Chris Helm, B.Comm.
As a team leader at The Helm Team, Christopher works with hundreds of successful business owners, families, and corporations to solidify and grow their financial stature and help them reach their true goals through a prudent investment approach that focuses on safety, discipline, and long-term thinking.
Christopher's unique value proposition is his proven ability to invest like investment legends of both past and present - Lynch, Buffett, Graham, Fisher - being his biggest influences.
Beyond helping to make serious money for his clients, Christopher loves to help them build a comprehensive financial strategy that gives them true peace of mind and certainty before & after retirement.
Daniel Helm
As an Investment Advisor at CIBC Wood Gundy and distinguished leader of The Helm Team, Dan takes a comprehensive and highly personalized approach to wealth management. His principal role is to guide individuals, families, and business owners to make well-informed decisions about their investments and retirement plans, providing them with greater financial independence, peace of mind, and security. As an experienced Investment Advisor with over 30 years of experience, Dan has demonstrated a consistent ability to protect and grow the hard-earned assets of our clients.
Gary Berg, CFP®, CIM®
With four years at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the Financial Management Program and over 15 years with the Helm Team, Gary works closely with our clients to effectively meet all of their financial needs. As our Financial Associate at The Helm Team, Gary is a Certified Financial Planner and is also accredited with the Canadian Investment Manager designation, all to ensure that our clients receive the ultimate level of service.
Ziad Al-Gkafori, B.Sc.
With a lively personality and a distinct attention to client experience, Ziad takes on both administrative, marketing, and analyst roles at The Helm Team, effectively making him a central figure in everything that we do to meet all of our clients' needs and expectations. Ziad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia, and is currently working on his industry designations to become our next financial associate at The Helm Team.
Alicia Wu
Our partners
We partner with CIBC experts to help address all of your wealth needs.
Lucio Riccio, BA, CFP®, FEA, TEP
Senior Wealth Strategist
Lucio works exclusively with ultra-high-net-worth families to help address their unique needs. With a comprehensive approach to family enterprise advising, Lucio delivers meaningful insights and recommendations to ensure a smooth transition of your business and wealth within your family. He uses a balanced approach to review technical aspects of your plans while ensuring they are aligned with your wishes, create harmony for your family and prepare the next generation to become successful inheritors. Lucio collaborates with your advisors, including lawyers and accountants, in gathering and validating information to support the development of your plans and recommendations.
With over 27 years in the financial services industry, Lucio has held senior positions with leading Canadian insurance, banking, investment and multi-family office firms. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary, majoring in economics. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, the Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) designation and the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation.
Winnie Ho, CFP®, TEP, CLU
Wealth Strategist
With a customer-oriented nature, Winnie's desire is to make a significant impact to clients in all life stages with her expertise and knowledge. She started her financial planning and advice journey over more than a decade ago through various roles in the industry and she has found joy in helping clients achieve their financial goals.
Her commitment to this passion is to continue to strive for excellence through practical experience and academic pursuits. She holds BBA from SFU, and CFP, TEP, and CLU designations.
Lana Mathers, MBA, CFP®, CIM, RRC
Financial Planning Specialist
Lana joined the financial services industry in the 90's and has held various positions in financial planning and retail banking. She uses her knowledge and experience to help families achieve their financial goals and enjoy peace of mind.
As a Financial Planning Specialist, her goal is to provide comprehensive and meaningful financial planning experience. She uses a disciplined engagement process to facilitate a deep understanding of your unique situation and support the recommendation of tailored strategies and solutions.
Jamie Golombek, CPA, CA, CFP®, CLU, TEP, FCPA
Managing Director Tax and Estate Planning
As CIBC’s tax expert, Jamie supports CIBC Wood Gundy investment advisors in delivering integrated financial planning and advisory solutions to our high-net-worth clients. Jamie is quoted frequently in the national media and writes a weekly National Post column called Tax Expert.
Aleks Holtz
Estate Planning Specialist
Aleks is dedicated to providing outstanding support in the areas of insurance and estate planning and works with clients to create strategies that build and protect their wealth. Aleks studied at BCIT specializing in marketing and business management before he joined CIBC Wood Gundy in 2010. Aleks has been working towards completing his CFP and CLU designations.
Aram Agopian, TEP, CLU, CHS, EPC, FMA, FCSI
Estate Planning Specialist
With over 20 years of experience in the life insurance industry, Aram works with affluent families, business owners and executives to create tax efficient insurance based strategies that build and safeguard wealth. Insurance planning with both personal or corporate wealth is tailored to each client with the end goal of providing certainty that enhances the lives of clients, their families and businesses.
