CIT Financial. Earlier in his career, he held several senior management positions at Newcourt Credit Group and also served as President and General Manager of Dell Financial Services in Canada. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University and has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario since 1985.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Westlake in 2005 As Director of Risk Management
Ian Anderson joined Westlake in 2005 as Director of Risk Management and was appointed Group President in 2008. His primary focus is the development and execution of business strategy for Westlake Financial and its six subsidiaries with emphasis on improving shareholder value and promoting the use of technology. Under his stewardship, Westlake's portfolio grew from USD$400 million in 2008 to over $15 billion currently, while maintaining above a 30% Return on Equity. Prior to joining Westlake, Mr. Anderson held positions at Bayview Acceptance, Wells Fargo and Triad Financial. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California and is a recipient of multiple industry awards.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Team
- President
Mr. Troitschanski founded Axis in 2012 and has grown it to be the largest Canadian sub-prime automotive finance company. Prior to Axis, Mr. Troitschanski was a founder and president of Kingsmill Capital Partners Inc., a financial consulting firm based in Toronto specializing in advising private and early-stage public companies. Since its inception in 2005, Kingsmill has raised its clients over $100M in equity capital in addition to developing and executing public market strategies and sourcing strategic growth opportunities. Mr. Troitschanski has been involved in the management of several companies funded by Kingsmill Capital from 2005 to 2012. He was director, founder and officer of five publicly traded Capital Pool Companies on the TSX Venture exchange, all of which have completed their Qualifying Transactions. Mr. Troitschanski received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Heidelberg, Germany in 1999.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President and CEO of Elexicon Energy
Lesley Gallinger is the President and CEO of Elexicon Energy. Based in Ajax, Elexicon is the 4th largest Municipal owned Local Distribution Company in Ontario. Elexicon Services 170,000 electricity customers in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Clarington, Belleville, Gravenhurst and surrounding communities.
Prior to joining Elexicon in 2019, Lesley was the Chief Strategy and Financial Officer for the Electrical Safety Authority. Earlier in her Career, Lesley served as CFO in other energy and pharmaceutical organizations. Lesley is active in industry and currently serves as a Director and Committee Chair for a number of energy organizations.
Lesley Gallinger has a B.A. from York University and an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business. She also holds a CPA (CMA), and CPA (Illinois). Lesley received both the Chartered Director and Audit Committee certifications from The Director's College (McMaster University).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Westlake 's Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Kerwin is Westlake's Chief Financial Officer overseeing all aspects of finance, accounting, treasury management and analysis. Mr. Kerwin joined Westlake as its Controller in 2002 and was subsequently named Chief Financial Officer in 2004. Prior to joining Westlake, he was a Senior Accountant at KPMG, LLP from 1999-2002. Mr. Kerwin graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of San Diego.
Job Titles:
- CFO
- Member of the Executive Team
Mr. Lloyd brings over 20 years of finance and operations experience to Axis Auto Finance. He spent 7 years as Director of Operations and Finance at Travelers Leasing Corporation (acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia in 2007 and re-branded as Scotia Dealer Advantage). At Travelers (and later at Scotia Dealer Advantage), Mr. Lloyd led the development and build out of the operations team that grew the business from a mid-size regional lender to one of the largest near-prime lenders in Canada. As part of the Travelers leadership team, Mr. Lloyd played an integral part in expanding the business to a nation-wide foot print and completing several acquisitions. Mr. Lloyd holds Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Business Valuator designations.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Executive Team
Mr. Hudson brings more than 25 years of sales and operations management experience in the Canadian alternative lending industry to Axis Auto Finance. Mr. Hudson has significant experience growing companies both organically and through acquisitions, having overseen and integrated 14 acquisitions throughout his career. His last position was Chief Operating Officer of ECN Capital (TSX: ECN), having previously been Executive Vice President of Originations at Element Financial Corporation. Prior to joining Element Financial, Mr. Hudson was the President of Hathway Financial, a financial services company that specialized in small to mid-sized commercial credits in the transportation, construction and industrial equipment markets. Before founding Hathway Financial in 2003, Mr. Hudson held key roles at Newcourt and CIT Group and was responsible for national vendor programs in the transportation, construction and automotive verticals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director, VP and CFO for Rowntree Enterprises Inc
Mr. Neichenbauer currently serves as a Director, VP and CFO for Rowntree Enterprises Inc. and its associated companies, he has been with Rowntree since 2006. He has extensive experience in both the automotive and real estate sectors. Prior to joining Rowntree, Wes was with Applewood Holdings Inc. and was the CFO for Patriot Equities Corporation (TSX: PEQ), he has also worked in investment banking. Mr. Neichenbauer currently serves on the Board of WALKAWAY Insurance (2005 - Present). Mr. Neichenbauer holds an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA).