team
Brent Belzberg
Brent Belzberg,

Senior Managing Partner, founded TorQuest in 2002. Previously, Mr. Belzberg founded Harrowston Inc., a former TSE listed company, in 1992 to acquire or invest in and build businesses. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Belzberg was President of First City Financial Corporation. Mr. Belzberg currently serves as a director of CIBC, DayMen Lowepro, Herbal Magic, and Global Traffic Technologies. He is a director of Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Belzberg formerly served as a director of O&Y REIT, Four Seasons Hotel, CNC Global Ltd. and GCAN Insurance Company. In 1999, he co-chaired the Toronto United Jewish Appeal's fundraising campaign. Mr. Belzberg received a B. Com. (Honours) from Queen's University in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Toronto in 1976.

416-956-7006


 
Eric Berke
Eric Berke,

Managing Partner, joined TorQuest in 2002. Prior to joining TorQuest, Mr. Berke led the turn around and sale of Gustin Kramer, a manufacturer of paper and non-woven consumer products, where he served as the company's President and CEO and controlling shareholder from 1994 to 2002. Mr. Berke serves as a director for Associated Brands, DayMen Lowepro, Global Traffic Technologies, Herbal Magic, FirstOnSite and is on the board of the Canadian Venture Capital Association. Formerly he served as a director of Granby Income Fund, GCAN Insurance Company, CNC Global Ltd. and Crescent School. He has been a member of the Young Presidents' Organization since 1994. He holds an MBA from Boston University and a B.A. from the University of Vermont.

416-956-7034


 
Marc Lipton
Marc Lipton,

Partner, joined TorQuest in 2004. He is responsible for investing in established businesses and taking a leadership role in developing these businesses, helping to create and implement value-creation and growth strategies. Prior to joining Torquest, Marc was a private equity investor in, and an operator of, businesses in a wide range of industries. Marc serves as a director of TorQuest portfolio companies including: DayMen Lowepro, Firstonsite and Global Traffic Technologies. Marc's community work includes sitting on the board of the Toronto JF&CS, a United Way Member Agency, and Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering) from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Rotman School of Management and holds a chartered accountant designation.

416-867-2481


 
Daniel Sonshine
Daniel Sonshine,

Partner, joined TorQuest in 2004. From 2001 to 2004, he worked at CIBC Capital Partners, the principal investing arm of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Mr. Sonshine was involved in various private equity and subordinated debt transactions, including investments in GCAN Insurance Company, Accor Casinos, and Bell ActiMedia (Yellow Pages). Prior to joining CIBCCP he worked at CIBC World Markets in both the Mergers and Acquisitions and Real Estate Investment Banking groups. Mr. Sonshine serves as a Director of Herbal Magic, Associated Brands, and formerly served as a Director of the GCAN Insurance Company. Mr. Sonshine is also active in the community where he sits on the Board of Directors of the Speech and Stuttering Institute and is Co-Chairman of the Toronto Jewish Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Sonshine graduated as the gold medalist from the combined J.D. / MBA program at the University of Toronto and received an A.B. (cum laude) in Economics from Harvard University.

416-867-2482


 
Alan Lever
Alan Lever,

Partner, joined TorQuest Partners at the inception of Fund I in 2002. Previously, he was with Credit Suisse First Boston in the Investment Banking Division. While there, he was involved in various mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity issuances related principally to the oil and gas, power and utilities sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Lever worked in Equity Research with FirstEnergy Capital, a specialized Calgary based investment bank covering the energy sector. Mr. Lever is a director of Firstonsite and also serves as a director of the Lake of Bays Sailing Club. He holds a B.A. (Honours) degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

416-956-7017


 
Matthew Chapman
Matthew Chapman,

Partner, joined TorQuest in 2007. From 2000 to 2007, he worked at Workbrain, Inc., an enterprise software company that was acquired by Infor Global Solutions in June 2007. Mr. Chapman joined Workbrain in 2000 as Director of Finance, and served as Vice President Finance (2002), CFO (2003-2006) and Senior Vice President of Operations (2006-2007). Prior to joining Workbrain, he worked at RBC Capital Markets in the Investment Banking group. Mr. Chapman serves as a Director (President Elect) of the University of Toronto Alumni Association, Matchpoint Investment Management, and Dayforce LLC. Mr. Chapman holds an M.B.A. from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a B. Sc. and an M. Sc. from McGill University.

416-867-2480


 
Michael Hollend
Michael Hollend,

Partner, joined TorQuest in 2009. Prior to TorQuest, Michael was a Partner in the venture capital funds of EdgeStone Capital Partners, a Canadian private equity firm where Michael worked from 2002-2009. Michael had responsibility for investing in and working with some of Canada's most innovative and successful technology companies, including SlipStream Data, Workbrain, Inc. and Protus IP Solutions. Previously, Michael worked at Goodmans LLP where he established the Venture Group, a team dedicated to investing in and working with early-stage technology companies. Prior to Goodmans, Michael worked in the investment banking group of Griffiths McBurney & Partners. Michael is a volunteer mentor with The Mentoring Partnership program and was a volunteer member of the Investment Committee of the Province of Ontario's Investment Accelerator Fund. Michael holds both LL.B. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Toronto and a B.A. (Economics) from the University of Western Ontario.

