Suhail Hafiz
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toptal member since September 25, 2019
Suhail, a veteran who has worked at renowned Canadian private and public equity firms like Onex and Gluskin Sheff, has invested $3+ billion of capital. Now a corporate finance professor at York University, he started his career in the capital markets group at CIBC, helping underwrite $5+ billion of debt facilities. Suhail has collaborated with global family offices and has experience as the Head of Finance for a Canadian fintech lender owned by a Schedule 1 bank.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Leveraged Buyout Model
Presentation Outlining Investment Opportunity in a Public Company
Discounted Cash Flow
Expertise
- Comparable Company Analysis
- Corporate Finance
- Credit Underwriting
- Equity Research Analysis
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Investor Presentations
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Three-statement Modeling
Work Experience
Chief Financial Officer
Fig Financial Inc
- Headed the finance function, including reporting, tax, FP&A, and strategic planning.
- Ran the pricing committee for the business, managing the trade-off between pricing and loan volumes, and ultimately helping optimize the business in line with the board's strategic objective.
- Launched a new off-balance sheet capital markets program to drive volumes without taking balance sheet risk.
- Engineered a 3-year capital strategy and growth model that scaled annual loan origination volume from $0 to $450 million while expanding net interest margin (NIM) by 100+ basis points.
CEO | Founder
Contrarian Investment Partners Ltd
- Founded a firm focused on providing retainer and project-based advisory services to pre-Series B technology companies, venture capital funds, and family offices that do not want to build out large finance and strategy teams in-house.
- Built a direct investment arm where Contrarian owns minority positions in private technology business and helps them accelerate their growth while minimizing dilution.
- Brokered a partnership with a global IT services firm to lead their North American M&A effort.
Adjunct Professor
York University
- Taught advanced corporate finance to BBA and MBA students at the Schulich School of Business.
- Created a new course curriculum that incorporated real-world experts to improve students' success rate after graduation.
- Taught introduction to corporate finance to BBA and MBA students at the Schulich School of Business.
Consultant
Koru
- Helped a venture studio owned by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan launch and scale a bank-owned fintech lender.
- Led the finance function and prepared all the financial plans that were approved by the boards.
- Raised $20 million in launch capital with over $300 million in balance sheet capital.
Strategic Advisor
Hum Capital
- Oversaw the credit function of the investment team. Closed key transactions and underwrote 50+ businesses seeking venture debt.
- Assisted the executive team in creating a firm strategy. Built a large number of product and investor presentations to outline and drive strategy.
- Collaborated closely with the engineering team to help identify key product features and provide a user-based review.
- Created the investor materials, data room, and financial model for the seed and Series A raises for $20+ million in capital raised.
Investment Analyst
Crimson Asset Management
- Worked as the lead analyst supporting the CEO and founder to build and establish a new asset manager.
- Helped build a North American small-cap portfolio from inception—researching and developing a repository of 100+ North American “dream team” companies complete with financial models, research packages as well as investment letters, leading 50+ management meetings.
- Contributed 12 ideas to an investment portfolio of 25 names, four of which grew to be 5%+ weights in the fund and one of which grew to become a core 10% portfolio position.
- Worked on business development and sales, personally securing a high net worth client for the firm.
- Built the firm’s presentation decks and marketing materials and managed the finance and operations activities, including the NAV reporting functions.
Equity Analyst
Gluskin Sheff & Associates, Inc.
- Worked as the sole analyst assisting the portfolio manager in managing a $3 billion Canadian equity portfolio.
- Built discounted cash flow models and conducted in-depth industry research on mid and large-cap equities.
- Initiated coverage of 30+ companies across consumer staples, consumer discretionary, industrials, materials, technology, and non-bank financial sectors.
- Developed strong relationships with sell-side analysts and company management teams, attending 100+ management diligence meetings and leading 30+ sessions individually.
Analyst
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- Conducted fundamental credit analysis of counterparties in the financial services industry.
- Assisted in managing a portfolio of 40+ clients contributing over $20+ million in revenue for the bank.
- Underwrote various bank and fund credits accounting for $5+ billion in credit limits.
Portfolio Analyst
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
- Researched, analyzed and evaluated hedge fund managers pursuing fundamental strategies.
- Created deal sheets and investment recommendation materials.
- Built models to verify the valuation thesis presented by hedge funds.
Research Analyst
Onex Corporation
- Prepared research packages outlining company strategy, financial position, and industry trends for 50+ North American private and public companies.
- Assisted in negotiating non-disclosure agreements with various investment banks.
- Conducted comparable company, precedent transaction and strategic analysis of target companies.
Strategic Planning Analyst
Pepsi Beverages Canada
- Built an Excel-based model to optimize routes used by Pepsi’s delivery fleet conducting calls with internal stakeholders to refine the model; initiative projected to yield annual savings of over $3 million.
- Developed an Excel-based tracking system for forecasting expiries resulting in $400,000-$500,000 annual savings.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in Finance
Schulich School of Business—York University - Toronto, Canada
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo, Canada
Skills
Finance
Due Diligence, Equity Research, Market Research, Equity Research Analysis, Pricing, Capital Raising, Private Equity, Fund Management, Valuation, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Budgeting, Financial Reporting, M&A (Sell-side), Financial Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Three-statement Modeling, Comparable Company Analysis, Credit Underwriting, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Lending, Credit Risk, Venture Debt, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Accounting
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Sheets
Data & Analysis Software
Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, Financial Data
Industry Expertise
Venture Capital, Asset Management, Financial Services, Retail & Wholesale, Industrials, Technology, Early-stage Startups, Real Estate
Geographic Expertise
Canada, United States, India
Other
Pitch Decks, Negotiation, Term Sheet Negotiations, Investor Presentations, Fintech, SaaS, Investment Banking, Software as a Service (SaaS), Portfolio Management, Investor Reporting, Hedge Funds, Hedge Fund Consultant, Startups, Investments, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Data Visualization, Presentations, Excel Modeling, Growth, Growth Strategy, Marketplaces, Strategy, Investing, Research, Primary Research, Surveys, Focus Groups, Interviews, Analysis, Finance, Business Strategy, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Investment Ideas, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Excel Expert, Business Administration, Fractional CFO, Advisory, Business Operations, Boards, Margin Optimization, M&A Analysis
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