Meet the Team
Led by experienced professionals with deep expertise in capital markets, corporate finance, and transaction execution.

Chair & Chief Executive Officer
Paul G. Smith
Paul G. Smith’s has had roles as Board Director (often as Chair), CEO, CFO and Advisor across diverse organizations in the Canadian public and private sectors. He began in the Canadian federal government where he served in various ministerial offices before becoming Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister. Then, following formative years with Bell Canada, he co-founded in 2004 one of the first Capital Pool Companies (CPC) in Canada and led its transformation into a Canadian regulated deposit-taking institution. Today, he is Chair & CEO of Rally Enterprises & Communications Corp., a facilities-based telecom operator offering services Canada-wide. Fluent in English and French, he has lived in France and across Canada. His academic studies include an INSEAD MBA, a Master in Public Administration and undergraduate degrees in Commerce and Social Sciences. He is an accredited member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors.

Senior Advisor
Darryl Irwin
Darryl Irwin is a tax partner with one of the Big 4 accounting firms, specializing in corporate and international tax with a strong M&A background. He previously led the M&A tax practice at another major accounting firm, where he advised companies at all stages of development across acquisitions, reorganizations, and liquidity events. He is a trusted advisor to private company owners in the GTA, with deep experience in tax planning, corporate structuring, and transaction advisory, with a particular focus on the technology sector. At First & Goal Capital Corp., he contributes to structuring transactions and advising on tax issues, capital raises and growth initiatives.

Director
CJ Gavsie
CJ Gavsie is the Founder and CEO of Gavcap Properties and QBCAP Private Equity, where he leads investment strategy, capital formation, and execution across real estate, infrastructure, private equity, and structured finance. With more than 30 years of experience in global capital markets, he has held senior leadership roles in foreign exchange, fixed income, commodities, derivatives, and structured finance across North America, Europe, and Asia. Prior to his founding positions, Mr. Gavsie held senior roles at Citibank and National Bank of Canada before spending 24 years at Bank of Montreal, where he served as Global Head of Fixed Income, Commodities & Currency and Global Head of Foreign Exchange Products & China Capital Markets, retiring in 2018 as one of the bank's senior executives. Throughout his career, he has served 15 years on executive committees of major investment banks in Canada and the United States, and participated in Bank of Canada foreign exchange committees and initiatives associated with the U.S. Federal Reserve. Mr. Gavsie has worked extensively with sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, supranational issuers, central banks, and institutional allocators globally, participating in the raising of billions of dollars for sovereign, supranational, and agency issuers. He serves on numerous corporate committees across private and public companies and has completed studies in corporate directorship through the University of Toronto.

Director
Daiana Turcu
Daiana has over a decade of experience in financial advisory and consulting, having managed and delivered more than 200 international projects across a broad range of industries. She currently serves as an independent consultant to companies in the technology and retail sectors, and also works with Big 4 accounting firms providing valuation services across tax reorganizations, financial reporting, and transaction advisory. Her project experience includes IP valuations, Purchase Price Allocations, Stock-Based Compensation, Earnout considerations, and Impairment testing. Today, she brings broad valuation and advisory experience to complex engagements requiring analytical rigor across a wide range of sectors and transaction contexts.