416-867-2487


 
Darin Brock
Darin Brock,

Business Development, joined TorQuest in May 2006. Previously he worked as a Manager of Business Development at Platinum Equity a global acquisitions firm specialized in the operation of mission-critical solutions and services companies. Mr. Brock worked both in the Los Angeles-based Business Development Group focused on deal sourcing and research, and in the New York-based Corporate Strategy group where he spent time cultivating relationships with the investment banking and Fortune 500 communities. Mr. Brock is currently on the Board of the Association for Corporate Growth – Toronto Chapter. Mr. Brock holds a BA degree from the University of Western Ontario.

416-867-2486


 
John Trang
John Trang,

Associate, joined TorQuest in July 2009. Previously, he worked in Group Strategy and Corporate Development at the Lloyds Banking Group in London, England. At Lloyds, Mr. Trang was involved in the merger between Lloyds TSB and HBOS plc., two of the UK’s largest financial institutions. Prior to joining Lloyds, he worked in the investment banking division of UBS, where he was involved in a variety of mergers and acquisitions and financings across several industry sectors including the restructuring of Stelco, the acquisition of Inco by CVRD, and the acquisition of Dofasco by Arcelor. Mr. Trang holds a B. Comm (Honours) degree from the Queen’s School of Business at Queen’s University.

416-867-2474


 
Wayne Pommen
Wayne Pommen,

Vice President, joined TorQuest in August 2009. Previously, he was a consultant with Bain & Company in London, England and Toronto. At Bain, Mr. Pommen was engaged in strategy and performance improvement projects for corporate clients, commercial due diligence and post-acquisition assignments with Bain's Private Equity Group, and was involved in the start-up of a private equity deal origination team. In 2008, Mr. Pommen was on secondment to BPP Holdings plc, a UK-based professional education business, as strategy director for the publishing business unit. Mr. Pommen holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, England, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on the North American Free Trade Agreement, and an A.B. (magna cum laude) from Harvard University. Mr. Pommen is also a former member of the Canadian national rowing team.

416-956-7035


 
Jonathan Fraser
Jonathan Fraser,

Associate, joined TorQuest in August 2009. Previously, he worked at National Bank Financial in the investment banking group. At NBF, Jonathan was involved in various M&A and financing related transactions including the initial listing, and subsequent sale of the Montreal Exchange. Jonathan holds a BBA degree from Bishop's University and has completed an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

416-867-2472


 
Kimberly Davis
Kimberly Davis,

CFO, joined TorQuest in November 2005. Prior to joining TORQUEST, she spent over 10 years working in public practice, with more than eight years with Deloitte & Touche LLP. Most recently Ms. Davis was a Senior Manager in the firm's corporate tax group where she spent a significant portion of her time assisting private equity and venture capital funds with fund structuring and tax structuring of portfolio companies. Ms. Davis also spent four years with the firm's audit practice. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds a B.A.S. (honours) from York University.

416-867-2483


 
Craig Rankine
Craig Rankine,

VP, Finance, joined TorQuest in 2006. Prior to joining TorQuest, he spent over 5 years in public practice with Deloitte & Touche LLP. Most recently Mr. Rankine was a Manager in the firm's corporate tax group where a significant amount of his time was spent on tax structuring for private equity funds and their portfolio investments. Prior to joining the tax group, Mr. Rankine spent one and a half years with the firm's audit practice. Mr. Rankine is a Charted Accountant and holds a BCom from the University of Toronto.

416-867-2484


 
Steven Hudson
Steven Hudson,

Operating Partner, is the founder and principal of Cameron Capital a private investment firm established more than 20 years ago. Mr. Hudson has a distinguished track record across several business sectors, most recently in the personal care market where he has served as CEO for Hair Club for Men and Women, the U.S. leader in hair restoration, and for BeautyFirst and PureBeauty, which he combined to form the fourth largest beauty retailer and service provider in the U.S. Since February 2009, Mr. Hudson has served as CEO for Herbal Magic, a leading provider of commercial weight loss centers with over 330 centers in Canada. Mr. Hudson's investment thesis is to invest significant capital in companies that he leads. Mr. Hudson's association with TorQuest commenced in the Herbal Magic investment however his operating experience has led to the review of several new opportunities for TorQuest.

905-212-9446 ext. 228


 
Jonathan Tarshis Neil
Jonathan Tarshis Neil,

Analyst, joined TorQuest in September 2009. Previously, he worked at National Bank Financial in the investment banking group in Toronto. At NBF, he was involved in a variety of M&A transactions and financings across several industries, including the Canadian government's strategic review of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the sale of Universal Energy to Just Energy Income Fund. Jonathan holds a B. Comm (Honours) degree from the Queen's School of Business at Queen's University.

416-867-2473