Zach Laleg, CFA, MBA
Investment Counsellor & Portfolio Manager
Bright Bennett, CIM, QAFP
Portfolio Associate
Jason Skentzos, MBA, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI
Director, Wealth Planning
With over 15 years of experience working in the financial services industry, Jason’s goal, as part of the BMO Wealth Planning team, is to educate and empower business owners, entrepreneurs and high net worth clients with comprehensive and customized solutions, resolving complex situations through coordinated and proactive wealth plans.
Using a holistic approach, Jason collaborates with his investment, banking, trust, estate and tax colleagues to help clients clearly articulate their personal wealth goals. Together, we provide a multi-dimensional perspective that offers a valuable complement to our clients’ other professional counsel.
Jason currently lives in Toronto with his wife Carley, and in his spare time enjoys golf, tennis, skiing and traveling to personally unexplored destinations.
Andy Guidi, CPA, CA
Director, Tax Planning
Andy is a dedicated professional helping people preserve and grow their wealth. With an expertise in Canadian income tax, Andy assists clients on business structures, succession and estate planning, owner- manager remuneration, corporate reorganizations, the appropriate use of trusts and holding companies, asset divestitures, business split-ups and a variety of other tax planning strategies.
Drawing on public practice experience, he offers a depth of practical insight, as well as the unique ability to translate complex tax concepts into efficient strategies clients can easily comprehend.
Andy joined BMO Wealth Management in 2014, after filling progressively senior management roles in the domestic tax practice of Grant Thornton LLP, where he developed and implemented tax planning strategies for business owners and high net worth individuals.
Dante Rossi, CPA, CA, CFP®
Director, Tax Planning
Dante advises high net worth business owners and families on specialized Tax & Estate solutions aimed at maximizing their wealth, as part of an integrated wealth planning team. Drawing on a decade of tax accounting experience, his clients benefit from a depth of informed insight and the ability to distill complex concepts into actionable strategies. Specializing in Canadian corporations and entrepreneurs, Dante offers guidance on tax structuring, estate planning, exit strategies and tax-efficient wealth transfer, creating tailored solutions for a diverse group of clients.
Dante joined BMO Wealth Management in 2015 from global professional services firm Deloitte LLP, where he worked for 10 years in progressively senior roles, managing and executing detailed reviews of complex corporate, personal, partnership and trust tax compliance and planning engagements.
Elizabeth Bozek, LL.B
Director, Estate Planning at BMO Wealth Management
Elizabeth works with other members of the High Net Worth and Specialized Wealth Planning team to develop personalized estate planning solutions for high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients. Elizabeth is sympathetic to the needs of her clients and mindful of the importance of family dynamics in the estate planning conversation. She is adept at communicating the importance of a total estate plan to clients and advisors alike.
Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in the world of estates and trusts. She joined BMO after 7 years in private practice, where her practice encompassed estate litigation, planning and administration, alternative dispute resolution, and incapacity planning. She most recently spent 3 years at a national trust company, where she honed her expertise in estate planning for high net worth clients. She is actively involved in the estates bar, and continues to organize and chair programs of interest for estate and trusts lawyers across the province.
Elizabeth Creates, LL.B
Director, Estate Planning
Elizabeth provides estate planning guidance to high and ultra high net worth individuals, families and business owners in the context of their personal wealth and business succession planning. Her background as an estates lawyer and over 20 years of experience in the wealth management industry allow Elizabeth to facilitate wealth transfer decision-making for clients and assist them with action planning regarding their legacy goals (financial and non-financial). Her modern approach focuses on the well-being and personal empowerment of clients by bringing them peace of mind and encouraging the pursuit of personal fulfillment.
She works collaboratively with internal and external advisors in order to ensure that all aspects of a client’s wealth plan support their estate planning, succession and legacy goals. She has LL.B. and B.Comm. degrees from McGill University and is a member of both the Law Society of Ontario and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
John Michael Durrant
Senior Estate & Insurance Advisor
John Michael is an expert in his field and a valuable member of the team. He has been working with high net worth clients with a targeted insurance focus for over 20 years. He specializes in structuring insurance as a risk management tool and as a unique asset class for our clients. He helps our clients by maximizing their wealth, minimizing tax, enhancing philanthropic goals, and providing peace of mind. Collaborating with our team, other specialists within the BMO wealth group, and our clients own trusted tax and legal advisors, John Michael structures tax intelligent insurance strategies for our clients using personal or corporate investment dollars. John Michael ensures our clients clearly understand the uniqueness of insurance as an asset class and how insurance planning complements and enhances their wealth management plans. Outside of the office he enjoys time with his family at the cottage, on the slopes and at countless hockey rinks.