John H. Askin, B.Comm LL.B
Founder, The Wealth Strategy Group

John Askin is the founder of Wealth Strategy Group. He received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta in 1977 and his Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1980. Prior to founding Wealth Strategy Group in 1998, John was a tax lawyer for 15 years in Alberta and British Columbia.

In addition to advising high net worth individuals and families, John's corporate clients include Sun Life, Equinox Financial Group, TD Evergreen, Maritime Life, Investors Group, The Berkshire Group, Manulife Financial, Scotia McLeod and the Hong Kong Bank. John currently consults with clients and professional advisors throughout North America in the area of wealth protection planning.

John is past President of the Estate Planning Council of Edmonton and is a current member of the Vancouver Estate Planning Council and the Canadian Tax Foundation. He has written and presented papers for organizations such as the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Life Underwriters and the All China Lawyers Association, Beijing, China. John is co-author of Materials on Corporate Taxation and Materials on the Alberta Business Corporations Act and has authored articles in numerous publications including Canadian Tax Journal and Insurance Digest. He is also a contributing editor to the Insurance Planning Journal.

Monjie Llorente
C-Level Business Advisor in Vancouver, BC

What would you like to know first about Monjie?

It is fitting that his bio should start with a question, because that is where he starts; by asking questions first. Many of the CEOs and Owners that Monjie has worked with have discovered a lot about themselves and their business even in the initial meeting, because Monjie wastes no time getting to the “secret sauce’ or root of a company or CEO’s unique challenges by asking key questions.

Monjie brings value to portfolio companies through his innate talent for strategy and execution. His ability to envision the greatest possible future for a portfolio company drives Llorente Wilson Partners’ work.
A Founding Partner at Llorente Wilson, Monjie has worked in many cultures in several countries, solving complex problems for businesses at all stages of growth.

For Monjie, work and play have become inseparable—as for anyone living their passion. Whether immersed in the complex issues of a family business, the fast-paced dynamic of a technology firm, or the high capital structure of a real estate development firm, Monjie’s passion is business.

Jas Butalia, CA, BSC
BDO Dunwoody

Jas Butalia joined BDO Dunwoody in 1976 after completing his CA at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. Over the years he has held many roles such as a tax consultation practitioner and has continued to serve as a member of the International Tax Working Group, the Transfer Pricing Group of BDO and the BDO Tax Committee.

Jas' specialties include Canadian and international tax consultation and planning; corporate and personal taxes; mergers and acquisitions; United States taxation; structuring of inbound and outbound transactions vis-à-vis Canada; and planning for individuals entering and leaving Canada, including offshore structures.

R. Paul Jacobson, Q.C.
BA, LL.B, LL.M International Taxation

Paul Jacobson is a lawyer residing in Calgary Alberta . He has a Master of Laws degree in International Tax and has lectured on international tax and trust law. Paul's practice includes international tax planning; domestic tax planning; trust law; estate planning, preservation and administration. Typical clients include owner/managers, global entrepreneurs and consulting to smaller accounting firms, law firms and financial planners.

Franco Lombardo
Associate, The Wealth Strategy Group

Before becoming the Co-founder and Managing Director of Veritage, Franco Lombardo has gained over 20 years of experience advising and consulting about the psychology of money and families. He started his career as a financial advisor in Western Canada and evolved into a consultant assisting families dealing with the psychology of money as it relates to their family. He defined his process to assist families with these issues as Authentic Wealth™. Through personal experience and his extensive work with family businesses, Franco recognized a dynamic; the relationship they have with their money, their business, their community, their philanthropic goals and their family and how money and wealth impacts these relationships.

As a trusted advisor and consultant, Franco has created an investigative process that allows the client to connect the above relationships with their wealth and themselves. This exercise is called Life After Wealth®. He is the author of two books: Life after Wealth®: When is Enough Enough? and Money Motto®: The Path to Authentic Wealth™. Franco has spoken to CICA (the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) on succession planning, The Family Office Association, Café (The Canadian Association of Family Enterprise), YPO (Young Presidents Organization) and Vistage (an organization serving the needs of CEOs around the world). He has appeared as a guest on national television shows such as "Money Talks" on BNN and"The Morning Show" on Global Television.

Franco is considered to be a leading expert on the issues of psychology of money and its interaction within the family and its legacy for its wealth. He has been quoted and written articles for various magazines and newspapers. He is a passionate and engaging speaker and a personal growth facilitator, who is committed to helping people discover their Money Motto®, and to facilitate the awareness necessary to achieve "Authentic Wealth™".