Suhail Hafiz, Finance Expert in Toronto, ON, Canada
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Suhail Hafiz

Verified Expert  in Finance

Bio

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 many pre-series B technology companies as a freelancer. He has helped with all activities tied to raising capital.

Career Highlights

CEO | Founder
Contrarian Investment Partners Ltd
Adjunct Professor
York University

Education Highlights

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree
Schulich School of Business—York University

Case Studies

Work Experience

Strategic Advisor

2019 - PRESENT
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 $20MM+ in capital raised.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Venture Debt, Venture Capital, Business Strategy, Fractional CFO

CEO | Founder

2019 - PRESENT
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.
Focus areas: Investing, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Fractional CFO, Advisory

Adjunct Professor

2017 - PRESENT
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.
Focus areas: Finance

Investment Analyst

2017 - 2019
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.
Focus areas: Excel Modeling, Analysis, Focus Groups, Surveys, Primary Research, Research, Investing

Equity Analyst

2016 - 2017
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.
Focus areas: Interviews, Focus Groups, Surveys, Primary Research, Research, Investing

Analyst

2012 - 2016
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.
Focus areas: Credit Risk, Lending, Corporate Finance

Portfolio Analyst

2011 - 2011
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.
Focus areas: Investing

Research Analyst

2011 - 2011
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.
Focus areas: Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

Strategic Planning Analyst

2010 - 2010
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.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Strategy
2014 - 2015

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in Finance

Schulich School of Business—York University - Toronto, Canada

2008 - 2012

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo, Canada

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

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 Funds, 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

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