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Guest Speakers

Presentations from leading value investors enhance the value investing skills that are taught in both the Ivey’s Value Investing program as well as the Value Investing and the Search for Value Seminars. Our speaker series allow students the opportunity to see value investors in action.

Practitioners’ involvement in the program is organized in two parts: First, practitioners present their basic approach to value investing and discuss their style; second, they take students through actual investment decisions. This includes decisions to purchase securities, and how large a position to take, or decisions not to purchase securities. Time is allowed at the end for open-ended student questions.

This page also features presentations from the keynote speakers at the Centre's Value Investing Conferences that cover broad areas of interest to the value investing community and to our students.

Upcoming Guest Speakers

Vice President, Head of People and Talent, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., Toronto, ON, Canada (January 30, 2025 - Ivey Value Investing Class)

Ms. Ross has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Services industry. She joined Burgundy in 2006, and in 2013 she was appointed Operations Manager, Investments, where she supported the Investment Analyst team. In 2016, she transitioned to the role of Manager of Recruitment and Development, where she worked to design and deploy recruitment strategies to attract and retain exceptional people. In her current role as Head of People and Talent, Robyn applies these skills to cultivate a working environment that sets Burgundy’s people up for success and generates an outstanding employee experience. Before joining Burgundy, Robyn spent four years at Lines Overseas Management and two years at Lehman Brothers, London in the role of Executive Assistant.  Robyn received her Canadian Securities Course certification in 2002.  She is a member of GEM (Girls E-Mentorship) Scholarship Committee.  Co-Chair, Portfolio Management Association of Canada HR Committee.

For more on Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., see www.burgundyasset.com

Mike ElkinsVice President, Deputy Portfolio Manager, Director of Research, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., Toronto, ON, Canada (January 30, 2025 - Ivey Value Investing Class) 

Mr. Elkins joined Burgundy in September 2013 as an Investment Analyst focusing on U.S. equities. In September 2017, he transitioned to his current role as an Investment Analyst focusing on European equities. He was appointed a Vice President of the firm in July 2019. In September 2023, he was appointed Director of Research at Burgundy. In July 2024, Michael was appointed Deputy Portfolio Manager of European equities. Before joining Burgundy, he spent eight years with TD Securities Inc., most recently as an Equity Research Analyst. Prior to TD Securities, Michael worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance Inc. as a Senior Associate. He began his career as a Senior Accountant with Ernst & Young LLP. Michael earned an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2001. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2004 and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2007. 

For more on Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., see www.burgundyasset.com

Veru, DanSenior Partner, Chief Investment Officer, Palisade Capital Management, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA (February 27, 2025 - Ivey Value Investing Class)

Mr. Veru is a Senior Partner and serves as Palisade Capital Management’s Chief Investment Officer. He is also Chairman of the firm's Investment and ESG Committees and a member of our Operating Committee. In this capacity, he has oversight responsibilities for all of Palisade’s investment strategies that trade publicly traded securities. Dan became associated with Palisade’s founders in 1984 at Drexel Burnham Lambert and later at Smith Barney, where he held a variety of analytical positions. From 1992 through 1999, he was President and Director of Research at Awad Asset Management, a division of Raymond James & Associates. Dan rejoined his colleagues at Palisade in 2000 and was later promoted to Chief Investment Officer. A graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, Dan has appeared as a guest on CNBC, Bloomberg News, and Fox News. He also contributes market opinions to various financial publications. 

For more information on Palisade Capital Management, see Palisade Capital | Fundamentally Different

Executive Director, Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis, New York, NY, USA (March 13, 2025 - Ivey Value Investing Class)

Mr. Johnson runs Nicusa Investment Advisors, an advisory firm focused on helping CEOs and Boards of Directors deal with operational and financial strategy, management execution, shareholder value creation, and corporate communications. He was also the founding partner and investment manager of Nicusa Capital Partners, a private investment partnership that he started in 2003 and ran until December 2012. He has invested in virtually all sectors of the economy and participated in more than 100 venture capital investments and investment banking transactions in his career.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University since 2015. He teaches Value Investing and is a Fellow to the Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis at Fordham University.  He is also is on the faculty of the Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing and has been an integral part of the Columbia Business School Value Investing Program for over 30 years. As an Adjunct Professor at CBS, he has taught 58 semester-long courses on securities analysis and value investing to more than 3,500 full-time and executive MBA students.

For more on the Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis at Fordham University, see https://www.fordhamgabellicenter.org/

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., Toronto, ON, Canada (April 10, 2025 - Fairfax Annual Meeting of Shareholders)

Mr. Watsa, Chairman and CEO, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. has invited Dr. Athanassakos and a group of his Value Investing MBA and HBA students to attend the Fairfax annual meeting of shareholders on April 10, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After the annual meeting, students will have an opportunity to meet Mr. Watsa and his team. Mr. Watsa is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., a financial services holding company, which he took over in 1985. The company, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, as well as investment management. Mr. Watsa is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a holder of an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business of the University of Western Ontario. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children, a member of the Advisory Board for the Richard Ivey School of Business and a member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation, as well as Chairman of the Investment Committee of St. Paul’s Anglican Church.  Fairfax has been one of the few companies to escape the ravages of the great recession of 2008 as Mr. Watsa and his team had anticipated the credit crisis and had taken the necessary steps to protect Fairfax. Mr. Watsa, also known as the Buffett of the North, had discussed his fears about the markets in a key note speech he gave to The Ben Graham Center of Value Investing First Annual Symposium on Value Investing on May 25, 2007. His key note speech can be viewed here.

For more on Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., see www.fairfax.ca

Past Guest Speakers

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