Aram strongly believes best results are achieved through a holistic team approach. He will work collaboratively with other trusted advisors ensuring wealth is sheltered for both future generations and philanthropic aspirations.
Aram is fully committed to his profession and views continuing education as vital. He has earned several industry designations, including the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Financial Management Advisor (FMA), Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations. It is his knowledge, experience and high ethical standards that allows him to add value and educate each client.
Aaron McEwen
Estate Planning Specialist
Aaron’s passion and belief in holistic financial planning drives his purpose to build deep client relationships. Utilizing a team that’s entirely focused on family planning, helps guide him to finding the right solutions. Aaron believes in a client-first approach and loves solving complex personal and corporate estate planning issues. He gives his time generously to family planning, focusing on what matters most.
Outside of work, Aaron enjoys golfing with his wife Chelsey, and riding his motorcycle throughout British Columbia.
Lucio Riccio, BA, CFP®, FEA, TEP
Lucio works exclusively with ultra-high-net-worth families to help address their unique needs. With a comprehensive approach to family enterprise advising, Lucio delivers meaningful insights and recommendations to ensure a smooth transition of your business and wealth within your family. He uses a balanced approach to review technical aspects of your plans while ensuring they are aligned with your wishes, create harmony for your family and prepare the next generation to become successful inheritors. Lucio collaborates with your advisors, including lawyers and accountants, in gathering and validating information to support the development of your plans and recommendations.
With over 27 years in the financial services industry, Lucio has held senior positions with leading Canadian insurance, banking, investment and multi-family office firms. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary, majoring in economics. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, the Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) designation and the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation.
Winnie Ho, CFP®, TEP, CLU
With a customer-oriented nature, Winnie's desire is to make a significant impact to clients in all life stages with her expertise and knowledge. She started her financial planning and advice journey over more than a decade ago through various roles in the industry and she has found joy in helping clients achieve their financial goals.
Her commitment to this passion is to continue to strive for excellence through practical experience and academic pursuits. She holds BBA from SFU, and CFP, TEP, and CLU designations.
Lana Mathers, MBA, CFP®, CIM, RRC
Lana joined the financial services industry in the 90's and has held various positions in financial planning and retail banking. She uses her knowledge and experience to help families achieve their financial goals and enjoy peace of mind.
As a Financial Planning Specialist, her goal is to provide comprehensive and meaningful financial planning experience. She uses a disciplined engagement process to facilitate a deep understanding of your unique situation and support the recommendation of tailored strategies and solutions.
Jamie Golombek, CPA, CA, CFP®, CLU, TEP, FCPA
As CIBC’s tax expert, Jamie supports CIBC Wood Gundy investment advisors in delivering integrated financial planning and advisory solutions to our high-net-worth clients. Jamie is quoted frequently in the national media and writes a weekly National Post column called Tax Expert.
Aleks Holtz
Aleks is dedicated to providing outstanding support in the areas of insurance and estate planning and works with clients to create strategies that build and protect their wealth. Aleks studied at BCIT specializing in marketing and business management before he joined CIBC Wood Gundy in 2010. Aleks has been working towards completing his CFP and CLU designations.
Aram Agopian, TEP, CLU, CHS, EPC, FMA, FCSI
With over 20 years of experience in the life insurance industry, Aram works with affluent families, business owners and executives to create tax efficient insurance based strategies that build and safeguard wealth. Insurance planning with both personal or corporate wealth is tailored to each client with the end goal of providing certainty that enhances the lives of clients, their families and businesses.
Aram strongly believes best results are achieved through a holistic team approach. He will work collaboratively with other trusted advisors ensuring wealth is sheltered for both future generations and philanthropic aspirations.
Aram is fully committed to his profession and views continuing education as vital. He has earned several industry designations, including the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Financial Management Advisor (FMA), Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations. It is his knowledge, experience and high ethical standards that allows him to add value and educate each client.
Aaron McEwen
Aaron’s passion and belief in holistic financial planning drives his purpose to build deep client relationships. Utilizing a team that’s entirely focused on family planning, helps guide him to finding the right solutions. Aaron believes in a client-first approach and loves solving complex personal and corporate estate planning issues. He gives his time generously to family planning, focusing on what matters most.
Outside of work, Aaron enjoys golfing with his wife Chelsey, and riding his motorcycle throughout British Columbia.