Our Team

Karen Grant is seriously committed to the angel investing space. She has launched 4 angel groups, invested in several companies, and has served in various capacities on non-profit and privately held company boards.

Karen is entrepreneurial in spirit and deed. She has founded companies, launched investment funds and has worked in the commercialization field with FedNor, FedDev, Ontario Centres of Excellence and most of the Regional Innovation Centres and universities around Ontario.  Earlier in her career she led and grew the Toronto Venture Group, working with most of the venture capital firms in Canada and hundreds of companies that were seeking capital. Karen’s corporate experience includes 12 years with IBM Canada where she had various roles in sales, marketing, and communications.

Karen is passionate about early-stage companies and when she is not coaching, cajoling, or congratulating founders, she enjoys the outdoors, some creative pursuits, cooking and entertaining. She and her husband of 30+ years still enjoy each other’s company and travel together as often as possible.

Tom's met and worked with numerous company leaders, ranging from pre-revenue founders to the C-suite of an 800,000-person organization; in many countries; in many industries; public, private, and government; from succeeding well to the verge of collapse. 

Turned around major organization-wide changes that were failing, often when previous attempts using historical approaches, or the approach of traditional industry and functional experts failed. Changed the behaviour of large groups of people. Focused on what he believed leaders needed to know, which often was different from what they wanted to know. Helped leaders understand how and what they needed to personally change for their organization to succeed.

Some of the critical company decisions and issues he has advised and assisted with include: Advising leaders on how to identify large target markets and create business models; Hiring and exiting C-Suite executives; Merging companies; Acquisition analysis and due diligence; Divesting lines of business; Turning around a business losing customers, losing money, and with poor customer service; Determining decision-making among: the Board of Directors, the CEO and executives;  Defining joint-venture objectives and shareholders agreements; Establishing the governance required for an IPO; Establishing a new organization structure and long-term evolution path; and Turning around enterprise-wide change programs.

Tom has two purposes for his professional life: Help business leaders have a positive impact on society. Help business leaders (current and emerging) succeed.

With close to 40 years of experience as a senior executive in both banking and private businesses, Derral brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the Shaughnessy Group. 

Prior to joining our firm, he was Senior Vice President, Business Development for Western Canada for BMO Financial Group, and he previously held senior executive roles in commercial banking, corporate finance, retail banking, national strategy development and national sales leadership.

Derral has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto and completed executive development programs at the Kellogg School of Business in Chicago, the University of Western Ontario, and the Banff School of Management. 

His board and committee experience is extensive. Derral has been inducted into the Order of St. John and currently serves as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of 39 Signal Regiment in Vancouver.

Peter has 30+ years of leadership and governance experience in Canada and around the world. From 1997-2012, Peter served as the business leader for GE Capital Mortgage Insurance, which became Genworth Canada upon the initial public offering of Genworth Financial in May 2004. Since leaving his role as President of Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada, Peter has served as Chief Commercial Officer for Canadian Title Loans Inc. (non-prime auto lending) and Chief Executive Officer and President of CFF Bank, now a subsidiary of Home Trust Company. Peter recently concluded his role as Teranet Inc.'s Senior Vice President Commercial Solutions where Peter successfully led the division's growth in revenues, product development and data capabilities. Peter is broadly focused, strategically minded, and technologically savvy with excellent board, government relations and communications skills. Currently Peter is Director of Real Matters Inc. (REAL: TSX) a publicly traded appraisal management company and non-executive Chair of Euro Sun Mining Inc. (ESM: TSX). Peter served as a founding board member for Edgefront Realty Corp. (Now Nexus Real Estate Investment Trust (NXR.UN.TSX)). Previously, Peter advised many not-for-profit entities such as Habitat for Humanity Toronto and the University of Toronto Mississauga. Peter also was a long-term board member and President of the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP). Peter is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.

An investor, entrepreneur, and performance enhancement professional. 

Bernie is a big four trained corporate finance and restructuring professional. A founding member of one start-up, Bernie’s experience has led him to serially redesign processes and systems within publicly listed and private companies. Bernie has experience analyzing seed stage companies for the second largest angel group in Canada. Most recently, Bernie has created investment companies and an investment fund.

Nick is an accomplished Senior Financial Professional with an excellent record of accomplishment of success with a Canadian chartered bank and other financial service organizations.  

Using innovation and data science he has helped create billion-dollar portfolios. Throughout his career he has striven to achieve optimal effectiveness and efficiency to enhance stakeholder value.  Having worked in both Eastern and Western Canada, Nick has broad range of experience which includes commercial and consumer lending, discount brokerage, real estate, and agriculture.

In addition to a B.Com and  MBA, he has Diploma in Urban Land Economics and has completed course work for a Master of Economics degree.