John Wood

Chairman and Founder

John Wood has over 30 years experience in the financial industry and has garnered a reputation as an innovator in the Canadian investment marketplace. He started his career in the securities industry in 1978 at Burns Fry, having initially trained as a junior auditor at Price Waterhouse. John joined Gardiner Watson in 1979 as V.P. and Director covering institutional accounts on research and trading. At Gardiner Watson, John championed their emphasis on value-oriented research and investment.

In 1986 Mr. Wood participated in the founding of 20/20 Financial Inc. As President & CEO, he took the company from zero assets to over $4 billion. In 1993 John took 20/20 public which saw an $800,000 investment by Trilon Financial net over $20 million. The company was then sold to AGF Management Ltd., which saw Connor, Clark, and Lunn's $25,000 investment result in a $30 million plus payout. Mr. Wood continued as President of AGF where he turned around a history of market share decline.

In 1996, John went on to form Alfa Strategic Partners Ltd., which was acquired by Midland Walwyn Inc's wholly owned subsidiary Financial Concepts Group (FCG) Ltd. John became CEO of FCG, a leading Canadian financial planning advisory group. Under his leadership the business grew from $3.9 billion of assets to $6.8 billion. He successfully coordinated the sale of FCG to Assante in 1999 for over 10 times its value in 1997.

In 1999, John joined Investors Group (IG) Inc. as Executive V.P. serving as a member of its executive team. John left IG in 2001 to provide consulting services to companies that are in the early stage of their development.

In 2005, John established TWP & Company (TWP), an asset management company with the view that there is a better way to manage investments for individuals, foundations, and institutions.

John is a Director of a number of private companies and previously served as the Chairman of the Canadian Olympic Committee's (COC) Investment Committee. He is also a patron of the Canadian Canoe Association.

John is passionate about charity work and along with several charities and clubs he helps, he established the Joseph H. W. Wood Foundation, a $700 thousand foundation, which funds major cancer research and projects around the world.

In 1976, John became a Canadian hero by winning a silver medal for Canada in canoeing at the Montreal Olympics. He went on to win a bronze medal in sailing at the 1979 Pan Am Games in Puerto Rico. John was presented with the Governor Generals Medal in 1976.

John is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton and he completed Level 1 of the Chartered Financial Analyst program. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute is registered as a Portfolio Manager with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).