A leading Canadian hedge fund executive with more than 28 years experience in the investment industry, Phil Schmitt was elected as Chair of AIMA Canada in October 2006.
Phil is president and CEO of Summerwood Group Inc., a group of companies created to offer a wide range of investment management, advisory and fund management services to alternative investment managers and investors.
Prior to establishing the Summerwood Group, Phil spent 13 years with Polar Securities Inc. as a Partner and its President. While with Polar, he chaired the firm's Portfolio Management Committee, was head of risk management and was involved in all facets of the firm's development.
Phil had previously worked with TD Asset Management, Burns Fry Limited and Wood Gundy Limited in diverse roles including portfolio management, sales, and research and trading of equity derivative products for Canadian and international institutional clients. During this period, he also developed fundamental research models to support earnings and price analysis for Canadian and U.S. equity indices.
Throughout his career, Phil has been active in chairing and serving on investment industry committees with Market Regulation Services Inc., the Investment Dealers Association of Canada, TSX, Montreal Exchange, the Toronto CFA Society, and the Toronto Options and Futures Society. Phil also has written and spoken extensively on the subject of derivatives and alternative investments.
Phil, who holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo, became a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI) in 1983 and earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1986.