AGinvest TEAM
ROOTED IN ONTARIO
AGinvest founders come from a farm background. Our company is led by people who have spent a lifetime working on and servicing Ontario farms. Our local knowledge and a sharp focus gives us a strong advantage for achieving a better return for our shareholders, more responsive service to farm families and more productive partnerships with farm operators.
Leadership Team
William received his Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Guelph in 1978. William then qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1981 and joined Collins Barrow public accounting in 1989. William recently retired from his position there as the Managing Partner of the Chatham-Kent practice. William is an active investor in privately held manufacturing companies. William is also a Director of a publicly-traded Canadian company. In 2007, the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce awarded William their Business Professional of the Year award.
Kent is a highly experienced leader in the agriculture industry with over 30 years of expertise. As the President and Founder of AGinvest Farmland Properties Canada Inc., he has established a successful farmland asset management firm in Chatham, Ontario. In 2018, Kent launched the AGinvest Farmland One Fund, providing investors unique access to Ontario's fertile farmland. Under his leadership, AGinvest has established three more successful funds that have delivered exceptional results for investors and farm families. AGinvest is committed to creating mutually beneficial opportunities for investors and farm families while supporting food security and promoting sustainable farming practices. Kent holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo, where he was recognized as an all-Canadian academic athlete. Kent is a member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, demonstrating his commitment to advancing the industry.
AGinvest Team
Shaphan grew up in Chatham-Kent and received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Windsor with a specialization in accounting in 2014. He began his career in the Oil and Gas Industry working for Enbridge Gas as an analyst, and later moved into public accounting at Baker Tilly in 2019. During his time at Baker Tilly, Shaphan received his Chartered Professional Accounting (CPA) designation and spent three years working in audit and tax. Shaphan enjoys spending time with his daughters, being outdoors fishing and golfing. He also enjoys giving back to his local community by volunteering his time serving on the board of directors for non-profit organizations.
Shaphan.Brown@AGinvestCanada.com
In her role as a staff accountant, Barb directly supports the operations team at AGinvest and manages the day today accounting functions. Prior to joining AGinvest, Barb has been involved in public accounting and has operated her own accounting business, servicing clients with bookkeeping, income tax, estate and retirement consulting. Barb enjoys spending time with her family and serves as the treasurer for various music ministries in the community along with her community church. Education: Business Administration – St. Clair College.
Kyle grew up 20 minutes from downtown Toronto but from a young age spent every opportunity possible working on his family farm in eastern Ontario. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Ottawa in 2013, he began working full time on his family’s century farm. In 2015 Kyle started his own independent agronomy consulting company with Agri-Trend where he helped farmers in eastern Ontario and western Quebec grow high quality crops while focusing on managing their inputs to make them as profitable as possible. In 2019 Kyle received his Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) designation and uses that to coach his growers to use the best 4R nutrient stewardship possible. One of Kyle’s primary passions in agriculture is using technology and agronomy together to help farmers maximize their profits and quality while growing environmentally sustainable products. When Kyle is not working, he loves spending time with his wife and two kids.
Kyle.Odonohue@AGinvestCanada.com
Ron began his career in the engineering space after receiving a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2016. After time spent as a Program Manager in the automotive sector, Ron completed his Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MMIE) from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University where he also obtained a social impact certificate. Ron excels in building strong networks and new initiatives, with a passion for innovation. Born and raised in a small farming community in Chatham-Kent, Ron has always had a strong interest in entrepreneurship and the investment sector and remains actively involved with various small businesses in the area. Outside of his professional life, Ron enjoys woodworking, home building and taking on new projects with his partner.
Ron.Stevens@AGinvestCanada.com
Oliver Wolf graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2020, having received a Bachelor of Mathematics in Combinatorics & Optimization with Minors in Computational Mathematics and Pure Mathematics. He began his professional career with an internship at Partner Reinsurance as a Catastrophe Modelling Analyst, in which he primarily modelled North American Property Catastrophe exposures. In September of 2021, Oliver joined AGinvest as an Operations Analyst to support the day-to-day operations. He has passed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and the Derivatives Fundamentals and Options Licensing course (DFOL) at the Canadian Securities Institute. Oliver is a Dealing Representative on the Belco Private Capital platform.
Oliver.Wolf@AGinvestCanada.com
AGinvest Advisory Team
Karen founded Introduction Capital in 2004, after recognizing that Canadian alternative investment managers had an essential need for capital introduction services. The firm is registered as an Exempt Market Dealer and was created with the vision to provide sophisticated investors with access to niche alternative investment opportunities. Since the firm’s inception Karen has created and led each of Introduction Capital’s business lines.
In 2008, Karen established Introduction Capital’s Canadian Dealer Business and its clientele of high-pedigree managers from around the world continues to grow. In 2011, Karen launched the Canadian Alternative Investment Forum (CAIF) and it continues to be a highly regarded and influential conference that attracts expert speakers, industry professionals and sophisticated investor attendees. For over 20 years, Karen has been building longstanding and purposeful relationships with alternative investment managers, industry professionals, individual investors, family offices, wealth advisors and institutions. She also coined the phrase “relationship broker” from which the trademarked “the art of relationship brokering” came to be Introduction Capital’s tag line.
Dave is the President of Maizex Seeds Inc. Raised on a 250-acre South West Ontario family farm, Dave grew his first crop when he was 16 and founded Maizex with his wife, Brenda, in 1985. He has a diploma in Agricultural Production and Management from Ridgetown College and also studied at The University of Guelph's main campus. Throughout his career, Dave has been recognized and awarded for his innovation and leadership by many industry and government groups. He is the current Vice Chair of the Agri-food Foundation (Ridgetown Campus) and is a past president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. In addition to his responsibilities as Maizex's President, Dave manages Soiex Farms, a 2500-acre farm.
Derek Brodersen is a corporate director and strategic advisor. Until 2021 he was Chief Investment Officer of the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund Board (ATRF) where he built and led a 40-person investment team managing $22 billion in pension assets across both public and private markets. Derek joined ATRF in 1997 and assumed the role of Chief Investment Officer in 2008. Prior to ATRF, Derek was Vice President, Equities at Crown Life Investment Management, and managed investments in the firm’s fixed income and private equity areas.
Derek is Chair of the Board Investment Committee of the University of Alberta, a member of the Investment Committee of the Municipal Pension Plan of British Columbia and a Director of Quantum Advisors Private Limited. Previously Derek served on the boards of the Pacific Pension and Investment Institute and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance.
Derek holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba, an M.B.A. from York University, the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
In 2014, Brian and his partners founded Algonquin Capital; a boutique specializing in alternative fixed income. Since then, Brian has been involved in the alternative industry, speaking at conferences, appearing on BNN and being a Member of the Canadian Association of Alternative Strategies & Assets (CAASA) Advisory Panel.
Prior to starting Algonquin Capital, Brian was the Global Head of Fixed Income and Rates for CIBC where he was responsible for the bank’s entire bond and rate trading business, overseeing 40 traders globally.
Before that, Brian spent 11 years with TD Securities, where he was the Global Head of Vanilla Interest Rate Derivatives, managing trading teams in Toronto, London, Tokyo and Sydney. Before building a career in trading, Brian spent seven years in the Canadian Armed Forces where he served as a Captain in the Airborne Regiment and participated in a peacekeeping tour in Iraq.