Investment Team

David Picton is a founding partner of Picton Mahoney Asset Management. He serves as the firm’s President and CEO, while also maintaining high-level oversight of its equity solutions. Regarded as a leading authority on global equities and alternative investing, David is often invited to share his insights on investment strategies, alternative investments, and their role in portfolio construction. He is also a regular contributor to industry associations and media outlets on market conditions, monetary policy and the macroeconomic outlook.

David has been a prominent presence in the Canadian investment industry for several decades. He launched Synergy Asset Management in 1997 and worked as its lead Canadian momentum portfolio manager, until CI Financial acquired Synergy Asset Management Inc. in 2003. Prior to that, David spent eight years as the Head of Quantitative Research at RBC Dominion Securities, where he was one of the top-ranked analysts in his sector.

David holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia.

Jeff is a portfolio manager at Picton Mahoney Asset Management, specializing in Canadian equities. Prior to joining us, Jeff was vice president and senior portfolio manager at BMO Global Asset Management, where he was lead portfolio manager for Canadian large-cap equity portfolios, managing over $6 billion AUM. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at Manulife Asset Management, joining as an analyst and progressing to managing director and portfolio manager, with responsibility for Canadian equity portfolios managed with a blend of fundamental and quantitative analysis. Jeff is a CFA charterholder and has an Honours B.Admin. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Travis is a portfolio manager at Picton Mahoney Asset Management, specializing in Canadian small cap equities. He has industry experience since 2011, and has been with the firm since 2012. During his time at the firm he has worked in advancing roles on the investment team – from Associate Analyst to Portfolio Manager – focusing on the Canadian small cap universe. He has an Honours B.B.A from Wilfrid Laurier University and is also a CFA charterholder.

Michael is a founding partner of Picton Mahoney Asset Management and the portfolio manager responsible for the American equity allocation of our market-neutral and long/short strategies, as well as select long-only American equity strategies. Michael began his work in the industry in 1998 as an analyst and associate at N M Rothschild & Sons, a boutique investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Michael then served as an investment analyst at UBS Global Asset Management and Synergy Asset Management. Michael has a B.Com. from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder.

Michael is a founding partner of Picton Mahoney Asset Management and the portfolio manager responsible for the international investments in our market-neutral and long/short strategies, as well as select long-only EAFE strategies. Michael began his career at Scotia Capital in 1997, where he was manager of market risk. He then joined Synergy Asset Management in 2002 as an investment analyst. Michael has an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.

Phil is a partner and lead portfolio manager of our firm’s income strategies. Phil’s previous investment experience includes working through the ranks at Scotiabank as a commercial lender, at Merrill Lynch as a proprietary analyst and trader, at Greywolf Capital as a credit analyst and at Harris Investments as managing director and portfolio Manager. Having joined the investment industry in 1993 and being a second-generation credit specialist, Phil brings extensive experience in all facets of income investing. Phil graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in economics and is a CFA charterholder.

Sam Acton is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Picton Mahoney Asset Management with industry experience since 2008. Sam joined the Fixed Income team as an Analyst in 2012 and was promoted to Portfolio Manager in 2016. Prior to joining Picton Mahoney, he worked in mergers and acquisitions investment banking at Greenhill & Co. Other prior experience includes working on the credit trading desk at Merrill Lynch and investment banking at BMO Capital Markets. Sam holds a B.Math from the University of Waterloo, a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CFA charterholder.

Craig joined Picton Mahoney Asset Management in January 2020 following the acquisition of the merger arbitrage strategies from Vertex One Asset Management. Craig joined Vertex One in January 2010 and has an extensive background in event-driven arbitrage strategies. Prior to joining Vertex One, he was a Managing Director with CIBC World Markets Inc., where he spent 15 years as a proprietary trader in Toronto, New York and Vancouver. Craig began his finance career in investment banking with Lancaster Financial (acquired by TD Bank Group), and subsequently, Richardson Greenshields of Canada Ltd. Craig holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Electrical Engineering) from the University of Toronto and is also a CFA charterholder.

Tom joined Picton Mahoney Asset Management in January 2020 following the acquisition of the merger arbitrage strategies from Vertex One Asset Management. Tom joined Vertex One in January 2010 and has an extensive background in alternative strategies and specializes in merger and event-driven arbitrage. Prior to joining Vertex One, Tom was a proprietary trader with CIBC World Markets Inc. where he was responsible for equity and derivatives arbitrage as well as special situations strategies. Formerly, he worked in private equity at Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc. and began his career as an equity analyst at KBSH Capital Management Inc. Tom holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and is also a CFA charterholder.

Neil joined Picton Mahoney Asset Management in June of 2017 as a Portfolio Manager, specializing in multi-asset and alternative risk premia strategies. He joined us after spending more than a decade at Northwater Capital Management Inc. as Managing Director, where he led the liquid alternative strategies group and managed custom portfolios for institutional investors. Neil began his career in the industry at Royal Bank of Canada, where he was responsible for enterprise-wide market risk analysis and reporting across the bank’s global trading activities. Neil holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and a Master’s Degree in Mathematical Finance from the University of Toronto.

Mike is responsible for Picton Mahoney Asset Management’s multi-asset strategies. Mike’s previous investment work experience includes AGF Investments where he was lead portfolio manager of their asset allocation mandates. Active in the industry since 1996, Mike has had many roles, including director of institutional equity sales at Scotia Capital, lead manager of the Scotia Canadian Small Cap Fund at Scotia Cassels Investment Counsel, and co-chair of the CIO Compliance Committee, as well as portfolio manager for the small-cap, mid-cap and ethical categories at StrategicNova Funds Management. Mike is a CFA charterholder and has a B.A. in history (with finance and economics) from Western University.

Dashmeet is Director of Quantitative Research and Risk at Picton Mahoney Asset Management and has been in the industry since 2008. Prior to joining us, he was a Risk Analyst at HSBC. Other experience includes three years at Infosys as a software engineer. Dashmeet has an MBA from UBC, and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (with High Distinction) from the Government College of Engineering in Pune, India.